John U. Bacon says Campbell's risks are "who he is" and congrats to the Milwaukee Brewers'

The Lions got a big win against a divisional rival last weekend. Up next, an even tougher challenge…

For more on that and a look at other sports news, Michigan Public sports commentator John U. Bacon joined host Doug Tribou on Morning Edition.

Doug Tribou: The Lions beat the Packers on a last-second field goal last weekend. Detroit coach Dan Campbell loves to take risks and he went for it on fourth down - deep in Lions territory. The call didn’t work and the Packers got the ball back. A few defensive stops and a blocked kick later, the Lions got another chance and won, but is Campbell playing it too fast and loose on those fourth down calls?

John U. Bacon: Yes. Yes he is, Doug. Look, when it requires a few defensive stops and a blocked kick to get another chance, you're probably throwing the dice too much. But it's who he is, and he's a phenomenal coach, a great motivator, I think a very good strategist. But that's the price you pay for having Dan Campbell and I think Lions fans are willing to pay it.

DT: Well, the Lions now 4-2 on the season. They've got another important game on Sunday afternoon. They'll host the Vikings who are in first place in the NFC North and undefeated.

In college football, the Wolverines' struggles continued last weekend in a slog of a game against Indiana. At the end of regulation, the game was tied 6-6, not your typical football score. The Hoosiers went on to win 13-6 in overtime. Michigan started true freshman Tommy Carr at quarterback in place of true sophomore Bryce Underwood, who’d been struggling. What did you see in Carr’s performance?

JUB: Well, I saw a true freshman doing his very best. He did some good things and made some freshman mistakes. But what I really see is offensive coordinator Jason Beck with abysmal play calling. At one point they had the ball at third down, about a foot from the goal line. And that's when you usually just slam it in there twice if you have to. In this case, they called a naked bootleg. That's where a quarterback runs the wrong direction, seven steps without protection, trying to make a play. And of course, he got sacked and then they missed the field goal. So they went from an almost sure touchdown to zero points. Jason Beck, the offensive coordinator, is getting a lot of grief online and frankly it's deserved.

DT: Bryce Underwood did get in the game for some set plays. But Tommy Carr is expected to start again when the Wolverines face Rutgers on the road in New Jersey tomorrow afternoon. Michigan hasn’t confirmed that, but if Carr does start, is that a smart move after his struggles? I think it's fair to say he looked shaky at a lot of points in that game last week...

JUB: There's no question he did. And Bryce Underwood might have looked worse in his games. They're your choices right now. And it goes back to coaching, I hate to tell you, the quarterback coach for these guys, as well as the offensive coordinator. They're not being set up for success. Now, don't forget, Doug, the most popular guy in the building, every single football game is the backup quarterback because everyone's convinced he's the guy who's going to solve all your problems. And now you're looking at number three, apparently, because you burn through the first two. So good luck.

DT: Michigan State has lost six straight after getting blown out by UCLA last weekend. The Spartans are off this weekend. On November 7th, Michigan State and Michigan will play their annual rivalry game. This year it will be in Ann Arbor. The good news for Michigan and Michigan State there, John, is that barring a tie, someone will leave with a Big Ten conference win.

JUB: That said, of course, because the stakes are so low and both teams are struggling, the stakes are incredibly high in that game because nobody wants to lose that game on top of it.

DT: The Milwaukee Brewers are the World Series champions for the first time in the team’s 57-year history. They beat the Tampa Bay Rays in five games. Longtime Brewers announcer Bob Uecker died last year at the age of 90. But somewhere out there, John, I’m pretty sure he’s smiling…

JUB: Man, I love that idea. And God bless the Milwaukee Brewers, who won their first, as you said, World Series in 57 years of trying. Uecker, by the way, was an utterly professionally mediocre player. He hit exactly .200 and bragged about that for many years. But he was a phenomenal broadcaster. I met him a couple of times, and he was as charming and funny and sweet as you'd hope. If you've seen Major League, the movie, you know Bob Uecker.

Editor's note: Some quotes in this article have been lightly edited for length and clarity. You can play the full audio of the interview near the top of this page.

The University of Michigan holds Michigan Public's broadcast license.