LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET

LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
October 31, 2022
Opening Statement: “Alright, I’ll just start with the news on (former Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs) Aubrey (Pleasant). I think Aubrey’s a hell of a coach, I’ve got a ton of respect for him. It was a tough decision, but we’re in a production-based business and after seven weeks it’s just – I felt like this change needed to be made. So, I wish him the best of luck and I appreciate everything he’s put into it. He put his heart and soul into everything he did.”
On what he is hoping to get out of the coaching staff change: “Just – we’ll see if a different messenger – (Lions Safeties Coach) Brian Duker will take over in there and (Lions Defensive Quality Control) Addison Lynch will be in that room as well. Both of those guys will take on a substantial role with the defensive backs and just see where that goes.”
On former Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Aubrey Pleasant’s impact on Lions CB Jeff Okudah’s progress and how it may be impacted after Pleasant’s dismissal: “Yeah, I believe that – I would see Jeff continuing to excel. He has improved, there again, he just hadn’t played football. And so, he’s – every game he gets more reps, so I don’t see this being a negative impact on him.”
On when they came to the decision to dismiss former Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Aubrey Pleasant: “No, really this morning. Thought about it a long time last night. Obviously, didn’t sleep and thought about it some more. And then, woke up this morning and just felt like this was a decision we had to make.”
On if former Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Aubrey Pleasant did anything in yesterday’s game that led to his dismissal: “No, listen I think that it was all – it’s all-encompassing after seven weeks. It just – with where we’re at. And then there again, I just think something needed to be – something needed to change.”
On if he thinks the secondary has the talent to make a big leap with the changes in leadership: “I do. I’m still – I still believe in the guys that we have. I think that – I know what we have on the backend, and I think they’re good enough to help us compete and win. And we just – we’ve got to see if we can get them going even a little bit better.”
On if making an in-season coaching change like dismissing former Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Aubrey Pleasant is to take the heat off other coaches: “No, we’re just – we can be better on defense certainly, but we can be better in the secondary.”
On how tough making the decision to fire a staff member is and if he envisions former Lions Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Aubrey Pleasant having another job in the League in the future: “Yeah, they’re brutal. They’re the worst. It’s the worst part of this job. I mean he’s got a family, and there again, he put everything he had into this. And I still believe he’s a hell of a coach. It’s just sometimes things don’t work out, and absolutely I do. I see him getting another opportunity, and I see him continuing to grow and climb again at some point, somewhere. I do.”
On what he wants to see change in the secondary: “I just want to see us all on the same page, and if we’re going to get beat, it’s because we’re – maybe we’re getting outrun or we’re not quite in phase, but at least we’re kind of there. We’ve got to cut our mentals in half.”
On if there was an opportunity to correct the secondary not being physical enough in-game against the Dolphins wide receivers Sunday: “Yeah, we talked about it.”
On why the adjustment was not made to make the secondary more physical against the Dolphins wide receivers: “It’s why I’m standing here talking to you right now. Just in general, it’s all about, ‘How do we relay the message a little better?’ That’s all.”
On if there are any additional staff changes at this time: “No.”
On how active he expects the team to be before the trade deadline tomorrow: “Yeah, I don’t know. I know that (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) is looking into anything and everything on both sides. That’s what he does, and so I know we’ve got a little time here, and we’ll see if something happens.”
On if the organization should be in ‘sell-mode’ before the trade deadline after starting the season with a 1-6 record: “That’s really not something I feel like I need to answer. That’s not really my place at this point. Mine is to make the most of what we’ve got here, which is plenty to compete with I believe.”
On if a team being in ‘sell-mode’ before the deadline signals to a player that the team has given up on a season: “No, I never felt that way. I never felt that way, but there again, I was just about – I had enough to worry about as a player. I was going to do my job, do the best I could. I didn’t worry about signals. I worried about what the coach wanted.”
On the communication process between him and Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager Brad Holmes: “Yeah look, we talk all the time, and he and I’s relationship is good as ever. I mean it’s as good as ever. We communicate on a daily basis multiple times a day on everything. And so, man if he’s got something, he presents it to me and he tells me what he’s thinking. He asks what I think and – but there again, I would say what he does a real good job of is he looks at it through my eyes, and I look at it through his eyes. And so, I would say at the end of the day we take each other’s opinion and then whether we make a move or don’t make a move, we’re both lockstep with each other.”