LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL TRAINING CAMP DAY SIX QUOTE SHEET
July 30, 2024
Opening Statement: “Good morning. Let’s just start with this, man we were fired up to get (Lions T Taylor) Decker redone, get him extended. He’s a pivotal piece of what we’ve been able to do here in the turnaround, so man, we were fired up for him and his family, and it’s good to have him here for the extended future. Good first day in pads, certainly wasn’t perfect. Inevitably what happens is guys get, you know, you get the man across from you and its full go, full tilt, and all the fundamentals you learned, you just throw them by the wayside and that happens with some players. So, we just have to clean that up, back them up here, let’s get back to what we do fundamentally and get better. But man, the intensity was beautiful. There was an urgency, and I would expect it to step up today another notch and it’ll be a more aggressive day, a little longer, and guys to really go out there and compete.”
On if it is a unique situation to talk with Lions T Taylor Decker man-to-man during OTAs about his contract extension and if it speaks to how special the trust is between the two of them: “No, it’s not – look I’ve told those guys from day one, ‘Man, if something like that is bothering you, you can always – as you know, (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and myself, come talk to us and we will tell you what our mindset is, where we’re at, what we’re thinking.’ We’re not going to shy away from that, so we’ve told everybody that. So, yeah, Decker came up in the spring and we talked about it. That was on his mind and so I told him, ‘Listen, Brad and I – listen you’re next. This’ll come. Just let’s give it a minute.’ He was coming off a surgery. ‘Let’s just make sure you’re good, we’ll get you out there moving around in July, and all is good, and we’ll go.’ And that’s what happened. So, I appreciate him trusting us, but all our guys know that, man. You got something on your mind? Come up and talk. We can talk one-on-one and I’ll give you the straight up. Man, I remember what it was like as a player, and I was lied to at one point, and I will never do that to a player. So even if it’s going to hurt a little bit, I want him to know the truth.”
On if his open-door policy is something that he has always had or if it is based on a negative experience: “I think you learn all of these things as you go. I just think – I know that had a bearing on me a little bit and that’s one of those things that once you realize that you’re in a – you get in a position of to where you’re in that position to have decisions, to make decisions, you just, you remember it. So, yeah, I think that’s always been important, and I would say, yeah, that probably had a big bearing on the policy that we have here. And (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) is absolutely the same way. He knows. We don’t shy away from those things. We’re going to tell you what we feel. We try not, as much as we can, you can’t divulge everything, but man we want to be honest and upfront and not dance around things.”
On the NFL banning the hip drop tackle and how much of an emphasis they have placed on teaching against that technique now that pads are on: “Yeah, so, obviously it was – the League has sent out a video and of course it’s the worst of the worst, these things, the ones they show on there. Our guys know, we talked about it in the spring. We know that you have to get your head across, you have to continue to run your feet, so yeah, absolutely it’s something that we’ve talked about that, we’re not teaching that. It is a point emphasis and look, the only way to avoid it is to work on tackling. You have to work on some of these things, tackling because it’s not fair to your guys if you don’t. You just react and you’re back in whatever it takes to get the guy down. So listen, this League has always been about adjusting. This is a new rule, our guys will adjust, and we’ll be just fine.”
On what the fine line is between getting the work in on tackling and keeping the players fresh and healthy and if he battles with it: “Always. You always battle with it. I think there’s a – you know what happens is, unless you do some of those things – I just go back to this. Whether you go pads, you don’t go pads, you go live, you don’t, you can always work on blocking, you can always work on releases, you can work on catching the ball, you can work on separation, you can work on run blocking, protection, quarterbacks can throw, coverage, you can not work on tackling – you don’t ever work on tackling unless you work on tackling, getting somebody to the ground, so that’s one. But two is also, when you go live, the intensity goes way up. The exertion that puts on the body is totally different and your players need that because they have to do that on Sunday for 70 plays, and so I don’t want that to be the first time. There’s going to be some of these guys that we don’t play in the preseason, so I don’t want this heavy exertion, all this tork through their body to be the first time 70 plays on Sunday, they need to get it now on grass. So that’s another reason why we do it. But it is always a fine line. Listen, there’s nothing easy about it, but I just feel like it’s what’s best for our guys and our team.”
On if the NFL has lost something by getting rid of two-a-days or if they have gained something by limiting the practices: “No, look, I think we have gained, I do. Listen, the days of the two-a-days – at some point in this camp I’m going to put up the old two-a-day schedule so our players can see it and the two scripts for the practices. But there again, they don’t know what that is either. They don’t know the reality of it, they know what we’re in right now and so, everything is relative. But yeah, man, going full pads twice a day, the first practice is three hours, and the second one you go back way down and go two and a half hours. If you’re with (Former Head) Coach (Bill) Parcells, you’re really lucky, he’ll take the pants off in the afternoon. You’re still in shoulder pads and it’s still two and a half hours but, ‘Pants are off guys,’ and that was like, what a treat. You just slip the shorts on with the shoulder pads and here we go man. Nine-on-seven. But that was life, right? So, man, I think we are better for it, man. The body – you know this game has changed so much and the athletes are so much different, and I just think that they’re geared so much higher now than it was back then. Everything felt like a marathon and the game was so much more in a box and downhill, run game, power, two back, heavy personnel – there was just so much more of that, and then once the spread offenses came in, the athletes changed, and so I think this is a good thing where we are at. The only thing that I wish, man let’s try not to tinker with the rules of the game. I like that we’re trying to take care of the players and the body doesn’t need that type of beating, but man the more we start dialing back, we still play in pads. The game’s still in pads. So, I just hate to lose the element of what made the game, the game. That’s all. But we’re going to try and squeeze everything out of it that we can. That’s how we play football here.”
On how long it takes for the fundamentals to return after the first initial days in full pads: “I would expect it’s going to be much better today. And that’s what happens, is inevitably, you’re just out there trying to win, and you don’t think about anything else, you’re just trying to win. So that’s what last night was. You watch the tape, you go over it, man, our coaches are on it, like, ‘Hey man, we just talked about this. Look at your footwork, look at your hand placement,’ and so that was an emphasis last night and I expect it to be much better today, so it’ll come pretty quick. Especially with the guys that you know are going to grow and that are going to take that next step. The guys who can’t adjust to that are probably not going to be here, they’re not going to make the roster and they know that.”
On if there was anyone that stood out when the pads came on yesterday: “(Lions TE) Parker Hesse. Yeah, he did some things. He did some things, which quite frankly, I don’t know if I’m that surprised. That’s kind of his game. Some of these guys, you run all of these pass-specific drills and you’re not in pads, but it’s – that’s kind of more his game too. But I would say, yeah, he showed up.”
On what he made of Lions CB Terrion Arnold and Lions CB Ennis Rakestraw Jr. after the first day of pads: “Yeah, I liked the first day of work for both of them. You know what I love? Both of those guys are competitive. They are competitive guys man. They don’t mess around, for rookies, and they’re trying to win the rep and they’re trying to get better and they’re both athletic. So, you feel like – OK there again, first day it’s not too big for them. They were ready for the challenge of it. Now, do they have a lot of work? Yeah, they do, so it was very encouraging.”
On his impressions of Lions DL Brodric Martin with Lions DL DJ Reader being on the Active/PUP list: “I would say it’s been up and down. Some of these things we’ve talked about Brodric cleaning up a little bit, it is staying more square. You’re starting to see it, then once it gets square, now forgets to power because he’s so focused on being square then he loses some of his anchor, his footwork gets out of whack. So, it’s just, listen, it’s a work in progress and it’s up and down right now but the kid is working at it and (Lions Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach) Terrell (Williams)’s on him, and I would anticipate that he’s going to continue to grow. And look, right now, (Lions DL Kyle) Peko is rolling in there. Peko is a veteran guy, and we know exactly what he is and he’s just steady, reliable type of guy, man. Does his job and guys trust him, and I know it’s early, but he’s got somebody pushing him there.”
On if Lions CB Steven Gilmore was one of the guys that was close at the end of last season that has taken a jump this offseason: “I would say, man, you know, Gilmore has got ability and I still feel like he needs a whole other notch. He can take a whole other notch up. He’s got natural instincts, he’s pretty competitive, cover skills, and so he’s one of those guys, look, he’s worked at it, but I expect more out of him. I just do because I think he’s an instinctive player, so we need him to take a big jump this training camp. And I would say to this point after these five days he’s done a good job.”
On Lions OL Christian Mahogany’s prognosis for returning to practice and if this is something that he is concerned about long term: “Yeah, really I can’t – I don’t know, here’s what you do know, is that anytime a rookie has missed, here we go, we’re going on practice six here and he’s still not here, yes you get concerned with the development of the player because they need everything. I mean you miss one day as a rookie and that’s tough to recover from because you don’t have two-a-days anymore. But so, I don’t want to say we’re concerned, and it’s a real thing, this illness. It really is a day-by-day – we have virtually checked him in so he’s virtually in meetings and things of that nature but man, when we know he’s ready to get here and be a part of what we’re doing, believe us, we’ll get him here as fast as possible, but as of right now, we have to assume we don’t have him.”
