LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
November 15, 2024
On if there are any concerns with Lions CB Carlton Davis III and other players appearing on the injury report yesterday: “No, I think, there again, we’ll know a lot more after today. We’ll see what they look like in practice, but it’s really – we’ll see what it looks like. You’re asking me about level of concern right now? I’m not, but we’ll see.”
On if Lions CB Carlton Davis III will be practicing today: “Yes.”
On if any of the players who have been designated for return from Reserve/Injured will be activated this week: “Probably not. Probably not, but I would say this, they’ve gotten better every day, and that’s kind of what we’re looking at. You just – you look at the way they look moving, certainly, with your own eyes, and then you look at the numbers, and those guys are getting better and better, so it’s a good thing.”
On what the acclimation process looks like for players returning from Reserve/Injured: “Yeah, scout team is really the biggest way. So, there again, we do – on Thursday, we’ll do some one-on-one reps so they get a chance to work their craft, and then scout team’s a lot of it, and we put a lot of stock into that. And then, in the meantime, between walkthrough and then team reps, we’ll give those guys – we’ll give them a few, even though they may not be playing in this game. And then, every Thursday, we do good-on-good as well. At the end of our scout team reps, we’re preparing for the opponent, we do Detroit versus Detroit, and those guys are involved. We’ll do two sessions, one with the first group and then twos. So, they’re getting acclimated with it, they’re working their way back in so that you feel good about it when the time’s right.”
On what fans will see from Lions DL Za’Darius Smith: “Look, I think that the guy is – there’s things that he’s going to be able to do in one-on-ones that I do believe are going to show up, but I think that there’s going to be a lot that maybe fans don’t see that’re going to pay huge dividends for us. I mean, even yesterday, just the third downs and watching him work, man, he’s a pro. The way he prepares, the way he works, I mean, that’s evident. Being able to just watch him, put our eyes on him, with the way that he’s able to work with (Lions DL Alim McNeill) Mac and (Lions DL Josh) Paschal and just the different rush patterns, things of that nature, it’s going to pay dividends for the whole group, and that’s it. So, would I love to see six sacks? Yeah, absolutely, but no, so don’t come out of this game being like, ‘Well, he didn’t get six sacks. I mean, what are we doing?’ He’s going to help us and that’s going to be evident. That was good to see him yesterday, he’s going to help us big time.”
On if Lions DL Za’Darius Smith will be on a pitch count Sunday: “Yeah, we’ll work him in, we’ll make sure that we use him appropriately. Look, he’s going to play on all downs, but we’re going to maximize what he’s got in the tank to help us. I guess, if you – pitch count, yes, somewhere in there we’ll get him some.”
On why it is important to have both Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn in a game situational meeting with each other: “Well, number one, because those guys are going to be head coaches eventually, whether it’s now, whether it’s later, whatever the case is, so it’s good for them to see it, and it’s also good for them to see the other side of it, to be able to see it from a defensive perspective, on managing a game, to see it from an offensive perspective, managing a game. And then, you do that, and you figure out what’s right for you. They know what’s right for us because it’s the way I see it. Eventually, when it becomes their team, they may see it a little differently. There may be a more conservative approach, there may be a more aggressive approach, but you just want to know that you have all the facts and you know how to – that you’re able to put those into your own way of seeing it and to make the best decision possible. It’s been good for us.”
On if the game situation meetings were something that he did with Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton or if other coaches also do that: “Well, I’m sure most would probably do that. We did a number of things with Sean. Ours were more related with the team overall than it was the actual staff, so we all got it, he would do that every Saturday morning. And we’ll show things that pop up. I don’t do it every week, but I show things that are, I think, important for the team to know. And then certainly, training camp, we go through those, we’ll show them, offense, defense, just as we go against each other. But yeah, I think it’s good for the staff to be involved. (Lions Assistant Head Coach/Running Backs Coach) Scottie (Montgomery)’s in there too. It puts us all on the same page.”
On what kind of maturity and professionalism Lions WR Allen Robinson II brings to the receiver room and the offense as a whole: “Yeah, he’s something else, he really is. I mentioned this a few weeks back, but I mean, he’s got the hunger of a rookie. I mean it’s impressive, for a guy that has played as much as he’s played and had skins on this wall and has made a lot of money, had a ton of production, and I mean he’s just – he’s ready to go, he’s ready to go at the drop of a hat, he can play any of the positions mentally, he knows them. You give him a rep and he’s all out, takes scout team reps, I mean, this guy is – he’s as pro as a pro gets. So, I have no problem with him going into games at all. So, he’s ready and something’s going to come up here before this season’s over and it’s going to be critical. It’ll be a critical situation, critical play, that he’s going to help us win. It’s just – it’s going to happen.”
On if he savors what is happening right now with Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn with their ascension: “Yeah, man, I savor every bit of this because you’re not guaranteed – we’re not guaranteed any more wins, as far as that’s concerned. You’ve got to earn every one of them and you don’t know what’s going to happen the next day or the next game in front of you, but I know this, this is a special team and it’s a special staff, and it’s been that way since the beginning, it really has been. And so, yeah, I absolutely do. I’m fortunate, I’m blessed, I’m thankful that I have the coordinators, counting (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp as well, all three of those guys are superstars. And yeah, I do, and I know – hey, when it’s over, it’s over, but we’re going to make the most of it until that time comes.”
On if he remembers the image of former Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick hugging former Patriots Defensive Coordinator Romeo Crennel and former Patriots Offensive Coordinator Charlie Weis: “I do. I do, actually. It’s a great image and that was a special team. That was a special – that really started it all. That was a special group that those guys had.”
On how much the team’s love for one another plays into success: “It’s a huge part of it. It’s a huge part of it because it’s – there’s so much that goes into it. There’s an unselfishness in a selfish business. It’s hard, and I’m talking about not just players, I’m talking about coaches too. That’s the nature of this game, man. This is type-A personalities and very confident, especially if you’re competing at the highest level. But to be able to put your ego aside for the guy next to you and you say you care about him, will you care about him enough to do everything it takes to get on the field and do your job and produce, and it should break your heart when you don’t finish for a player next to you, you don’t finish a block or you don’t chase the ball down and it turned into something bigger than it needed to be or you’re not in the gap you’re supposed to be in. Those should drive you and motivate you not to let the guy next to you – and that’s the common thread in all great teams, man. That’s how they function, that’s how they work, it’s how they practice, and they hold each other accountable. The coaches don’t say anything, they’re on each other’s ass, in a good way, and that’s what we’ve got right now. We have that type of team, those types of players.”
