LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
December 28, 2024
On if the NFC Championship loss last season sticks with him: “Yeah, sure. Yeah, that didn’t – that’ll go – just like my second year in the League, we go to the Super Bowl and get smashed by Baltimore. I won’t ever forget that either. Those stick with you and we just didn’t do enough and that’s – you learn from every experience and unfortunately, that’s the best way to learn, is from the losses. It really is.”
On how he compartmentalizes last year’s loss with playing the 49ers this week: “There again, we have a lot of guys, but also, we have a ton of new faces. You look at our defense, there are a ton of guys on defense that weren’t here when we went through that. So, you do what you just said. You keep it compartmentalized, you don’t want to go through that feeling again and that means you have to prepare a certain way, you have to play a certain way, everything that you talk about, per that opponent, for that week, and it’s as simple as that. This is the next opponent in front of us and just keep your cool, keep your composure, stay disciplined, do the little things that it takes to win a game, and it really is that simple.”
On what goes into the advanced scouting process that has helped with the success of the team: “A ton. Those guys are a huge resource for us and they’re really the – they give us the first, I guess, vantage point of what that team is. Where they’re at, how they’ve had success, where they’ve struggled, injuries, which is huge. Injuries, who is playing for who, who do you foresee playing this week, and so it really is – they give you the jump start going into the week. Those guys have done an unbelievable job for us, they’re very thorough, some of the best that I’ve been around. What I love about them is they give you just the nuts and bolts of what you need. Now, we’ve got – they give you a whole pamphlet of stuff, so every detail you can imagine, you want to look in there and great, but for us, the nuts and bolts, what do we need, what do we need to know right at this point, and there is a little bit of an art to that and our guys have – and that’s another reason that being together for four years, because all of those guys have been with us for four years now, make a huge difference. So, it plays a huge – it’s a huge role into what we do.”
On if he plays a role in the advanced scouting process for what he is looking for: “Yeah, I think that’s – it’s really shaped – (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes), this is kind of how I see it and what I would think, now what do the coaches really want. So, you’re trying to get it to where everybody gets what they need out of it and certainly myself and then the coordinators. Between (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp and (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG and (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson), ‘What are you looking for, what is the information that you’re looking for?’ And then you get it exactly the way that you want it. So, those guys have been unbelievable for us.”
On what he likes about the versatility of the secondary: “Well it’s really the – I would say it’s the – this is the most versatile we’ve been since I have been here, and that’s without (Lions CB Carlton Davis III) CD. So that’s a credit to (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) first and foremost to be able to get us players that really can come in and help, but the versatility at those positions, the corner, the nickel, the safety, and so really, what you have is, you have (Lions CB) Amik (Robertson) who can play inside, he goes outside last week which he’s done plenty of. So, you’ve got that flexibility. Getting (Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu) Iffy back who is going to only get better every game he plays, can play safety, he can play nickel in a pinch if you needed him, he can play outside if you needed him because he started in this League as an outside corner, so he’s a little bit – can be a matchup piece for you. Obviously (Lions DB Brian Branch) BB is huge, to be able to play the safety position this year and then drop to nickel. Listen, I’m not so sure we couldn’t play Branch outside if we needed him. Honestly, I wouldn’t bat an eye if that was something that we needed. Just those three pieces alone help us out with everything else. You have (Lions CB Terrion Arnold) TA outside, (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) being able to do what he does, play in the post a little bit and some of those things. So, it really allows you to do a lot of things defensively that you couldn’t ordinarily do. And I just bring it up, the ability to play man-to-man with those personnel groups makes a huge difference because it can overcome other areas that maybe aren’t as – maybe they’re a little deficient. The ability for those guys on the backend to do what they do and cover the way that they cover, but then also be able to do multiple jobs allows us to do a lot.”
On if it has been surprising that they have been undefeated on the road and why they are successful on the road: “No I don’t, the best teams that I’ve ever been a part of, player or coach, are always good road teams. They go hand in hand, I think it’s, there again, it’s your level of detail and discipline. When you’re – I think it’s – those are two big things, I think it’s also the fact that you can handle the pressure, which goes into being detailed and disciplined. It’s not too much for you and I think it’s a challenge. It’s always a challenge to go on the road and I think we thrive off of a challenge. I think it’s where we play some of our best ball, and so those go hand in hand on the road. You can’t hear most of the time, especially if you’re offensively, it’s just you guys in the huddle, a lot of times you have to – if you’re one of those guys looking at (Lions QB Jared) Goff, you’re just reading his lips to get the play, and then you have to perform, you have to make plays, and I don’t think there is anything better than when you – offensively, defensively, special teams, it’s early in the game and you make a play that shuts the crowd down. That’s kind of what you live for on the road. So, I think we embrace it, it’s something that we’ve been pretty good at, but it takes work, and it does, you have to prepare to play on the road and our guys have been good.”
On when he works out: “It’s a topic, huh? A topic nobody sees. I’ve got my own little gym at home, so I do stuff there and I’ve mentioned this before, I do massive power workouts in the shower. It’s liberating, you should try it. But I find a way to get a sweat, but I don’t do much up here. I don’t want those guys picking at me. (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow), you know, that way you can keep throwing these grenades, but if nobody sees you, they can’t pick at you. So, that’s my advantage.”
On how difficult it is to release players after signing them to help through a rough patch like Lions LB Kwon Alexander: “Yeah, it’s hard. That’s the hard, cold, truth of this League and that’s the hard stuff because it’s what you just said. You’re relying on these guys to come in and help you and then you get some guys that get healthy and then you have to make a move. So, no, that’s not easy. We have a lot of respect for those guys. You mentioned Kwon, we just knew of course we would love to have him on the roster, we just know what he’s about and if that’s not the case, can we get him back here on the vet squad in some capacity because I still think that we’re going to need him before this is all said and done, we’re going to need him again. And just what he brings, he’s no different to me than (Lions QB) Teddy (Bridgewater) is offensively. He’s just a guy – he loves ball, he eats it, he sleeps it, he’s smart. He doesn’t bat an eye, he doesn’t complain, he just works, and he’ll go out there. And this is a guy who has got a lot of skins on the wall, played a lot of football and he has got no problem lining up out there on scout defense and playing ball, competing. I have a tremendous amount of respect for those guys. But the guys that we do bring back and that have been here a long time, they’ve earned their keep. Those guys have earned – (Lions WR) Tom Kennedy has earned his place here, for example. And I know that he’s on the roster, but it’s been a – those guys have earned our trust and deserve to be here in some capacity and it’s not just charity, it’s because we trust him and we know that we’re going to need him at some point. So, that’s just kind of how we work here.”
