LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
January 1, 2025
Opening Statement: “Real good opponent we’re getting ready to face here. They’re well-coached, got a lot of good players – lot of good players and they create issues, really, in all three phases that we’re going to need to be prepared for, but it’s a challenge we’re looking forward to. So, like I said after the game, these are exciting times, to be able to play in these types of games, so we’re looking forward to it.”
On why they did not go for two after they scored a touchdown at the end of the game at San Francisco: “Yeah, I ordinarily would’ve, I just chose not to. But yeah, normally I’d go for two. Yeah, I would normally, so you won’t have to worry about it moving forward. Ordinarily, yes.”
On what he respects about Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell: “Yeah, listen, he’s an excellent coach. I mean, you look at what he’s done, now, going on three years, he – their offensive scheme is – they do a great job, man. Very creative and they understand how to find weaknesses and pick at them, get the most out of their players, put their players in position to have success. I think sometimes it’s – when you have a player like (Vikings WR Justin) Jefferson, it’s, ‘Well, you’ve got Jefferson.’ So you – but it’s not always that easy because everybody’s trying to – you’re trying to double him, you’re trying to do your best to take him away, and for them, he’s your best player, so you still have to find ways to get him involved and get him in the game so that he helps you, and they do a really good job of that. They move him around, Jefferson’s smart as well as everything else, he can handle all that. And so, that’s just a couple things they do. I like what they do in the run game as well, and then he’s just – you can’t argue with the production of this team, what they’ve done. Had some tough games last year, they had some injuries and they were able to battle through it and finish with a positive – on a positive note just for the season itself, and to get through that and come back battling this year – and he’s made the most out of that personnel, man they’ve got really good personnel and they’re playing at a high level.”
On if there is any time this week where he can appreciate the magnitude of the game against Minnesota: “I mean, I don’t know. Like I said, we’re all excited, I mean, this is exciting, but it’s not like it’s the playoffs. So yeah, for where we’re at it’s the next one and it is exciting, but it’s – we all know it’s still going to come down to the prep and we’ve got to put the work in. It’s going to start today, we’ll be out there in walkthrough, and then, man, you put your best foot forward and you give your guys all you can, you cut them loose and let them go make plays and see where you stack up. So, that’s the exciting part.”
On if the game against Minnesota is not as big because both teams will play in the playoffs: “Yeah, well I don’t – I mean, I just think it is what it is. I mean, it’s – I don’t know, I don’t know how to answer it really. I mean, yeah, it’s big, it’s great, but it’s like – yeah, it is what it is.”
On at what point they set the goal of being the one seed in the NFC and what it would mean to clinch the one seed: “Well, I mean I think that was really – that was the end of last year. You come out of that game and feel like it gives you the best odds to get to where the ultimate is, which is, as well all know what the prize is, and that’s the Super Bowl, well, you just – you try to set yourself up the best you can and that’s why you put those goals out there. So yeah, it’s been there for a while, so certainly this is something we want to do and we’ve had in our minds – division and one seed and all that, and it’s right here in our hands.”
On if there is a chance that Lions LB Alex Anzalone can play this week: “He’ll be out there running around today, so we’ll see how he does. It’s really going to be how he – tomorrow’s going to be, I think, a really big day for us to see where he’s at.”
On what it is about Lions QB Jared Goff’s personality that has allowed him to make the strides that he has made this season: “Well, I would say he’s a student of the game and he – he’s a student of the game, he’s student of what we’re doing offensively, he’s a student of defenses, so he puts in the legwork. And then, he constantly – I think with anybody, he wants to learn the next thing, he absorbs everything, and I think he’s always looking for the next, ‘If I see something, what can I use and put it into my game?’ Or, ‘Is this something we can us?’ Where can he grow as a quarterback? I think he’s always thinking that way like, ‘Can I be better with my eyes, do I need to progress faster here, can I see things a tick quicker?’ So I just think it’s – man it’s time on task, it’s his ability to process, and I think it’s just that he just wants to continue to learn and grow, and I think that most successful people, no matter what you do, they’re always trying to learn and grow, and he’s obviously got the skillset to be able to do what he does and play at a high level. He’s an accurate passer, big arm, so he just keeps going, man. He just continues to get better.”
On what the mindset of the defense is after giving up more points than they would like but still coming up with big plays in critical moments at San Francisco: “Yeah, it’s to reload and go back to work and execute this plan that we have for these guys and find a way to get some takeaways and make plays. I mean, it’s really that simple and we came up with two critical takeaways in that game that were big for us. So, as with anything, are there things we want to clean up? Yeah, but (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s got a good plan, guys will be ready for this. We know the challenge, I mean, we just talked about it. I mean, this quarterback’s playing at high level and you’ve got (Vikings WR Justin) Jefferson over there, (Vikings WR Jordan) Addison’s playing well, (Vikings WR Jalen) Nailor’s making some plays, (Vikings TE T.J.) Hockenson, now that he’s back, is making some plays, it’s a solid offensive line, smart crew, they do a good job up front, play hard, and you’ve got (Vikings RB Aaron) Jones (Sr.) in the backfield who – he can run it, he’s also good out of the backfield as a receiver. So, we know we’ve got our hands full but, there again, it’s something we look forward to. These are the types of challenges you want, this is what you do it for.”
On how freeing it is to know that they went undefeated on the road this season given the possibility that they may have to play on the road in the playoffs: “Yeah, I mean, I think that – look, we’re very comfortable on the road, and I’ve said it before, I think that’s just – that comes with your preparation, time on task, guys doing it for a long period of time, the way we train, guys – they just handle those things well. So yeah, I’m – hey, we’ll do what we’ve got to do. Now our mindset is wholly on this game right now, and it’s – you don’t see it another way, I don’t see it another way. It’s about this next game and it’s about finding a way to win, no different than what we just did, we had to find a way to win that game, San Francisco, against a team that really – they gave us what they had and they played hard. We had to do it in Chicago the week before, so it’s the next one in front of us, and we’ve got to find a way to win this game, period, and really don’t care what it looks like, we’ve just got to win.”
On how the last few games and weeks have prepared them for the game against Minnesota on Sunday: “Well, I mean, I think I mentioned this, and maybe it was why my response was the way it was earlier, was that I mentioned this – what was it, after Buffalo? I don’t know, but I feel like we’ve, somewhat, been in the playoffs for a while now. I mean, we’ve been in it for three games now or something, so that’s kind of what this last stretch has been. Just the type of – the way we’re going to have to play, and it’s more about finding a way to win, and that’s really the objective here, is do what we’ve got to do, put our guys in position to make plays and find a way to win, no matter what it looks like, and we’ve been in that mode for a few weeks now, and same thing this week.”
On if it is taxing to have to play games like they are playoff games for that long: “No, I mean, I think you do what you’ve got to do, and we’re going to do what we have to do to give us the best chance to win.”
On how much of an advantage the atmosphere at Ford Field being like a playoff game can be for them this week: “Yeah, we – look, we always look forward to that. I mean, our fans are – we’ve got the best fans in the League, and so, look, it’s the whole reason you talk about the one seed because you feel like you’ve got an advantage when you play at home, and not everybody can say that, we can because we do. The way our fans and our stadium are set up, it’s a special environment, so I look forward to it, we’re looking forward to it.”
