LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
January 13, 2025
On if just getting to the Super Bowl is enough to define a successful season or if they need to win it for it to be a success: “No, I mean, listen, everything’s about this game right now. Look, I’ve said it before, I’ve been to the Super Bowl and I’ve lost it and it stinks, so it’s about this week. We’ve got to find a way to win this game, this week.”
On if it is hard to keep a player’s focus on the next game when they are so close to the Super Bowl: “Yeah, I think it’s actually – yeah, I don’t think that’s hard at all. I think they understand what’s at stake. I know they watched these games this weekend and they watched that game last night. This is a – inevitably – I mean, I showed the team, really, every game, just different situations that popped up, a snapshot of what happened, and you just look at what could’ve cost the team, whether it’s a drop here, whether it’s a penalty, whether it’s a situation, whatever it is, and they’re littered all through the week, and that’s what playoffs are. It’s, man, that one extra play, just doing your job in the heat of the moment, and if you do that, you give yourself the best odds, if not, the other team’s going. And so, we’ve got a really good opponent here, they’ve got a dynamic quarterback, they’re playing good offense, good defense, really good coaching, and we’ve got our work cut out for us. That’s what we’ve got.”
On his level of respect for what Washington has been able to do in one season of building under Commanders Head Coach Dan Quinn: “I’ve got a lot of respect for Dan Quinn. I’ve known Dan – from afar I know him, but it’s not like we hang out on a daily basis or anything or talk like that, but I’ve known him for a while, and certainly when he was in Atlanta, having to play him twice a year, I mean, those guys – you gain a high level of respect for what they do, and (Commanders Defensive Coordinator) Joe Whitt (Jr.), the defensive coordinator, I mean, those guys were all there. And so, inevitably, his teams are always going to be competitive and they’re going to be ready to go and they’re going to try to do things the right way, so I’ve got a lot of respect for what he’s done, and I’m not surprised that they’re where they’re at just knowing kind of the way he builds things, the way his attitude is. So, it’s impressive.”
On how beneficial having the first seed and the bye week was: “Well, I think, really, it just – honestly, the best thing you get is that it’s one less game, and so the odds say, well, that’s one less game that you’re playing to get to your ultimate goal. That’s the benefit, really. And you could say, well – yeah, I mean, look, we’ve had some injuries, and so you get a couple of people that are able to feel better, but inevitably it’s not even that, I mean, there are plenty of teams that are playing – I mean, we did it twice last year, we won back-to-back games without a bye. It’s really the fact that your odds are better because you’re playing one less game. So, that’s the advantage of the bye.”
On how quickly he started to gameplan for Washington: “Yeah, I mean I think you’re – like anybody else, you’re taking your notes as the game’s going on like last night and you’re taking note as much as you can with what you can see on the TV, and then really it’s been – I mean, full force today, you get in early and you start going. I had stuff with me at home, so yeah, I mean, you go, but it’s like anything else. We’re going to have plenty of time to gameplan and get a really good feel of who this opponent is to put a good plan in.”
On how early he came to the Meijer Performance Center today: “No, I did not get in early. I started early, but I did not get here. I had plenty of coaches here.”
On if he feels the difference of expectations for the team now: “No, I don’t. See, you put that into words like – no, that’s – I don’t think about, ‘Man, we’re the one seed, so if you guys don’t succeed then –‘ I never think like that. I don’t know – to me, I look at it as like, I know who we are, I know what we’re about, I know how we have to prepare, I respect the opponent, and now it’s time to go to work, that’s how I look at it. I don’t look at anything else, I don’t think of, ‘What if it doesn’t, what if the –‘ The what ifs, man, I couldn’t sleep at night if I lived that way, there’s no freaking way. So, no, I don’t think of that. We’re the one seed, we earned the one seed, we’ve got a good opponent coming in and we’re going to be ready to play. That’s how I look at it.”
On if he feels that there is extra attention from the outside: “No, we’ve had attention for four years here. I mean, there’s been more stuff that’s been made out, that’s been built one way, we’ve been so good, we’ve been so bad, we’re a laughingstock, now we’re great, and it’s just been this rollercoaster of ups and downs, and it’s the next week of it, you know what I mean? And so, this is nothing new that we’re in, this is nothing new for me, for the coaches, for the players. We’re in the middle of the circus, man, and it’s about time to perform, that’s the world we’re in.”
On the challenge Commanders QB Jayden Daniels presents: “He is dangerous. He’s dangerous, he poses a major threat. He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback. He’s composed, he understands how to progress, he sees the field well, he can buy time with his legs, he’s a dangerous runner, he’s smart, you can tell he understands how to run that offense, what they’re asking him to do, and then he’s got weapons. He’s got weapons around him. I mean, his receiver’s pretty dang good, (Commanders WR Terry McLaurin) 17’s a hell of a player, he’s got a good back, he’s got more than one receiver, (Commanders TE Zach) Ertz at tight end, I mean, they’ve got weapons, O-line plays hard. But he’s a difference maker.”
On if not having faced Washington during the regular season makes him leery about the unknown: “No, I don’t – no, I think there’s a level of excitement. Part of it is, you see another team you faced twice, let’s say, you know each other, you know them, they know you, it’s a different level of game planning because you’re into that third level of chess, whereas the opponent you haven’t faced yet, that’s exciting too because you don’t really, entirely know them, they don’t entirely know you, you just know each other from afar, and so, now you’re kind of starting from scratch. That’s pretty exciting too, so I just think it’s – either way you go, it’s pretty cool and it’s fun, and so I think it’s – I like it because it’s fresh for this week, I do like the newness of it.”
On how the bye week impacted the overall health of the team and the status of Lions CB Terrion Arnold and Lions G Kevin Zeitler: “Well, we didn’t have any injuries over these last three days, so I think we’re OK. I’ll know more tomorrow as to where everybody’s at, but yeah, I can’t give you a straight-up answer off of three days off, really. I mean, I just know everybody’s treatment has gone well and we’ll see.”
On what it will mean to put Lions RB David Montgomery back in the gameplan this week: “It’ll mean a lot. Five’s a big part of us, he’s a huge part of us, and to me, he’s a bell cow, he’s somebody that – he’s a tone-setter, he’s a catalyst, so there’s a place for him. There’s a place for him here, so there’ll be a place for him in this game. So, it’s going to be good to get him back.”
On if there is anyone that he can think of that stylistically matches Commanders QB Jayden Daniels’ skillset: “That’s tough to say. As a rookie? Because that’s really what you’re trying to compare him to, is really, a rookie of – I can’t. I mean, he’s – that’s like that, that’s been as composed as he is and really been able to function at such a high level without the mistakes or things like that. He’s doing a really good job. I know they’ve got to be happy over there with how he’s progressed every week. Just gotten better and better.”
On how valuable it is to have Lions LB Alex Anzalone when defending Washington’s RPOs: “Yeah, Alex – look, Alex is always going to help. Getting him back, I mean, just having him back the other day paid huge dividends. It was one of the reasons that we did well, that we played a really good game defensively, he’s certainly one of those reasons. So, to get him back, the production he brings, the athlete, but then just the – what he brings mentally, because he understands the game well, he studies, he’ll know this offense, he’ll know what they’re trying to do, and he can kind of help everybody out around him. So yeah, it helps having him.”
On if he sees any similarities between Detroit and Washington’s aggressiveness on fourth down: “I mean, I don’t know, and look, I haven’t been able to watch every game yet, I haven’t gotten into all that, so I’ve got to do my own – I understand what their percentages are, I know they went for it – whatever, five time last night, but I need to look at what the situations are, when he does that, and is this truly their MO, how much of it is run, pass, blah, blah, blah. But I know he wants to he wants to be a little bit more aggressive and they have a quarterback that is mobile and gives you a run-pass option. So, I don’t know, I can’t say that it’s like us or not like us, but I know they have it, they use it, and it’s helped them. It’s helped them win games.”
On if he buys the idea that Detroit struggles against mobile quarterbacks: “Do you buy that, are you buying that? I know this, running quarterbacks are hard, they’re hard to defend, and it’s like, somebody tells you that, ‘We don’t handle running quarterbacks very well.’ Well, tell me the team that does, give me the next team. So now you’re working for whoever, I don’t care who they are, and I’m not going to name a team because somebody will come back and say, ‘Why did you name that team?’ But if you’re on that team and you’re being like, ‘We don’t handle running quarterbacks that well.’ Well, yeah, I mean, it’s kind of – when you’re trying to deal with (Ravens QB) Lamar (Jackson) and you’re trying to deal with a guy like this over there and (Bills QB) Josh Allen, there are a lot of teams that struggle against those guys, they’re not easy to stop and there’s a reason for that. So look, we know we’ve got our hands full, but we’re going to have a plan in place, (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s going to have a hell of a plan, our guys are going to execute it, and you know what, he may make a run, he may pop a run or two. That’s just the nature of the game and the way that some of these guys are able to maneuver, but that doesn’t mean that you win the game.”
On why he thinks that Commanders QB Jayden Daniels has been able to lead Washington to a playoff win on the road as a rookie: “Well look, I think (Commanders Offensive Coordinator) Kliff (Kingsbury)’s done a good job with him, and with the scheme that they’re running, I think it really fits him well, but yet, they’re also – it’s not just about him, it’s about the other weapons that they do have, and I think that all meshes well together and I think they don’t ask him to do everything. I think the scheme they have, he does a good job with it, I think he can get himself out of trouble, I think this O-line plays hard, they don’t just live in the read-run or RPO, they’ve got some gap scheme, so there’s some attitude there, there are cutting the defense type runs, so it’s kind of all been meshed together well. And so, I think, by doing that, you alleviate a lot of pressure off of him, and when he has that ability and you don’t put everything on him, then he’ll make plays for you, and he’s been able to do that and I think he does stay composed and he doesn’t get frazzled. So, I think there’s – that’s a credit to him, but it’s really a credit to the coaches too, and the players that are around him. I think they do a good job of spreading the load, actually.”
On if he checked in on how Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn’s head coaching interviews went: “Well, why would I want to know that, you think I want them to leave? Yeah, I’ve got an idea of how they’re doing. I have not run in there and asked if they’re leaving yet, I didn’t do that, but at some point today I’ll talk to them about what transpired yesterday. Right now, I’m just trying to get ready for Washington.”
On the top five rushing offenses making the playoffs this year and the investment they have made in the run game: “Well, I think it’s just another – I know for me, personally, for us, I think it – I just believe that’s where everything starts. I know it starts for us that way and I think it creates an attitude, I think it creates a style, I think it creates a scheme of – everything kind of works off of that, I guess, is what you should say there, at least for us, that’s where it begins. And then it just takes a lot of pressure off of other players. I think it takes pressure off your quarterback, if you can run it, now you play-action pass off of the same or similar type of schemes, you open up windows. It helps your receivers separate, now they’ve still got to beat the corner, but everything underneath is open, and when you have a guy who’s as accurate as our guys is, the passer that our guy is, and receiver that can get open like (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown and (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo and these guys, then, I mean, you’re – that’s pure gasoline. So, that’s why you do it. You’re just trying to, I think, master your strengths, so it makes sense. It’s hard to pass in this League, especially if everybody in the arena knows that you’re passing, every defense knows that you’re passing, they just pin their ears back. I mean, that’s – it’s tough. It’s tough.”
On the importance of maintaining ball possession in the playoffs: “Yeah, certainly to possess the ball is big, that’s what Washington does a good job of, watching them last night, I mean, they possess the ball, they finish the game out. They were able to do that, get first downs, and so that’s big, and to be able to run the ball is what helps you do that. So yeah, that’s a big part of it.”
On how much they have invested into acquiring defensive players that can counter mobile quarterbacks: “Yeah, I mean, I think it’s something you always think about. You’ve got to be able to corral these guys up, but I think there’s a discipline to it, too. Look, the better your athletes are on defense, the better suited you are to contain mobile quarterbacks, but yet there’s a discipline that’s got to go with it, too. I mean, you can’t rush these guys the same as you do somebody that’s just a pure pocket passer. You have to be much more disciplined and it’s a lot harder. I mean, you really do, you have to stay in your gap, you’ve got to close down, you’ve got to just continue to push, you can’t take an edge, you can’t – that takes an enormous amount of discipline. And the toll it takes on you, physically, in a game, I mean, that’s – you’re talking about running – that’s all you guys that have run the quarter in high school, you ran the 400 or the 800, that’s what that’s like, it’s an all-out, legs burning, get ready to throw up, you’ve got to do that every time, keep him corralled. And no different than the guys who have got to cover, you may have to cover for six seconds, seven seconds, that’s the problem these guys create, they just – they do, but it doesn’t mean it’s easy, but it doesn’t mean that it’s not doable. It is doable.”
