LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
January 20, 2025
Opening Statement: “That was tough. That was tough the other day and a tough pill to swallow. When you have goals and you have standards for yourself – and I mean that for us as a team, collectively, and you fail to reach those, man, it hurts, but, ultimately, man, we failed – we failed in that game. We had a hell of a season, and we overcame a lot of adversity. Guys – a ton of guys, man, that we needed to rely on and did and got us in that position. We got to where we wanted to get to and then we did not perform. And, man, credit Washington, they did what they needed to do, and they played a good game, but when, on our – a little bit for us, when you feel like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to bring your A game.’ I think if we bring our B game, we’ve got a chance to win that game and we didn’t bring that. So, that’s just a little bit of the – that’s the frustration. I know everybody’s frustrated, I know the fans are, certainly our team, coaches, everybody in the organization. So, that being said, I’m real proud of these guys, I am. I’m proud of them because I know the fight they’ve got in them, and I know what they’re made of and the amount of things that they did overcome speaks volumes. So, as I said in the loss, everybody’s got a hand in that – everybody’s got a hand, including me. And so, we definitely did that together, we earned that loss together. But listen, all we can do is move forward, man, you brush yourself off. I’ve already gone through the loss of a family member feeling to anger yesterday to now I’m back on my feet, ready to roll, and I’ve acknowledged – I can look in the mirror and say, ‘You know what, you failed, man. What are you going to do about it?’ So, that’s where we’re at and move forward, man.”
On if he feels like their Super Bowl window is still open given the construction of the team: “Yeah, I do. I do, man, I think that’s – we talk about that core, that core group is still intact and some of these guys are now – we’ve signed some back, some are up on contracts and that’ll be ongoing. But yeah, we absolutely do, and I think the most important thing is, you want to know – you’ve got your culture, you’ve got your identity, and you’ve got players that fit into that, and we’ve got that. We’ve got players in every pivotal position you can ask for to have success, and those guys are made the right way, so absolutely, our window is open.”
On how much their Super Bowl window changes if they lose both Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn: “It can’t, right? It can’t – can’t allow that to happen. That’s my job, is to replenish and find the next man up and the guy who’s going to give us the best chance to have success on both sides of the ball. So, we’re not going to allow that to happen – I’m not. Does it hurt to lose those guys? Absolutely, they’re a part of what we’ve been here. I mean, they’ve been here for four years. They’re one of the major reasons why we’ve been able to get to where we’ve been, man, we came out of the dump and got to where we’re at. So, man, I will forever be grateful for those guys and our team will, and is it a loss? Absolutely, it would be a loss, but yet, man, we move forward, this train rolls on and I’ll find the next best guys for us.”
On what he learned from the situation with former Lions Offensive Coordinator Anthony Lynn about trying to have a seamless transition between coordinators: “Look, I think – let me start here, from that, what do you learn? OK, man, I just need – make sure that I am heavily involved in however we go. Man, I am very offensive heavy – I think is the best way to say that. So, certainly picking – I am picking that, but I need to know – I need to have my checklist done, but then, on top of that, I need to be part of the whole process. I need to be part of the whole process. There was a number of things when that transition took place, ‘Hey, your offense, you call it, I’ll have some things I want.’ And then I’m with (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) because we’re getting ready for the Draft, looking for players, free agency, and so you kind of allow all those things to happen, and it’s a blind spot and it shouldn’t be because that’s my area of expertise, if you will. So, I’m not going to allow that to happen. I’m going to be involved no matter what because I think that’s best for our offense, but also (Lions QB Jared) Goff. This thing is set up for Goff to have success with our playmakers, (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown, our running backs, the O-line, the whole deal, (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo. And so, I want to keep that in place. I want to keep our terminology in place, and I want to make sure that Goff is comfortable because he’s playing at a high level.”
On if he expects to lose one of or both Lions Offensive Coordinator Ben Johnson and Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn: “I would expect to lose both, but I haven’t been told anything. I just – I’ve got a feeling, but I’m prepared to lose both.”
On if he feels the moment got too big or if they started pressing when things went wrong against Washington: “Yeah, I think it was just that combination, we just – it’s – there was one thing that happened in there that I think of, two weeks ago Washington plays Tampa Bay and Tampa is beginning to try to take control of that game, they’re up four points and they fumbled in backed-up territory, and then Washington gets it and that really was – you have an ability to go up two scores and then all of a sudden, woah, you’re down, and that kind of happened to us on the first turnover. We have the chance to go up 14-3 potentially and we fumble that ball, they go all the way down, it just kind of – it begins to change the narrative of where you’re going, and then they get some long drives, that one in the third quarter, eight-and-a-half minutes, 15 plays, and now all of a sudden, you look up and you’re down two scores, and I think there’s just enough element of, ‘OK, we’ve got to – we need to be able to score here.’ And whatever that does, things that have not crept up or that have had an effect on us did show up. And I do bring this up, I understand (Lions QB Jared) Goff, the four interceptions, but there’s also – there was a number of things that took place in two of those that are – there’s more than him, and I mentioned what had happened on the first one, but even the second one, man, I’ve got to hit my back foot, ball needs to be out, I don’t – I can’t let it rip, I’ve got to move up in the pocket. So, there’s – it’s just – man, it’s a combination of a lot of things and we were just a little bit off, and normally we can overcome being just a little bit off, and we just weren’t quite there. Now, listen, man, the guys played hard, it wasn’t the attitude, it wasn’t the effort, it wasn’t – it was just the little things – I mean, shoot, man, five turnovers, it’s like, ‘Wow.’ If we only turn it over three, we may have a chance. I mean, that’s crazy, we’re talking about three. And I don’t want to take anything away from Washington, I don’t, man, they earned that win. They earned it, but yet, man, we shot ourselves in the foot and we haven’t done it, and we did it that game, we just did.”
On Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs’ usage in the game against Washington: “Well, yeah, I mean, you always want to give him more carries, you come out of a game like that and he’s had the carries he has, but we were pretty balanced – we were pretty balanced when you take away the, ‘Now we’re in got to go mode, we’re in two-minute mode.’ Those are 20 of the reps or something, and so you take that out, you’re left with 40 reps and you’re balanced. So, it was really – we were having success, really, no matter what we did. We felt like we could run it, we could throw it, explosives, and then we turned the ball over, so the turnovers created the issue. All of a sudden, you’re down a couple of scores and now you’re out of what you really feel like you can do. So, it’s – you really want to dissect it into more than what it is? Here’s what it is, we turned the ball over and then we get behind and then we turn the ball over and we get behind and – and so, it just – we couldn’t overcome it.”
On why they went with an empty backfield and did not run the ball on third-and-1 against the Commanders: “Yeah, look, we were ready to go for it on fourth, so we’d run it on fourth if that didn’t take place. We just – we liked the matchup with (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint on (Commanders LB Bobby) Wagner and it’s a play we’ve run, man, I don’t know, 50 times this year or something, and it just didn’t – it didn’t work out. And it was the perfect storm, it was just a little bit of a slip, (Lions QB Jared) Goff has to choke the ball, then he moves up, we get beat in protection – on a three-step, it’s not a seven-step, it’s three-step so it happened fast and then disaster. So, I’m with you, I don’t worry about it, I’m not second-guessing that, and had we – if we were going to do it all over again, I’d do the same thing, and I know that’s a hard pill to swallow, but it just didn’t – it didn’t work out for us.”
On what he believes contributed to the team’s lack of takeaways toward the end of the season and against Washington: “Yeah, it’s a good question, but I’m with you, we hit a drought. We hit a drought again, and even particularly in this game, we knew we were going to need some takeaways and we just couldn’t get them. I thought we may get one on the long one to (Commanders WR Dyami) Brown, (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph) was coming over the top and I thought we were about to get that one and then it comes away and he gets an explosive catch out of it. We just – we couldn’t, man, we punched at some balls, we couldn’t get them out, the interceptions, really, other than that one I just talked about, we could never apply enough pressure to force him to get rid of the ball in a situation that was going to benefit us. But I know this, we must improve, and we did, it came in highs and lows, man, we had an uptick – we started low, had an uptick, then it went down in the season, then it came back up and then we lost it again, so we’ve got to be much more consistent. Look, that team’s been good with takeaways, and they did it again in a big way.”
On which position group he believes needs to improve the most going into next season: “Yeah that’s a good question, and I don’t know if I could – I should not answer that yet until I really do self-scout and I really look at it game-for-game, player-for-player, matchup-for-matchup, and (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and I sit down and talk about, ‘Man, where do we really need the most help?’ I know this, when you come away, it’s – in hindsight, looking at this, after what just happened, you’re like, ‘Man, can we have enough defensive depth. Is that possible?’ Because we were loaded – you don’t think about losing ones and twos in every group damn-near, but you only have 53 spots. And I just go back – we’re going to look at everything, but this was one of those bizarre, freakish years. It just – you do the same thing you did a year ago and you’re pretty healthy, and then this year it just – it was one of those years. But Brad and I, we’re going to get into that over the next two weeks, we’ll really deep dive our roster, ‘Where do we feel like we can get better?’ Because, ultimately, that’s what we want to do. We want to bring in more competition and that competition’s got to be right, it’s got to match the guys that are in that room. I already told them I owe them that, I’m not going to bring in somebody that doesn’t belong here or doesn’t endear themselves to their teammates or doesn’t believe in what we believe in, but they’ve got to be able to help us and bring competition. We’ll do that wherever that’s at.”
On if he believes anything fundamentally needs to change with the team or its philosophy: “No, I don’t see philosophy changing. No, I think we’re – what we are is what we are, and we’ve been that way since I’ve been here. So, does that mean a couple of things get tweaked? A couple of things will get tweaked, just the nature of new coordinators if that happens because you want it to be kind of their flavor, their style with it, but yet, what I want is what we’re going to do, and what we’re about and what (Lions QB Jared) Goff’s about and the runners and what we are on defense and the nature of the way we play. I want to play man. We want to play man, so I’m going to pressure a little bit. So, these things are not going to go away, we are what we are. But ultimately, it’s always going to be about, ‘How do we put the players we have in the best position to have success, which in turn gives us the ability to have success?’ And no matter what that is – and sometimes that changes. It could be with free agency, it could be with the Draft, maybe you’re more in these packages than the other because that’s your best players. But no, what we are is what we are.”
On how he balances internal and external candidates when looking for coordinators: “Yeah, I think there is a balance. Look, you – the easy thing to say is, you want the best candidate, OK? That’s one way to say it, but that’s also like saying, ‘Give me the best player.’ Give me the right player, give me the right coach, give me the right coordinator, that’s really what I’m looking for more than – if you’re going to start slapping a ‘best’ on them. I’ll just give an example, a guy like (Lions Run Game Coordinator/Defensive Line Coach) Terrell Williams, I’m fortunate that I believe he’s the best, but he’s also the right guy, they happened to go hand-in-hand. But I think we’ve got guys on staff that I think are more than qualified and would be outstanding in those roles, but that does not mean that I’m not looking outside either. So, I want what I believe is going to be as close to what we have been as possible, and we don’t lose what we’re about and our identity, and like what you just asked, we’re going to stay true to who we are, and if you’re somebody that doesn’t feel comfortable with that, then no, I don’t – this isn’t the job for you. So, I’m not going to be in a hurry, I’m not in a mad dash. No matter what happens I want to do what’s right by our team and what I believe is going to – those guys will be able to stand in front of that room and command respect and get everybody going in the same direction and will, ultimately, deliver the same message that I’m delivering.”
On how much he would incorporate Lions QB Jared Goff’s input in finding a new offensive coordinator: “Yeah, a lot – a lot. I want his input, to me that’s important. That’s important – that’s what (Lions Offensive Coordinator) Ben (Johnson) did a great job of, is working – those guys working together, and the system was kind of built from the ground up, and it was to help him and for him to be a part of. And so, yeah, that’s huge, he’ll have a lot of input. What he says is going to have a – says a lot to me, I should say. Now, is it going to be the ultimate decision? No, it’s not, but what he says is going to mean a lot to me.”
On if they can learn from other teams in the area that finally won a championship after years of getting close: “Yeah, look I – I just go back to this, when you have the right guys and you’re made the right way, failure only makes you stronger. You only come back better, I believe that, and unfortunately I’ve had a ton of those. But man, I think it makes – God, it makes you hungry. I’ll tell you the hard thing, is when you – I think when you have success on a certain level and trying to reload and do it again. That’s why I think what New England did for years and (former Head Coach) Bill Belichick, I mean, that’s unbelievable – that is unbelievable. But with where we’re at, we had these goals, we fell short. Man, we met two of those goals this year and, in a sense, went above and beyond what we were a year ago, but yet we didn’t get any further, and man, that’s disappointing. But also, it eats at me, that drives me, that motivates me. I got a text from (Lions WR Amon-Ra) St. Brown at four-o-clock in the morning yesterday, so I know the guys it eats away at, and they’re the right guys, they’re our guys for a reason. And that’s what will always give me hope and let me know we’re only going to be better. We’re going to come back stronger, we’re going to learn from this, and it’s just more fuel on the fire is what it is.”
On if he wants the loss against Washington to be a bruise that heals or a scar that they wear on their sleeves going into next season: “Well, look, I don’t know. Here’s – and I told the team this, just don’t forget it. Don’t forget it, look across the field at the end of that game. Somebody feels good and somebody doesn’t, just remember that feeling, no different than last year, that’s all. I mean, those are the things that you etch in your mind that you don’t ever want to forget. And I’m the type of person that replays every bad decision, every bad move in my head over and over on purpose just to let it burn and eat away at you, because that’s the stuff that makes you not want to feel that anymore, is to go back for more. So, we fell short, it wasn’t good enough, the players are extremely disappointed, I know the fans are, I certainly am, but we will reload, and we will be back.”
On Lions CB Amik Robertson’s injury: “Amik’s doing well, and as a matter of fact, he contacted me this morning – I have not be able to respond yet, but he’s doing well.”
On if Lions QB Jared Goff is in concussion protocol: “No, he’s good, I talked to him yesterday, so he’s good.”
