LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
September 20, 2025
Opening Statement: “OK, Friday, red zone. Ready to go. Put the finishing touches on this gameplan and get ready to go. Our guys are in a good place right now.”
On an injury update for Lions EDGE Marcus Davenport: “Yeah, I don’t see Davenport playing. We’re still trying to decide what to do. We’ve gotten some other tests back. We do not feel this is season-ending, but don’t see him playing this week.”
On the level of importance for the cornerbacks to be sticky in coverage this week: “It’s going to take everybody. But very important and really, look, everybody has got a load on them. But the corners, you’ve got to play sticky coverage, you’ve got to commit to the run, so you guys got to win your one-on-ones. But also, there’ll be times where you’ve got to trigger in the run game too. We’re going to ask you to hold down some of this in the pass game, but you also got to be ready to come up and fill on (Ravens RB Derrick) Henry. We cannot let him get going. You get him ahead of steam and he finds a crease, he’s dangerous. So, we’re going to ask a lot of those guys and they know the task ahead. Listen, that’s why those guys are here. It’s why we drafted, it’s why we acquired the guys we have from (Lions CB D.J.) Reed to freaking (Lions CB) Amik (Robertson) to (Lions CB Terrion Arnold) T.A., I can keep going across the board. So, that’s why they’re here.”
On how Lions CB Terrion Arnold has responded in practice this week after some struggles in coverage and how he thinks he will bounce back: “I feel great about (Lions CB Terrion Arnold) T.A. Look T.A. is – here’s what I love, listen, he goes to work and he does not lack confidence. He acknowledges like, ‘Hey man, I can be better and I will be better.’ And he goes out there and works at it in practice and he will. It’s like anybody else, any other player at any other position. It just happens to be those guys get on an island a lot. It’s like your quarterback, right. And everybody sees it but there’s plenty of things that go on that not everybody sees where we need guys to be better. And you just continue to work at it in practice and they do get better. So, I’m not worried about T.A.”
On a timeline for Lions EDGE Marcus Davenport and if he feels that the team has the quality depth they need at the edge position: “No, but I think we’ll have a good idea of the timeline either today or tomorrow. Just how long that will be. And yes, we do. I feel good about the depth.”
On if Lions EDGE Tyrus Wheat and Lions DL Tyler Lacy could play this week: “We like those guys and it’s one of the reasons we acquired them and those guys wanted to be here. And they’re getting opportunities – we’re getting everybody opportunities – to see what they can do. And yes, they fit right in with us, I think they understand our system. They’re not as polished as everybody else necessarily because they’ve been – our guys have been here, they’ve been in the system for a while. But yet, they’re getting it and every day they get better and better and better. So we like our options.”
On when staying patient with his vision crystallized for him as a coach: “Well, I mean that’s something (Lions Executive Vice President and General Manager) Brad (Holmes) and I both believe in, and it was one of the things we agreed on when we basically met. We shared the vision that we both had and we both totally agreed on how you build it, how you sustain it – that was big for us, was finding the right guys. But also, you want to feel like you have a chance to compete every year and you don’t want to have a year where you went all out and then you’ve got to tear everything down and you lose everything you built up. You just need to know you’ve got the dudes to compete every year and you’ve got a shot. So, I’m not saying it’s easy but it’s – when you’ve made up your mind that’s how you’re going to go about it, it makes it a lot easier is what I would say.”
On what the buzz is like in the building to prove to themselves that they can go toe-to-toe with a Ravens team that has been great for years: “I just think you always – we have a group of competitive players and coaches and I think you just always want to prove your worth no matter who you’re playing. And this one happens to be against an outstanding opponent, these guys are in it every year, they’ve been that way for years. (Ravens Head) Coach (John) Harbaugh’s done an unbelievable job and it’s in primetime. So it’s just the perfect storm and you find out where you’re at. You find out where you’re at a little bit and that’s a good thing. But anytime you’ve got a chance to go compete and you get to play against the best of the best, I mean this is why you do it. I bring that up again, this is why you do it. That’s why this League is special because it’s top tier freaking competition and it’s fun.”
On if he has clarity for when Lions EDGE Josh Paschal will be back: “Not really. All I can tell you is he’s improving, that’s the best I can tell you.”
On what he wanted to see from Lions DB Brian Branch going into this season: “I would just say the consistency. Consistency of really doing your job. (Lions DB Brian Branch) BB is a productive player. He’s a playmaking dude, he’s got instincts, he’s a ballhawk, he’s a hell of a tackler, he’s a good blitzer, he’s a good cover guy, I mean he can do all those things. But just him staying disciplined at times with his eyes and some of those things, the detail of your assignment, that’s the next little step for him. And listen, it’s improved so much. Every year he’s just gotten better and better and that’s part of him maturing and growth in the defense. But he just continues to trend the right way. I mean he’s something else.”
On what Lions Defensive Assistant/Safeties Coach Jim O’Neil has meant to the safeties room and the coaching staff: “Well stability. Stability, conviction in what your assignment is, what your job – that’s what I love about he and (Lions Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Deshea Townsend) Shea both. This is how you do it, this is what it’s going to take to get the job done and here’s the looks. And there’s no gray, it’s black or white. And I think that always is going to help the players. And then the rest of it – sometimes the look could be gray, but you’ve got to commit and that’s why you just try to give them conviction on what you need them to do and let those guys go play. But he’s been great. Jim’s one of those guys – look he’s been a coordinator in this League, he understands the front, he understands LB and he understands the backend very well. And between he and Shea, they do a great job with the backend. Those guys have – we’ve done our most growth here, since I’ve been here, defensively in the backend just from the steps that have been taken from year one to here we go on year five.”
On the trickle-down effect of getting two of the team’s best special teams performers back in Lions LB Trevor Nowaske and Lions RB Sione Vaki: “Well, look, it’s going to help. It’s going to help, those are two good football players for us in the teams aspect. But they also bring things offensively and defensively that we can use. So, they do, they’ll give us a little bit of a bump here. Now, it’s their first game back, we understand that, but we look forward to them being back and being able to use them.”
