LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
December 12, 2025
Opening Statement: “Been a good two days. Obviously red zone day here, cleaning up some stuff. But I like where the guys are at, we’ve got to focus another day here and get ready to go. So, excited about this challenge.”
On Lions S Kerby Joseph and Lions S Thomas Harper’s outlooks to play this week: “Kerby had a setback, so obviously not as – don’t feel as good about that. Harper will be out there at practice today, so feel pretty good about him, but we’ll see. There again, I can’t give you definitives right now but that’s kind of where we’re at. So, we’ll be good. Look, (Lions S Erick) Hallett’s been taking reps, (Lions S Daniel Thomas) DT’s been taking reps, (Lions DB Avonte) Maddox has been taking reps. We’ve got plenty of guys. They’re getting valuable reps, so we’re good.”
On if Lions S Kerby Joseph is a candidate to go on Reserve/Injured at this point: “Could be, could be. We’re at the backend of the season now, so anything – even if it’s not technically long term becomes long term because we don’t have many games left.”
On the severity of Lions S Kerby Joseph’s recent setback: “No, it’s just – bothers him, that’s the best way to say it.”
On if the team has developed a familiarity and rivalry with the Rams: “I think we are somewhat familiar as they are with us because we have played them the last three years, or going on three years here. So, I think there is something to that. Now that being said, they’ve evolved. They’re doing things a little bit different in areas. The things they’re doing defensively, they’re more crisp than they were last year. (Rams Defensive Coordinator Chris) Shula’s taken over over there, he’s doing a great job, and man, they’re another year into what – how he wants to do it and how they’ve wanted to get done, so they’re more advanced, they’re more evolved. A lot of those guys were pups or younger players, man, they’ve grown another year. So, they’ve elevated what they do. And then offensively like we’ve talked about, a lot more 13-personnel than what it was last year when we played them, or even the year before that. So, there are things – and we’re different, too. I mean, we’re different in some areas, too. But as far as personnel, the guys you know, you have a pretty good idea. We’ve got a pretty good idea what it’s like toe to toe with (Rams QB Matthew) Stafford, with (Rams WR Puka) Nacua, with a number of those guys over there. We played (Rams DE Kobie) Turner, we played (Rams OLB Jared) Verse and those guys, there again, a year older. I think there is something to that, but it’s always a chess game and you’re always trying to find the matchups. They’re doing it, we’re doing it. And you do it, and then you let the guys go play.”
On how high of a level Rams QB Matthew Stafford is playing: “I mean, he’s playing as good as anybody at the position right now, that’s the bottom line. A number of things they’re doing with him I think are great, they really are. There’s a ton of under center, turning his back to the defense, play-action pass. He’s, like our guy, he’s got pinpoint accuracy. He sees it, man, he can rip it. Obviously, he’s seen everything you can see defensively, he knows the looks. But he is, he’s playing at a high level. If we don’t disrupt him, it’ll be a long day. It’ll be a long day. So, we have to – we have to shut down the run, as usual, and we’ve got to find a way to disrupt this guy if we can, because he’s dangerous.”
On how different a cornerback has to cover Rams WRs Davante Adams and Puka Nacua: “I think, like any of these that come up – man, our DBs know this and I tell them, (Lions Defensive Coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) Shep tells them, (Passing Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Deshea Townsend) Shea tells them. Listen, you may get beat on one but make it hard. If they made some catch that’s going to go all over social media, well good for them. That’s a hell of a play but make sure they’re having to make that with you all over them or you turn to the ball, you in their hip pocket, and they come away. If you do that, man, I’ll take our guy. I’ll take our guy eight out of 10 of those. Like, we’ll make that play as long as we make it hard. Now that doesn’t mean they won’t come up with one, and he does, he gives his guys a chance to make a play. But that’s OK, you make it hard on them. Make them earn that if that’s the way it’s going to be.”
On if he is concerned long term about the safety position: “Honestly, I’m not. I’m really not. I mean, I hate losing either one of those players, they’re great players, they’re great teammates. But as far as worried, I’m really not worried. I really do trust the guys that are going back there for us, I do, man. What you lose in a couple areas, you may gain in other areas having some of these guys back there. So no, I’m good.”
On next year’s safety situation: “Listen, I can’t even get to next year right now. I’m not even thinking about next year right now. My focus is right now, L.A., and then beyond. Once we get through this one, then we’re on to the next one.”
On if he was aware of Rams QB Matthew Stafford when he was coming up in Texas: “Of course I was aware of him from afar. As you guys know, I mean football in Texas is a big thing, it’s a big deal. And he was playing at a high level, it was actually one of those, ‘Man, he freaking left the state.’ That’s what you think, like I’m an Aggie, you stay at A&M or Texas. So, that hurt more than anything is the fact that he left and went to Georgia. But you’re very well aware of the type of player he is, and yeah, he’s one of those guys, man. He put up some crazy numbers and had a lot of success in high school.”
On how to attack 13-personnel packages that the Rams like to utilize: “I think a ton of the cutups are – you’re getting to see what some teams have had some success with. And I’ll be honest with you, not many people have been able to stop them or slow them down. So, I will be the first to admit that. But yet there are some nuggets you can find in there with what some of these teams have done that have at least made it hard for them, and you take some of that. And I do feel like, personnel-wise, we’re set up pretty good to handle some of this. And look, I’ll bring it up again, the great equalizer is man, you hammer the run, and you get the ball out. You do that, and it changes a lot of things. And man, that’s effort, and that’s a conscious effort to go after the ball. So, we’ve got to do that again.”
On Lions WR Tom Kennedy and how early he identified that he was a fit for the team: “I mean, that was whatever the first training camp was. I think you just knew, the kid’s a football player. He’s not a kid, he’s a man. He’s a football player, he’s instinctive, he can play all the positions. Every time he had a chance to make a play or get in position to make a play, he made a play. And he’s always done that, he’s always done it. There are all these circumstances that come into play, and the guy’s overcome a ton. And he knows, and I’ve said it, there’s an argument you’ve earned your right. Every year on the roster, you’ve earned that right. But so much of it is, like we’ve said, you’re trying to put together the best 69-man roster that you can. And that’s where, sometimes, that falls into it. And to his credit, he just continues to go back to work. He gets on the vet squad, he kicks ass in practice, gives a great look, we throw him in on our offense. If one of our guys needs a break, he goes in at the F. He goes in at the Z. He goes in at the X, with (Lions QB Jared) Goff, and he crushes it, right? So, when his number’s called, we don’t miss a beat. Like, we trust him. That’s why, Green Bay, when we lost (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint, we put TK right in that spot. We didn’t move around, ‘OK we need to put (Lions WR Isaac) TeSlaa here and put (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo here.’ We just put TK right there, he becomes Saint. So, there’s a tremendous amount of trust that he’s got with myself, the coaches and with Goff, which is significant.”
On what makes the Rams so good in the red zone defensively: “First of all, there’s not very many reps. There’s not a lot of red zone reps, period. You start going through cutup, and you’re like, ‘Man.’ Not many teams are getting down there, and when they do, it’s hard. It’s hard. I would tell you this, they’re not going to let you run the ball. That’s the mentality. Just the way that they – they’re going to try to get bigger than you at times, once you get to a certain point down there tight enough, they’ll get bigger than you and/or they’re going to shut down the gaps by the way they pressure. They’re going to make you have to do something you don’t want to do. And really, most teams, if you can run the ball, that’s where you have success in the red zone is running the football. So, they take away what you do best and force you to throw it in tight spaces, tight areas. So, they’re good, man. And their personnel is set up to – they’re strong in the middle, they’re disruptive, and then they can set edges with those edge defenders, and that makes it tough.”
