LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
December 19, 2022
Opening Statement: “Nothing new to speak of. It was a tough fought game, and our guys came out to victory. Those guys over there for the Jets they played hard, they had a lot to play for just like we did. And so, we pulled it out. I was proud of our guys.”
On what it does for the team moving forward to win despite not playing their best: “Yeah, I mean look every time you win a close game you learn how to a – in those moments, man, it – I mentioned this last night, but to be able to be very disciplined in those moments, that’s what the winning teams do. That’s what players that can produce in high-stress situations do and we were able to do that even though there were bits and pieces that game that weren’t up to our standards, man when we needed it, we made those plays. So, look I would tell you this and I told the team, shoot the last two weeks I would’ve told you Jacksonville and the Jets it’s going to come down to the last two minutes – excuse me Minnesota. Jacksonville and Minnesota it’s going to come down to the last two minutes. It didn’t but you would anticipate that. That’s just the nature of the League and the way it goes. So, we didn’t get in those situations, we found different ways to win and now you get into more of what really this League’s about and we found a way to win. So, those will always serve you well.”
On what stands out offensively and defensively that the team needs to clean up heading into Carolina: “Yeah, well look offensively there was a couple of things in there just us targeting, believe it or not. Just exactly identifying that we’re all on the same page as to where we’re going because it’s the – we say it all the time here even if – listen, if you’re wrong, then we’re all wrong and as long as we’re all wrong then we’re all right. And so, we had a couple of where, ‘I think you’re going there, I’m supposed to be going here, are you going there?’ Stuff that we haven’t really done the last few weeks that should be things that should be behind us. So, just a couple of things. Now to the Jets credit, they disguised a lot of things. They did some – they did a few things very well, that’s also why they’re a very good defense, but that’s no excuse for us. So, just some of those things. We had a couple of drops that showed up, those hurt us. And then, defensively it’s just the – man, giving away the chunk plays. The chunk plays hurt. I mean we shut down the run game, but when we get in those moments when we have the ability to – an opportunity to make a play on a ball in the air, we just got to make those.”
On if the coaching staff gains confidence from winning similar to the players: “Well, I think it’s – it all goes hand in hand because I think you – collectively, we all learn. We all learn. We all learn together. I mean you learn what – who you can depend on. You learn what – are you asking the right guys to do the right things in critical moments? And in turn they trust you. So, I think it’s all encompassing. I mean, you really are all in it together and I think as you grow you begin to just – you gain trust in each other. I mean, trust is a big thing in this game. I mean, it is anywhere it doesn’t matter what you’re in, right? Anything in life, but football I mean it’s everything for us, so I think just to have that confidence and trust is big.”
On how Lions QB Jared Goff’s improved pocket presence and the offensive line’s play have decreased the sacks allowed in the last few weeks: “Well, you kind of already said it, I mean it’s – our O-line is doing a really good job, a really good job. We’ve got some really good players up there. I mean, our two tackles, and (Lions G) Jonah (Jackson), (Lions C) Frank (Ragnow)’s out there battling like he does every week. And so, they’re giving our guy a chance and when he sits back there and just plays with rhythm and stays on that back foot and is ready to throw, I mean, we’re pretty good. But there’s so much that goes into it too. I mean, there’s an emphasis on our receivers, they’ve got to outrun the D-line. They’ve got to get into their routes faster than the D-line get to the quarterback. That’s part of what we talk about. So, listen when you block the way they’re blocking upfront and you give our guy a chance to see it., we’re pretty potent on offense.”
On Lions LB Alex Anzalone’s production this season: “Yeah, he’s – I said this numerous times, but he was – last year was the best I’ve ever seen him in all the years that we had him in New Orleans. That was the best that I’ve seen him play and this year is even better. He’s playing at a high level, he’s the quarterback of our defense. He’s versatile, he’s a really good athlete. He’s smart, he knows exactly what (Lions Defensive Coordinator Aaron Glenn) AG’s looking for. He knows the situations that come up. He gets everything in order and he’s another guy, man. He’s a big locker room guy, man, the guys love him, and he knows – they know he’d do anything for them. So, he’s playing at a high level and I’m glad we got him.”
On what it means to the team to beat good opponents: “I mean, look, just to get another win. The good teams – I don’t care who you’re playing. to win in this League is a good thing. I don’t care who it is, so we found a way to win. We got the win on the road again, and every good team I’ve ever been a part of, normally, you do a couple of things. Not normally, you do. You win multiple games at multiple points in a season, which we’ve done. We won three in a row two different times, and you win on the road, which we’re figuring out how to win on the road. And that’s not by accident. Our guys are playing good football right now.”
On the biggest progression Lions DL Aidan Hutchinson has made since the first few weeks of the season: “Well, I think the progression is just overall as a football player in this League because that’s really what he is. He’s a pass rusher. He can pass rush. He’s a run defender. He’s a run defender. He can drop into coverage. He’s a football player, like he is versatile, and he’s got a knack for run-action pass. When they’re doing it, he understands, he can kind of sniff those things out. He understands and has a few things in his repertoire as it pertains to rushing the quarterback. He plays stout on the edge and the run game. He finishes, he’s high motor, he’s got a knack for trying to punch at balls, footballs that is. So, he does everything. He just – he does, and that to me, it’s not just one thing, it’s the totality of it. He does everything and has gotten that much better, and really you can say that about all those rookies. (Lions LB Malcolm Rodriguez) Rodrigo does it, (Lions S) Kerby (Joseph), it’s really all of them.”
On Lions S DeShon Elliott’s injury and his confidence in Lions S C.J. Moore stepping up if needed: “Yeah, don’t entirely know. We’re getting studies on him right now. I know he was a little tender. The shoulder hurt a little bit, but we’ll know a lot more this afternoon, and yes, certainly C.J.’s done – he’s served in that role, and we’ll look at him. We still have (Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu) Iffy as well. And it’ll be the combination of who gives us the best opportunity defensively, but also special teams and the team in general. Let’s put our guys in a position they’re going to help us as a team the most, so we’ve got a couple of options as we move forward.”
On if it is hard to establish communication between two safeties who have not played together often such as Lions S Kerby Joseph and Lions S Ifeatu Melifonwu: “Yeah, I mean look, it is. It is. You go into all of those things. I mean we’re at the point now, and really, we’ve been there, and we’re looking for – we need dependability. We need dependability, and we need our football players, man. We don’t need speed, we don’t need quick, we need football players. We need dependable football players right now with three to go. So, that’s what’s got to be most important, and whoever those guys are, those are the guys that are going to play for us.”
On the key to winning on the road after the team won three away games in a row: “I don’t know. I don’t know. Look, I go back to the – the hardest thing for the offense is just being able to function in silent cadence. It’s easy to say the – man, if you’re really disciplined in what you do, and you get an environment and the crowd noise and the momentum, usually that’ll shift to the home team at some point, but if you’re very disciplined, you can work your way back out of it. And I think we’ve done a good job of that. We don’t let the momentum go so far the other way, we can’t swing it back in our favor, and there again, in some of the most critical moments, we’re making the play. We’re making the play to finish it out instead of doing the other way that ends up costing us.”
On talking to the team about their nervousness at halftime yesterday and if he will do so again throughout this upcoming stretch of important games: “Yeah, I mean look, there again, I addressed it at halftime, so they understand. They know that. I don’t feel like I need to beat that one over the head. They get it, and it’s been acknowledged, and now it’s – listen, I think we have a pretty good idea of who we are, where we’re at, and I think more than anything, it’s about – look, we’ve got some guys in this locker room that have won now. I mean we do. (Lions LB) Alex (Anzalone) has won. (Lions RB) Jamaal (Williams) has won. (Lions DL Michael) Brockers has won. Shoot, (Lions WR Kalif Raymond) Leaf’s won, and then we’ve got a whole slew of young guys that don’t really know. They don’t know any better, and that’s kind of a good thing, honestly. They’re new to the League, and they don’t really know what this is all about, so they’re just kind of, ‘Hey, you tell me. You tell me what it’s all about. I’m just going to go though.’ And so, as long as we just keep them focused on their job at hand, working like we have. We’ve got to have a good gameplan. They’ve got to understand what the gameplan’s about, who we’re trying to – what are we defending? What are we – offensively, what are we attacking? Who are we attacking? Just like we have every week, and then we’ve got to do the little things. We can’t turn the ball over. We need another takeaway, which we got another one. It was huge. (Lions CB) Jerry (Jacobs)’s takeaway was big, and then the little thing that crept up yesterday was the penalties. Man, we can’t let those in, but if we continue to do that, we’ll be tough to beat.” | |
