LIONS HEAD COACH DAN CAMPBELL QUOTE SHEET
January 12, 2024
Opening Statement: “(Lions TE Sam) LaPorta will run around today, so he’s feeling better. So, got that one. You’re going to ask about (Lions CB) Jerry (Jacobs). Alright, Jerry had a little injury or whatever. We won’t make any transactions until tomorrow.”
On if his opinion has changed on whether or not Lions LB James Houston will be ready to go this week: “Thought he looked better this week than last week.”
On if he has a sense of whether Lions TE Sam LaPorta will play Sunday: “I’m going to revert back to what I said two days ago. So, we’ll know much, much more after today’s practice. And then entirely, what does it look like tomorrow when he wakes up? I know this, he’s gotten better every day. Every day. And so, we’re going to have him out there, take some practice reps and see where it goes.”
On if he has to create two gameplans with and without Lions TE Sam LaPorta due to his uncertain status: “Yeah, you build a couple of different packages and one with, one without and you’re ready for both. And we’ve gotten enough reps of walkthrough to be able to adapt and adjust. We’re fortunate that we’ve got smart receivers between (Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown) Saint and (Lions WR Josh) Reynolds and (Lions WR Donovan) Peoples-Jones, and then we’ve got (Lions WR Jameson Williams) Jamo, all those guys, so we can handle it all. We’ve got (Lions TE) Brock (Wright) back, and so it’s a smart group. It won’t be too taxing, but we have the ability to adjust.”
On his initial perspective of Lions QB Jared Goff and if it has changed throughout their time together: “Look, I’ve said this before, for me, I had a perception of what he was on the other sideline which was a tough quarterback, very resilient, accurate passer. And so, to get him, I would say he didn’t – nothing really surprised me about that. It’s different than what you would think, right? It’s – he’s kind of a lowkey guy. He’s very much – he’s just very consistent. He’s never too high, never too low, but what you realize over time is that it burns inside, like he’s got this core about him that he’s very resilient. And he’s very coachable. And so, what we saw was what we saw on tape, a tough player, smart quarterback, can make all of the throws, and we’ve seen that player develop and grow over a three-year period is what we’ve seen, somebody that works to improve. ‘What do I need to get better at?’ Do this, do that. He does this, he does that. If something starts to show itself that becomes a negative, you can tell him, he sees it, he works on it, he gets better. And I mean that’s what this League’s about.”
On if encourages the team to find motivation to win for Lions QB Jared Goff this week: “No, I don’t think that – this isn’t we’re standing up there and, ‘Win one for the Gipper.’ I mean it’s – but at the same token, I think we all know what this is. I mean we want to win for us. We all want this for us, and we want it for Detroit, but also, hey man, yeah, that’d be special. That would be special. That’s icing on the cake if you will.”
On his level of respect for Rams Head Coach Sean McVay’s style and what he has accomplished: “Yeah, tremendous amount of respect. This guy’s won a Super Bowl in this League. And when he came on the scene in ’17, man, it just erupted, they took off. What they – their kind of brand of football that they do, very (Gary) Kubiak, that’s where – that to me is where this grew from. (Mike) Shanahan, Kubiak and to see what he’s been able to do with it, how efficient they are, it’s very creative, innovative and I think more than anything, he’s just stayed true to who he’s been over time. And listen, you can’t argue with the results. I mean they’re competitive every year. Had a little rough one last year, had some injuries, things of that nature, but man, every year these guys have always been – they’re in it. So, yeah, I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
On having five Lions make the AP All-Pro list: “Yeah, obviously, very proud of those guys and well-deserved, well-deserving for all of them. I mean that’s – look, it’s all part of progress with where we’re at and those guys are playing top-notch football but we’re also improving as a football team. And I think all that stuff goes hand-in-hand. You begin to get noticed, recognized, people see the production that you have on a winning team and it makes a difference. Look, I say this again, it’s one of the things Coach (Bill) Parcells would say and then it went to Coach (Sean) Payton and that I’ll never forget and it’s, ‘It’s one thing to be a great player on an average team. It’s different to be a great player on a great team.’ And that – you can never lose sight of those things, and that’s a whole other talk when you get into the offseason, but it makes a difference. It makes a difference.”
On how much he has thought about the environment at Ford Field on Sunday night and the advantage it will present for them: “Yeah, I mean to me this is three years ago thinking about what this was going to be like and what it could be like and now it’s here. And so, I know exactly what it’s going to look like. I’ve seen it in my head. It’s going to be different than anybody’s seen. I think this is going to be one of the most electric environments, atmospheres that you’re going to find, and I think it’s going to be an advantage.”
On if he has had any quiet moments this week to reflect on what this game means to the city: “Not really, not like that. I don’t – and I would say I don’t ever really get that way. That’s more after-the-fact when I can really look back and say, ‘Wow, OK.’ I think for me, I’ve very much – I’m in the whole process of it and I take it as it comes. And to me, this is – I understand that we’re in first round of the playoffs, we won the division, we’ve got a really good Rams team coming in here, but for me, this is like preparing for Minnesota last week, preparing for Dallas the week before. It’s very much just like that. Kansas City Week 1, that’s how I think of it. And if I don’t think of it that way then it’s out of the norm and now what happens.”
On how locked in the players are: “They’re good. They’re good. They’re ready.”
On what he has seen from the players this week that shows they are ready: “They’re good.” | |
