It took exactly two years for Dan Campbell to settle down with the Detroit Lions after a 3-13 debut season and an 8-9 record in the next. Before developing Jared Goff into a playoff-winning QB and breaking the 32-year-long franchise drought, the former tight end was just another coach for the Lions’ fans, and they didn’t spare him the benefit of the doubt. Nonetheless, he stayed faithful to his roots and consistently lauded his mentors, who provided him with the tools to turn a team into a dominant force.
Advertisement
Campbell’s first conference after joining the Lions, a team he played 3 years with as a tight end and a tailback, quickly became meme material for football fans. With his gritty speech about breaking kneecaps and walking it off, Campbell was nothing short of a public enemy. However, the Lions’ head coach overcame criticism and voiced his team-oriented goals on the ‘Pat McAfee Show’.
In one of McAfee’s segments, one of his co-hosts asked Campbell about what he learned during his 5-year stint as an assistant head coach and tight ends coach under Sean Payton. He responded by noting that the skill of correctly positioning players is something he learned from Sean and aimed to use in Detroit.
He emphasized the value of capitalizing on a player’s specific abilities, regardless of their role, to maximize performance in the field. He also stressed how Sean did it the best with the Saints and how opponents significantly struggled while facing their diversified units.
Campbell further noted how a team should use any means necessary to cripple the opponent’s defense, even if it meant utilizing the special teams. The Lions HC has successfully done that in Detroit, and even today he doesn’t hesitate before showering love on his former coach.
Dan Campbell Lauds Sean Payton Ahead of the Lions-Broncos Face-Off
Ahead of the Week 15 bout between the Lions and the Broncos, Campbell couldn’t hold back praise in a press conference when asked about his former coach. The Lions’ godfather started off with his draft story when Sean and the Giants saw a gift in him. At that time, Sean was a quarterback coach, and the very next year, he became an offensive coordinator before moving to the Cowboys.
Campbell expressed that in those initial years, he learned exponentially from Sean and got to see firsthand how an offensive genius like him crafts and executes unbelievable plays. He also noted how Payton found his niche so quickly and utilized it, paving the way for Campbell to become the man he is today. Furthermore, the Lions HC acknowledged that he’d never get traded to Dallas if it wasn’t for his former head coach, who managed to convince Bill Parcells to give him a chance.
“The greatest compliment that I can give to him is that he believed in me. Always. And he gave me that shot as a player and a coach,” Campbell said.
The student has indeed become the teacher, as he went on to clinch a 25-point win against the Broncos at Ford Field. Ever since that Week 15 matchup, the Lions have lost only once against the Cowboys on the road. The Silver Crush is now set to lock horns with the high-flying 49ers on the road in the NFC Championship game.
A Super Bowl appearance is at stake, which they haven’t yet achieved in franchise history. Could Dan Campbell prevail against the Niners? Only time will tell.
