Quote of the Day: “When you’re able to care more about the person next to you than yourself, you can do some pretty special things.” Lions head coach Dan Campbell
Of all the quotes I have read about the culture General Manager Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have created which has contributed to the success of the Lions, nothing defines the culture better than the above quote. It is a quote that can apply to so many facets of life.
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The Lions are quickly becoming America’s team. You see it in the increased national coverage. I see it down here in Alabama when people notice your Michigan or Detroit clothes and comment about the Lions. It is not just about how they are playing but it is how they have gone from the worst organization in the NFL to the NFC championship game, thanks to their grit, their willingness to face adversity and because of their head coach Dan Campbell.
I want to share excerpts from an article that appeared in The Athletic today. It is so different than the national coverage the Lions have received for the last 30 years.
Three years ago. That’s when this thing started. It’s when Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes were hired. (It actually started when Shelia Ford Hamp took over as owner and she hired former Lion Chris Spielman as a consultant to her. My opinion) It’s when players like St. Brown, Jared Goff, Penei Sewell and so many others touched down in Detroit, told they’d never win anything of substance as long as they donned the jersey of a franchise known for losing.
Many players had to experience the same losing their predecessors did, the same losing they were told they were good for. But for this team to get where it is now, it was a necessary step. To change the perception of others, the Lions had to know if their perception of themselves was real.
“When you’re 0-10-1, you find out about people,” Campbell said last week. “You find out about players and coaches, people in the organization. And so, that’s why you have the best perception of what those people are and how they’re made and what drives them and what they’re willing to do for those around them. That’s a much better viewpoint and look at people than when everything’s going great, and you’ve got 12 wins.”
That’s where the Lions’ trust in what they’re doing stems from — that first season together. Left tackle Taylor Decker referenced a scene from HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” which aired ahead of the 2022 season. The Lions were coming off a 3-13-1 season. During training camp one morning, the team was in full pads, with coaches ramping up the intensity to prepare them for the season ahead. They were going hard because they were being tested.
Perhaps noticing the rolling of eyes and comments mumbled about the intensity level, Campbell made a speech to his players. Like everything else along the way, they remember it.
“He said, ‘Guys, just trust me, I’m doing everything I can to put you guys in the best position possible,’” Decker recalled after Sunday’s game. “‘I’m not crazy, just trust me and just follow the plan.’ That’s what we’ve done, and we believe in each other. We believe in our coaches, and it’s turned into something pretty cool.”
That trust, between player and coach, is why the Lions are here. Those votes of confidence add up over time, manifesting in ways fans of this team could once only dream of but are now witnessing in real time. We saw it in Week 1, when the Lions went to Kansas City and took down the Chiefs on banner night. We saw it in the wild-card round, when Goff beat his former team and the quarterback for whom he was traded, in Detroit’s first playoff win in 32 years. The Lions fully believe they can match up with any team in the league and win on a given Sunday. This is the team they were meant to be.
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Yesterday’s game was a real test for the Lions. They were playing a team with a top-notch defense, who loved to blitz, with high quality receivers, and were in a no-lose situation. As we saw in the first half, it was going to be a game that came down to who could make the half-time adjustments and make the plays in the second half. It was also going to come down to grit and toughness. It seemed like an inordinate number of players were being carted off the field and spending time in the medical tent or going back to the locker room to be examined.
The Lions lost right guard Jonah Jackson and back-up tight end Brock Wright. When all-pro center Frank Ragnow went down after his ankle was rolled over when QB Goff fell on it, I thought it was curtains for the Lions, especially knowing the injuries that Ragnow has been dealing with over the season.
To everyone’s surprise, one play later Ragnow reentered the game and played every snap. He ended up making a key block on the Bucs 350lb nose guard on the Lions’ go-ahead touchdown.
The Lions won the game because of their half-time adjustments and the depth of their roster. Most of all they won because of their grit and their willingness to do whatever it takes. No one showed more of these traits than Frank Ragnow. He gets my Orchid of the Day.
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My favorite play of the game was made by Jamyr Gibbs. It wasn’t his 31-yard touchdown run, or one of his multiple catches. It was when he took on the Bucs’ unblocked blitzing linebackers on a pass play in the first half. Gibbs not only slowed the linebacker down, but Gibbs stopped him in his tracks allowing Goff to complete the pass for a Lion first down. It was just another example of the Lions’ grit and willingness to do whatever it takes.
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Quote of the Day: See above by Dan Campbell
Orchid of the Day: Lions’ center Frank Ragnow
Onion of the Day: No onion today
Question of the Day: Have the Lions become America’s team?
Video of the Day:
Dan Campbell’s post-game speech.