Getty Dan Campbell shakes hands with Ron Rivera in 2022.
The Detroit Lions have enjoyed a sparkling start to the 2022 season, and a big reason why has been the excitement the team has been playing with.
Mindset can have everything to do with a turnaround, and that’s just what key cornerback Jeff Okudah seems to see as a big advantage for the team this year.
Okudah has had a solid start to the season himself, and a big reason why could be the edge that Dan Campbell is giving the team with his passion and energy, something that the defender sees.
Going on Good Morning Football, Okudah was asked about his head coach and his passion. As Okudah said, it’s something that is vital to the Lions, and they feed off it, wanting to embody their head coach on the field.
.@Lions CB Jeff Okudah on @gmfb @nflnetwork on HC Dan Campbell’s energy: “Man we know it’s genuine. We feed off that energy. We want to to embody everything he’s about.”
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“Lions CB Jeff Okudah on Good Morning Football on HC Dan Campbell’s energy: “Man we know it’s genuine. We feed off that energy. We want to to embody everything he’s about,” Selva tweeted after listening to Okudah.
It’s not a surprise to hear that the Lions love Campbell’s energy and feed off it. The team needed a galvanizing figure at head coach, and in Campbell, they seem to have found it pretty easily.
Campbell’s magnetic personality could be as big a reason as any for the team’s success.
Okudah Enjoying Great Start to 2022 Season
In terms of his own career, Okudah is off to a great start this season. Through two weeks, he has stayed healthy and made big plays on some great pass catchers on the field.
Okudah shut DeVonta Smith out of the game in Week 1, then managed to turn around and have a similar game against Terry McLaurin of Washington in Week 2. While Smith went for no catches or yards, McLaurin did have two for 22 yards
As a whole, this is an amazing start for Okudah. Folks wondered if he could ever look like the cornerback which was selected third-overall in 2020, but so far this season, he is getting it done and proving injuries may have slowed him down the most in his career.
Lions Feeding off Coaching Staff’s Energy
It’s not just Okudah, but the defense and offense as a whole that seems to be benefitting from what Campbell and his staff are preaching at this point in the rebuild.
Even when the Lions are down in a game or losing, it never feels like there is a sense of give up or ‘woe is me’ with the Detroit roster. The Lions are conditioned to keep fighting through and keep pushing, which is a key trait that Campbell and his staff have introduced.
It might not be just Campbell who gets credit for this, either. The Lions have passionate coaches all over their roster including on the defensive side of the ball with Aaron Glenn and Aubrey Pleasant.
The entire mindset of the Lions is good at this point, and the team is playing for each other as well as their head coach. As cultures go, there aren’t too many better realities than that.
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‘We Feed Off That’: Jeff Okudah Reveals Why Lions Love Dan Campbell