Getty Trey Flowers during a 2020 game against Chicago.
The Detroit Lions hire of Dan Campbell has been official for several months now, but up until this point, there’s not been many reactions from the team’s current crop of players.
Finally, with the offseason underway, some thoughts are beginning to trickle in about Campbell, and it sounds as if the majority of folks are downright excited to be getting him as the coach for the team. Speaking this week, offensive lineman Taylor Decker and defensive lineman Trey Flowers explained what they have felt for the coach since he has come to the team.
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Clearly, Decker is impressed with what Campbell has brought to the mix already for the Lions in terms of being a boss, something he confirmed to the media.
Decker on Dan Campbell: “I love. I feel like I probably talk to him at least once a week. … I love his mindset, approach. I’m just really excited to work with him.”
Flowers took it a step further, saying he believed that the Lions have a coach that is ready to push the team toward great things in the days ahead and understands what it takes to create a winning culture in Detroit.
#Lions Trey Flowers says that he feels Dan Campbell is gonna push this team to win and that they have a staff in place that feels the same about turning this organization around.
So far, so good in terms of achieving some buy-in from players with longevity on the roster. Doing this will be a surefire way for the team to turn around the locker room and get the squad motivated to move things in the right direction.
Nick Williams Loved Lions Hire of Campbell
One of the earliest reactions to the Campbell hire came in from defensive lineman Nick Williams on Twitter a few months back, and it’s clear that the lineman is very fired up for his new coach. The reason? He’s blue-collar and “straight from the mud” just like a player.
Oh I’m loving Coach’s attitude, Blue-collar worker. Str8 from the mud 😈
As Campbell takes over the team, it’s clear that he is going to be a favorite of the players as well as the fans given this innate ability to connect. As he enters the team, everyone has heard about his ability to mesh with players, but this adds a new level to it given how quickly it seems to have happened.
As for biting kneecaps? Williams admits that he will be in to do whatever it takes to win with the new staff.
@AndrewT080 If it means winning uhhhh yea
If Williams is this sold now, it’s not hard to imagine the rest of the roster will be once Campbell gets into the mix and gets his program going for the future.
Campbell Building Early Momentum for Lions
The players buying in fast is very good news for Detroit considering what happened with the last coaching staff. It was clear Matt Patricia wore on the players and especially the veterans on the roster. This time around, Campbell is aiming to change that so it’s good to see folks buying in quickly to what the boss and his new staff are selling on the field and in the meeting rooms.
If the Lions buy into Campbell early, the team might benefit from it quickly on the field in the coming months in terms of a faster turnaround than folks are expecting. Reaching and impressing the veterans first is a savvy job by Campbell in this process.
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