Getty Dan Campbell on the field for the Lions during the 2022 season.
The Detroit Lions have one of the most exciting young teams in football, and a big reason for their rise is head coach Dan Campbell.
From the first time he was introduced, Campbell wasted no time setting the tone and establishing what he wanted from his team’s new culture. Now that he’s managed to get those things to play out, it’s become clear that his star is rising more than a bit for the team.
While many choose to think of Campbell as simply a soundbite guy, there’s a serious football mind there for all to see as well, and Kyle Brandt of NFL Network and Good Morning Football took time out to give Campbell his credit.
Typically known for loving the lighter side of Campbell, Brandt took time to give a shoutout to the serious coach of the Lions, and admitted that he has done a nice job to turn things around for the team and prove himself.
Dan Campbell’s kickin’ ass. Lions are no joke. It’s fun to talk about.
“I’m going to talk about Dan Campbell and I’m not going to quote Metallica, I’m not going to do an impression. I’m not going to say the word “man.” He is the man. It’s beyond all that. This guy was looked at as a clown and an imbecile and a punch-line and a meme and he’s gonna get fired. Sort of like ‘we’ll see where he catches on next year.’ He’s the head coach of one of the hottest teams in the league,” Brandt said on the show.
As he said, Campbell has the Lions firing on all cylinders and it’s something where he is very impressed by the coach.
“They hit, they play, they believe and they got it all going on right now. Not a joke, not an impression. Not a reference to Master of Puppets. Just the master of his domain. Dan Campbell, I’m so impressed and so proud,” he said.
Many folks have thought of Campbell as a joke, but he is a serious coach and a serious football mind. Brandt has been in his corner from the beginning, as has the city of Detroit. Now both can begin to reap the rewards of Campbell’s success.
Brandt Proclaims Lions a Top NFL Team
As a result of what Campbell has been able to do from a team building and culture standpoint, Brandt already sees the Lions as turning the corner toward becoming one of the best teams in the league at this point in time.
“I think the Lions are a top eight NFL team right now. I think they’re the third-best team in the NFC. I think they’re behind Philadelphia, and I think they’re behind San Francisco. I think they would beat Dallas right now if they played,” he said. “They are one incredible Josh Allen throw to Stefon Diggs away from winning six in a row. They went up against the number one seed in the AFC and were totally game. There’s a prejudice maybe and a reluctance to accept them because you see that logo and you see that color and you grew up with the Lions. I think Lions fans themselves have it.”
It will certainly take time for the Lions earn the trust, but little by little, Campbell seems to have done a good job of that during the 2022 season.
Campbell: Detroit a ‘Special Place’ to Win
If the Lions manage to turn the corner completely, Campbell will be seen as a big reason why. Already, the coach seems to understand that if he can get things going consistently in Detroit, the team could be special.
As he said speaking to the media after the game, he continues to see the building blocks of something special with the Lions, and it was a fact that he understood all along which led to him taking the job.
“It was one of the reasons I wanted to be here. I knew this could be a special place.”
“It’s one of the reasons I wanted to be here. I said that in my opening press conference. Anybody that read that or saw that. I knew this could be a special place. This is one of those areas where, you get a winner here in Detroit and it will be something special. It’s not like that everywhere. It’s not,” Campbell said. “To get this place back on its feet, play winning football. Something that hadn’t been done here in 20 some years, maybe over. But we’re not there yet. We’re playing pretty good football and we just won another one. Yeah it feels good. Let’s go get the next one. That’s all we can worry about.”
Campbell has done a great job keeping his team grounded in spite of their major resurgence this season. Many are beginning to give him and his team the respect they deserve and the respect they have earned in 2022.