Getty George Kittle during the Super Bowl in Miami in 2020.
Dan Campbell has a special personality as all Detroit Lions fans know, but some folks might be wondering if he is indeed the right fit for the team’s locker room and players.
Many might think that Campbell’s crazy rants or rah-rah act might not go over that well with players he coaches. So far as it relates to the Lions, that seems to be false, and it could be false for many in the NFL as a whole as well.
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Recently, San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle joined NFL Network personality Mike Silver on his Pass It Down podcast, and was asked what he thought about the Campbell rant. As he said, he not only loved the kneecap biting sentiment, but some hidden commentary Campbell provided that was important for his players.
We all laughed at @Lions coach Dan Campbell’s introductory press conference… but @gkittle46 saw some brilliance beyond the kneecap-biting, as the @49ers tight end explained to @fatnatsilver and me in Ep. 54 of the Pass It Down podcast…
Kittle said:
“I saw that press conference too. Obviously, yeah I’m biting kneecaps, that’s awesome, I love that. You’re going to play some violent football and some dirty football. I’m here for it. What was hidden though, there was a part he talked about having good vibes in the locker room. He was like look, I love football and I’m going to get after it, but I want to have a good culture and I want to take care of the guys, respect the guys and have fun going to work. I was like, work as hard as you want but if you’re having fun too, that’s what it makes it alright to do that stuff. As long as you don’t have the mindset that we’re going to suffer every day, let’s have some fun a little bit. I love that stuff. I liked it a lot when I heard that clip and I wish it circulated more because I thought it was pretty cool.”
Coming off Matt Patricia, the balance between work and fun is a huge one for the Lions, and it became clear that Detroit’s last coach was a task master who was more interested in work than fun. Having Campbell understand the balance already could prove that the coach will be a lot more successful in the end than many think.
Many only chose to focus on the wild nature of Campbell and his introduction to Detroit, but as Kittle showed, there was a whole hidden meaning that could resonate in a huge way with players.
Kittle Connected for Commercial With T.J. Hockenson
Kittle and T.J. Hockenson train a lot during the offseasons, and now, they have even started putting together their own commercials. Recently, the duo starred in a new ad for Kingsford which featured wild outfits and plenty of meat smoking.
Hockenson didn’t speak in the ad, but he played quite the support role for Kittle as his personal grilling hype man. Quite possibly, he had one of the best outfits worn in an ad lately.
This George Kittle/TJ Hockenson commercial >>>
Here’s a look at the commercial:
Hockenson and Kittle have a legendary friendship dating back to the time when the duo was at Iowa together, so it’s neat to see the duo teaming up now that they are in the NFL in such a funny way.
Campbell’s Explanation of Kneecap Rant
many nationally didn’t seem to understand why a coach would rant the way he did about tearing off kneecaps and being the toughest team on the field. That doesn’t matter to Campbell, though, because he has a simple message to all the haters. That rant wasn’t for you or about you; it was for Detroit, Lions fans and Michigan.
Joining Good Morning Football, Campbell was asked about the now-legendary opening presser and if it was something he cooked up. As he said, he didn’t realize until he watched later the violent nature, but he was merely excited and in the moment. It was also a special and targeted message.
It was AWESOME having @Lions new HC Dan Campbell on #GMFB today!
He talks about what it means to rep Detroit, what he will bring to Motown, his favorite @Metallica album, and so much more!
“This place needed hope and I needed to give it to them.”
Campbell said:
“I would say this, now I was thinking about things but more importantly, no offense to anybody else who’s outside of this community, my message was for our players and for our community for Motown. That to me was who I needed to reach. It wasn’t about, no offense, everybody outside of this community and I’m trying to reach New York and Dallas and Los Angeles. That didn’t mean anything to me. I knew that this was the community that I was speaking to. I felt like I wanted them to have a piece of me, and I wanted them to know that I get it. I know this, this place needed hope. I needed to give it to them. I needed to give them something. I speak from the heart, I’ve always been that way, I speak to players that way. It’s just kind of who I am.”
The message was received loud and clear by Lions fans who were excited following the press conference and speech, and that feeling might only improve if Campbell’s way resonates with players such as Kittle.
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