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The Detroit Lions have gone from an also-rand to one of the more intriguing teams in the NFL in short order, and the new challenge for the team is finding a way to meet expectations.
Suddenly, the Lions could be in the driver’s seat for the NFC North, a division they haven’t won since 1994. It’s a rare spot for the franchise to be in, but one that the team has to embrace and find a way to meet when the season begins.
Head coach Dan Campbell is theoretically just the man for the job, given he seems to strike the perfect chord consistently in the locker room. How will he react to the next act, however, may show how far the Lions can go.
As Campbell said, it’s time for the team to be able to raise expectations and start thinking bigger. While Campbell has always encouraged the team to dream bigger and have a winning mindset, he can sense that the situation is changing more than a bit now.
Speaking to the media at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday, March 28, Campbell urged his team to go out and get the NFC North, and thinks that they will have the capability to stand tall against their closest competition this season.
“It’s about raising expectations. We need to be thinking that way, and everything about what we do needs to have that type of purpose. Our standards have always been about winning. You’re trying to win every game, but ultimately I think to take the next step, you’re shooting for the division. You win a division, you get a home game and the rest takes care of itself. That’s the next part of the process,” Campbell said to the media. “Every team should want to go to the Super Bowl every year. I said that two years ago of course, but I think we are positioned much better to to swing with the big boys this year. I can’t tell you what that means in win totals, but it means that is the goal. We got to go get this division.”
Early in the 2022 season, the Lions may not be confused as a team that could have had those expectations. After figuring something out during the middle of the season, Campbell seems to think that the switch has flipped for the team for good, and they will know how to find this mindset deep down having gone through some adversity already.
“Our ability to win games last year once in our rhythm, got in a groove. It was the belief in what we were doing and the guys around them, the coaches, the teammates was at an all-time high. I think there’s a feeling that it’ll be hard to lose it because when you get the right type of guys that have been put through the pressure our guys have and where they have come from, you appreciate it a lot more,” he said. “On top of that, you just keep stacking a little bit of talent, you keep upgrading, you keep bringing in reinforcements and the foundation is here. Then you bring in guys that are like-minded and about winning and can play some ball and help you in areas and I think it’s hard to fail in that regard specifically.”
Armed with some newfound confidence as well as the usual winning mindset, Campbell seems to understand where his team needs to be mentally ahead of the season. As he says, they need to talk about their goal and find a way to meet it, especially after the confident finish to the 2022 season.
Already, Campbell is raising the bar in a big way for his roster ahead of 2023. That’s good news for a Lions team that wants to not only have designs on contending, but actually make it happen.
Dan Campbell Appreciates Lions’ Outside Additions
As the coach said, taking the next step for Detroit will revolve around continuing to upgrade the roster when possible. This offseason, the Lions have already done a strong job of that.
With multiple different additions, the Lions have taken a major step forward as it relates to rounding out their roster. On defense, the team added a trio of elite backs, punctuated by C.J. Gardner-Johnson as well as Cameron Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley.
“(Gardner-Johnson’s) an outstanding addition. (Aaron) Glenn and I have a lot
of history with that guy and we know what he is we know what he’s about and he’s hungry. He’s going to be ready to go, so that was good,” Campbell said. “Cameron (Sutton) was somebody we identified early really. (Emmanuel) Mosley as well, but Mosley was hurt and Cameron just popped off the tape because the way he played was everything that we’re about and it’s not always the flashiest, but it is productive and it’s violent and it’s headsy and he fits us. We knew he could help us on the back end. He’s got versatility.”
Offensively, the Lions got better with the addition of running back David Montgomery, even though they had considered bringing Jamaal Williams back a priority. Campbell knows that Montgomery is going to be the kind of player that can help his offense over the top.
“Montgomery, that was another one (that) honestly kind of kind of came to us. We were very high on Jamaal (Williams) and Montgomery, but the intent was always going to be Jamaal, and it just didn’t work out. Montgomery, staring at him for the last two, three years I got a lot of respect for the way he plays the game. He’s got versatility, he’s a pretty good receiver out of the backfield and I think these guys are outstanding additions to our team,” he said
Winning isn’t just about believing, it’s having the right kind of players to fill the right kind of roles. It seems the Lions have that in a big way after a very successful free agency period. That will only serve to make their team better in the end.
Dan Campbell Praises Lions’ Internal Free Agents
No quality roster is completed without having some players who are fantastic internally as well, and the Lions had that with many of the stars they brought back to the team for depth.
The Lions re-signed players like defensive linemen Isaiah Buggs and John Cominsky, linebacker Alex Anzalone, safety C.J. Moore and even brought back linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin after a year away.
Though those weren’t huge name additions from the outside, the Lions still scored by having players stick on the roster that understand what the team is about and also have been a part of the mix for a while.
Campbell praised the team keeping Buggs, Cominsky and Moore as well as bringing back Reeves-Maybin relative to what they bring to the mix for his team, and how they understand the hard work that goes into their culture.
“Those are a couple of guys, those two, C.J. Moore, (Jalen Reeves-Maybin). To be able to get (Jalen Reeves-Maybin) back, they fit us. They fit what we’re about. They believe in what we believe in and I think they’re not only very important role players, they’re important for that locker room too and you know you’re going to get a good day’s work out of them. They’re going to do exactly what you ask them to do and they’re going to go all out and they love ball and they’ve got a trait. There’s something about them on the field that they have that gives them the ability to help us and produce. They’re really sub-starters if you will,” Campbell told the media.
Rounding out the roster with players like that figures to be a significant move for the Lions, who have a solid culture to rely on. If the team takes the next step to become winners, it will be because of the commitment of the players to the culture that has been built.
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