Dan Campbell Receives Praise for Hosting Unique Lions Practice

Getty Dan Campbell on the field for Lions vs. Broncos in 2021.

Dan Campbell hasn’t gone by a script coaching the Detroit Lions, and never has that been more evident than after his latest practice move.

Campbell turned the players loose on Monday, August 22 and held back the coaching staff in a move that was very interesting to note. Obviously, it was one unlike any seen consistently in the NFL

Lions offensive tackle Taylor Decker can be counted as a fan of the move. As he explained to the media, it was a good crash course for the Lions, who have to learn to exist on their own when on the field.

“I think it’s awesome to do because honestly, on game day we’re out there and we got to communicate. We have to be accountable to one another and if we can’t come out here and get better by ourselves, the coaches can’t want it more than us. So it was good. It was unique. I mean I’ve never done that before, but it was good work,” Decker said.

As Decker also contends, the players understand how to get work done, so the concept is an easy one to embrace.

“I mean we come out here and we work every day, so we know what to do,” he said. “We don’t have the coaches out here like cheerleading us on, so can we come out here and can we be professionals and get the work done? Because you should be able to do that. You don’t need anybody in your ear to come out here and do your work and get better.”

Having a player-led team is a big goal of Campbell, and it seems the players have passed a test simply by being able to manage such an event. The way Decker talks about the day, it seems as if it accomplished its goal.

Tim Boyle: Players Practice Was ‘Fun’

It wasn’t just the offensive line that liked the new-look practice. Quarterbacks were a fan of the players-led practice as well.

Tim Boyle admitted that the event helped him have a new appreciation for the coaches that he works with and their ability to see plays, instruct and lead on the field when they do.

“It was fun today, that was fun. David (Blough) and I really enjoyed doing that,” Boyle said. “We hear all the time and it’s not as easy obviously as it looks conceptualizing the play and kind of spitting it out calmly and not doing it too fast. (That’s) definitely an art, so give all the offensive coordinators around the league a shout-out.”

The players learned that the coaching staff is there for them, and and result, perhaps gained a new level of trust for their bosses.

Campbell Gets Media Praise for Move

It seems that others on the outside in the media liked the move of Campbell to turn his players loose and see how they reacted. Sports Illustrated writer Albert Breer wrote about that.

Breer explained in a MMQB piece that Campbell pitched the idea to the team, but most folks were out of the loop and Campbell kept the idea a secret. It’s something that the writer appreciated.

“I love what Lions coach Dan Campbell did with Detroit’s practice on Monday, handing the keys over to the players and letting them set the schedule and run the show for the day. My understanding is most people in the building had no clue he was planning to do it until earlier in the day Monday—he formally presented the concept to the team in a morning meeting,” Breer wrote.

As Breer concluded, the decision could help empower the Lions given they have a young team. If that ends up happening, it will be seen as a brilliant call by Campbell.

It sounds as if the players love what Campbell did, and the praise has been rolling in for the coach on multiple fronts.

READ NEXT: Lions Urged to Trade Rising Wideout Before Season