One of the most fun matchups of Week 1 will come when Detroit Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson faces off with George Kittle, and former tight end Dan Campbell is looking forward to seeing the battle as much as fans.
The duo are very good friends off the field based on their shared position and alma mater in Iowa, but when the game kicks off this week, all of that will go out the window. Campbell, perhaps looking to ignite a bit of a fire under Hockenson for the battle, admitted he wants to see his big time player step up in a big way in the game and also admitted he knows the team has to feed him for this to happen.
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Speaking to the media on Monday, September 6, Campbell admitted that he is excited to see the battle play out, and respects Kittle, even though he is hoping Hockenson manages to outplay him on the afternoon.
“It’ll be good. I’m hoping our guy has a better game than his guy does, I know that,” Campbell told the media. “I’ve had a lot of respect for (George) Kittle just from afar watching him. He’s one of the rare tight ends who can do everything and do it well. He does the dirty work, he’s not afraid to block, he can do all that stuff on the perimeter, pass block, but yet he’s a dynamic receiver. He’s big, strong, physical. Our guy’s pretty dang good too. He can do a lot of the things that Kittle does, and I think that for us, we have to find ways to get him the football and let him do what he does because I know this, he can help us win.”
Hockenson represents a huge opportunity for the Lions, and likely a huge focal point for the opposition as well. Getting a big game out of him is a must, and the Lions have to find a way of unleashing in the offense against a quality defensive opponent.
Though Kittle figures to have the chance at a big game as well, it’s clear that Campbell knows a big day out of Hockenson could help the Lions in a big way in a game where they will figure to need all the help they can get. By comparing him with Kittle, Campbell is setting the table for Hockenson and boosting his confidence in a big way for an important game.
Dan Campbell Explains Evolution of Tight End Position
Watching the battle between Kittle and Hockenson, it’s clear that aficionados of play at tight end will be treated to a delightful afternoon. Campbell himself is no different, and sees how the game has changed in a significant way relative to when he played in the league over a decade ago.
“It’s unbelievable how much has changed. It really has become in a sense really bonafide, big receivers. I call it big skill. It’s a big skill position is what it is. Sometimes more than an actual tight end,” Campbell admitted. “When I think of tight end I think of someone who still blocks he perimeter like (Rob) Gronkowski and (George) Kittle and those guys. Big skill is a guy who can do some of that who really is a mismatch. He’s a big basketball player who can run. He can get open and create separation. I know this, both players are somewhat rare. I would say it’s probably even rarer to find a guy who can create separation and still block like a tackle. I think those guys are very rare. It certainly has evolved.”
As Campbell admitted, nobody would confuse him for being like either player or any of the other elite tight ends in the game at this point. He called himself a “slow slug” as opposed to big skill, and said he was more like a glorified offensive lineman.
“I could do none of those things. I was basically a tackle. There is no comparison. The athletes now, I feel like they get bigger, stronger, faster, more explosive every year. That is kind of just the nature of where this league has gone, really,” he said.
Slug or not, Campbell does know what it takes to win at the position, which is why it’s very notable he understands what kind of effort the Lions need to make to feed the ball to their top tight end.
Hockenson’s Career Stats and Highlights
There is simply no understating the importance of Hockenson to the Lions in the future moving forward in 2021 and beyond. The team hasn’t gotten much of anything from any of the other tight ends on their roster the last few years, and while he hasn’t had the most dramatic statistical impact thus far in his career, Hockenson has easily been one of the team’s top rookies in 2019 and 2020 and a player capable of impacting both the run and the passing games.
During his rookie season in 2019, many fans were upset with Hockenson for not making a bigger impact on the game. He had only 367 yards and 2 touchdowns on the year which is not the statistical impact that many people expected from him as a top selection for the team. 2020 was a major bounce back from that, though, and Hockenson put up 723 yards and 6 touchdowns to rebound well.
Here’s a look at some of Hockenson’s biggest career plays from last season:
Clearly, Hockenson is on the right track to being thought of as one of the best players in the league at his position, and has all the skill to have a big game and match his coach’s definition about the posititon.
Getting on the road to that begins in Week 1.
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