Getty Head coach Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions waived injured defensive back Craig James on June 11.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell came tantalizingly close to the Super Bowl last season, watching his team build a 17-point lead in the NFC title game only to see it evaporate against a driven San Francisco 49ers team.
After the small taste of success, Campbell wants it all next season. Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the team’s minicamp this week, the Lions head coach predicted that they would be back again next season and said the team could win it all this time.
“I want the whole enchilada,” Campbell said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy.
Lions Building the Foundation
The Lions have endured a near-total rebuild since Campbell took over as head coach in January 2021, beefing up a defense that was among the league’s worst and building a potent offense around quarterback Jared Goff.
Detroit’s linebackers coach, Kelvin Sheppard, echoed Campbell’s prediction that the team could win it all this season and said the success comes because of the strong foundation they have built.
“Before you can set goals, you have to set a foundation,” Sheppard said, via The Athletic. “So I think right now, the things we’ve been discussing this offseason have been foundationally. I think we all know where we’re at as an organization and what the goal is this year. Dan, the whole enchilada, he’s been eating a lot of Mexican. But that’s what we’re all in this year, is for the whole enchilada.”
After a strong finish to the 2022 season saw the Lions finish above .500 at 9-8, they entered the 2023 season as favorites to win the division. The Lions delivered, winning their first division title in three decades before reaching the NFC Championship game for just the second time in franchise history.
Lions Head Coach Has Set Bold Goal
After the heartbreaking conclusion to last season, Campbell has been consistent in establishing the goal for 2024. The Lions coach said back in May that he was single-minded about the purpose, saying anything short of a Super Bowl would be a failure.
“I don’t see bust, I see Super Bowl. I don’t know what bust is,” Campbell said.
“Every team ought to have that. Every team ought to be like ‘Man, what are you playing for? You’re playing for a Super Bowl.’ We’re no different than that.”
Campbell stressed that while winning a Super Bowl is the top goal, it is not the only one. He told reporters in May that the team has a series of smaller goals that will build up to greater success.
“We work backwards from there. You’ve got to set yourself up no different from last year,” Campbell told reporters. “Certain things you’ve got to do to really make that valid, make that a reality.”
In order to reach the Super Bowl, Campbell said the Lions will need to defend their NFC North title and earn a high playoff seed.
“You have to give yourself the best odds that you can. You need to win the division, you need the best seed you can possible do,” Campbell said. “Well, how do you do that? Well, you got to start with where we’re at now.