Getty Dan Campbell on the field vs. the Vikings in 2022.
The Detroit Lions have turned things around abruptly this season, and the resurgence has been something to admire for fans in the city.
Fans are fired up for good reason about the Lions for the first time in a long time, and it looks as if they have turned a corner in a big way.
Given how beaten down fans have been for years, this has to mean that Lions fans are fired up and treating head coach Dan Campbell like royalty now, right? According to coach, it’s been that way all along.
Speaking to the Pat McAfee Show, Campbell was asked about what the reception has been like. As he said, Detroit is humming and he can feel the support from the fans.
Are you royalty in Detroit right now?
“The fans have been outstanding to me & my family my entire time in Detroit” ~Dan Campbell
“I’m out enough to know, I guess. When things aren’t good and nobody says anything, then you know it’s bad. And when there’s people saying stuff to you, that probably means it’s pretty good. Honestly, though the thick and thin of it, the fans have been outstanding to me and my family. They’ve been very supportive. The support’s unbelievable, this place is humming right now. They want to believe and we said it all along, we want to give them something to believe in. But we wanted to have real substance to it,” Campbell admitted.
Part of that is building behind what Campbell referred to as the right veterans and having the right players in order to sustain things for the future.
“We’re on a bit of a run here, but we’re not finished,” Campbell said.
That will likely be the part that fans are happiest about when all is said and done. Sustained success would mean a lot to the team’s fan base.
Campbell: Lions Players Never Stopped Believing
In terms of Campbell, the coach admitted that while plenty of folks may have had doubts about his program, he never did. As he explained to McAfee,
“I never doubted this team.. I didn’t know when it was gonna turn but I knew it would turn” ~Dan Campbell
“No, I never doubted. I didn’t know when it was going to turn, but I knew it would turn. Anybody that’s been around this game long enough at this level, it’ll turn. You just have to stay consistent with what you do and understand the tweaks you got to make. I never lost faith in these coaches or players,” he said.
As Campbell admitted, he had to make sure to make some tough calls, but he never changed who he was.
“Yeah I had to make a few moves. If you don’t believe in what you’re throwing out there, they’re sure as hell not going to believe it,” he said. “We just stated true to what we do and what we’re about and the guys, they just kept going. They’re a resilient group. They’re been that way since last year and the young guys we’ve got have just fallen right in line.”
All of this has combined to give the Lions what looks to be one of the best winning formulas in the league right now.
Analyst Praises Campbell’s Style
There’s a lot of reasons why folks love Campbell and why fans are all-in, any analysts have highlights some of these reasons recently.
Typically known for loving the lighter side of Campbell, Kyle Brandt of NFL Network took time to give a shoutout to the serious coach of the Lions, and admitted that he has done a nice job to turn things around for the team and prove himself.
Dan Campbell’s kickin’ ass. Lions are no joke. It’s fun to talk about.
“I’m going to talk about Dan Campbell and I’m not going to quote Metallica, I’m not going to do an impression. I’m not going to say the word “man.” He is the man. It’s beyond all that. This guy was looked at as a clown and an imbecile and a punch-line and a meme and he’s gonna get fired. Sort of like ‘we’ll see where he catches on next year.’ He’s the head coach of one of the hottest teams in the league,” Brandt said on the show.
As he said, Campbell has the Lions firing on all cylinders and it’s something where he is very impressed by the coach.
“They hit, they play, they believe and they got it all going on right now. Not a joke, not an impression. Not a reference to Master of Puppets. Just the master of his domain. Dan Campbell, I’m so impressed and so proud,” he said.
Many folks have thought of Campbell as a joke, but he is a serious coach and a serious football mind. Fans are embracing him at this point in a big way.