The press conference was marked by Campbell's passion, as he seemed to speak directly to Lions fansLIONS
New Lions coach Dan Campbell was introduced yesterday in Detroit, and he "won the press conference," according to Dave Birkett of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Campbell was "passionate, honest, emotional and he connected with an energy that too few Lions coaches have in the past." He has not even coached a practice yet, but "on Day 1 at least, Campbell was a star." Here are some highlights from what Campbell said Thursday:
- "I can sit up here and give you coach speak all day long. I can give you, 'Hey, we’re going to win this many games.' None of that matters and you guys don’t want to hear it anyway. You've had enough of that shit, excuse my language."
- "We’re going to kick you in the teeth, all right, and when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you and when you knock us down, we’re going to get up, and on the way up, we’re going to bite a knee cap off. And we’re going to stand up and then it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we’re going to take your other knee cap."
- "When I say that I want our team to take on the identity of this city, I mean it. ... It’s going to mean that when you come into Detroit, you’re going to leave beat up."
- "I’m a big mind-over-matter person and a lot of you are going to think I’m a kook a little bit here, but I do believe you can will things to happen in some regard" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/22).
WINNING OVER THE LOCALS: In Detroit, Kirkland Crawford writes if a "first impression is a lasting one, we may never forget how Dan Campbell reintroduced himself." Campbell's opening statement "was a manifesto as he spoke seemingly directly to fans" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/22). In Detroit, Jeff Seidel writes Campbell "didn’t win anything, other than the moment." Seidel: "But man, those words were interesting, fresh and different. I can’t imagine a better, more entertaining introductory news conference" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/22). Also in Detroit, John Niyo: "This much we can say about the Lions’ latest football endeavor: It won’t be boring." Campbell is a "hulking figure who now becomes the face of this woebegone franchise." As first impressions go, this was "perfectly delivered and palpably different, even in a virtual setting." It was a 90-minute press conference that was "unlike anything we’ve seen or heard from this organization in quite a while." Niyo: "Say what you will about this hire ... but this really might be what the Lions needed." After "decades of losing and too many makeovers to count," this franchise "needed a leader with a personality big enough to drown out some of the negativity" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/22).
SHOCK VALUE: ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein notes Campbell "came off unconventional in his first meeting publicly," but "maybe this is what Detroit needs, a completely out-of-the-box, comfortable-in-who-I-am, tell-it-like-he-sees-it coach because so much else has just not worked." Pair him with a "forward-thinking general manager -- and [Brad] Holmes appears to be that -- and it’s at least the Lions trying something new, which is more than they’ve done for so long" (ESPN.com, 1/22). In Michigan, Kyle Meinke wrote no one "knows where this new Campbell-Brad Holmes alliance goes," but it is "clear already that the Quinntricia era, and everything it stood for, is long, long gone" (MLIVE.com, 1/21). In Detroit, Justin Rogers writes Campbell, for "all the enthusiasm he managed to generate on his first day, will be met with equal waves of skepticism." That is "only natural when you're trying to go against the tide of history with words" (DETROIT NEWS, 1/22).
DOES THIS UNDERSCORE DIVERSITY PROBLEM? USA TODAY's Mike Freeman writes under the header, "Detroit Lions New Coach Dan Campbell, Unlike Eric Bieniemy, Has Luxury Of Being A Meathead." As "word of Campbell's presser spread throughout the NFL and social media, it led to some loving what he said, and others shaking their head." Freeman: "There's no way in hell, and I mean no way ever, a Black coach could talk like that, particularly as a candidate looking for a head coaching position, and still get a job." It is "possible Campbell will win a Super Bowl with the Lions." Freeman: "This also isn't as much about Campbell the man as it is what Campbell's actions represent. Which is Black coaches getting kneecapped" (USA TODAY, 1/22).
