Dan Campbell’s Gritty ‘Blue-Collar’ Approach Turns Detroit Lions into the NFL’s Most…
The excitement surrounding the Lions divisional playoff game Sunday against the Buccaneers at Ford Field is as palpable as the prices are astronomical to get into the building, with the least-expensive walk-in price hovering around $500.
This is what happens when a team that’s never even reached a Super Bowl wins its first postseason game in 32 years, which is what occurred last weekend at home against the Rams — when, according to a CBS report, the noise level reached 133.6 decibels, which is the equivalent to a military jet aircraft take-off.
These Lions are embraceable.
Their head coach, Dan Campbell, is a larger-than-life caricature with his swashbuckling, say-whatever-is-on-his-mind stream of consciousness.
Their quarterback, Jared Goff, is a classic castoff, a former No. 1-overall draft pick who was, essentially, a throw-in for the trade that send longtime Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Rams.
Their team is not laden with commercial stars or perennial Pro Bowlers, but instead is a perfect blend of grinders, misfits and players and coaches who’ve paid their dues.
You may recall some of the first words out of Campbell’s mouth in when he was hired before the 2021 season.
“This team is going to take on the identity of this city,’’ Campbell said. “And, this city’s been down, and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity. So, this team’s going to be built on — 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 kneecap off.
“Before long, we’re going to be the last one standing.’’
Ray Mickens, the former Jets cornerback who was also a college teammate of the 47-year-old Campbell at Texas A&M, chuckled over the phone Thursday when he recalled those words from that press conference.
“That’s him. … That’s who he is,’’ Mickens said. “Energetic. It was funny to hear him say that, but it wasn’t out of character. That’s who he is.’’
Campbell’s words were perceived by some as bombastic chatter from a Neanderthal football player (Campbell played from 1999-2009 with the Giants, Cowboys, Lions and Saints). To some, the way he spoke made it difficult for him to be taken seriously.
We’ve come to find out, though, that Campbell is a lot smarter than you thought he was, a master motivator and team builder who knows his stuff. The Lions went 3-13-1 in his first year. They were 9-8 and barely missed the playoffs last season after winning eight of their last 10 games following a 1-6 start.
They won the NFC North this season, and it wasn’t close.
Campbell is to be taken seriously.
“He doesn’t come off as the polished, suit-and-tie type of coach,’’ Mickens said. “He’s a blue-collar guy. Some people may have been like, ‘Man, is this the place for saying things like that?’ It’s against the norm. You’re not supposed to talk like you talk in the locker room. But Dan is Dan. He’s going to speak to the media the same way he speaks to the players.’’
Campbell’s offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn are both hot candidates for head-coaching jobs, and both interviewed for openings after last season when the Lions didn’t even make the playoffs.
Mickens is close with Glenn, a fellow cornerback from Texas A&M and with whom he played for the Jets, and he believes the winding road Glenn took to get to this point perfectly represents the team for which he coaches.
When we were done playing, he had a small business empire — some real estate, construction and he did some food and beverage, which is what I’m in — and we’d always talk about coaching,’’ Mickens said. “We’d talk about [Bill] Belichick a lot and he said, ‘Hey man, one day I’m going go into coaching, I’m going to be a scout.’
“He started off at the bottom. I’m so proud of him, and Dan Campbell as well. Knowing the road that he took to get there, that’s what I’m most proud of. He started off driving from Houston all the way up to Iowa and Oklahoma looking at kids.
That’s the picture I have of him when I see him with the Detroit Lions — him being in that Ford Explorer, scouting. I’ll never forget him stopping at my house in Dallas on the way up to Iowa. That’s the emotional part of it for me.’’
Sunday in Detroit figures to be a day filled with emotion.