Three years ago, the Detroit Lions introduced their new coach, Dan Campbell, in a press conference that was, well, let’s just call it gritty in the extreme. When asked what the football world could expect to see in his Lions and what his coaching philosophy would be, he replied that people were tired “of the same old “sh*t,” and rather than give them another dose of coach speak, he spoke off the cuff.
“I wanted this job … bad. Because I felt like I knew this community. I played here,” Campbell began. He went on to say that as far as team identity or culture went, this team was going to take on the identity of the city of Detroit. “This city has been down. It’s found a way to overcome adversity,” Campbell continued. “This team is going to kick you in the teeth … and when you knock us down, on the way up we’re going to bite a kneecap off … and we’re going to get up … and if you knock us down again, we’re going to get up and bite off the other kneecap.”