Dan Campbell Admits He's 'Going to Need a Little Bit of Help'
Dan Campbell is aware of his own limitations.
When the Lions decided to officially hire the former Saints tight ends coach, the biggest area of concern was Campbell's lack of head coaching experience.
At his introductory press conference with Detroit media on Thursday, the Lions' front office was asked about how that could impact the team's success moving forward.
“First of all, he (Campbell) listed the types of coaches and the specific coaches that he would be interested in assembling on his staff," team president Rod Wood said. "I think in addition to that, maybe the most impactful thing to me was when I talked to (Saints general manager) Mickey Loomis. I asked Mickey about that, and he said, ‘Dan is the kind of head coach that coaches are going to run to Detroit and want to be on his staff.’ He will attract people, because they’ll want to work with him.”
“I think Dan is, as I mentioned, extremely smart. I think very smart people realize their weaknesses and where they need to fill in. Dan knows that he wants to get strong coordinators, and he’s going to," Sheila Ford Hamp said at Campbell's introductory press conference.
Appearing on "Stoney and Jansen" on 97.1 The Ticket, Campbell acknowledged on Friday there will be certain areas he will need assistance in and that is why the new staff hired will complement his skills.
Despite his lack of head coaching experience, Campbell brings 22 years of experience in the NFL to the Lions -- 11 years as a coach and another 11 as a player.
He served as the assistant head coach/tight ends coach for the Saints, starting in 2016.
"We understand enough, all of us really, that we're going to need some help along the way. As we move through these hires, we've already talked about it, we're going to hire some people that can complement us and help us here in areas that maybe we're not quite ready for yet. We do need some help," Campbell explained. "I'm man enough to own up to the fact that I'm going to need a little bit of help."
The upcoming coaching hires will aim to complement the strengths and experience he does have.
"I haven't started it from scratch like I'm doing right now," he said. "So, there'll be some things I'm going to have questions about, things I'm going to need to know. I need somebody in my ear. And so we've thought about that no different than Brad has. So, I'm sure as you see this go along, and we started hiring or we've probably hired some experienced coaches or staff members to kind of help us here."
Importance of setting the tone early
Despite the national attention he received for his "biting the kneecap" reference, Campbell acknowledged that he took the opportunity to really talk to the players when he was describing his philosophy.
"I think it's very important. Look, this is no secret, but I knew that yesterday was going to be my first opportunity to really talk to our players and then our fans, man. I feel like I've got a bit of a pulse on this place because I've been here. I've kind of been a part of it. I know it wasn't real long. I know that I wasn't born and raised. I feel like I was here long enough to understand what these people, you know, how they think, what they want, man. The players, too," Campbell expressed. "I think that you have to come in and instill a bit of confidence. I think there needs to be hope. I think they need to know what they can hold on to. What can you grasp on to move forward with."
More from SI All Lions:
Lions Hire Aaron Glenn as Next Defensive Coordinator
Campbell Has Legendary Opening Press Conference
Colin Cowherd Compares Dan Campbell to Freddie Kitchens
Sheila Ford Hamp and Rod Wood Statement on Campbell Hiring
How GM Brad Holmes Addressed Roster Questions
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