Dan Campbell Primed to Lead Lions from 'Arctic Ocean' to 'Caribbean'
The story of the Lions' struggles in 2021 are far too well known at this point in the season.
The organization has just two wins -- plus a tie -- heading into its season finale this Sunday against the NFC North champion Green Bay Packers.
The campaign has been defined by highly inconsistent play on both sides of the football, as well as a myriad of untimely injuries and health ailments.
Yet, at least one individual -- first-year Detroit head coach Dan Campbell -- believes the franchise is headed in the right direction, as the '21 campaign comes to a close.
"I kind of said this before -- I see it like this -- I told (principal owner and chair) Sheila (Ford Hamp) this the other day and really the team, but we’ve kind of been -- we’re in the Arctic Ocean, but we’re headed to the Caribbean," Campbell told reporters Friday. "You can see it, I can see it. It’s not always easy to see. There’s a long way to go, but we’re heading there, I do know that."
Ron Chenoy, USA TODAY Sports
The ever-optimistic Campbell believes that the "growing pains" his team has had to endure over the course of the past year will pay dividends in the long haul.
"That’s what this year has been about, and we’re going to -- everything had to happen that’s happened this year to an extent, it really has," Campbell said. "You had to go through some of these growing pains, and it’s not been easy. But, yet, anything worth having or anything worth having success at, it takes a lot of work, hard work. It’s not going to just happen. And, it’s also what makes it that much sweeter. That’s for sure.”
Even with nothing left to play for and the attention of the team's front office and fanbase already turned to the offseason and this April's NFL Draft, Campbell remains steadfast in his desire to have the Lions close out the season with a strong performance against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.
"It’s about ending the season on a high note. ‘Look, let’s play our best football right now with one left. And that way, it catapults you into the offseason. It catapults you into the following seasons,'" Campbell said. "So, when you talk about the foundation, I think a huge part of it is exactly what we’ve been going through, which is when things don’t go your way, you’ve got to go back to work and you’ve got to keep trying to improve. And, you’ve got to look at each day, it’s a new day and learn from the old and push forward. And, our guys have done that."
Campbell & Co. are set to square off with the Matt LaFleur-led Packers Sunday at 1 p.m., from Ford Field.
