Ranking Top 5 Dan Campbell Moments with Lions
When the Detroit Lions hired Dan Campbell, the organization promised a new era.
Campbell was unlike many of the other candidates in the offseason coaching carousel. Aside from a stint as Miami’s interim head coach, he didn’t have any head coaching or even coordinator experience.
The former tight ends coach of the New Orleans Saints emerged as the frontrunner and was hired on Jan. 20.
Campbell has been up and down in his first full season as a head coach in the NFL. However, he’s been candid and honest the whole time, sharing his criticisms of his team and himself with the media.
This has led to several moments that have generated significant buzz from within the fanbase. Here are Campbell’s top five moments as Lions head coach.
5.) Coffee order goes viral
When the Lions began padded practices in August, Campbell was presented with a question regarding his caffeine intake during training camp.
This excited him, and he went on to discuss an extensive Starbucks order that wound up going viral.
“No, you don’t need it today,” Campbell said. “You don’t need the extra coffee, not with the pads on. So, normal coffee today. The next cup of coffee will be out there when we do the team run. So, this will be exciting. I can’t wait. Normally what I do is I get two 'Venti.' At Starbucks, I get two Venti of the Pike, with two shots in them. So, black in both. That’s what I come in with. That’s how I start the day.”
According to Starbucks’ website, a "Venti" cup of the Pike Place brew and the addition of two shots of espresso hold approximately 410 milligrams of caffeine. This means, at least at the time, Campbell was consuming 820 milligrams of caffeine per day.
No update has been given as to the current state of his coffee order.
4.) "Family Fest" speech
On Aug. 7, Campbell and his team took the field at home for the first time during the "Family Fest." It amounted to an open practice, during which Lions fans got their first look at the team’s new additions, namely quarterback Jared Goff.
What most will remember from this day is not the on-field product, but rather the speech Campbell gave when he took the microphone that day. He addressed the fans, and set them ablaze with a metaphor-heavy, motivational speech.
“I want you to envision right now we’re all in the backyard, because Ford Field is our backyard,” Campbell said. “We’ve got our fire in the backyard, right? And so, we got our beer, we got our hot dogs, we got our wine, kids got the marshmallows ready to go. Let me tell you something, we’re going to bring the firewood, and we’re gonna light the flame. But, you guys know at some point, it gets late in the night, man, and you really want to see the show and see how high you can get this thing to burn. You’ll douse it with gasoline, and that’s what we need from you.”
Despite the roaring applause, fans have been hesitant to come to the Lions' home games. Through seven home games, the team ranks dead last in average attendance with 50,777 fans per game.
There are multiple factors that go into this figure. The Lions have struggled, and bad records lead to bad attendance. However, the world is also enduring another surge of COVID cases that has created hesitancy about attending events in person.
Regardless, Campbell has inspired fans with his words. Yet, it’s the on-field product that will make or break his tenure.
3.) Arizona beatdown
On Dec. 19, Ford Field hosted a matchup between the hometown Lions and the Arizona Cardinals, a contender for the top seed in the NFC.
The Lions dominated the game from the opening kickoff, jumping out to a 10-0 lead after two possessions. Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was unable to get anything going, as Charles Harris and company stifled the young quarterback.
Detroit rolled the Cardinals, 30-12, as Campbell had his best game as a head coach. He took over the play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn, and the win over the Cardinals proved to be the pinnacle of his work, to this point.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK
After the game, he was ecstatic, as he addressed his team.
“Hey, man, welcome to Detroit,” Campbell said, grinning. “Welcome to Detroit. I tell you what, we did everything we said we needed to do to that team. We did everything. And I tell you what defense, you took it personal. Each three-and-out, man, you guys are making them have to punt. We turn the ball over offensively, right? And then we, defensively, Amani, two-four, get a turnover.”
It was one of the biggest upsets in recent memory, as the Lions were 13-point underdogs. With the win, Campbell showed NFL fans that the Lions are capable of competing with anyone.
2.) First win as full-time head coach
After multiple close, last-second losses, the stars aligned for the Lions on Dec. 5. Taking on the Minnesota Vikings, Goff threw two second-quarter touchdown passes, as Detroit racked up a 20-6 halftime lead.
That lead eventually collapsed, as a Goff interception led to Minnesota taking a 27-23 lead on a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Justin Jefferson. With 1:50 remaining, Detroit had one last chance to come back and win.
Goff and company did just that, driving 75 yards in 14 plays. He hit rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown, who made his first career touchdown catch, falling to the turf in the end zone, to seal Campbell’s first win as a full-time head coach.
Campbell jumped in the air with excitement, his headset falling to the ground, as he raised his arms and hugged Goff.
“They fought,” Campbell said. “They continued to fight all year, and it paid off today. And, we found a way to win. We found a way to win when we needed it.”
His second win was much more emphatic, but the postgame celebration in the locker room said everything about how much this win meant to Detroit’s first-year head coach.
“To say I’m proud of you would be a major understatement,” Campbell told his team in the locker room. “Gentlemen, that’s the way to just fight one more time, and it pays dividends. You know what we did? We found a way to win the day when we had to do it.”
1.) Biting kneecaps
Campbell wasted no time making waves upon being hired, in what may go down as one of the most famous introductory press conferences in NFL history.
The choice to hire him was an interesting one, given his lack of experience. However, after the press conference, nobody could question his passion.
Over the course of approximately 90 minutes, Campbell set the foundation for how he would be viewed as the Lions’ head coach. He spoke about the team taking on the identity of the city, as well as a physical mantra that would take the sports media world by storm.
“Here’s what I do know,” Campbell said. “This team is going to take on the identity of this city, and this city has been down and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity, right? So this team is going to be built on, we’re gonna kick you in the teeth, right? And when you punch us back, we’re gonna 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. All right? And we’re going to stand up and take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we’re going take your other kneecap, and we’re going to get up and it’s going to take three shots to get us down. And when we do, we’re going to take another hunk out of you.”
This speech set the tone for the Lions' season, as it was Campbell’s first impression to the Detroit fanbase and media. Subsequently, the phrase “biting kneecaps” has become synonymous with Lions football.
