Dan Campbell Interview

WXYT-FM / 97.1 The Ticket

Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell joins Costa and Jansen to answer questions heading into the divisional round matchup with the Washington Commanders.

Transcript

00:00All right, we're joined now by the Lions head coach, Dan Campbell.

00:12Game week is here.

00:13Playoff game week.

00:14Joined by the Lions head coach, Dan Campbell.

00:16Good morning, coach.

00:17Good morning.

00:18How are y'all doing?

00:19Good.

00:20Talk to us about last week and the feeling of not having to prepare for a game and what

00:24that was like.

00:26Well, I mean, it was it was good to get a, you know, get a minute to take a breath.

00:31You know, and I've said this really all along.

00:34It was the really the big thing is that, you know, it's one less game to get to where your

00:41ultimate goal is.

00:42And that's really what the buy does.

00:44Certainly to be able to heal up a little bit.

00:45But look, there's plenty of teams that don't get a buy and you're rolling into the next

00:49week.

00:50So we would have done whatever we need to do to be prepared for the next playoff game.

00:55But it's good to be sitting where we're at.

00:57How did you handle the bye week, the time off?

01:01And I know everybody, hey, you can watch film at home.

01:03You could do everything remotely.

01:05But managing time with family, trying to just give yourself a mental break, but also knowing

01:11that, hey, every week is do or die.

01:14How did you handle the time yourself?

01:16Yeah, I mean, I did a little bit of both.

01:20I did.

01:21I had my stuff with me.

01:22But I really I didn't come in the office.

01:24I stayed at home.

01:27And so I was able to do that, which was important.

01:31That was that was good.

01:32It was good to be able to do it.

01:35You know, I think the hard thing, it's good.

01:39You get a little time.

01:40But as far as preparing and all right, man, here we go, it's do or die.

01:44We still don't even know who we had, you know.

01:47And so you'll drive yourself crazy going, I'm going to watch Green Bay now.

01:50OK, now I'm going to shift my gears back to Minnesota.

01:53OK, now I'm going to go to Washington.

01:57You know, you start trying to go through all these different opponents you could possibly

02:01have, the Rams, and it to me, it's just not worth it.

02:06And so I just worried more about us and looking at us and a snapshot of what we're doing well,

02:13not doing well over the last, you know, call it two months.

02:17Dan, how did last year's playoff experience, how does that shape the locker room for these

02:22moments now ahead?

02:23Well, I just think we're more experienced, you know.

02:27The vast majority of our group, the core of our group now, have been through it and been

02:31through it together.

02:32And so we know what that experience is.

02:35You know, we were, you know, you're a young, hungry, eyes wide open group, but they were

02:39very mature, handled it well last year.

02:42And so now we know what that is.

02:45And you don't lose the hunger, you just gain some experience.

02:50And so now we know what's coming in here to face us, a team that hadn't been in this position

02:55in a long time.

02:57You know, they got their culture moving in the right direction, quarterbacks exciting,

03:03and man, they're looking for the next win, you know.

03:08So we know we got a very good opponent in here that's going to be hungry, but the good

03:12news is we're an experienced team that's hungry as hell too.

03:16So when David Montgomery went down, Jameer Gibbs stepped up in a big way, as did the

03:22entire team, which is something that has been a signature for this entire team.

03:26Somebody goes down, somebody else steps up, and it's not just one individual.

03:29But now that David Montgomery is back and available, how do you handle, before he went

03:35down, it seemed like it was almost 50-50 in terms of carries and touches.

03:41Now that he's back, is he the guy that gets the first carry?

03:44Who's going to handle short yardage?

03:46How are you managing having him available with the fact that Jameer Gibbs has been such

03:53a weapon, not just all year, but in the last three games?

03:56Sure.

03:57Well, first of all, we'll have our walkthrough today, and really tomorrow will be our real

04:06heavy lifting practice, tomorrow and then Friday.

04:11And so I think the first thing is, we know he's ready to come back.

04:15We know that he's looked good in his rehabilitation, all those things.

04:19Let's see him with bodies around, full speed.

04:22We need to get a true gauge of just where he's at, how far back is he, get his confidence

04:27back and moving and all that with the bodies around him.

04:35And then we can kind of gauge, okay, man, this is where David's at.

04:39He looks great, feels great, he's confident, all right, and this is what we're going to

04:43use him for.

04:44I hate to just say this is how much we're going to use him right out of the gate without

04:48even have gone through practice.

04:50But I do know this, though, provided that there are no setbacks, there's a place in

04:55this game for him.

04:56There's definitely a place in this game for Dave Montgomery.

04:59Talking to Lions head coach Dan Campbell ahead of playoff matchup with the Commanders.

05:04Let's talk about them.

05:05They're a team that likes to go forward on fourth down.

05:06They're very good at it.

05:07What's that like for you?

05:08Normally, you're the one doing that to other coaches.

05:10Now they're going to throw that back on your plate.

05:13Yeah, I mean, that's, you know, Minnesota went for it last week, I don't, and I kind

05:18of expected them to, you know.

05:21So I don't think it's anything abnormal.

05:24You know, we'll be prepared for it.

05:26I think Dan's done a good job out there with that crew.

05:29You know, they put themselves in third and fourth and manageable as much as possible.

05:34We're going to assume they're in four downs.

05:37You know, they do a good job possessing the ball and, you know, and really taking away

05:44as many possessions from the opponent's offense as they can.

05:48So it, you know, we know what we're getting ready to face, but I mean, this is, I know

05:52it seems like, oh God, man, this team, you know, they do go forward and forth a lot.

05:58But that's not abnormal for us.

06:00AG, our defensive staff, our defensive players will be prepared for this.

06:06You know, and it still comes down to executing on each down.

06:10We didn't get a chance to talk to you last week, so I would like to talk about that final

06:14game against Minnesota briefly, just in terms of Alex Anzalone.

06:19Where was his biggest impact?

06:21We saw what he did against Hockinson.

06:24We saw what he was, you know, the same linebacker that he was prior to the injury, but where

06:29did you see the biggest impact of having Alex Anzalone back on the field?

06:35It's funny, because when you just asked me that, I said, I would rather, you know, probably

06:39the easiest answer is where did he not impact the game?

06:42Maybe there's one of those somewhere, and I don't know where that's at.

06:45I mean, he impacted the game in multiple areas, multiple ways.

06:50I've said it before, he's a productive player.

06:54He's smart.

06:55Guy's headsy, man.

06:56He understands ball.

06:57He understands our defense.

06:58He watches a lot of tape.

07:01And he's one of our captains, man.

07:04So when you get that three layers of a player back, man, it has a huge impact.

07:10And so I just think, man, him really getting everything set up, the chess pieces, all of

07:16that for us.

07:17But then just his hustle and hit, man, his hustle hit, his coverability.

07:21Look, you ask for one, I'm going to give you coverability.

07:25That was probably the biggest impact, but there was more than just that.

07:28It's great to have him back.

07:31Jayden Daniels, I know you were asked about him yesterday, and the question was, stop

07:33at a mobile quarterback.

07:34And you said, well, who does it well, right?

07:36I mean, they're a problem for everybody.

07:39People have said he's not playing like a rookie anymore.

07:41When you see him, what do you see on the other side?

07:44Yeah, I just think he's composed.

07:47He doesn't get frazzled.

07:49He sits back there.

07:50You can see him.

07:51He knows where to go with the football.

07:52They've done a good job with the system.

07:56There's enough of this progression slash RPO.

08:01They've got a run game that isn't just inside zone read run.

08:04I mean, there's a little bit of gap involved with it, so that helps him.

08:07They do a good job of alleviating some pressure off of him and letting him play fast and play

08:13pretty clean.

08:14So I just think he never really looks like he doesn't know where to go with the football.

08:21And then he's got pocket presence, so if it's not there, he can kind of find his way in

08:26the pocket, feel it, and then he'll take off running.

08:29If you give him a rush lane and it's clean and it's open and unabated, he's gone, man.

08:36He's gone.

08:37And he's got speed and he's shifty.

08:41He throws a good deep ball.

08:44He's playing at a high level for a rookie, you know?

08:47And I think that's the biggest thing.

08:48He just doesn't get frazzled.

08:50Is there any difference, and the simple answer may be no, but is there any difference in

08:55building a game plan in all three phases for a playoff game versus a regular season

09:01game?

09:02Regular season, maybe you're saving something for a different opponent, but in this one,

09:08if it's a loss, season's done.

09:10Is there any difference in constructing a game plan for a playoff game than a regular

09:14season game?

09:15No, not really for us.

09:18I mean, there could be every once in a while, maybe you're saving something for an opponent

09:24down the road.

09:25So those will come in every once in a while, but honestly, since I've been here, this has

09:29been about you find a way to win each game, and I don't care if it's a regular season

09:33or if it's a playoffs.

09:36And that's what it's about, is finding a way, using all three of your units to come away

09:42with one more point than the opponent.

09:45And so nothing's off the table.

09:48It's going to take all three phases, and we're willing to do whatever it takes.

09:52And that's important, because we've really been in this for a while.

09:56You do whatever it takes to win the football game.

10:00And so everything's on the table right now.

10:04Road to the Super Bowl goes through Detroit.

10:06What does it mean to you to have these home playoff games in front of these fans on Saturday

10:09night?

10:10Well, one of the things that, and I said this last year, and I talked to Coach Peyton after

10:18last year's loss, just a number of things, but one thing that I knew that was going to

10:24be important was trying to make this thing run through Detroit, and for all of us, because

10:31we've got a unique fan base, this is a unique area, and it really is a home field advantage

10:41for us, man.

10:42We've got the whole area behind us, the whole city behind us, that whole stadium, and that

10:51really is like our 12th man.

10:54And that only helps you.

10:55It's not going to hurt you.

10:56It only helps you.

10:57So that was important, and we were able to do that this year.

11:01Alliance Head Coach Dan Campbell, we're ready for Saturday night.

11:04Appreciate your time.

11:05Good luck, Dan.

11:06Okay.

11:07Thanks, guys.

11:08Take care.

11:09Alliance Head Coach Dan Campbell, 97.1.

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