Some coaches have certain labels attached to them based on their specific areas of strength. For example, a coach that deals best with quarterbacks can be tabbed a ‘quarterback whisperer.’
In the case of the Detroit Lions‘ Dan Campbell, his strengths lie with his ability to motivate his players and outscheme his opponents. When asked what his specific area of expertise is and how he would label himself in that context, Campbell quipped that he was simply a whisperer.
Additionally, he expressed that his experience as the interim head coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2015 was incredibly valuable for his development as a coach.
“I guess I’m just a whisperer,” Campbell said. “Things worked out that it just kind of — look, I would have never been in this position had I not become an interim head coach. I don’t think I’m sitting here had that not happened. You get 12 games in-season of experience. That was critical to me. That was one of those weird, odd-ball situations. It was actually unfortunate because people were losing their jobs. I think you make the most of it, and people take notice, and then it goes from there.”
Campbell also indicated that working with Sean Payton during his time in New Orleans was important for his progress. Ultimately, he has continued to develop through some early struggles in Detroit and has become one of the game’s best motivators.
“When you’re in that, you go to the interim (spot), you don’t know what you don’t know,” Campbell said. “And then when you’re exposed to it, you know what questions to ask. You know what to look for. So when I go with Sean, that’s all I’m looking for.”
Making changes after strong season ends in disappointment
The Lions set themselves up nicely for a playoff run with a 15-2 record and the top seed in the NFC for the postseason. However, their season came to a screeching halt with an upset loss at the hands of the Washington Commanders in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
Because of this, the Lions got right to work in an effort to correct the flaws that prevented them from making a deeper run in the postseason. Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes wasted little time getting back to the drawing board to prepare for the 2025 season.
Part of the offseason dealt with overcoming change, as the Lions lost both their offensive and defensive coordinator. As a result, the Lions hit the ground running, finding new coaches and assessing their biggest areas of need ahead of what they hope is another chase for a championship in 2025.
“You go right into it. You don’t have time to really digest all those things of the last game,” Campbell said. “But what I do know is you got to be careful. If you come out of it, and you say, man, ‘What’s wrong? What’s wrong with us?’ We did it right. We had 15 wins in a season. We played bad at the wrong time, so (we’ll be) careful tweaking things. You know, what you got is good enough. We’ve just got to play better in that moment, but it also means we can’t stay the same.”
