Dan Campbell on Those Doubting Lions' Coaching: 'Anything Negative Motivates Me'
To boot, this came after the Lions claimed the No. 1 seed in the NFC at 15-2 but then lost to the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round.
However, any doubt over whether Campbell and the Lions can overcome these changes is just more fuel for the head coach.
"It's not hard for me to find things that can drive you. That's how I was as a player, that's how I am as a coach. I'll pull anything negative because it motivates me," Campbell said in an interview with WXYZ-TV Detroit. "So I would be lying if I said, 'No, that doesn't get me going a little bit.' That's the next challenge."
Outside of losing both coordinators, Detroit lost passing game coordinator Tanner Engstrand, assistant quarterbacks coach J.T. Barrett, tight ends coach Steve Heiden, wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El and defensive line coach Terrell Williams. Last season, Detroit was first in the NFL in points (33.2 per game) and second in total yards (409.5 per game).
On the playcalling front, former Lions senior offensive assistant John Morton is returning to Detroit to be the team's offensive coordinator, while four-year linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard was promoted to defensive coordinator.
"If I really did this right, I should be able to just leave and these guys don't miss a beat. If you really do your job, that can happen," Campbell said.
Across Campbell's four seasons at the helm (2021-24), the Lions are 39-28-1 in the regular season and 2-2 in the postseason, including back-to-back NFC North division titles (2023-24).
Detroit opens the 2025 regular season on the road against the NFC North-rival Green Bay Packers on Sept. 7.
Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Top QB situations to watch in NFL preseason week 2, including Caleb Williams' prime-time close up
Every team uses the preseason differently in this era. It used to be standard across the league that starters would play a series or two in the first preseason game, a little more in the second, a half or a little more in the third and then they would completely sit in the fourth. We don't even have a fourth preseason game anymore. And some teams don't play their starters at all in August games. Week 2 of the preseason is a mixed bag. Some teams that played starters in the opener won't this week, because they got extra work in joint practices during the week. The Miami Dolphins are a good example; their starters played last week but coach Mike McDaniel said starters would sit for the game this week after joint practices against the Detroit Lions. Whether starters play this week, or in the preseason at all, varies from team to team. Some teams still have quarterback situations to sort out though, and that influences decisions on preseason lineups. Here are the key quarterback situations to look for in the preseason's second week: Caleb Williams/Ben Johnson era debuts We didn't get to see Williams in the Bears' preseason opener. Johnson decided to sit most of his starters. But Johnson said the starters including Williams will play on Sunday night. And plenty of viewers to the Fox broadcast will want to see it. Johnson was supposed to fix all that was wrong with Williams from last season, and he might, but the reports from Bears camp have been lukewarm at best. There have been plenty of mistakes by the offense, and Williams has been up and down. Camp reports, or even the results of preseason games, can be misleading. Johnson, who was hired by the Bears this offseason after tremendous seasons as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, is a respected offensive mind. Williams, the top pick of last year's draft, has obvious talent. But if Williams struggles on Sunday night in prime time, there will be some concern. Cam Ward, take 2 The No. 1 overall pick of the NFL Draft has been overshadowed practically since the end of the college season, but he's still the rookie who is most likely to have the biggest impact on this season. Ward played two series in the Tennessee Titans' opener, and that's the plan for the second game too, coach Brian Callahan said. Ward played well last week. remaining focused for his second series even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had more than 14 minutes of possession in the first quarter. Ward completed 5-of-8 passes for 67 yards. Every rep he can get before the season is valuable, especially considering his first regular-season game is a very tough test against a strong Denver Broncos defense. Browns QB dilemma Shedeur Sanders' injury will keep him out of this week's preseason game, and makes a weird Browns quarterback situation even tougher to figure out. The only thing that seems firm is that Joe Flacco will start Week 1, even if coach Kevin Stefanski is being coy about his decision. Flacco seems unlikely to play this preseason. Beyond Flacco, it's a mystery. Kenny Pickett seems to be second in line, but he missed most of camp and the first preseason game with a hamstring injury. Pickett is back to practicing on a limited basis but is not expected to play Saturday. That means a big opportunity for rookie Dillon Gabriel, the third-round pick who has been entirely overshadowed by Sanders. He seems likely to get the start and perhaps play into the second half, as Sanders did last week. It has appeared this week that Pickett and Gabriel have remained ahead of Sanders on the depth chart even after Sanders played well last week. Pickett could either solidify his spot or lose some ground depending on his performance Saturday. It seems now like the Browns will keep four quarterbacks, but perhaps that can change too. The Browns have two more preseason games to figure it all out. Jaxson Dart makes a move Dart, the Giants' first-round rookie quarterback, is unlikely to start in Week 1 or even in September. But if he keeps playing really well in the preseason, he could make the decision a lot tougher on the Giants. Dart looked good last week at Buffalo, and this week he gets to play at MetLife Stadium against the Jets. If Dart plays as well in front of Giants fans as he did last week, the speculation that he could be the QB1 for the season opener will increase. That possibility makes Jets-Giants one of the more intriguing games of the week. "I can't wait," Dart said, via the team's site. "It's going to be a lot of fun. I hope that the fans come out, and they're super passionate." Colts keep evaluating Daniel Jones, Anthony Richardson Jones will start Saturday afternoon's preseason game against the Green Bay Packers, but it will probably be much more important for Richardson. Jones will start but Richardson will get the majority of the work, Indianapolis Colts coach Shane Steichen told Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams" show. Richardson's start last week didn't go well, with him missing a read that led to a sack, which resulted in a dislocated right pinkie finger. The competition revolves around Richardson. If he plays well, the Colts would be happy to give him the job. If he doesn't, it might go to Jones by default. He is under a lot of pressure to play well this week in what should be extended action. Saints close to picking QB1 Saints coach Kellen Moore said "we're close" to picking a starting quarterback for Week 1 when asked on the "Up and Adams" show. He also said all three quarterbacks — Spencer Rattler, rookie Tyler Shough and Jake Haener — will play against the Jaguars and how they fare will "be a big part" in choosing a regular season starter. It seems like it's a two-man race between Rattler and Shough. Rattler got the start last week but Shough outplayed him. Shough, the team's second-round pick, is probably the better player but Rattler has experience. It's one of the truly unsettled quarterback competitions in the NFL, and a big part of the competition will play out Sunday afternoon on NFL Network.
Fox Sports
3 hours ago
- Fox Sports
2025 AL Central Odds: Can Detroit End Division Title Drought?
Major League Baseball 2025 AL Central Odds: Can Detroit End Division Title Drought? Published Aug. 14, 2025 12:47 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link The AL Central division race is a crystal clear one for oddsmakers. Which squad is favored to win the AL Central this season? Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Aug. 14, as well as what to know about the division. AL Central winner Tigers: -1400 (bet $10 to win $10.71 total) Guardians: +1400 (bet $10 to win $150 total) Royals: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total) Twins: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total) What to know: The Guardians have claimed the most AL Central titles of all time with 12, followed by the Twins with nine. Over the last decade, Cleveland has captured five crowns — 2016, 2017, 2018, 2022 and 2024 — including last season's 92-69 regular-season finish that ended in an ALCS loss to the Yankees. But 2025 hasn't been as kind to the Guardians, who sit well behind Detroit on the oddsboard and in the standings. The Tigers, who haven't won the division since 2014, lead the AL Central with a 70-52 record as of Aug. 14, 6.5 games better than Cleveland's 62-57. The Twins, fresh off a 2023 division title and ALDS appearance, are buried at the bottom of the board. Since the AL Central's creation in 1994, only two teams have gone on to win the World Series: the White Sox in 2005 and the Royals in 2015. This year, the White Sox have already been mathematically eliminated. ADVERTISEMENT This season, the Tigers have been led by reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who is second in MLB in ERA (2.35) and third in strikeouts (187). Remaining matchups: Detroit and Cleveland still have six head-to-head games, and the Tigers open a four-game road series against the Twins on Thursday. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! What did you think of this story? share
NBC Sports
3 hours ago
- NBC Sports
Netflix sells out all ad time for Christmas NFL games
More than four months before Christmas, Netflix has already sold all its available commercial time for the two NFL games it will show on December 25. 'For our two highly anticipated Netflix NFL games this December, we've sold out of all available in-game inventory and have closed sponsorships with multiple partners like Accenture, FanDuel, Google, and Verizon on in-game and broadcast features,' Netflix said in a statement. One of the reasons live sports have become so attractive to the streaming providers is that viewers are much more willing to sit through ads while watching sports than they are for scripted programming. The NFL is both the most popular programming on American television and a sport in which fans have come to accept that commercial breaks are part of the deal. Netflix will show Cowboys-Commanders at 1 p.m. ET on Christmas Day, followed by Lions-Vikings at 4:30.
