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Fox Sports
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Todd Haley: Bill Parcells Had Dan Campbell Start Fight At Cowboys Practice
Detroit Lions' head coach Dan Campbell is the man in Motown, but apparently he was previously Bill Parcells' hitman on the Dallas Cowboys back in his days as a tight end. Former Cowboys wide receiver coach Todd Haley, who was with the organization from 2004 to 2006, revealed an amazing story about Parcells and Campbell, who played for the Cowboys from 2003-05. "Practice on a Wednesday was going bad. You could see Coach Parcells getting heated up. He was not happy with the way anything was going. There was no energy, and I see him call Dan over to the side and say a couple words to him. And Dan runs back into the huddle, and Parcells with his arms crossed like he always did, walked over to me, and he said, 'Watch this Todd.' A fight ensued on the next play, and Dan Campbell was in the middle of it," Haley said on the latest edition of ESPN's "This is Football" podcast. "As coaches, you got to do whatever you have to do to get things going in the right direction, and he knew that Dan was his man to get in there and stir it up, and it worked. All of a sudden, everybody is hooping and hollering, excited, and good things happened from there." Considering Campbell's "bite a kneecap off" line at his Lions introductory press conference and infectious passion on the sideline and in interviews, Haley's story is, without a doubt, believable. Campbell spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the New York Giants (1999-2002), who selected him in the third round of the 1999 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. After the three-year stint in Dallas, the tight end spent the final three seasons of his career with the Lions (2006-08). Campbell finished his career with 91 receptions, 934 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns. As a head coach, Campbell has taken the Lions from the NFL's basement to the party on the rooftop. After a 3-13-1 first season (2021), the Lions have posted 9-8, 12-5 and 15-2 campaigns under Campbell, highlighted by reaching the NFC Championship Game in 2023, winning back-to-back NFC North titles (2023-24) and earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC in 2024. As for Parcells, the Cowboys became his final NFL head-coaching stint, with the franchise going a combined 34-30 under him from 2003-06, which included making the playoffs in 2003 and 2006. Of course, the Hall of Fame head coach won two Super Bowls as head coach of the Giants (1986 and 1990 seasons), helped the New England Patriots reach Super Bowl XXXI and also helped the New York Jets reach the AFC Championship Game in the 1998 season. Meanwhile, Haley coached under Parcells on both the Jets and Cowboys and went on to have three NFL offensive coordinator gigs (Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns) and was the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs from 2009-11. He was most recently the head coach of the then-USFL's Memphis Showboats in 2023. 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! FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience National Football League Dallas Cowboys Detroit Lions recommended Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more in this topic
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Todd Haley details Bill Parcells asking Dan Campbell to start practice fight
Todd Haley learned a lot from Bill Parcells during his time on the legendary coach's staff with the Dallas Cowboys. One of the key lessons came to him at a practice during which current Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell started a fight. Haley recalled Dallas' practice, which was ahead of a key game against the New York Giants, was not going well. Parcells was "getting heated" on the sidelines because of the Cowboys' effort. "He was not happy with the way anything was going," Haley told Kevin Clark on his "This is Football" podcast. "There was no energy." Haley witnessed Parcells call over Campbell – who was then a tight end for the Cowboys – and deliver a message. Campbell ran back to the huddle while Parcells sidled up to Haley, arms crossed. "Watch this, Todd," Parcells said, according to Haley. NFL RANKINGS: Which of league's 32 teams will be most fun in 2025? After the next play, a fight ensued. Campbell "was in the middle of it," at Parcells' request. "As coaches, you gotta do whatever you have to do to get things going in the right direction," Haley explained of the maneuver. "[Parcells] knew that Dan was his man to get in there and stir it up." Haley also detailed that the skirmish achieved Parcells' ultimate goal. "All of a sudden, practice – everybody's hooping and hollering, excited," Haley said. "And good things happen from there." Campbell has brought that same energy and feistiness to the Lions as their coach. He has a 39-28-1 record across four seasons in charge of the team, leading Detroit to an NFC championship game appearance during the 2023 NFL playoffs and the NFC's No. 1 overall seed in 2024.
USA Today
18-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Allen Robinson reveals the 1 play he wishes he had back from his Bears career
Allen Robinson reveals the 1 play he wishes he had back from his Bears career It's been over six years since the Chicago Bears experienced one of the most heartbreaking playoff losses in recent memory — the double doink, 43-yard missed field goal by Cody Parkey against the Philadelphia Eagles. Though the entire roster has turned over at this point and more backbreaking losses have occurred since then, the double doink always seems to come up in some manner every now and then. This time, it was with former Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson, who recounted how special that 2018 season was on the "This is Football" podcast with Kevin Clark. Robinson discussed how he felt the team felt confident about their chances against the Los Angeles Rams if they had advanced thanks to Vic Fangio's defense, while also going through his thoughts during the infamous missed field goal while on the sidelines. "I didn't watch the entire time; I just kind of sat there with my head down a little bit, waiting to hear the cheer from the crowd," Robinson told Clark. "I'm waiting and I'm waiting, and then you hear the thud hit the upright, then you hear the second thud when it hits the crossbar, and then you hear the sigh from the fans." Robinson said he remembered the moment like it was yesterday and wished he could go back in time to prevent the kick from needing to happen. When Clark asked Robinson if there was a play he could redo from his career, the former Pro Bowl receiver pointed to a specific instance from that game. "Now that you mentioned it, maybe a play in the game that we had the double doink," Robinson said. "There was actually a play in the game where we took a shot to the end zone. If I could have maybe communicated to Mitch [Trubisky] to maybe allow me to have that shot to the end zone and be able to come down and make a play so we aren't in that double doink situation because I thought that we would have had a historic year in Chicago if we got past that game." Though Robinson didn't dive into specifics, we know the Bears took a shot to the end zone just prior to the field goal attempt. Trubisky targeted Anthony Miller on a heave, who was blanketed in the slot and didn't have a shot at the ball. The pass fell five yards in front of Miller, while Robinson ran a curl route in single coverage. That could be the play Robinson is talking about. Another possibility posed by X user BShulkes was a play where Trubisky fired a pass to Robinson near the end of the third quarter, but he was ruled out of bounds. Had the play counted, the Bears would have had first and goal from inside the five-yard line. Instead, they had to settle for a 34-yard field goal. Who knows what happens if Robinson runs a route to the end zone in that situation. Trubisky was already under pressure and needed to rush the throw, so there was no guarantee anything would have changed. Still, it's a game that haunts Robinson to this day, and despite totaling 10 catches for 143 yards and a touchdown, he wishes he could have done more. It's another disappointing reminder of what could have been. Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
USA Today
25-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels spent the offseason bulking up
One of the biggest knocks on quarterback Jayden Daniels ahead of the 2024 NFL draft was his size. While Daniels stood 6-foot-4, he weighed around 200 pounds; there were concerns that his style of play would not hold up for a full NFL season. Daniels quickly put those concerns to rest in 2024, leading the Washington Commanders to a 12-5 record, their best season in 33 years, and an appearance in the NFC championship game. Early in the season, Daniels took some hard hits but quickly adjusted throughout the season. By the end of his rookie year, more people were talking about Daniels as a passer than a runner, although he'd use his legs at critical times to crush defenses. After his rookie season ended, Daniels talked about finding ways to improve. This offseason, Daniels appears to have added some weight to his frame. Check out this picture of Daniels at a recent Washington Organized Training Activity (OTA). This shouldn't come as a surprise because Daniels said one of his offseason goals was to add some bulk. "I got a couple of things that my quarterback coach probably has written up and stuff like that," Daniels said in an appearance on the "This is Football" podcast. "The main thing I'll say this offseason is bulking up a little bit more, putting on some more armor, having a full offseason now. The first offseason as a pro." If Washington opponents are banking on a sophomore slump for Daniels, they may be out of luck.
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Why an ESPN analyst believes 49ers QB Brock Purdy is a top-five NFL signal caller
Why an ESPN analyst believes 49ers QB Brock Purdy is a top-five NFL signal caller Discourse about San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy has been revitalized after the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft inked a five-year, $265 million extension. While the debate rages about Purdy's value, ESPN's Kevin Clark and Jeff Darlington in an episode of 'This is Football' laid out why the QB is actually one of the five best in the NFL. Much of the Purdy discussion involves trying to put him in a vacuum and comparing him to other QBs in scenarios that live outside of reality. Clark made the case for Purdy as a top-five signal caller by placing him in the real world. "Everybody always says, 'oh, was Brock Purdy a top 10 quarterback?'" Clark said. "And I say, 'I don't care, because Brock Purdy with Kyle Shanahan is a top-five quarterback." The numbers back up Clark's assertion. Purdy's efficiency numbers have been excellent since he took over as the 49ers' starting QB, and the club is 23-13 in the regular season with him under center. They've also gone to two NFC championship games and a Super Bowl since Purdy became the starter late in the 2022 campaign. It was clear via the stats why the 49ers wanted to stick with Purdy, but Darlington offered additional context for why the team (read: Shanahan) wanted to make him one of the 10 highest-paid QBs in the NFL. "And I think that's what a lot of people forget a lot of the time, is that like, that's why Kyle latched on. He found his guy," Darlington said. "He found the guy who has the appropriate recall, the appropriate demeanor, the appropriate practice skill set. I think that in the NFL, again, I think that we don't put enough credence on a coach-QB relationship." Whether Purdy is a consensus top-five QB among the general football commentariat matters less than whether he continues producing like a top-five QB. If he does, the 49ers have a real chance to win the Super Bowl thanks to their quarterback and the head coach's commitment to him. More 49ers: 49ers QB Brock Purdy drew no trade interest throughout $265 million extension negotiation
