Within three years of taking over as head coach of the Detroit Lions, Dan Campbell had high expectations for his team’s ability to battle with playoff teams.
It has turned out that Campbell’s vision was correct after three years. Following the Lions’ victory over the Buccaneers on Sunday in the NFC Divisional Round of the playoffs, that is what we discovered at Campbell’s news conference.
Other items we discovered included quarterback Jared Goff’s assessment of how Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have assembled a successful club, as well as Campbell’s philosophy for how teams may progress in the playoffs and what drives All-Pro center Frank Ragnow to compete through pain.
Let’s begin with Campbell’s outlook for the Lions during the postseason:
The team Campbell inherited had a 3-13-1 record in 2021, 9-8 in 2022 and 12-5 and in the playoffs as NFC North champions in the third season under Campbell and his staff.
The Lions are not playoff contenders. They’re already playoff winners – with wins over the Rams and Buccaneers in the Wild Card and Divisional Rounds.
“You only need to win two games if you can secure a single seed. That’s the ultimate goal, always. After entry, the focus shifts to matchups. You manage to prevail. It’s acceptable if you have to win two to zero. In the playoffs, a win is a victory.
“Here we are. Now we get to go to San Francisco. We know what kind of team that is, but we’re in a great position. We’ve got a great opportunity.”
Main focus: Despite a toe injury that never fully heals, Ragnow keeps playing.
After being rolled up on Sunday, he left for a little while but came back to complete the match.
“I’m not trying to sound like some brute tough guy here,” Ragnow stated. “The fact that it occurred again irritates me more than anything else.
“I’m really proud of myself for going out there for the city with the boys. I signed up for this extension, too. That’s what I want to be achieving. I want no part of being that man who is paid to do things like that.
“I want to be out there finding a way to win.”
Roster building:Â When asked why he thinks the Lions have a relatively stable roster compared to many other teams, Goff pointed in the direction of the locker room.
“It’s a credit to all the guys in there,” he said. “We’ve said this a million times that it’s the same group. It’s not like we’ve added a ton. It’s a lot of the same guys.
“Brad and Dan have been very intentional about bringing in those type of guys who can handle moments like today and moments like last week and ups and downs of a season. I think it’s all been intentionally done by them. We’re not here by accident.”
Campbell said, “I’m tired, and I didn’t even play,” in his parting remarks.[]]
