Alex Anzalone recounts why Dan Campbell instructed him to watch the Super Bowl.
Alex Anzalone wasn’t sure he was going to watch the Super Bowl. But then Dan Campbell told him why he HAS to in an excellent essay to The Players’ Tribute.
Detroit Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone wrote an article for The Players’ Tribune this week that is a must-read. Stop reading this right now and go there and drink it right away. I will wait.
Okay, if you didn’t follow the instructions, let me summarize. First, Anzalone firmly defends Dan Campbell’s fourth-down judgments against the 49ers with the following all-time bar:
“I feel like if you shy away from your identity in that moment, then you’re betraying the very thing that got you there.”
The veteran linebacker then discusses his personal and professional highs and lows since moving to Detroit three years ago, including what he describes as the “happiest I’ve ever been.”
“When our daughter, Carter, was born right before the holidays, and we were playing such great football, and all the Christmas lights and the Lions flags were going up all over the city, it was such a special time,” Anzalone said in a statement.
Of course, he did not ignore the heartache. Anzalone, like many of us, acknowledged to being in a funk following the devastating defeat in the NFC Championship Game.
“Hell yeah, it hurts,” Anzalone responded. “What day is today?” I have been in a daze. My phone indicates it is Saturday. “It still hurts on Saturday.”
But, ultimately, Anzalone is very confident in the franchise’s future and even promises “we will get there” – alluding to the Super Bowl.
Why?
“What we’re building here is truly unique,” Anzalone added. “You can discuss it all day, but the proof is in the pudding, as they say. It’s one thing to claim that a city, team, or culture is unique. Turning down the cheddar is a very different story. (It’s great to have you back, Coach Ben and AG.)”
Anzalone concluded the post with a hilarious story about Campbell’s exit interview this season. Anzalone was asked if he planned to watch the Super Bowl this year. He, like many fans I’ve spoken with, wasn’t sure he wanted to grit his teeth for three hours, pretending it didn’t bother him that he wasn’t there.
However, Campbell informed Anzalone that he must remain vigilant.
“But Dan responded, ‘No, you need to see it, guy. Use every second as incentive. I will definitely be watching.
Then Anzalone finished it off with a great image of Campbell watching the championship game.
I couldn’t help but imagine Dan sitting in a dark room on Sunday, alone, squeezing his coffee cup for three hours straight, glaring daggers at the TV, counting down the milliseconds till training camp begins and we can run it back.
