Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell knows exactly what his quarterback Jared Goff is made of.
Goff and the Lions have had plenty of support from the fans over the past couple of seasons. But Campbell revealed in his news conference Friday that he learned the most about Goff during their first year together in 2021. The Lions went 3-13-1 that season and needed 12 tries before notching their first win.
Campbell said that Goff and most of the Lions’ core players “never stopped believing” in the team’s direction during that first year.
“It’s easy when everything’s going right, you’re winning games, guys around, they all love it, want to be a part of it," Campbell said when asked about Goff. "But when you’re 0-10-1, you find out about people. You find out about players and coaches, people in the organization. … That’s a much better viewpoint and look at people than when everything’s going great and you’ve got 12 wins. I know exactly what [Goff] is, when it’s at its worst, and I’ll take that guy any day.”
The Lions have gone 21-7 over their last 28 games – including their heart-stopping 24-23 win over Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams last weekend. Detroit is just two wins away from making the Super Bowl.
But in Campbell’s eyes, the Lions don’t get to this point without going through the hardships during their first year together.
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