Everything Dan Campbell Said After Lions Defeated Ravens

Here is everything Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell said during his postgame press conference after his team defeated the Baltimore Ravens 38-30 to improve to 2-1 on the season.

Opening Statement: 

 “That was a good win. That was a good win. I'm proud of the guys. We talked about playing complementary football. At every point in this game, or any point or every point – however you want to say it – we were going to need each other to find a way to win this game. The offense was going to need the defense to pick it up. Special teams was going to need the offense to pick it up, and vice versa. I thought we played complementary football. We did exactly what we said we needed to do. We were able to corral Lamar (Jackson). We didn’t let (Derrick) Henry get going and Zay Flowers. We came away with takeaways and big stops. Offensively, we were able to control the ground and the time of possession, and our receivers and (Jared) Goff made plays in critical moments in this game. I just thought it was an outstanding team effort. I was proud of the players and proud of the coaches. I thought ‘Shep’ (defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) and Johnny (Morton) and (special teams coordinator Dave) Fipp did a hell of a job in this game. It’s just a huge win.” 

On whether this first win against John Harbaugh coached team is a statement win: 

 “I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Harbaugh and this team and those players that are over there. We know what they’ve been for years. They're always competitive. They're always the cream of the crop over there in the AFC with a few teams. So, to be able to come in here on a Monday night at their place with those weapons, and that type of team, that’s a good win for us. I don’t know (if I’d call it) statement (win) all this and that. But, it just feels good to know against a type of team like that, you play a different type of game and you’re able to find a way to win. One of the things that I mentioned earlier this year is, I told the team I want to find out how many different ways we can win games, because the better you get at winning, the more you win. That took everything we had, and I was proud of the players.” 

On being able to win a game with their physicality: 

 “It means a lot. With those guys, you don’t have to say much. We’ve got enough guys that were here the last time, and they know you’ve got to be blind not to see what that team does and how they play, the physicality, the toughness, the nature of everything they’re about and their identity. You’d better be ready. You’d better be ready. You can’t come in here and tiptoe. So, we were ready. Like I said, it was a big win. It took every one of us. I just thought the players stepped up and made huge plays at critical times.” 

On being able to corral Lamar Jackson: 

 “Very proud. Very proud. A number of guys stepped up, but I think it was something we worked on. On Wednesday, we had Malik (Cunningham) run at quarterback, and he had a big day at practice. He had a big day. It opens your eyes a little bit. You coach it up; you tweak a couple things. ‘Shep’ (defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard) and those guys come out Thursday and it’s better but we’re still like, ‘Man, this guy’s running around, and we can’t get him contained.’ Then, by Friday, you’re pretty good. So, I felt really good about what we were going to be able to do. The rest is just waiting until Monday night to see it in action. Those guys were very disciplined; they played off each other. They casted the net, [and] they closed the net. We didn’t have anybody jumping up in the air or [have any] ill-advised diving. They all bottled (Lamar Jackson) up. They were disciplined. Guys made huge plays, and he had nowhere to go. That’s the key. That takes an enormous amount of discipline for your guys. They did that. Across the board. All of them.” 

On the offense being able to sustain two 95-yard drives on the road: 

“That’s not easy to do when you’re backed up like that. Normally, the goal is three first downs. That way, if you get three first downs, you are able to flip field position. But, to go above and beyond that and travel the distance against that opponent, with the crowd noise – the whole thing – that was impressive. Our guys had to dig now. They had to dig. Those are long drives. They did it, man. They did it.” 

On whether this win would be the signature instructional video of how to win a football game: 

“I don’t know. I guess it would be pretty close to that. But also, this was the type of game that was needed for this opponent. Not everyone is going to always be the same. You’d love to say it’s always going to be that type, and you’ve got to play this way, but all of them are different. Some games take more explosives. You’ve got to get more explosives, and then just true groundwork. The ground sets it up, and defensively, you have to play a little differently. But it was what was needed against this team for this opponent, and I thought the guys handled it perfectly. “ 

On seeing the defense responding after being put in some tough spots: 

 “It’s very encouraging. I go back to this. It was just one of those points which is easier said than done, but at some point, we are going to need one or two of the units to step up for the other one. It wasn’t a full game of that, but it was enough to where we stepped up and made plays. ‘Hutch’ made some huge plays. (Al-Quadin) Muhammad made huge plays. Jack Campbell, Reed, we can go down (the list). Goff, ‘Saint’ freaking ‘D-Mo’, that (offensive) line and Sewell. At different times and critical moments, our guys stepped up. When we needed it most, every unit picked up the slack. That’s what winning teams do. That’s what they do.” 

On the defense registering seven sacks after talk of a lack of sacks in the pass rush: 

“We know what we’ve got here.  We don’t need anybody telling us what we do or don’t have. I thought you were going to ask me about motioning today. We feel good about it. We feel good about it. It takes everybody doing their job, and our guys did that. So, it was good.” 

On his confidence level of the fourth-down call at the two-minute warning: 

“I’ve got a tremendous amount of trust in those guys. That’s been built up now in five years, right? That helps. That offensive line, the way they were playing, we felt like that was the right call. It’s those guys, it’s the players. They’re the ones who make this stuff come to life. They’ve earned that trust, you know? Once again, they step up and make huge plays at critical times. It’s unbelievable, it really is. It’s a thing of beauty.” 

On his defensive stars making plays and the effect on the rest of the unit:

“Our hardest workers are our best players. It’s not lip service; it’s not fake – our best players are our hardest workers. Go out and watch them practice. It’s like that every day. So, that’s the standard. That’s the standard. If you’re not up to that standard with the effort matching, what our best players do, then you’re not going to be around here very long. That makes the rest of your guys just fall in line, anybody that comes in or we acquire, the young guys, all of it, and that’s the way we play. That’s what we do.”