Lions' Dan Campbell not a fan of 'Super Bowl or bust' mantra

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell indicated that he's not a fan of a so-called "Super Bowl or bust" mantra after his team fell one win short of playing on the final Sunday of this past season. 

"I don't see bust," Campbell told reporters on Thursday, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "I see Super Bowl. I don't know what bust is."

Detroit went 8-2 across its final 10 games of the 2022 season, and the Lions then entered last September as the betting favorites to claim the NFC North title. Campbell's side didn't disappoint, as the club finished atop the division standings with a 12-5 record before it completed a journey to the NFC Championship Game. 

"You've got to give yourself the best odds you can," Campbell said on Thursday. "You need to win the division; you need best seeding you can possibly do. OK, well how do you do that? You've got to start with where we're at now. You've got to go back to work. You've got to do all the little things, which to this point, our guys have done."

While the Lions squandered a 24-7 halftime lead en route to losing the conference title game to the San Francisco 49ers, it shouldn't be forgotten that Detroit previously hadn't won a playoff contest since January 1992. This offseason, the Lions signed wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell and quarterback Jared Goff to lucrative extensions that should keep them happy with the organization for years to come. 

"I think it's really beneficial for the players because you hear that same voice, and consistency has always been best in this league in my opinion, which you don't see a lot," Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said about staying put for another season. "That could be other coaches leaving for other jobs, or it could just be sometimes people are there for a year or two and they fire everybody and they're on to the next, but I think it really benefits the players."

As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had the Lions tied for fourth among the betting favorites at +1200 odds to win Super Bowl LIX. Campbell clearly isn't interested in knowing other odds related to his team since "bust" isn't part of his active vocabulary this spring.