Lions' Dan Campbell: You Adapt Quickly or Don't Survive

For Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell, culture isn’t just a buzzword – it’s the very essence of everything his team stands for. 

Entering another pivotal campaign, Campbell continues to emphasize that the Lions’ foundation of grit, toughness and accountability is what has propelled the franchise forward, and is what will sustain them.

In a recent interview with NFL insider Jordan Schultz, Campbell revealed that the culture in Detroit is now so strong that he no longer has to hammer the message home on a daily basis.

“Part of the beauty is when you build it from the ground up and you acquire guys that believe in grit, you drafted them that way, you acquired them because of that and then you preach that message, they become that, they are that,” Campbell told Schultz. “I don’t have to say much anymore, like they live by that. So if you’re someone new who comes in here, you adapt quickly or you don’t survive here.”

That accountability has created a locker room where veteran players, such as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Taylor Decker, Alex Anzalone, and Aidan Hutchinson, preach and live the message themselves.  

“Once you get them when they’re puppies, they don’t change,” the fifth-year Lions head man said. “That’s who they are, man, and that’s what they believe. So, they’re like, ‘Coach doesn’t need to tell you that. I’m going to tell you right now because Coach is going to be all over you or we’re going to be all over if you don’t adapt to what we’re doing here.’”

The head coach has also designed training camp to be where this culture is hardened. 

Campbell calls it a five-week period to “build the body” and instill the toughness necessary for the grind of a 17-game NFL season.