Dan Campbell: "They're ready for Week 1"

0:00football season. It's back Dan. Good to have you aboard again. Good morning. Hey, good morning. How are you guys doing? Doing great. Well, yeah, not a football season is finally here. We're doing, we're doing wonderful. What's the first game like for you as a coach? Well, I mean, it's exciting, you know, I mean, it's probably as most people would be feeling that I think everybody gets, all the fans get, you know, we get here too. Players and coaches. So it's been a long time coming. And I think the crazy thing is it's only Wednesday. Like I'm like, man, it's time to play tomorrow. So we're ready, man. We're excited. You and I have both been through that first game as an NFL player. Is there anything that you talk to the rookies about, whether it's Blake Miller, Derek Moore, any of the rookies, are there any conversation you would have with them using your experience going into the first game? Now, honestly, I've kept it pretty simple. Like I don't,

1:00everyone's somewhere I may say something to one of them, but honestly, most of what I said was beginning a training camp for the young players. And and I know what we've got on this roster. And I know the way that the competition has been in a way that they've, they're wired and, you know, not they're ready. They're ready for week one. They're ready for game one. And it doesn't need to be perfect. It's not going to be perfect. But listen, you've been tested now for four weeks. And we've done it the right way, man. We do it in pads. We play real football. We practice real football, real situations. And for somebody like Blake Miller, you've been going against freaking hutch for 28 days, man. And you can't help but get better. And the kid has gotten better. So all those guys have improved. How would you compare this team to the other teams that you've had here in Detroit? Well, I mean, that's hard to say until we get through some of these games here.

2:00But I just, I like to make up a way we're at because really we're not old. We are, we are mature and veteran and in our, really our leadership role, our core, our playmakers. You know, and then our young players are, we're hungry, man. We're hungry in positions that that we need to be that can take a beating, deliver a beating, take rat ledge, Blake Miller. For example, you know, I just think we got the right mix, the right balance of, of the playmakers. We got the right balance of, of, role players, important role players that we're going to need to do their job because they, without them, it's hard to get done what we need to get done. And then just knowing what all these guys are made up of, man, it's our kind of guys. They're all about

3:00team. They're all about putting in the work and they're all about competing. What, you still have two roster spots. When do you plan to fill those and are those just going to be guys elevated from the practice squad? And I guess to follow that up, one of the role players might be a guy that fills the putt return position. Yeah, that's correct. I mean, I think probably, you know, that could happen by the end of the day. It could happen within the next day or two by Friday. But I think I think we'll have that field. I think we'll have that field by before the game that will, will be at 53. And I look already said, I'm not letting some cat out of the bag. Tom Kennedy's going to this game and we're using him. And, and, yeah, he's probably going to be our returner. You know, he's proven that. So guys reliable and he gets a job done. Talking to Lion said coach Dan Campbell drew pet sing. What was the install like with him? Maybe

4:00some, some tweaks or added flavor. And what are you anticipating with him running the offense? Oh, I think it's going to be a lot of what we've been. I mean, there'll be a few things that, that he sees, that he likes that are suited well for us. But I don't think you're going to see some crazy deviation on what we've done. I mean, it's going to be things that that are quarterback is good at and it's comfortable with. It's going to be things that Jameer gives us good with. There's all lines good with things that St Brown's good with. Jamo Laporta. I mean, it's about matchups now and and let's find these matchups. Put our guys in position and let's go to work. And it's there's no secret it starts with the ground game for us because when we get the ground in going it opens everything up for all of our guys to move the football. You look at Jared golf and I think he is not given the credit that he is due. And I'm curious,

5:01now that he's been in the NFL for 10 years. He's kind of in that sweet spot as a quarterback. Where do you see him continue to improve and what does what are your expectations for him this season? Everything that he does every year he gets he does things faster. So he gets much more proficient. He gets faster. But yet he's still on the money, man. I think that comes with you know his own maturity, his own growth, his leadership. But just the more time on task, the more he's seen it, real time games. I mean, his growth has been exponential. And I just think man, he's got a really good grasp of what defenses are throwing at him. He can make adjustments in real time. He doesn't get bogged down. I just think he's planted a high level and I feel like this camp he took it another step. So I said all time, I'm going to say again, we're fortunate to have this quarterback. He is a special, he is a

6:05special freaking dig and they can play the quarterback position at a high level. And I mean, our focus is on winning. You win and everybody gets the credit that they're doing. The secondary scene is a soft spot. I know Brad was asked about should you have done more. What are your thoughts on the back end of the defense without Kirby without BB in some of the changes at corner? This is the best position we've been in in the second day without those two guys on a long time. Maddocks and Chuck are very reliable dependable smart football players, highly competitive, rock and read man, highly competitive man, get the job done. They're going to compete, they're going to battle. Nothing's too big for them. We got the prairie, we got amany, we got rate. Listen, I like where we're at. And you can go anywhere you want across the roster, different spots, different positions. And it's okay. What does this guy do well? What does he

7:08not do well? Oh, this is about a team, man. And does everybody have a role to play and can maybe be good in that role? And that answer is yes. So I feel good. I feel really good with where we're at going in the week one. What about at the left guard spot? I know you had said those guys are going to compete this week. You could end up playing multiple left guards. Is does that concern you at all? Would you like the continuity up front? Yeah, I'm good. I'll be the first to tell you. I don't like rotating guys, but if we need to do it, we'll do it. And, and you know, I, I'm about consistency, man. And that doesn't mean perfect. I'm not asking for perfection. I mean, we always try to be perfect. I mean, any player will tell you that you're striving for perfection, knowing you never will be. But it's, it is the consistency of, you know, a man getting your job done, battling, making sure that you, you give your best attempt to keep that quarterback clean behind you to give this running back a lane that we've got who's pretty special. Both of those

8:12guys are special. And whoever gives us the best chance to do that, they're going to be the guy. And I would love to have this done. I'd love to say by the time we roll into this game, it's one guy and he's, he's playing 65 snaps. But if I don't feel that way, we're going to plan both till somebody distinguishes themselves as he truly is the most consistent, most dependable player for us. It's as simple as that. You guys go into this season and coming off a season where you didn't make the playoffs, you didn't win the division, having won it the previous two years. Is there added pressure and is how tough is the NFC North this year? Yeah, I don't. Pressure is, listen, we've lived in pressure for six years now. Pressure is three and 13 and one, starting one in six in two thousand, twenty two, as to double up on a NFC North championship game. It's to, it's to go, you know, whatever we were, you win 14 games and then you lose and you're 14 and two or whatever

9:17and the skies falling out and what's happened to us when you're still the ones to eat that. So we've lived through all of this stuff, man, and it's not about the pressure and I'll say this for me, it's always about not letting these players down, man. It's about giving them the best opportunity to have success to help us win because if we put them in the right position and they handle their business, which they will, will be hard to be. And so our guys, we've thrown them into pressure situations. That's what this is. We're in a very good division. We have been for a long time and it is tough, but we wouldn't want to need it out of the way because you get through this division and you get yourself into the playoffs, man, you are prepared to make a run because you had to go against the very best and that's what our division is. Let's kick things off already. We can't wait to see what you guys are made of this fall. Dan Campbell, thanks for joining us. All right, thanks. Have a good one. It's 97-1.