While we wait for things to become official, it certainly looks like the current New Orleans Saints assistant coach / coach, Dan Campbell, will eventually become the next Detroit Lions coach.
And so the mad rush for information about the guy begins. Since Campbell was never a coordinator, it is not easy to know exactly what he will bring schematically to Detroit. But what has become quite clear is his capacity for inspiration as a leader. Wherever you look in the Saints organization or in the Dolphins organization during your three months as an interim coach in 2015, you will find testimonies of your skills as a motivator.
But why take their word for it? Why not listen to the man himself?
Considering that the Santos, as of this publication, are still in the playoffs, it may take weeks before we hear Campbell speak to the local media. But in June, Campbell joined Liuccicast, hosted by Texas A&M writer Billy Liucci.
Liucci asked Campbell about his coaching style, especially considering that today’s athletes are very different than they were 20 years ago, when Campbell was an NFL tight end. Here is his long, unedited response:
“You have to be able to adjust to today’s athlete. And what today’s athlete is – not necessarily, ‘Oh man, it’s a negative thing.’ It’s just different. And these children were raised differently and have different experiences than we had 20 years ago and those we lived before us.
“I think a lot of that is, at that time, you do what you tell them to do, period. And that’s how you look best, and that’s all you knew, and it was black and white. And it was, ‘Dude, you do this and if you don’t, we have a problem with you and your team has a problem with you.’
“And with that, you stack all these things in one basket and sometimes things get lost. You lose good players, because he has a damn stone in his shoe and doesn’t know how to communicate it, so it’s no wonder he’s limping. ”
“You have to be willing to listen to these (guys), and I feel that there needs to be a more working relationship with your athletes, certainly at the NFL level. These are adult men we are dealing with. I always approach this because we are working together. Now, newbies are a little different, but once you’ve been trained a bit, we’re working together.
“’Now, how do I make your job easier? This is my job. How do I get the most out of you? That’s my job as a coach. And your job is to use me as a resource, player. So, what do you need from me? How can I help you? Let me ask you this: what makes your job easier, Player X? Do you prefer to do so? ‘
“You have to have some flexibility in the way you train and deal with players … You have to be willing to open up to the players. You have to be willing to put yourself out there. ”
Another interesting part of the interview was Campbell’s description of Bill Parcells’ philosophy when he was a player in Dallas. The words may well be coming out of Matt Patricia’s mouth.
“In the attack, I need you to control the ball, man. Chew the clock. We are going to go on third manageable descents, get your first descent and we are going to do a few more things that are played with high efficiency that will chew the clock ”.
However, this is not where the story ends. He then talks about how, in facing the best attack in the league (the Chiefs), Parcells completely changed things. He knew he had to score a ton of points, so the Cowboys got aggressive that week. They changed their philosophy based on the opponent.
“I’ll tell you what, we went there and it was totally as if we hadn’t even been under the command of Bill Parcells, as if we had never learned anything from him. Whatever you can imagine to be aggressive in that game, we did it. We did everything and won. We win with thirty-something points and beat them by one or two points or whatever. And I will never forget that about him.
“It was like, ‘Dude, what are we going to do to win?’ You cannot use the same thing in all games. You have a philosophy, but not all opponents are equal. You have to judge each opponent, what he has and what you have and how the fight is, different each week. And sometimes what won this team won’t win this team this week. “
The entire podcast is definitely worth your time. You can hear it here. The last half is mostly about Texas A&M, but the first 30 minutes is a good look at the type of person and leader he is.
(H / T to herdonknees for sharing this podcast with me)