Holmes — who, like Campbell, is in his second year on the job — agreed that something happened toward the end of last season that was noteworthy for this team. Winless through the first 11 games — including a 16-16 tie with Pittsburgh — the Lions earned all three of their victories after November. Young teams that struggle that much over the first few months of the season often tap out at some point. This squad kept grinding, kept listening and kept thinking that it deserved something after all its efforts.
That’s worth remembering when Campbell utters a memorable quote or does something unconventional, as he did when he held a practice earlier this week that was run entirely by the players. At times last year, Campbell sounded like a man in over his head and fueled by too much chewing tobacco and energy drinks. This year, he feels more like a nutty professor, an inspirational leader who isn’t afraid to operate off-script.
The players he’s leading obviously see the value in what he’s preaching and believe they’re heading towards bigger things. As St. Brown said, “In this league, every year is a new year. So going into this year, we understand it’s a new year and that’s what I love about it. Whatever happened last year happened. The bad stuff, we want to leave behind , and the good stuff, we want to take with us.”
The Bengals used that approach to change their perception in 2021. The Lions are poised to do the same thing this coming fall.