At a preseason luncheon last week at Ford Field, Dan Campbell sat in front of an audience and admitted that he's thought about being the head coach who finally brings the Lions success.
"Look, if you haven't thought about that, then you're not where you're supposed to be," he said. " Yeah, I have, because you gotta have an endgame, a vision of where you want to go, and work backwards from there. I belong here, I know I belong here. This city embodies what I'm about, which is grit, and that's what our team is going to be."
At another point, Campbell nearly ran out of breath explaining his excitement for Detroit's home opener. He said a jam-packed Ford Field can be even louder than the New Orleans Superdome, where he spent the past five seasons as an assistant coach for the Saints.
So it's no surprise to learn that when Campbell was assessing potential head coaching opportunities last winter, the Lions were at the top of his list. In a recent interview with The Ringer, Campbell said he told his agent to 'get him in front of Lions brass for their head-coaching vacancy.'
"There's this small handful of teams that I'm like, 'I belong here.' This was at the top of the list because I've been here and I remember as a player thinking, 'God, if you could ever win in Detroit? Oh my God,'" Campbell said.
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Campbell, who spent three seasons with the Lions from 2006-08, said he's so drawn to Detroit because the people and the prevailing attitude remind him of his native Texas.
"Everything about this place, the bubble burst, housing, it hit everywhere, but it hit here, and then the auto industry, man, takes a hit and the Lions have sucked for 30 years and they're always the joke, year in and year out. 'Oh, the Lions' and this narrative. I just feel like this place fit me, man. It really did. Like I belonged. That I literally fit like a glove in Detroit. They love the Lions, they love football, and this place called out to me," Campbell said. "It was like, 'You know what? You need to let these guys know what you're about, that you understand their own pain."
More pain is likely coming for the Lions this season. But if Campbell can ever turn the team around, the payoff will be worth it.
