Dan Campbell has heard it. Brad Holmes has heard it. The Lions are supposed to regress this season after losing their top two coordinators. At least, that's what people are saying on the outside.
"It’s not hard for me to find things that can drive you," Campbell said recently in an interview with WXYZ. "That’s how I was as a player, that’s how I am as coach, like, I’ll pull anything negative, because it motivates me. So I would be lying if I said, no, that doesn’t get me going a little bit. That's the next challenge. Yeah, I’m excited about it."
Aaron Glenn left after four seasons running the defense to become head coach of the Jets. Ben Johnson left after three seasons running the offense to become head coach of the Bears. With Kelvin Sheppard taking over for Glenn as a first-time coordinator and John Morton taking over for Johnson as a second-time coordinator -- eight years removed from his first opportunity with the Jets -- there are doubts about whether the Lions can maintain their high level of play.
"We’re kind of fueled by that narrative," Holmes said Monday on the Up & Adams Show. "I understand, those are big positions and the names changed and its like, well, defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator, that name has changed, but we don’t see it as, ‘Oh, they took the offense, or, they took the defense.’ Dan has his hand in everything."
To that end, Holmes praised Campbell "for the patience that he practiced this past hiring cycle" when he interviewed more than 25 candidates to fill a number of vacancies after both Glenn and Johnson brought coaches with them from Detroit. On top of those many departures, former defensive line coach Tyrell Williams left to become defensive coordinator of the Patriots, replaced in Detroit by Kacy Rodgers.
Campbell also hired a new running backs in Tashard Choice after shifting Scottie Montgomery to wide receivers, a new pass game coordinator in David Shaw and a new tight ends coach in Tyler Roehl, among other assistant hires.
"When you have so many coaches poached -- we were able to add a lot of good ones," said Holmes. "And we had some really good ones already in-house."
Holmes had especially high praise for Sheppard, who spent the last four seasons coaching the Lions linebackers after being hired by Campbell in 2021. Detroit's defense has looked sharp in training camp.
"Shep, he’s just been groomed, he’s been under AG’s wing this whole time and under Dan. And Dan identified him before Dan got here (when Sheppard played under Campbell on the Dolphins in 2015), so he’s already identified that Shep is going to be a really good coach," said Holmes. "You see a person that’s just coaching the one position, he’s doing it very well, but I saw it right out the gate, starting off with free agency meetings and the draft, he got the big picture right out the gate.
"But the intensity, the energy, the creativity, he can motivate those guys, he holds those guys accountable. So far, so good, but we have high expectations for him. I think he’s going to do a great job."
Morton has his own experience with this regime, having served as an offensive assistant in 2022 when Campbell and Johnson were installing the offense that would revive Jared Goff's career.
Asked if he wants to remind people that he's played as big a role as anybody in the Lions' success on both sides of the ball, Campbell said, "I think the important thing is, and what I wanted to start this thing off with, and us, and the group of people we were with, is, man, it takes a village."
"If you want your team to play like a team, then we have to function like a team as coaches, as GM, head coach, ownership, management, and I think that’s important," Campbell said. "So what we do, we do as a team. I've said this before: If I really did this right, I should be able to just leave and these guys don’t miss a beat. I think if you really do your job, that can happen."