Wherever he played, wherever he's coached, Dan Campbell has earned the respect of the players around him. Take it from the Lions' new quarterback.
"I’ve spoken to guys who played for him and played with him and actually hearing from them, like, 'Dude, you’re going to love playing for him, how fun it is on game day, how good he is during the week.' I’m really looking forward to it,'" Jared Goff said shortly after the trade that sent him from the Rams to the Lions.
Or take it from the greatest wide receiver in franchise history. In a recent interview with ESPN, Calvin Johnson said he's excited for the direction of the Lions under Campbell, his teammate for two seasons in Detroit.
"I played with Dan. He was playing with one arm. But he was still out there starting and playing against beasts out there, still sustaining. So mad respect to him, and I know the guys are going to respect him," Johnson said.
Campbell and Johnson overlapped for Johnson's first two seasons with the team. Injuries limited the former tight end to three games, but clearly he left an impression on Megatron. Johnson was a rookie when Campbell suffered a season-ending elbow injury in an overtime win over the Vikings in 2007.
Johnson said he's also encouraged by the arrival of Lions' new general manager Brad Holmes.
"I’ve met Brad too. He’s done some good things out there in L.A., so I’m looking forward to see what they do," Johnson said.
Johnson, who will be enshrined into the Hall of Fame in August, added that he's "excited" to see Matthew Stafford and Goff get fresh starts with their new teams.
"I love Matt, but the change of scenery for both of them was probably best," he said. "And to have somebody [Goff] that has led his team to the big game already and is relatively young."
As for his relationship with the Lions, which team president Rod Wood said this offseason is "headed in the right direction, Johnson confirmed he's had friendly conversations with owner Sheila Ford Hamp but has not been made aware of any plans on the part of the Lions to re-pay the money they took back from him after his early retirement.
"As of this year really, I’ve had a couple conversations with Sheila," Johnson said. "I’ve got to know her a little bit. Just really friendly, getting to know the family, and she said she would send me and my wife some flowers after we had (our next) baby. So, it’s been very friendly. That’s where it’s at really. Just some friendly back and forth."