When George Kittle met Dan Campbell during an interview with a group of tight end coaches at the 2017 NFL combine, he wasn't so sure what to think.
"I think he had his Saints gear on and he would just sit there and stare at you. He was like a disappointed father is kind of what I felt like," Kittle said on a recent episode of the Pass It Down podcast. "He asked me a question at the very beginning and then right after I got up he was like, 'What was the first question I asked you?'
"I was like, 'I don’t know, dude, I just answered a bunch of questions.' Like, I’m good, see ya. I had no idea. That was my only interaction with him."
Fast forward four years and Kittle is checking out clips of Campbell's introductory press conference as head coach of the Lions. Who wasn't? Campbell lit up the NFL -- and fired up Detroit -- with promises of gnawed kneecaps. It made him the butt of a lot of jokes, particularly in the national media. Kittle, like most players, loved it.
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"Obviously, yeah, I’m going to bite into kneecaps. That’s awesome, I love that. You’re going to play some violent football and some dirty football, and I’m here for it," he said.
But Kittle said there was something "hidden" in Campbell's words that didn't get as much press as it deserved, something that will draw the best out of his players -- something that Campbell's predecessor completely overlooked.
"There was a part where he talked about having good vibes in the locker room and he was like, 'Look, I love football and I’m gonna get after it, but I want to have a good culture. I want to take care of the guys, I want to respect the guys and I want them to have fun going to work,'" Kittle said. "And I was like, see, work as hard as you want but if you’re having fun doing it, too, that’s what makes it OK to do that stuff. As long as you don’t have the mindset that we’re just going to suffer every single day, let’s have some fun a little bit, I love that stuff.
"So I liked it a lot when I found that clip and I wish that one circulated a little bit more because I thought that was pretty cool."
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Campbell's approach has already brightened the mood in Allen Park, where former Lions running back Kerryon Johnson said he never smiled in three years of practices under Matt Patricia. The players seemed to genuinely enjoy themselves during OTA's and minicamp, while working just as hard.
Here's how Kittle's close friend and fellow tight end T.J. Hockenson described Campbell during a recent interview with Good Morning Football:
"He’s one of those guys that wants us to have fun. We’re playing a kids game. He loves this game, will do anything for it and I think that trickles down from the top to the bottom. Everybody in here is trying to have fun, be themselves, and he’s trying to pull that out of us. Have some fun out there on the field, show some celebrations and do our thing."
As for which quote Kittle was referencing from Campbell's first presser, it's not exactly clear. But Campbell did say this about embracing different personalities in the locker room:
"Listen man, in New Orleans we had all kinds of personalities. They’re all different. And look, there’s personalities that are easier to deal with than others, but I know this: no matter what was going on, when it came time to work together as one unit, boy, those guys were on point. And it’s no secret why we had success down there.
"My viewpoint is, as long as it’s not distracting from the team, and if the kid can play and he’s team-oriented, I’ve got no problem with that. ... Listen man, I’ve got zero problem with personalities as long as we can keep (egos) in check and we’re all pulling the same way.”