So Dan Campbell talked about biting off some kneecaps. Then he joked about getting a pet lion. (Then he got a letter from PETA). And last week he kicked off a press conference by rocking a racing helmet to promote the Detroit Grand Prix, for which Campbell will serve as grand marshal this weekend.
The local reaction has been mostly positive. Campbell's raw personality has been a breath of fresh air. The national media? Not so amused.
"I want better for you Lions fans," FS1's Joy Taylor said last week on The Herd with Colin Cowherd after Campbell's helmet stunt.
"Would Belichick do that?" Cowherd said. "Would Bill Walsh do that? Would Sean McVay? You know who thinks that's funny? Dumb people."
If that makes us dumb, we don't want to be smart. It's OK to laugh. Even in the uber-serious business of the NFL, it's OK to not take everything seriously. We're talking about football here. A kid's game.
Anyway, Campbell isn't sweating the criticism.
"Honestly, I'm not worried about it," he said Tuesday at the start of mandatory minicamp for the Lions. "I mean, I get it. My whole thing, it was kind of a joke. The helmet was sitting here. But it was also like, ‘Hey man, it’s the Detroit Grand Prix. I think that’ll be a pretty cool deal for our people, our fans to see that.’ And I think if I’m associated with the Detroit Grand Prix, that’s pretty cool. So that’s really as far as it went."
Campbell caught similar flack for his kneecap-biting introductory press conference and his wishes for a pet lion. It's all harmless and it's all meaningless. Campbell will be embraced if he wins, rejected if he loses -- and he knows that as well as anyone.
"I’m not worried about the criticism," he said. "I’m going to get criticized either way. That’s what you guys do. That’s what you and everybody outside this world does. Ultimately, I’m going to be judged on wins and losses. Again, it was just kind of keeping it light. Those things aren’t going to happen during the season. Right now, I’m just being me. I’m having a good time with it."