This is the online version of our morning newsletter, The Morning Win. Subscribe to get irreverent and incisive sports stories, delivered to your mailbox every morning.
The Detroit Lions introduced their new head coach on Thursday as Dan Campbell met with the media on his first day on the job and proceeded to have one heck of a press conference.
And it wasn’t in a good way.
Here’s something I’ve learned from watching press conferences for new NFL coaches – you don’t want to people to be talking about the press conferences themselves for a few days after they have been completed. Think about Adam Gase’s introductory press conference with the Jets. It wasn’t great and pretty much set the tone for what followed with that franchise.
Campbell had a similar experience on Thursday.
The former assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the New Orleans Saints had a wild press conference that lasted over an hour, which isn’t a good thing.
It included one part where he went on about biting kneecaps and getting back up and biting more kneecaps, which isn’t a good thing.
I’m serious, too. He said this:
“Here’s what I do know. This team is going to take on the identity of this city and this city has been down and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity, right? So this team is going to be built on, we’re going to kick you in the teeth, right? And when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you. And when you knock us down, we’re going to get up and on the way up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off. All right? And we’re going to stand up and it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down. And on the way up, we’re going to take your other kneecap and we’re going to get up and it’s going to take three shots to get us down. And when we do, we’re going to take another hunk out of you.”
That… is a lot.
I’m all for being fired up for the opportunity but that is all just really silly. He said that his enthusiasm would hopefully work to recruit players to come play for this fun coach. I’d have to think it would do the opposite because if you’re a professional football player chances are you can see through some goofy speech that some optimistic high school coach would give his players before playing the cross-town rivals.
That long rant about biting hunks out of people doesn’t seem like something a successful NFL coach would say.
I’ve never heard Bill Belichick say something like that.
I’ve never heard Andy Reid say something like that.
I’ve never heard Sean McDermott say something like that.
I feel like the good ones are more concerned about talking strategy and the little parts of the game that make the biggest differences. Also cheeseburgers. Andy Reid likes to talk about cheeseburgers. Which is fine.
Ranting about not being knocked around by others just feels like the opposite of want you’d want at this level.
The Lions are hoping that Campbell is the guy who can left them out of the sea of mediocrity that they’ve been calling home for years.
And maybe he will be. Heck, I hope he will be because he seems like a nice fella who loves the sport.
But man, that opening press conference was super awkward.
Quick hits: Shaq’s funny new look… Curry’s hilarious reaction to being called Wardell… Deshaun Watson’s latest cryptic tweet… And more.
– Shaq’s response to Kenny Smith calling out his new, clean-shaven look was too funny.
– A reporter called Stephen Curry by his rarely used first name and the Warriors star had a great reaction.
– Deshaun Watson had another cryptic tweet on Thursday and he really needs to stop doing that.
– Conor McGregor returns to the Octagon on Saturday night and here are 3 reasons to watch UFC 257.