Earlier this week, Detroit Lions defensive lineman Michael Brockers appeared as a guest on the Rich Eisen Show and raved about head coach Dan Campbell.
That offseason, it was evident that the Lions were in rebuild mode. Following the hires of Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes, the Lions traded away quarterback Matthew Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams for Jared Goff and a handful of draft picks. Brockers was acquired by the Lions via another trade with the Rams not long after that.
“I was a part of like the whole new revamp – you know the team – so when he got hired I was soon to be hired after that.”
Brockers opened the interview by talking about Dan Campbell’s energy.
“He’s Dan Campbell. He’s all the way there.”
Brockers reveals that the Dan Campbell that the fans see is the same guy the players see, whether it is in practice or on game days.
The veteran defensive lineman went on to explain why the team rallied around Campbell and his staff, and a lot had to do with him being a former player.
“We enjoy playing for him,” Brockers said. “He’s an iconic player’s coach, he was a player, so he understands what we go through mentally, physically throughout the year.”
In a league where, surprisingly, not many head coaches have played professional football at all, Campbell and his eleven years of playing experience stand out to the players. Brockers sounded appreciative of Campbell and his understanding of what players go through during the season.
“When you have a guy who looks out for you, you want to look out for him.”
When asked about Campbell’s infamous “kneecaps” speech, Brockers had this to say:
“It was a little, you know, out there but I got what he meant. And that’s what you’ve seen from us this year is like: We’re not gonna give up. We don’t care who you are. We understand that we’re the Detroit Lions and everybody has this stigma about us. But we’re changing and we’re coming for you.”
It’s evident that Brockers, who is heading into his eleventh season in the NFL, has a lot of optimism for Campbell and this young Lions team.
Brockers started 16 games for Detroit as a defensive lineman where he recorded 52 tackles and a sack.
You can watch the full conversation between Brockers and Eisen here.