Dan Campbell continues to be one of the most colorful personalities in the NFL. The no-nonsense Lions rookie head coach speaks his mind and isn’t afraid to dispatch with social graces when talking to the media.
The latest example comes from coach Campbell talking with 96.7 The Ticket in Dallas. In a recent spot, Campbell talked about what kind of players the Lions were looking for in free agency.
Character was paramount, something Campbell reinforces every time a microphone is in front of him. After noting how well he and GM Brad Holmes shared the same values and vision for the team, Campbell offered up this nugget,
“Look, we’re no different than anybody else. Even if you’re a great player, we don’t want turds here, man. We don’t want lazy guys, we don’t want guys that are up and down and we don’t want flash players. If you’re a flash guy where it’s like, ‘My god, did you see that play?’ and the next play he’s in the tank, we don’t know where he’s at, we don’t know what he’s going to do, I got nothing for those guys. It’s the ones that are consistent and you see it all the time.”
Campbell used to have a weekly radio show with one of the hosts during his playing days with the Cowboys, so the trust in the questions and answers is easy to see.
The new Lions coach, a Texas native, also discussed the lack of a scoutign combine and why he and Holmes aren’t all wrapped up in athletic metrics and testing.
“I’m actually comfortable with it, I know Brad’s comfortable with it, ” Campbell said. “It’s pretty fun, man, just grade the football player. And then the numbers, how much do they skew you? And they shouldn’t, really. Now here’s the difference. You see a cornerback you love and then he runs a 4.9, well, that’s a problem. And yet, man, there’s something to be said for scouting the football player before you even get to the numbers, so I’m enjoying it. I think it’s a good way to go.”