Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell spoke to the media Monday following an impressive 52-14 win over the Tennessee Titans that secured their fifth straight victory to improve to 6-1 on the year, heading into a big NFC North matchup with Green Bay Sunday at Lambeau Field.
Here are all the key questions from Monday’s press conference:
What impressed Campbell the most about the win Sunday?
The fact that it was a complete team effort. Campbell pointed out the three big returns on special teams that either put points directly on the board or led to short fields for the offense, the offense’s 5-for-5 performance in the red zone and the defense generating four takeaways. It was the epitome of complementary football Sunday for Detroit.
Who stood out to Campbell after watching the tape?
Offense: Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, running back David Montgomery, tight end Sam LaPorta and center Frank Ragnow
Defense: Safety Kerby Joseph, cornerback Amik Robertson, linebacker Jack Campbell, defensive tackle Alim McNeill and defensive tackle DJ Reader
Special teams: Returner Kalif Raymond, punter Jack Fox, kicker Jake Bates, cornerback Khalil Dorsey, linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin, tight end Shane Zylstra and tight end Brock Wright
With the Nov. 5 trade deadline fast approaching, do the Lions feel pressure to add a pass rusher this week?
Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes know the deadline is approaching and Campbell said Monday he and Holmes are still talking and working through potential deals.
“I’m not concerned,” Campbell said. “There’s other ways of creating pressure. Would you like a little more? Yeah, we’d like a little more. We are aware (of deadline) and we’re still looking at it but no I wouldn’t say we are in panic mode.”
Detroit’s 17 quarterback hurries Sunday against the Titans were the second most in any game this season, according to Pro Football Focus statistics, but they did have only one sack and five quarterback hits total.
Could a trade be imminent? Next 24 hours?
“Yeah, could be,” Campbell said with a smile.
Has Holmes come to Campbell with a trade proposal?
“Yeah, could be,” he said with the same grin on his face.
We’ll just have to wait and see what the next 24 to 48 hours brings in terms of the trade news cycle.
What did Campbell think of the debut of outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad?
Speaking of that Lions pass rush, Muhammad led the Lions with six quarterback hurries in Sunday’s contest, but didn’t record an official statistic.
“He was active,” Campbell said. “He was aggressive. He was physical. He went in there and really gave us a good day’s work.”
Campbell said there’s some things they have to clean up mentally that showed up Sunday from Muhammad, and was confident he will, and said it was a performance to build off moving forward.
How much does Campbell appreciate the job special teams coordinator Dave Fipp does?
It was great to see Detroit’s special teams perform the way they did Sunday and play a big part in that convincing win for the Lions.
Raymond had five punt returns for 190 yards (38.0 avg.) and one touchdown, which came on a 90-yard return and became the first player in franchise history to record a punt return and receiving touchdown in the same game.
Fox punted five times for 305 yards (61.0 gross, 56.2 net), making it the first time in NFL history a punter has averaged at least 60.0 gross yards per punt and 55.0 net yards per punt in a game with at least five punts.
Bates converted a 51-yard field goal and was 7-for-7 on extra points. He has now made each of the first 11 field goal attempts of his NFL career, the most field goal conversions a Lions player has had to start their tenure with the team.
Dorsey had a 72-yard kickoff return that set up a short touchdown drive for the offense.
“So much of the attention goes to Ben (Johnson) and AG (Aaron Glenn) because of what they’ve been able to do and that’s where most of the plays go to in a game, but man, Fipp is every bit as important as those guys are,” Campbell said.
“From the time I was able to get him here and get him signed out of Philly, I was fortunate. It just worked out. Everything lined right because Fipp is a hell of a coach. The guy loves football, and he coaches it with passion. He always has a damn good plan for the opponent. He’s crystal clear what he’s looking for and what he thinks is going to work. The guys believe it and buy in and they put all-out effort into it. He’s inspiring and he’s just another one of the reasons why we win around here.”
