What Will Dan Campbell Do to Prevent Another Season False Start?

The Detroit Lions are pretty much the darlings of the NFL right now, and for good reason. What they have is a Cinderella story. I mean, it doesn't get any better than seeing a team who hasn't won in years - okay, decades - pull off a winning season. But, what will Dan Campbell do to prevent another season false start? By false start, I mean that dismal first half of the season, where the Lions hardly won any games.

During a press conference last week, Campbell talked about what he's going to do to make sure the Lions have a good first season. If the team had won just one more game during the first season last year, they would have made the playoffs. Every game counts. Every player counts. (Check out the team's most valuable players under 25 here.)

"Yeah, you go back and forth and that’s something that I’m always thinking about is, how do we do this?" Campbell said during the recent press conference during Lions training camp. "Is there a different approach? Were we too light? Were we too hard? Do we need to have more volume? Do we need to have more intensity? And so, everything right now — it doesn't necessarily pertain to what you’re asking because we’re so far away from training camp."

So, what do I think Campbell has to do to help the team win? I actually think it's about him doing less. Not to say the man doesn't know things. But, I think the smart people that he's surrounded himself with can take the Lions to the top this season. Campbell has changed the culture of the Lions. But, he's not an expert at everything. He really needs to rely on those around him and let them make some of the big decisions.

Dan Campbell is a likeable dude. He is also always saying something that make you either feel good or go, "Heh? What the heck?" I mean that in the best possible way.

I've put together a list of 10 totally hilarious things Dan Campbell has said during his few years with the Detroit Lions so far. Some of these have me scratching my head, while others just have me rolling in laughter. Dan, we love you! I hope for more great quotes this season.

Listen to the latest episode of "The Squad with Anne Erickson" below for some hot takes on the NFL Draft and what it means to the Detroit Lions. Reach out to me and give me your take on the Detroit Lions on social media here. Go Lions!

This quote he said back before the Lions' open practice at Ford field in 2022. "We are fricking starving … so the hyenas better get out of the way." Via Dave Birkett.

Dan Campbell wanted a "pet lion" at practice. OMgosh.

Appearing on the "Pardon My Take" Podcast, Campbell said he asked for a pet lion at practice.

"I'll tell you what I would really love to do, just in general," he said. "I've talked to (Lions owner) Sheila (Ford Hamp) about this. I don't think we're going to be able to do it, but I would love to literally just have a pet lion. Just a legit pet lion on a chain — a big-a** chain. And he just, he really is my pet. We just walk around the building, we go out to practice, we're in 7-on-7, we're behind the kicker when he's kicking. We're just … there we are."

I'm all for a good analogy. But this one is a bit much for me. But, hey, I'm not a football player. Talk the talk, and walk the walk, right? Here's Dan Campbell's toilet paper pep talk. The quote is from July 2, 2021, talking about practice in a press conference via Michael Silver.

"I told them, honestly, Day 1, I said, 'Look, I'm not carrying your toilet paper around. I'm not gonna wipe your butt. You're gonna wipe your own butt. You handle it and I'll treat you like men until you prove otherwise."

Who doesn't remember the praying mantis comment? Dan Campbell said regarding Josh Reynolds, "He’s slippery man. I call him the praying mantis. He’s the spider of death. There’s something about him. Fricking serpent." This is via Dave Birkett.

I don't get this quote at all. But, hey, it's working, so keep these quotes coming, Dan!

"We'll tread water as long as it takes to f***ing bury you." This was said in August 2022 via Tyler Dunne.

Here's another one I don't get. It's from "Hard Knocks" in 2022. "It doesn't matter if you have one a**-cheek and three toes, I will beat your a**." Okay.

"I swear to God, I'm not a lunatic." This was another quote from "Hard Knocks." Dan, honestly, anyone who is going to head up the Detroit Lions and shoot for the Super Bowl has got to be a lunatic- the best kind. It's okay. Embrace it.

Here's another quote from "Hard Knocks." Campbell says, "There is no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no light. There's a song Metallica has, 'No Leaf Clover,' and it says, 'Man, when it comes to the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, it's just a freight train coming your way.'" I'm not crying, you are.

"You grade them off the tape, you don’t grade off somebody out here in pajamas," via The Sporting News. This is in regards to not liking the often misleading evaluations from the Scouting Combine.

This one wasn't just a quote, but imagry, too. It went viral last year. It's the moment that Dan Campbell went on "Hard Knocks" and shook out a pair of pants. "This last bit of losing has got to get outta here." Via the NFL.