Will ‘odd process’ lead to ‘outstanding result’ for Detroit Lions? That’s the hope

Dave Birkett

| Detroit Free Press

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It is the NFL’s version of an arranged marriage, and after breaking off plenty of more traditional engagements over the years, the Detroit Lions believe the circumstances that brought their newest regime together are also the reasons it will work.

New Lions head coach Dan Campbell met new Lions general manager Brad Holmes for the first time this week, and by all accounts, their blind date went well.

[ Full text of Dan Campbell’s opening statement heard ’round the world ]

“We left here almost midnight last night,” Campbell said in his introductory news conference Thursday. “We’ve been going through everything.”

Like 20-somethings on a first-time Tinder date, there was lots to go over.

Campbell and Holmes had no prior history together before the Lions swiped right on both last week, and while Holmes was involved in finalizing Campbell’s hire — at least in so much as he did not veto the deal — the two had only loosely connected on their team-building philosophies in the days prior to their union becoming official.

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“He and I are tied to the hip,” Campbell said. “This guy, he’s unbelievable. You want to talk about vision? We see the game very much the same way. We see players very much the same way. Last night we were talking, I don’t know, we finished each other’s sentences twice. One of them was about vision.”

Finishing each other’s sentences is cute, but Campbell and Holmes have been around the NFL long enough to know that successful partnerships take much more than that.

The Lions went down parallel coach and general manager searches after firing Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn two days after Thanksgiving, and landed on Campbell and Holmes because of the shared values they possess.

[ Campbell had the most epic introductory news conference ever ]

At Holmes’ introductory news conference Tuesday, Lions president Rod Wood and owner Sheila Ford Hamp mentioned several qualities the Lions were looking for in their GM.

They wanted a culture builder, someone who was open and inclusive and engaging, and an excellent listener who would work collaboratively with the rest of the group.

On Thursday, Wood listed several of those same qualities that he said the Lions were looking for in their head coach.

“You’ve heard me talk a lot about collaboration and chemistry this week and making sure that everyone in our organization is aligned with the same vision,” Wood said. “That is Dan Campbell. As he assembles his coaching staff and works with Brad in evaluating our roster, his commitment to helping drive home our culture will be unwavering.”

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Like-minded people tend to end up working together in the NFL, where the buddy system is a way of life.

Occasionally, those same like-minded people find each other unbearable, either due to personality conflicts or struggles over turf.

Those are mines Campbell and Holmes may have to navigate in time, especially if the Lions do not find immediate success on the field.

For now, Campbell and Holmes are closely working together, bouncing ideas off each other, agreeing and disagreeing in ways that are good.

“When we were talking about makeup of a player last night, we were talking about vision of what you’re looking for, for each player,” Campbell said. “He’s like, ‘Dan, listen, my job is to give you exactly what you need to help you implement the system, the schemes that you guys are looking for.’

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“(When you have) mutual contacts (who) rave about this guy, that was first and foremost because these are people that I’m talking to, I have the utmost respect and trust in. So that goes a long way. Then I sit down with the guy and he as a GM is telling you, ‘I want to give exactly what you need, man. I want to give you exactly what you need. Just give me the vision of what you’re looking for so we can go out and find it.’ Man, that’s all you can ask for as a head coach.”

Wood acknowledged that the Lions’ search was unconventional in many ways, not just due to COVID-19 restraints

“It may have been an odd process,” he said. “But I think it resulted in an outstanding result.”

Time will tell on that. The Lions are rumored to have heavily pursued Iowa State coach Matt Campbell, and may have been close to landing him with a massive deal. Wood said one of the Lions’ other GM candidates, Terry Fontenot, who took the Atlanta Falcons’ job, wanted Campbell as his head coach.

[ Lions and Dan Campbell have one big hire left to make: Offensive coordinator ]

It is fair to question, too, whether the process the Lions followed gerrymandered their results. Mike Disner and Chris Spielman were heavily involved in the search, and despite Holmes’ GM title, both sit in positions of power today. Disner, in fact, added power during the search.

The Lions did end up with a coach and a GM, however, who are widely respected across the NFL, and whose shared values fit what the organization wants to be.

Maybe that’s enough to turn this moribund franchise around. Maybe the Lions’ matchmaking skills will work.

“We’re in this thing together,” Campbell said. “We were both hired under the same umbrella with Sheila and Rod. But man, I think it’s important and that’s how you win. This is a marriage. So we’re going to make this thing work.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.