On the day after his team didn’t look great playing its final preseason game — and the day before his team’s roster had to trim down to the 53-man limit — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell looked and sounded like a tired man.
It was Monday afternoon, less than 24 hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers shoved a 19-9 loss down the Lions’ throats, keeping them from tasting victory. It was nine days since Campbell told his players, in a jubilant locker room in Indianapolis, how important it was to get used to that winning taste, whether it be in a preseason game or just about any other competition.
Campbell had just left general manager Brad Holmes’ office Monday before he spoke with reporters looking for roster-cut clues the way sharks look for blubbery seals.
“So I know this will be frustrating for all of you,” Campbell said, “but I really don’t have anything new to add that I didn’t say last night.”
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Campbell’s subdued demeanor isn’t an indictment. In fact, it’s the opposite. He has worked hard to push this team forward in his second season, scheduling joint practices and borrowing a page from Bill Parcells’ book and having players lead a practice without coaches. You remember Parcells, right? The guy who went 3-12-1 as a rookie coach, then won two Super Bowls and made a third?
No one knows what will happen to the Lions in Campbell’s second season, but I can tell you this: The man has left it all out there this offseason. That may not matter when the wins and losses are tallied up, but he should be content with the effort he has given while trying to pull this team out of its 3-13-1 muck.
Even by his own estimation, Campbell believes his team accomplished what he wanted this summer.
“I would say, to this point, yeah,” he said. “But the vision (that) I had to prepare us physically and mentally, I feel like is right on par right now. And I think we got what we needed to get.”
I’m not trying to peddle hope about this team. I don’t want to push anyone to false optimism or the familiar preseason pessimism. Actually, sorry, I do have to euthanize your playoff dreams here and now. Not happening. It’s the only humane thing to do. You’ll thank me in December.
But that doesn’t mean the Lions can’t make strides. Or take a step back. We just don’t know.
The immediate question is who will make this team by the 4 p.m. deadline Tuesday? Campbell said those decisions are harder this year than last because better players have raised the level of competition.
“And that’s kind of where we’re at,” he said. “We’re just, I feel like, starting to get into that phase of it. Whereas last year, we weren’t quite there.
“So it’s a credit to Brad, and these are difficult. Because we are, we’re ultimately, we’re going to probably have to let go of some players that were here all last year that we depended on, did everything we asked them to do and produced for us last year, but that’s a sign of progress too.”
At this point, you might as well cue the quintessential gut-wrenching scene that “Hard Knocks” was built on: the coach summoning a player to his office and cutting him.
But Campbell is right. Letting go of some roster favorites, even those who personify his idea of grit, is a necessary evolution of this team.
The question now is: Who will make this team?
Here’s my answer: Who cares?
Trust me, countless hours are spent by fans and, yes, even bored reporters trying to divine the initial 53-man roster. But all that teeth gnashing merely amounts to trying to guess which back-of-the roster players, who might only play in a handful of games, will make the team.
You know all the stars and starters and high draft picks who will make the team. Even on really good teams, it’s rare for roster-bubble players to play a significant role. Which is why it’s hilarious to me when talk bubbles up of special-teams upside and leadership intangibles. And yes, I’m as guilty as anyone.
While it’s fun to play a guessing game with the roster, the final choices are only a small part of what signifies growth for the Lions. More of the team’s growth can be seen in the way Campbell has approached the team’s construction and preparation this summer.
Campbell learned a lot while taking his lumps as a rookie head coach last year. He hired the wrong offensive coordinator, he whiffed on scheduling a joint practice and he cut a beloved veteran on his birthday. He owned all of those mistakes, and now he sees something promising taking shape in his second season. It’s something hard to quantify, but something coaches and players can feel. It’s the smoothness of execution, quicker processing and a higher level of proficiency in practice and in games.
“I really feel like the game situation, the end of half, end of game is where I feel like we’ve really improved,” he said. “I feel like I’ve improved, but I feel like us as a team because … from the time we hit spring until even through training camp, I mean, we got so much of that type of work.
“And it’s the intent of the drill, but that situation leads into another in the midst of the drill and those are now spontaneous and those are highly beneficial. Because now you’re put on the spot, and you’ve got to think fast and what do we do?”
If David Blough hadn’t fumbled a snap in the preseason opener, we all might think differently about the Lions right now. If Blough holds on, the Lions would have won two of their three games with final-minute closeouts, the way good teams do.
“You’re working the situation and you know what the situation is,” Campbell said of the team’s improvement, “and all of a sudden you’re put in a whole different deal there. And I think that’s been really good for us and I feel like we’ve really excelled there through camp.
“Now, you’ve got to prove it in the games, you’ve got to do when the heat’s on, but I do think that’s where we’ve really — I think we’ve come forward a little bit.”
Sometimes a little bit is all a coach can hope for coming off a 3-13-1 season. But sometimes a little bit is also enough for a Hall of Fame coach to go from 3-12-1 to 9-7 in his second season.