The NFL and Thanksgiving are an iconic duo, with most fans still thinking about John Madden eating turkey or turducken. However, after a recent revelation, it’s pretty doubtful that Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell will become universally loved on Thanksgiving too.
Everyone likes their Thanksgiving dinner done differently. Because of that, there’s a lot of arguments that might happen regarding what is or is not on the table. For Campbell, however, his Thanksgiving dinner has proven to be incredibly controversial.
“Must have is ham,” Dan Campbell said. “I’m a big ham guy. I’m not a turkey guy, unless it’s fried turkey. I’m not a dressing fan. I’m not a cranberry fan, I’ll throw that right out to the dogs. Everything else, I’ll load it right on top of each other, full stack.”
The first bit of controversy is obviously that Campbell is a ham guy, not a turkey guy. Instead, he likes ham. This tends to be a regional difference, and Campbell is a Texas guy. It also often comes down to how the turkey is cooked. It’s an easy bird to get wrong and that can have a major impact on the dinner.
After that, Campbell threw out two sides most people eat around Thanksgiving almost exclusively. That feels like a strange move but people like what they like.
Dan Campbell says he loads everything on top of itself after that. Based on what he’s described, that’s a plate with ham, mashed potatoes, a roll, mac and cheese, and green beans or something along those lines. However, he didn’t clarify those other sides or say anything about dessert. So, to an extent, it’s all guesswork.
Detroit plays Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day this season. Hopefully, Campbell is properly fed for the game.
Dan Campbell on Texas A&M speculation
There has been speculation that Dan Campbell may leave the Detroit Lions for Texas A&M. After all, he did play there. However, Campbell took the time to shut down that speculation as it started.
“Maybe. But that’s all good,” Campbell said. “Certainly I know some people there and I love my school. … I want to do anything I can to help them, but coach.”
Still, the idea makes a lot of sense. College football reporter Bruce Feldman explained why.
“The 47-year-old Texas native played at A&M. Campbell epitomizes everything we suspect the school would want in a head coach,” Feldman wrote. “And if you’ve watched any clips of him in front of his team, you’ll see why. He has jumped into what was an abysmal franchise and has that city thinking there’s finally a Super Bowl in its future.”