The Detroit Lions (6-3) face the Eagles (7-2) on Sunday night at Lincoln Financial Field in a game with significant NFC playoff seeding implications. Lions coach Dan Campbell knows the hostile environment that awaits his team, and he’s ready to embrace it.
During his weekly telephone interview on Detroit sports station 97.1 The Ticket, Campbell shared stories about when he was a member of the visiting team, including one in which a Giants legend ended up covered in tobacco juice.
Campbell recounted an Eagles-Giants game Oct. 31, 1999, at the now-demolished Veterans Stadium. Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan had just returned Eagles quarterback Doug Pederson’s interception 44 yards for a touchdown. Campbell, who was a rookie that season, explained what happened after Strahan entered the end zone.
“It was like this 64-ounce cup this guy had that was full of tobacco spit and just, I’m running over there to celebrate and he just pours it on Strahan’s back while everybody’s running over there,” Campbell said. “I backed off at the last minute, but just stuff like that. It’s a hostile environment. It gets you fired up. I’ll make sure our guys are prepared. They’re going to love this. They really are. Our guys are going to freaking embrace this. This is fun stuff.”
Campbell said he enjoyed coming to Philadelphia during his four seasons with the Giants and three seasons with the Dallas Cowboys.
“It’s a great place to play,” Campbell said. “It’s electric. I had batteries thrown at us and was spit on. It’s just the classic stuff. It’s probably the most hostile place to play going into the stadium, during the game and leaving it. Things have backed off a lot now since back in the day. Some of these things you can’t do anymore.”
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