As the Detroit Lions wrapped up their final practice before heading to Philadelphia for Sunday Night Football, head coach Dan Campbell was asked a pretty simple question. Do the Lions and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles build their rosters the same way?
Campbell did not hesitate, and his answer felt like a mix of praise, honesty, and classic Dan Campbell personality.
Dan Campbell play-calling change Dan Campbell Lions vs Eagles
“They drafted well”
When Campbell looked at how the Eagles built a championship roster, one part jumped out immediately.
“They drafted well. They’ve acquired their players a number of different ways, you know, but they certainly have drafted well,” Campbell said as quoted by Lions OnSI on Friday.
He even pointed out that the two teams had similar tastes when it came to talent evaluation.
“A lot of the players they have are a lot of the same players we really were high on, too. So, that says a lot just on the respect level of those players they have over there and what they do and their process.”
That is high praise from a coach who has worked side by side with Brad Holmes to construct one of the NFL’s most balanced, toughest, and deepest rosters.
Campbell says the Lions “do ours a little bit different”
Even with the similarities in how both teams evaluate talent, Campbell was quick to point out that Detroit’s operation is not built to mirror anyone else.
“Certainly we don’t have the same process as them, and we’re good with that,” Campbell said. “You know, we do ours a little bit different. Brad and I go about our business a tick different.”
And then, in true Campbell fashion, he threw in an unforgettable line.
“But there’s a lot of different ways to skin a cat, I guess. I don’t know how many of you guys have skinned a cat?”
Classic.
The Eagles have been Detroit’s roadblock
Campbell is brutally honest when he talks about opponents, and the Eagles are no exception. Philadelphia has beaten Detroit twice during the Campbell era, including the wild Week 1 shootout in 2022.
He did not dance around that fact.
“Just want to win, man. That’s what being competitive is, you just want to win. And yeah, those guys, we’ve played them twice, they got our number twice.”
He added that even in the 2022 matchup where Detroit made it close late, the Eagles controlled most of the game.
“They got after us both times, really. I mean, we fought our way back in in ’22, but really, we were down pretty good.”
Why the Eagles are so hard to beat
When Campbell explained why the Eagles have been so successful, he made it simple.
“They have a style and they’re very good at it. And I wouldn’t say there’s anything necessarily complex about it, but it’s very sound. It’s very sound across the board.”
He also praised Nick Sirianni, Vic Fangio, and the identity Philadelphia has built.
“Nick’s done an unbelievable job. And then Coach Fangio, he’s a legend, man. It’s stood the test of time, that style of defense, the way they play, the coverage, the rush, goes hand in hand.”
And when Campbell called it a challenge for his team, he did not sugarcoat it.
“It’s a pain in the ass, it’s hard. It’s hard to deal with offensively.”
But ultimately, he credited the Eagles for the thing that separates champions from everyone else.
“They don’t beat themselves. At the end of the day, they don’t beat themselves. And when they need a critical play, they come up with a critical play. And that’s what champions do, and that’s why they’ve been able to have the success that they’ve had.”