The culture, the culture, the culture. The culture in Detroit has become a popular talking point among Lions fans and pundits alike since the beginning of the Dan Campbell-Brad Holmes era in 2021.
And to the players inside the locker room (and former Lions players like Jason Cabinda), it’s more than just a narrative that’s been pushed by observers of the team. It’s a vital component of who the Lions are today, and it’s helped transform the franchise from cellar-dwellers to legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
Cabinda, who was a member of the organization during both the widely unsuccessful and panned Matt Patricia-Bob Quinn years and the start of the Campbell-Holmes regime, saw the transformation happen first-hand.
The former NFL fullback credits Campbell and Holmes for being adept at adding talent to the team without sacrificing its difference-making culture.
“You just look at the drafts and I think one of the biggest things I commend Brad Holmes and Dan for, really both of them, is that they would never sacrifice the culture of the locker room or the attitude of the team and who we were going to be for any level of talent,” Cabinda said on the latest episode of “Crunch Time Sports” Wednesday. “Absolutely every single guy that came in the building, whether it was through the draft , whether it was through free agency, there’s a midseason trade, whatever it was, they were a fit for the locker room first. So, they never sacrificed that vision.
“And then when you look at the draft, you look at Penei (Sewell) and Aidan Hutchinson, you look at Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch, Alim McNeill, I mean, I could go up and down the list, Jameson Williams, Amon-Ra St. Brown, like on and on and on, how about finding top talent regardless of the space, regardless of what round or whatever they were picked in,” Cabinda added. “Man, (these are) quality, solid players that have stepped up and are now leaders of this team while they’re still young. I think that’s a really impressive thing that they’ve (Holmes and Campbell have) shown year in and year out. “
Cabina, who suited up for the Lions from 2019-2023, had the chance to witness first-hand Penei Sewell’s growth into the All-Pro offensive tackle that he is today. Sewell, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and the very first pick of the Campbell-Holmes regime, has played an instrumental role in establishing a winning culture in Detroit.
“Penei is a really special athlete. Let me put that out there first,” Cabinda expressed. “Like this dude is 6-foot-6, 330, whatever he is, and is just so nimble, has such quick feet, (and) the athleticism is off the charts at his size. And when you have that type of athlete playing that position with that type of size, that’s just special, period. End of story. So, let me start there. In terms of athletic ability, at his size, generational.
“And when you look at the attitude and the mindset that he brings to every play, this is a dude that wants to finish guys in the dirt every single play. You know, he really expects the most out of himself and wants to be the best on the field, play in and play out. That’s what you want from your best players. But, he’s just a nasty offensive lineman. When you have somebody with that type of athletic ability, that type of strength, that type of skill and you have a killer mindset like he has, it’s the type of stuff that makes you say when you’re on the field with him at practice, ‘God damn, I’m happy this dude is on our team.’ There’s really no other way to put it. Special, special player.”
Cabinda echoed a similar sentiment about Lions franchise passer Jared Goff. The ex-Lions fullback feels like the organization is in good hands with Goff, an individual whom Cabinda believes is an exemplary leader.
“I really love J.G.’s story. I really love the adversity he’s overcome. It’s really, really awesome,” Cabinda said of the Detroit signal-caller. “You guys know it, it was kind of spelled out before our Rams game back in 2024: former No. 1 overall pick with the Rams, takes them to the Super Bowl, it doesn’t work out. He gets shipped off to Detroit where everybody thinks it’s the place where you die. You know, he struggled his first year, but Jared is such a guy, week in, week out, year after year, he’s completely even-keeled about his entire process, and that’s what I love about him. It doesn’t matter if he’s playing well, not playing well, whatever the case is, he was always a leader and always went about his business.
“And I think that first year was tough, kind of getting acclimated to Detroit, playing here in a new system. But, man, this is a guy who’s gotten better and better year in and year out. He’s entering year 10 now, and he’s in, you could very well quite arguably say, his prime. There are not a lot of guys in the NFL who play year nine, year 10 of their careers in their prime. And at the quarterback position, that is a level of play that you can kind of keep extended for longer periods of time than at other positions, and that’s what I love about it.”
Cabinda is also confident that the Lions have the right sideline boss in Campbell, arguably the best motivator of men in the NFL today. As the Penn State product expressed Wednesday, Campbell has an innate ability to get the most out of his players on a consistent, game-to-game basis.
“In football, at certain points, you’ve got to really stay even-keeled, but there’s a lot of times you can play on your emotions, you can build that energy within yourself,” Cabinda said. “Dan has a really special ability, a really special talent to grab that out of you and really make you use it to the best of your advantage in games. He brings the best out of his players.”
_This article was produced by the staff at Sports Illustrated/All Lions. For more, visit si.com/nfl/lions_