Lions’ Dan Campbell & Jared Goff react to Jack Campbell injury, break down gritty win over Vikings

[0:00] Let me start with this. [0:02] You know, thoughts and prayers are with Jack and his family. [0:06] He's being taken care of. [0:08] We don't have any new information. [0:11] You know, we'll keep you updated as this goes. [0:15] But we're thinking about him. [0:17] We're thinking about him. [0:22] As far as the game, you know, that's a good win. [0:26] That's a really good win against a damn good opponent. [0:29] He's been playing really good football. [0:31] You know, what they've been able to do over there and the way they've won these games in the fourth quarter. [0:39] You know, we knew we were going to need to outlast them. [0:42] We were going to need to hang in there, play outstanding defense, special teams, and let them bring it to the offense. [0:49] And then when it was time to try to seal this out, the offense was going to need to be able to do it. [0:54] And we really did. [0:56] And I was so proud of the guys across the board. [0:58] I mean, that's a tough, gritty win against a really good opponent who plays really good football. [1:06] So, man, I was proud of them. [1:08] I mean, it took all phases, but it needed to start in two areas. [1:11] And that was our defense and teams. [1:13] And they really did. [1:14] And to be able to get the run game going, that's part of the secret, man. [1:18] If you cannot run it on these guys, you're going to struggle. [1:20] And we were able to get it going, particularly in the second half. [1:24] I was just proud of that old line, the tight ends. [1:28] Obviously, Gibbs in the back, you know, and Vocky, man. [1:32] Vocky, really, we were going to need to count on him. [1:34] And our receivers blocking downfield. [1:36] It was just a total effort. [1:37] Goff getting us in the right play. [1:40] So, but, man, I was really proud of a lot of guys. [1:43] You know, defensively, we ended up losing some guys there. [1:46] And we had to, you know, we had to make some moves, roll some guys. [1:54] You know, Amney comes in on a couple of things. [1:57] And then, you know, Dee Moore's coming in. [2:00] And then we've got to move Barnes over. [2:02] And we bring in Rodrigo. [2:05] And now Nowowski's got to play a little bit. [2:07] Anyway, I just thought they handled it well. [2:09] And, you know, that was just a great job by our guys, man, across the board. [2:13] I was proud of the coaches and the players. [2:14] That's a dang good win, man. [2:16] It's a damn good win. [2:17] What key is that when you've got Amney? [2:26] It's huge. [2:27] It's huge. [2:29] Because it's such a problematic defense that is playing top-tier. [2:34] I mean, they're arguably the best defense in the league right now. [2:36] And they just, the issues they cause, particularly when you're in known passing downs, [2:42] they force you to pass. [2:43] It's tough. [2:44] It's just tough sledding. [2:45] And if you don't find a run game or end a game, got to have it, [2:48] you're not able to close it out, it's going to be hard. [2:53] So that was the key, offensively. [2:55] We knew going into this, we were going to have to be able to run the football. [2:58] We had to be able to run the football. [3:01] And we did. [3:02] We actually gained strength in the fourth quarter. [3:04] I was proud of those guys. [3:06] How hard was that for you and the team to rally after what happened to Jack? [3:11] Because that was a long time. [3:12] Yeah. [3:13] Then you guys went back out there. [3:14] I mean, look, it's tough because you're in that moment. [3:17] You know, you don't know what's going on. [3:20] You know, you're with them all the time. [3:23] And some of those guys, I mean, you know, it's your teammates. [3:26] So it's hard. [3:27] But as athletes, coaches in this league, you know, you have to lock back in. [3:37] I mean, that's part of this, what it's about, overcoming adversity, you know, in any shape, any form, any shape. [3:47] And that was another version of it. [3:49] And, you know, your instincts take over a little bit and you just get back to work. [3:54] And so they did a good job because it's not easy. [3:59] It's not easy to do. [4:01] What do you want to explain what the emotions are like in the locker room? [4:06] Yeah, there's a lot of excitement because that was a hard-fought win. [4:10] But they also, there's a lot of questions. [4:13] Like, everybody wants to know, obviously. [4:15] You know, everybody wants to know. [4:16] And we can't really give any answers quite yet. [4:18] So it's a little bittersweet, you know. [4:22] It's a little bittersweet. [4:24] What's the biggest difference in the second half there with the front? [4:28] Especially, you finished with 230 to get 66 in the first half. [4:31] What was it about that second half? [4:32] I know you always want to watch the tape. [4:33] But what were you feeling on the field there? [4:35] Why did you think that shifted in your way? [4:37] Well, there was, look, they pressure a ton. [4:41] And with pressure, there's a ton of movement. [4:43] You know, they move a lot. [4:44] And so there was a couple of things where, you know, we just were a little off. [4:48] Our combination blocks, our footwork, get overextended. [4:52] And there was a couple of missed targets. [4:54] Now, we put a lot on our guys. [4:56] We put a ton on our O-line in golf this week in the run game. [4:59] I mean, a ton. [4:59] It was high, high volume because we knew we needed it. [5:03] And so with that, you're going to stress yourself a little bit. [5:06] But we needed to be able to do that. [5:08] You can't just sit there and do the same stuff against his defense. [5:11] You just can't. [5:12] You've got to throw some wrinkles. [5:15] And so really, a lot of it was just, all right, man, settle down. [5:19] This is how it's coming. [5:21] This is how it's being played. [5:22] Here's the opponent. [5:24] Let's work a little bit tighter here together. [5:26] And we settled in. [5:28] You know, and that's inevitably what happens a little bit. [5:31] You know, you start to settle down and you play together. [5:33] And our defense is able to play that way and get us the ball back. [5:36] You're not stressed to have to, like, push the ball. [5:38] You know, push the ball in the pass game, getting these – you're able to hang on the run game. [5:44] And it was the right recipe. [5:46] I was just – I was proud of Hank, Fraley, and those guys. [5:49] I mean, seriously, it was just so good, man. [5:51] Drew did a hell of a job. [5:52] You know, it was a hell of a job calling the game. [5:54] How big were the contributions that you got from Vicky? [5:59] Big. [6:00] Vicky was one of the guys we challenged this week going into this game. [6:04] We were going to need him. [6:05] He needed to show up. [6:06] He was going to need to get some carries for us, some significant carries. [6:10] They needed to be real yards. [6:11] And he was going to need to be able to pass protect for us. [6:14] And, man, he – I thought he took – he took a big step today. [6:19] That's a huge step. [6:21] He gained a lot of trust today. [6:23] A ton. [6:23] Can you reference it, but the – as much as we talk about the offense and kind of what they did. [6:29] You know, get the ball back. [6:32] Obviously, the stop after Jack's injury that they did, you know, at the end of the game, especially. [6:37] And I can't speak enough about how great our defense did, especially when going into this game. [6:44] They were somewhat the focal point. [6:47] Like, they were the guys that – you know, I told them this was going to start with them. [6:52] This game was going to need to start with us on defense and our special teams unit. [6:57] And they were going to need to play top-tier football, and they were the ones being challenged, [7:01] and they needed to step up and, you know, and hold that – hold that offense at bay, you know, [7:08] while you – while you try to figure some things out on offense. [7:11] And, I mean, they did it to a tee. [7:12] I was proud of those guys, the way they played. [7:14] Shep and the staff and the players just played lights out. [7:17] We talked about rotating players in and out and guys – but that was a critical stop. [7:22] Critical. [7:24] You were down four or five starters on defense. [7:27] Yeah. [7:28] Adding to the gut-check nature of this game, do you think? [7:32] Yeah. [7:32] Look, any time you can win a game like that, like, those are the wins. [7:39] Like, you need to find some of those wins. [7:41] You need to have some of those wins because those are – to learn how to hang in there [7:46] when things are a little bit muddy and it's just kind of back and forth and the ebbs and flows [7:52] and to just trust what you're doing, trust your training, trust your other teammates, [7:58] the other units, and know that, man, the dam will burst. [8:02] It will burst. [8:04] You just got to hang in there. [8:05] And don't do anything that's going to put us at risk. [8:11] You know, just play the next play. [8:12] And I just thought they did it to a tee, man. [8:16] It was awesome. [8:17] That was a great win. [8:19] Jack's injury, which are the other ones that concern you most? [8:22] Oh, I mean, they're all about the same, honestly. [8:24] You know, you saw BB and Wanham. [8:26] You know, as far as next week, I don't know. [8:30] Cade, I don't think any of these necessarily long-term, [8:33] but that doesn't mean they're not going to be out for a week or two or more maybe. [8:37] I don't know. [8:38] So I don't have a ton of information, but we did get hit a little bit today for sure. [8:43] Jared, how much does the word resiliency define what happened inside that Lions sideline [9:05] in the locker room today? [9:05] Yeah, Jack's deal was definitely scary and just brings you back to reality for a moment [9:15] of, you know, that he's a husband and a father and it's scary. [9:22] We're praying for him and hope he's going to be all right. [9:23] And if I know anyone that's tough enough to get through something like that, it's going [9:27] to be him. [9:29] To regroup and I think a fourth down was coming up. [9:32] How hard is it to get back out of there? [9:34] Yeah, it's always so surreal. [9:36] Stuff like that happens and then I blow the whistle and we're off again. [9:41] And yeah, it's hard. [9:43] It's really hard. [9:44] And I think, you know, you got to remember these guys are humans and deal with stuff. [9:50] And we are humans as his teammates and deal with that emotion. [9:54] Yeah, it's hard. [9:56] I guess that's the only way I can put it. [9:58] Yeah. [10:02] Final drive, just every time you turned over, it was five here, 10 here, 17 here, right down. [10:08] Yeah. [10:08] How did you guys get that run game going in the second half? [10:10] How or why? [10:11] Both. [10:11] You know, I think they're so good at what they do on defense that if you try to drop [10:19] back past the whole game, it's going to be uphill battle. [10:23] And so we knew we had to be able to run the ball if we wanted to win this game. [10:26] And, you know, we were running it okay in the first half. [10:29] We just weren't getting those chunks that we were in the second half. [10:32] And then I think Drew and our whole offense kind of felt, you know, something, the dam [10:36] broke at some point in that second half where it was like, oh, we can just keep leaning [10:40] on this run and good things are going to happen. [10:43] And Valky ran his tail off. [10:46] And when he's able to do that, it just gives Gibbs that much more of a breath on the sideline [10:50] to come back and do his thing at his full capacity. [10:52] And, yeah, the O-line loved it. [10:54] They loved the challenge of, like, we're going to keep leaning on you guys. [10:56] And I thought they played great. [10:59] Four times in the first half, none at all in the second. [11:01] Was there anything that you guys figured out that allowed you to, I guess, just play [11:05] a little cleaner in the second half? [11:06] No, I don't think so. [11:07] I think it probably, being able to run the ball pretty well, it allows the play action to kind [11:12] of, they have to respect the run a little bit more so you're able to have a little bit [11:15] more time back there. [11:16] If they're able to stop the run, and, again, it's an uphill battle against a defense like [11:22] that, the way they play, the aggressiveness, the amount of pressure they bring. [11:25] And we knew it was going to be a four-quarter game. [11:28] And the whole, you know, thing we talked about all week was just be patient. [11:31] Like, at some point, the dam's going to break and stick in there. [11:34] And, you know, we're so used to scoring, you know, 30-plus points, and we knew this game [11:38] may not be that way. [11:39] We're going to have to be patient and just keep stacking, or keep chopping wood, keep [11:43] chopping wood. [11:43] And I thought we did exactly that. [11:45] Yeah. [11:47] A number of different guys out there. [11:48] Only 15 points, a lot of you guys, an opportunity to key three and out there. [11:52] Yeah. [11:53] Yeah. [11:53] Their play all game. [11:54] They were phenomenal. [11:55] And they have been phenomenal for, you know, what, three weeks now? [11:59] Yeah, they've been phenomenal. [12:00] And certainly carried us today. [12:03] And those guys fight, man. [12:06] It's fun to watch. [12:07] And Shep had them going today. [12:08] And they were playing aggressive. [12:09] They were playing fast. [12:10] They were playing physical. [12:11] The whole thing, it was fun to watch, and we're leaning on them. [12:14] To beat the blitz, you guys had a few wrinkles, like where Amon Ron was 15 years back. [12:19] That's kind of the idea. [12:21] I don't know if that's necessary to beat the blitz. [12:23] I think, you know, there is something to what they do. [12:28] What they do is kind of wacky, and so you kind of have to do some wacky things your own way [12:32] to kind of fight fire with fire in a little bit of ways. [12:36] I guess wacky is probably the wrong word. [12:37] What they do is very good. [12:38] It's just very aggressive. [12:42] So you kind of have to, you know, fight fire with fire in your own way. [12:45] What did you do to help get the offense settled down after those couple of early taunting calls, [12:49] just knowing how the refs were going to help me? [12:50] I didn't do anything. [12:51] I thought those were, yeah, whatever. [12:53] I didn't need to do anything. [12:54] J-Mo spun the ball. [12:55] He spins the ball every time he catches it. [12:56] I'm not sure what Saint did, but I've got to imagine it wasn't whatever. [13:00] In games like these against Flores, where you know each other so well, [13:04] where you're expected to stay alive. [13:09] That's part of the patience is like, you know, and I believe they're probably playing the same game of like, [13:14] let's see what their answers are, talking about us. [13:17] And we're playing the same game with them. [13:18] Let's see what they're going to do. [13:19] And I think he's as good as anyone at adjusting as well. [13:23] You know, that New England background, they just adjust and adjust and adjust. [13:26] And so you kind of have to play that game with them. [13:29] And I think every one of their games up to this point has kind of gone how today went, [13:35] outside of what we were able to do in the fourth quarter, running the ball, [13:38] and then our defense making the stop. [13:39] So they have a style of play they want to do, and we were able to come out on top. [13:43] I play with, I'm around 15 minutes. [13:48] About three days. [13:51] Yeah. [13:51] Another lead block today? [13:53] A couple of them, right? [13:55] Yeah. [13:55] Yeah. [13:55] You starting to save them? [13:56] Yeah, I'm starting to get real comfortable out there. [13:59] No, I got a little bit of, yeah, no. [14:01] I got to keep it easy, but those were good. [14:04] Was that a pancake officially? [14:06] I don't know, you tell me. [14:07] It was a legit block. [14:08] We were laughing at each other, me and Metellus. [14:10] He's a great player, but we were laughing about it. [14:13] All right, thanks, guys. [14:13] Thanks.