It’s about to be fun: Detroit Lions Hard Knocks Episode One Recap
“What are we? What makes us who we are?”
An impressively muscular Dan Campbell, head coach of the Detroit Lions, voiced this hypothetical question to a room full of players vying for a roster spot. As he points to the word “GRIT” written on the wall, he announced to everyone “we’ll go a little longer, we’ll push a little harder, and we’ll think a little deeper and a little sharper”.
“We’ll play anywhere! We’ll play on grass, we’ll play on turf, we’ll go to a fucking landfill”. NFL fans can rejoice.
Football is back!
Introducing Dan Campbell
During the beginning of the episode, we are given a glimpse into the career and personality of coach Dan Campbell. A former tight end, Dan Campbell played for 11 seasons with the New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, and Detroit Lions, before finishing his playing career with the New Orleans Saints in 2009.
After retirement, he contacted Bill Parcells who offered him a coaching internship with the Miami Dolphins. The following season he was promoted to tight-end coach. He remained in that position until 2015 when he was named interim head coach of the Dolphins for the remainder of the year.
At the end of the season, Campbell was contacted by Sean Payton of the New Orleans Saints who took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew about coaching. “It was the best move I ever made man”, Campbell said during his one-on-one.
Authenticity is something Campbell preaches to his players, as well as his staff. Linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard explained the trickle-down effect of Campbell’s desire for everyone to be their true selves.
“I thought about cutting my hair, Dan was one of the first people to say absolutely not. You’re Kelvin Sheppard, I’m hiring Kelvin Sheppard, I’m hiring Shep, I’m not hiring the guy who you think is supposed to fill that position”.
Another clip shows running back Jamal Williams gleefully telling reporters “I’m grateful for Dan, and just how he lets us be us, and you become closer and closer to each other.
It’s safe to say that Dan Campbell has the love and respect of his players. Especially after we see him completing the ‘up-down’ drill alongside them.
Aidan Hutchinson, Mr. Lion
As the Lions rookie serenades the entire training camp with the sounds of Billy Jean by Michael Jackson, we can see the chemistry building with his new team. A local product, Hutchinson’s mother reveals Aidan’s first football photo. It was a young Aidan dressed in a Lions flag football jersey. From a young age, he seemed destined to play to become the next great Lions player.
Being selected second overall by the Lions was a dream come true, not only for Aidan but for his entire family. His sister Aria told their mother, “If he didn’t get drafted by the Lions I would be sobbing on camera, and everybody would think I was happy that he went somewhere else, but it’s because I would be so depressed if he wasn’t home”.
You can’t help but smile watching Aidan and his family talk football, and the joy of him playing for Detroit. Much like the rest of the NFL, I am excited to see what he can do for the rebuilding Lion defense.
The Guardian Cap
This season, the NFL is requiring players involved in high-frequency collisions to wear the ultra-safe, ultra-ugly guardian cap. The new piece of equipment is a padded dome that goes on top of the helmet to give an extra layer of protection.
To say it’s a less than fashionable addition would be an understatement. In this episode, the guardian cap was best described by defensive line coach Todd Wash to Michael Brockers, “you look like big ass mushroom”.
Though the caps look funny, the staff and players understand its intention. “It’s a little weird at first, but if we can minimize the head trauma and things like that, I think it takes concussion rates down 10%, two people colliding 20%, that’s huge.”
All-in-all, without spoiling any more of the episode, I will guarantee that some part of your will be cheering for Dan Campbell and the underdog Lions this season. I know I will.
