Dan Campbell was a 1999 third-round draft pick of the Giants out of Texas A&M, and he spent four years with Big Blue as a hard-blocking tight end. He shared a locker room with Jason Garrett, a backup quarterback, and Sean Payton, an offensive assistant for head coach Jim Fassel.
Little did they know Campbell (Dolphins), Garrett (Cowboys) and Payton (Saints) all would become NFL head coaches.
“Certainly both of those guys have had an influence of a little bit of who I am and how I coach,’’ Campbell said Wednesday on a conference call. “Jason, as a player, when I was there was one of the smartest players I was ever around and Sean Payton was one of the smartest coaches I had ever been around.