Dan Campbell is practically a caricature of a football coach.
The Detroit Lions’ leader carries himself like a cross between a drill sergeant and a big-game hunter. His remarks in news conferences are peppered with tough-guy clichés and Scotch-and-cigar one-liners. It often sounds like he’s punching you in the arm while he speaks. Campbell is the sort of man who seems to have been born with a whistle around his neck.
When Campbell’s Lions went 3-13-1 in his first season as their head coach in 2021, then started his second 1-6, there appeared to be little substance behind the swagger.