The worldwide miscommunication has had two days to settle. Dan Campbell is prepared to move forward.
The Lions coach said as much Monday, explaining he’s prepared to put the controversial and confusing result of Detroit’s Week 17 loss to Dallas behind him.
“Yesterday, I woke up feeling good and ready. My fury is controlled and I’m prepared,” Campbell stated. “I’m totally geared up to go.”
Neither I nor the team will back down. We are on a mission and won’t succumb to self-pity or dwell on setbacks. We had opportunities to perform but failed. It was a close game against a strong opponent, mirroring playoff conditions. We failed to make that crucial play. However, we will use this as motivation. I’m currently feeling invigorated, ready to tackle the next challenge. So, our focus is solely on moving forward.
Detroit is in an unfamiliar place this season. The Lions are division champions for the first time in 30 years, and were in a battle for the NFC’s top seed until referee Brad Allen’s ruling negated a successful two-point try that would have given Detroit a great chance of defeating the Cowboys Saturday in Arlington.
Campbell disagrees with the perception that Allen’s decision, which may have been a mistake, a consequence of miscommunication, or a combination of both, demonstrates bias against the Lions. He argues against any suggestion of bias, especially given that the Lions insist they adhered to the player reporting protocol correctly, albeit without seeing positive results.
“Don’t fall for that. Don’t let that be your reality, man,” Campbell advised. “It will only drag you down. If it’s any consolation, the NFL is against every team, okay? I mean, I experienced it in New Orleans. But you know what? We still persevered. Even in that game, we had opportunities to win before everything went down, but that incident ended it all. That was the turning point, man.”
We departed, loaded our luggage and moved on. We had a small experience of what it feels like, but our opportunity isn’t lost. The tournament (playoffs) hasn’t even commenced yet. Therefore, I view it as a blessing. I would advise the fans, ‘Don’t follow suit. Don’t even entertain such a thought.’ We are merely at the beginning of our journey.
Detroit is set to host a playoff game at Ford Field for the first time ever in just a few weeks. However, before the Lions reach that milestone, they have a rematch with a division rival at home to conclude the season.
Now, the focus is solely on defeating Minnesota to secure a season sweep, not on an official’s ruling or a perceived bias. He is aware that his players share this mindset.
“Honestly, I feel quite positive about it,” said Campbell. “I had mostly moved on until you all started asking me questions. I don’t want to dwell on it anymore… I’m done. I’m fine. Now, I just want to prepare for Minnesota. I’m confident our players will be ready to perform.”
