ALLEN PARK — On the Detroit Lions first day of training camp they were riding the line between Super Bowl expectations and not losing their gritty identity.
It’s uncharted waters for this bunch but coach Dan Campbell is not going to let the ship get off course.
Heck, he’s lived through what can happen. In 2000 as a tight end, his New York Giants went 12-4 and lost in the Super Bowl. The next season, with the exact same team, they fell to 7-9.
“That was a lesson learned for me. I will never forget that, ever,’’ Campbell said on Wednesday. “We are not going to lose our identity, that is the most important thing to me and I won’t sacrifice it for anyone or anything. I told the team that, they know that.’’
After going decades without a postseason win, the Lions lost in the NFC Championship game in January – they were one half away from making it to the Super Bowl
“We don’t live off reputation, we live off of work,’’ Campbell said. “That’s what’s gotten us where we’re at, it’s been a long hard road to get to where we’re at right now. There’s a price to be paid so we’ve got to pay it again. That’s the message that will always be the message.’’
The coach is resolute that this team will not lose its identity as a hard-working, physical and gritty group.
“At this point nobody cares what we did last year. It doesn’t matter. It has no bearing on the season moving forward. If anything, it’s going to make it harder for us,’’ left tackle Taylor Decker said. “We can’t take that for granted. It’s hard to have a great season then refocus and get back to doing things the right way.’’
He’s been through it too, winning a national championship at Ohio State in 2014 and then not living up to expectations in 2015.
Consistency is key, Decker said, for teams and individuals.
That 12-5 record from last season may be old news, but, without question, it provided confidence.
“Each year you get into that meeting room the first day, it’s like: What do you want to accomplish with the team? I can truthfully say this year it’s not even playoffs, it’s not No. 1 seed. It’s the Super Bowl and that’s for everybody in the room,’’ wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said.
“And it’s the first year I feel like truly as a team we all feel the same way. We all want to win the Super Bowl, we know we can win the Super Bowl, we’ve got the team, we’ve got the coaches, we have everything in this building we need to win a Super Bowl. That’s our goal, that’s our focus and everything we do from here on moving forward to get there.’’
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