ALLEN PARK — Dan Campbell was so excited to get rolling with Week 1 of the new season, the Detroit Lions coach was seven minutes early for his Monday press conference. He was wearing a big smile and a Lions’ “Anti-fragile” t-shirt.
“I told the team this morning, now let’s put our guys in position to go win and do what they do best. Let them go win the race for you,’’ Campbell said.
First up, it’s Sunday Night Football at Ford Field against Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Hard to top that for an opener to a season where the Lions are expected to at least be in the Super Bowl discussion.
They have not made a secret of that. Players, coaches and GM Brad Holmes have not been shy about their goal of winning the Super Bowl.
Now it’s time to walk the walk.
So Campbell told the team let’s not talk about the Super Bowl any more.
“Now we’re to the point now that doesn’t matter any more. What does that do? It does nothing,’’ Campbell said. “Now it’s about the steps to get to there. The steps are you better win your division so you get a home game. Then once you get a home game, now it’s about seeding. You win these head-to-heads then all of a sudden you’re the three seed, you’re the two seed, maybe you’re the one seed.’’
The Lions proved they are legitimate when they came within one half of making it to the Super Bowl in February with a 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
From Campbell’s view the anticipation isn’t different.
“It’s hard to say. I always get excited for this time of year. There again, our core is the core and it’s been that way for a long period of time, you hope you build on top of that foundation that we’ve built here, you’ve helped, you’ve improved and everybody grows together. So with that, it’s a new team,’’ Campbell said. “But I think it’s the same type of anticipation.’’
Left tackle Taylor Decker said he never felt the Super Bowl was a big conversation topic in the building but it could come up here and there.
“But again we just need to take it week by week, or we’d be doing a disservice to each other,’’ Decker said on Monday. “If you look too far ahead then you might be 3-4 weeks into the season and then (wonder) what’s going on here. We’re not going to let that happen. We have the right mindset of guys.’’
That’s how linebacker Alex Anzalone sees it too.
“As a competitor it’s exciting, I think this is how it should be. This is the expectation you want as a competitor,’’ Anzalone said. “You don’t want to put one thing in front of the other. There’s a lot of outside noise and excitement outside of here. Dan (Campbell) said today the first goal is to win the division.’’
First up are the Rams who the Lions beat in the playoffs at Ford Field in January. The Super Bowl is so far down the road.
“So now it’s about setting yourself up for that. How do you do that? It starts with Game 1, an NFC opponent, a really good opponent, who I think is going to be staring at all of us in the playoffs at the end of this year too,’’ Campbell said. “That’s it, you find a way to win your division again.’’
INJURY UPDATE: Safety Ifeatu Melifonwu is the only Lion dealing with injury this week. Campbell said it’s a slow-moving injury and they want to get him moving around.
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