Tag: Taylor Decker

Lions excitement begins this week with focus on topping the Rams

Super Bowl talk takes backseat; winning division is the key

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.

Detroit Lions Dan Campbell: We will live on hard work, not reputation

Winning the Super Bowl is the expectation as camp starts

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.’’

Lions report for offseason workouts as defending division champs with higher expectations

ALLEN PARK — When the Lions reported for offseason workouts this week, it was as defending NFC North champs. While that’s something quite new, the goal remains the same.

They ended last season one win short of making it to the Super Bowl. Certainly that provides a different approach to the offseason.

“I think we all know what the goal is, it’s always been the goal. I don’t think it was not the goal last year,’’ quarterback Jared Goff said on Tuesday. “I think we got a chance to taste it last year so you get to see what it feels like but that’s the goal, and this year it’s absolutely the goal.’’

After winning two playoff games, ending a decades-long drought, many of the same players are back from a year ago. Expectations and standards will rise.

“Internally we’re going to do the same thing we’ve been doing: try to raise our internal expectations and standards. Even better, Dan (Campbell) put it great last year how much harder it’s going to be,’’ Goff said. “We know that it’s going to be harder, people are going to be gunning for us and it’s going to be at first to defend our division title that’s No. 1 and then see where we can go from there. Holding that trophy at the end of the year only one team gets to do it and that’s our goal.’’

Left tackle Taylor Decker, who has recovered from offseason foot/ankle surgery, said he couldn’t even watch the Super Bowl like he usually does.

“I think I watched a quarter, then I was disinterested. I felt like we matched up well with anybody we were going to play with. It definitely hurts and was a disappointment especially because as special of a year as it was to end and go home early,’’ Decker said on Tuesday.

“It was a bummer for sure, but stuff like that’s going to happen, you’re not going to win every single game in a blowout, I think we’ll be better for it and learn some things for it but I don’t think that’s going to define our approach,’’ Decker added.

The team is back for individual workouts this week with no coaching allowed. So they have not had a welcome-back speech from Campbell yet. So there’s been no outward talk about their goals, it’s mostly just understood.

“Obviously how the game ended was a disappointment for us especially because I think we showed throughout the season last year that we belonged in that position, it wasn’t a fluke,’’ Decker said. “They were a better team that day which was a disappointment for us. I don’t think that’s going to change our mindset or how we feel about ourselves that we came up short.. Moving forward we have bigger goals ahead of us, I don’t think that one moment is going to define how we move forward with our mindset and approach.’’

Tight end Brock Wright said they’ve been talking that the motto is “it takes more” and explains it as a holistic approach starting at the top with GM Brad Holmes and Campbell.

“So I think everybody will have to step up their game. (Last year) brings confidence, but I think everybody on our team should be confident knowing that we have the experience of being there and looking forward to carrying that over to next year,’’ Wright said.

One more thing: New Lions uniforms will be unveiled on Thursday night to season-ticket holders at Ford Field. Wright said he thinks they’re cool, but couldn’t share more info. Players are sworn to secrecy.

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