Campbell: 'Why Are They Playing Slow?'

New Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell feels that Lions players were thinking too much last season.

Shortly after being hired by the Detroit Lions, new head coach Dan Campbell expressed that he wants to put players in a position to utilize their skills and succeed out on the football field. 

“Certainly there are pieces here I like. There’s a number of pieces here I was excited about. Is there going to need to be a little retooling as Brad would say? Yeah, there is. Those are the facts of the matter," Campbell said, via the Lions’ team website. “But, I’m not so sure this is what some may think it is or as far away as some may think it is.”

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During a conversation with 97.1 The Ticket shortly after being hired, Detroit's new head man hinted that several members of the roster seemed troubled by what they were being asked to do.

Then, in a conversation with The Detroit News, Campbell noted that he and new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn noticed some disturbing patterns when they reviewed film from the 2020 season. 

"(Aaron) Glenn and I were watching it the other day, and there was enough stuff to where, man, why are they playing slow?" Campbell said via The Detroit News. "This is a much better athlete, he should be playing faster. It just looks like there's indecision. It looks like they're timid. They look like they had lacked confidence. I'm just talking about the players that were here."

Campbell expressed he feels that Detroit's new coaching staff can quickly aid the roster in gaining confidence by putting it in situations where it can learn. 

There are also some techniques that Campbell is hoping to use in order to challenge members of the roster.

"I think you do some one-on-ones in front of your teammates and you find out, you know, who gets a little embarrassed and who rises up. And if you're a guy who doesn't rise to the challenge, put him in it again, put him in the next day, do it again, do it again," Campbell said. "Make him get comfortable with being uncomfortable. I just think we can help some of those things."

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