Dan Campbell Says Lions Won't Lose Because of Code Words

Campbell not concerned about social media post appearing to show Lions' terminology.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell. / Grace Hollars/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell made it clear he's not overly concerned about a social media post made by a key member of the offense that circulated over the weekend.

A screengrab of Jermar Jefferson in a post from Jahmyr Gibbs made waves, as Jefferson was posing in front of a whiteboard filled with calls and key terminology for the Lions' offense. After offering a "no comment" on Sunday, Campbell opened up on his view of the situation during his weekly radio interview.

The fourth-year head coach was not worried about the image, as teams can openly scout the Lions' offense by watching film. He believes the photo will not have a negative impact on the Lions' future going forward.

“Yeah, I don’t, I know what it is, but I’m like, we might as well put everything out there. I don’t really give a crap," Campbell said. "I mean, if we’re gonna lose because of code words, then we’re not good enough anyway. I think we’ll just post the whole freakin’ playbook and every code word we’ve got. It doesn’t matter. It’s not gonna hurt us, it won’t affect us. It’s all good.”

While the code words help disguise what the Lions are running on a play-by-play basis, teams can identify tells and tendencies simply by watchng the tape. As a result, Campbell knows that a lot of what the team likes to do is not a secret.

“No, there’s not. I mean, it’s on tape. You can get everything you need in any avenue. It’s on tape, the TV copy. You guys at home get more than we do until after the game, it’s crazy," Campbell explained. "But listen, it’s all out there, and you can find everything that you need on the tape and how to attack people, how they’re gonna attack you. No, I’m not losing sleep over that. Now, do I want us posting stuff up from our locker room or our players, no, I don’t because you don’t know what’s gonna happen with something like that. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal.” 

Dan Campbell tells 97.1--- We will just post the WHOLE playbook on the internet. If we can't win because of codewords, we don't deserve to win! It's all out there
--Confirming our story just posted.

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) December 2, 2024

Burning Question: Do Teams Have Advantage Due to Lions Leak?

Newcomers expected to 'lay it on the line'

The Lions have several new faces on defense, including two new defensive linemen, a linebacker and a safety. The group will all be tasked with getting up to speed with the defensive scheme quickly. Campbell does not believe the group will have an issue acclimating.

"No, I feel like the guys that we brought in are football players, and we're gonna get them up to speed as fast as possible," Campbell said. "We'll play as needed to give ourselves a chance to win this game. Whoever comes in, whoever we use, we expect them to freakin' lay it on the line and give us what they've got and we'll give them a chance to have success. And we'll be good to go, man, we're looking forward to this."

Campbell noted that the team will be cautious with how much they install defensively. However, they will also need contributions from the new additions given all the injuries to their defense in recent weeks.

As a result, the Lions are focused on finding the balance between using looks their players know and finding ways to just let the players rely on their instincts.

"Yeah, I mean, I think you want to be careful how much you put in," Campbell said. "The volume of it is probably where you want to be careful. But it's not like we're not gonna have enough bullets going into this game. We'll have enough, and like I say it ultimately comes down to having a sound plan, playing hard, playing fast, playing physical and being disruptive."