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Dan Campbell Shares Hilarious Story about Sewell, Fans Doing Wave

Dan Campbell appeared on "The Pat McAfee Show" Tuesday afternoon.

Christian Booher

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Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell was in good spirits Tuesday during an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show".

Campbell traded quips with McAfee, the affable host who is among the top voices in sports media, and co-host A.J. Hawk. The second-year coach shared several interesting stories, including the process leading up to tackle Penei Sewell’s game-sealing first down catch Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

“That was something that was a long time coming,” Campbell said. “We’ve been talking about Penei for a long time, like, man, we’ve gotta throw this guy a ball, because he’s too good of an athlete, he really is. He’s something else. So, it was like, we use our jumbo tight ends quite a bit in general, and it’s like, let’s get him to report eligible and let’s get him a ball, or let’s get him a couple of balls. We were gonna do some things in the red zone, and it ended up in four-minute, is where we felt like we were gonna get a similar style of defensive scheme. It just felt like, hey, it was the right time.”

Sewell’s nine-yard catch and dive to remain in bounds have made waves throughout the league. It’s an example of the creativity flowing within the Lions’ offensive scheme.

“Here’s another thing that happened, these things happen during the game. So, we’re in that situation, and the fans are doing the wave around the stadium. And so, I’m just watching. I hear Ben Johnson's like, ‘Hey coach, do you wanna?’ I’m so focused on the wave, I say, ‘Yeah, that’s fine.’ I look up, and we’re throwing it to Penei, and I’m like, ‘What the (expletive) we doing?’ They said, ‘Coach, you said it was fine.’ It worked out great, it was unbelievable. Listen, we knew it would be wide open, we’ve worked the heck out of it, we’ve seen him run the reps, we’ve seen him flip his hips. He’s got soft hands, and the only thing I was worried about, and I wanted to make sure Goff got to him, was, ‘Make sure you stay in bounds.’”

Bobbleheads in Allen Park

During his appearance, Hawk asked Campbell what the best part about being the Lions’ head coach that he never anticipated was. In response to that, McAfee held up a Campbell bobblehead that was sent to his office.

Campbell chuckled, and said that all the coaches have that bobblehead in their offices.

“I guess they just gave (the bobblehead) away to everybody in the building,” Campbell said with a chuckle. “And so, they didn’t know what to do with them. They’ve got them hanging up in there. I’m sure it’s so the coaches can mother-(expletive) me and not to my face.”

He soon re-answered the question, explaining that he appreciates the support given to him and general manager Brad Holmes and the freedom that duo has to make the decisions they feel are best for the team.

Approval rating from Lions fans

Campbell praised Lions fans for how they have received him during his tenure as the team’s head coach. He admitted that the reception has been better since the team entered its hot stretch over the last six games, plus that he still gets the occasional negative letter.

“When things aren’t good and nobody says anything to you, then you know it’s bad,” Campbell said. “When things are good and people are saying things to you, then it’s pretty good. Listen, honestly, through the thick and thin of it, the fans have been outstanding to me and my family, and they’ve been very supportive. Now, I’ll get the occasional letter that says, ‘Hey coach, next time it’s fourth-and-6, why don’t you punt?’ And then, it’s like, ‘Dave.’ And, that’s it.”

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Christian Booher
CHRISTIAN BOOHER

Sports journalist who has covered the Detroit Lions the past three NFL seasons. Christian brings expert analysis, insights and an ability to fairly assess how the team is performing in a tough NFC North division. 

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