Dan Campbell: Brad Holmes Is a 'Master Evaluator'

The Lions have assembled one of the most complete rosters in the NFL.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell walks off the field with general manager Brad Holmes
Lions head coach Dan Campbell walks off the field with general manager Brad Holmes / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK
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The Detroit Lions are a football team that has been constructed as well as any across the league.

Despite a rash of injuries, the team has been able to rattle off eight consecutive wins.

General manager Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell have been working together for four years, and have the Lions as one of the teams in the conversation to win the Super Bowl.

During his Friday media session, Detroit's popular head coach was asked a series of questions regarding scouting players, the importance of communication and whether there's a question that has carried the most meaning when he's had an opportunity to speak to draft prospects.

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“I don’t know if there’s a question. Look, let me go to the – Brad (Holmes) does a hell of a job. There’s a lot of people involved, but I’m always going to tell you, I think Brad is a master evaluator," said Campbell. "And, I just think – and it starts with him and then it just kind of permeates, obviously, because he’s the leader of that group throughout the scouts and personnel department.

"So, he’s got a real good way about him, about figuring guys out," Campbell continued. "But, I also love – the tape speaks for itself. The tape is louder than anything else. It really is, and then you just kind of get around them a little bit, ask them a few things. But, I can’t tell you that there’s one question that’s going to nail it or not nail it.”

For Campbell, being able to speak to a player in a way that facilities growth and learning is one of the primary tasks of being a head coach in the National Football League.

"That is job number one for the coaches, for us as coaches, is we have to find a way to (figure out) ‘What is the best way for them to learn? What is the best way to motivate them?’ You don’t always know, you get a guy, he’s got a lot of talent, well, why doesn’t it work out? If you really believe in the coaches you have and what you’re teaching and how you’re going about it, if they don’t make it, it’s too much pressure, and they just can’t get over it, the anxiety of it for whatever reason, or they just – they don’t care enough about it," Campbell said. "Most of the time, that’s kind of what happens. It’s one or the other.

"This is a hard business. You’re around the best of the best, and not everybody can do it, no matter how talented you are. And, you see a slew of guys every year, the amount of talent and they just can’t get it. But, us as coaches, we have to find a way to communicate and whatever it takes to do that.”


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John Maakaron
JOHN MAAKARON

John Maakaron has covered Detroit Sports since 2013. Brings a vast array of experience covering the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions, Michigan Wolverines, Michigan State Spartans, Detroit Mercy Titans, and Oakland University Golden Grizzlies. John brings a wealth of sports broadcast experience. In 2013, John had the vision to establish the Detroit Sports Podcast Network. Has recorded over 3000 podcasts analyzing Detroit Sports. In 2019, Sports Illustrated Media Group, a historical sports media outlet, partnered with Detroit Sports Podcast to provide daily Lions content for their growing and expanding digital media outlet. Our Lions content can also be read in the newspaper at The Oakland  Passionate about Detroit Sports and it is reflected in his coverage of the local teams!