Campbell Does Not Want to Limit Goff: Wants QB to 'Come Out of That Box'

Lions head coach Dan Campbell wants Jared Goff to take ownership of the offense.

Dan Campbell isn’t about to let Jared Goff take on his new role as Detroit Lions franchise quarterback alone.

To help Goff get comfortable and acclimated, Campbell said he’s spent time in the quarterbacks room. 

With Campbell and offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn working together, the mission is to make sure the new quarterback is comfortable with not just the offense, but the decision-making.

“I want him to have flexibility,” Campbell said. “I do. I want him to feel comfortable enough to say what’s on his mind.”

Reports have surfaced about Goff being on thin ice with his last coach, Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay. Many believe this disdain caused the two’s relationship to fracture, and ultimately led to Goff’s ousting from the team just two seasons after he led the Rams to the Super Bowl.

In Detroit, Campbell doesn’t want that to be the case.

“I want him to have open dialogue with us,” Campbell said. “I want him to have feedback. There’s things where if he feels like this is something he can do and we feel good about it, putting it in his hands, that’s what we want to do.”

Campbell said he doesn’t want to “put (Goff) in a box.” The first-year Lions coach wants to show faith in his new quarterback, hoping that this faith will be reciprocated by Goff's teammates and other coaches.

“I want (Goff) to come out of that box at times,” Campbell said. “You’ve got things that you feel like you can do, you can handle, we can handle as a team. Then, we’ll put on him whatever we feel like we can put on him.”

This decision goes hand-in-hand with what Campbell is trying to do as he builds the culture of his new team. At the heart of this culture-building effort is competition.

“It’s just being around each other,” Campbell said. “It’s just being around each other, them getting a feel for us as a staff and what we’re looking for, which is ultimately doing the right things and competing. Competing, competing, competing. Everything has got to be about competition.”

During minicamp, Campbell says winning reps will be emphasized. In order to be successful, Campbell said that competing and winning in individual reps will be important.

Wide receiver updates

With the top two receivers from a year ago in Marvin Jones Jr. and Kenny Golladay gone, the Lions’ wide receivers room is like the "Wild West." All positions are up for grabs.

Many of the top names in the room have been cast off from previous teams, such as former Oakland Raiders wide receiver Tyrell Williams and journeyman wideout Breshad Perriman. There’s also rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown, who looks to be the prize of the unit, and second-year wideout Quintez Cephus.

“That’s what all of this is about right now,” Campbell said. “To get a feel of who we have in this building and what they’re capable of and how can we use them, how do we use them.”

Among the more impressive wideouts has been Victor Bolden, who was signed to a reserve/futures contract January 5. Bolden has played in 15 games in his three-year career, although he has never made a catch.

“This guy can separate,” Campbell said. “He can run, he can change direction. He’s been pretty good offensively, mentally. He’s no different than anybody else. There’s things he’s got to clean up, but just the ability to separate shows up to us.”

Campbell speaks on Jim Fassel

News surfaced Tuesday morning that former New York Giants head coach Jim Fassel died at the age of 71. Fassel had a lengthy career in football, spanning nearly 40 years as both a player and a coach.

Campbell was drafted by Fassel in 1999, and played four seasons for him. Campbell spoke of Fassel in the opening of his press conference Tuesday. 

“Just a number of things that come to mind,” Campbell said. “One of the first was just the people he surrounded himself with. From coaches to players, it was one of the best experiences I ever had. Some of my best friends were there, and some of my closest friends and some of the best coaches I ever had were there.”

Fassel finished his career with a coaching record of 58-53-1, and led the Giants to a Super Bowl appearance in 2000, where they were defeated, 34-7, by the Baltimore Ravens. Fassel was also an assistant with the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals and Baltimore Ravens. 

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