Analyst: Dan Campbell Showcases 'Genuine Leadership'

NFL Network's Michael Robinson believes Dan Campbell is an authentic leader.

On a seemingly daily basis, it becomes more and more evident that Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell is respected by his peers.

Campbell, to his credit, has played a large part in the overall narrative shift that has occurred with the Lions. They’ve gone from the “loveable losers” of the National Football League to an organization that is highly expected to compete for the NFC North division crown in 2023.

Former NFL fullback and current NFL Network analyst Michael Robinson has taken notice of the turnaround in Detroit and attributes a significant portion of it to Campbell’s strong leadership ability.

“Well, first of all, what we just saw was examples of authentic leadership, like genuine leadership, right? And, I think that’s a big reason you see players go so hard for Dan Campbell,” Robinson commented, after observing a montage of Campbell soundbites. “I mean, all of those soundbites, he sounds like a teammate. He sounds like one of the tight ends in the room that, you know, has some free time and is always cracking jokes and keeping things light. I mean, he doesn’t feel like management. He doesn’t feel like he’s above you. He feels like he’s one of your teammates. And, I think him and his staff, that’s why they should get so much credit for the turnaround. Not just, you know, for the wins on the field for the Detroit Lions, but definitely that culture and obviously, he’s an ex-player. So, that comes with a lot of street credibility.”

Robinson Latest to Buy into Lions Hype

The Lions continue to be preseason darlings among fans and pundits alike.

And, you can add Robinson to the growing list of analysts buying into the idea of Detroit being the best team in the NFC North headed into the 2023 campaign.

“I think you’ve got to buy them, Yams,” the one-time Super Bowl champion said to his NFL Network co-host Mike Yam. “And, just look at the rest of the division. You just had a Hall of Fame quarterback, in Aaron Rodgers, walk out of there who was 18-8, I believe, against the Detroit Lions. I’m talking about Aaron Rodgers when he was in that division. So, you get a guy like that out of the division. And okay, so, what is Minnesota doing? Nobody knows what Minnesota is doing right now. They got good players up out of there. You know what I’m saying? And, Kirk Cousins, if it’s a big game, you know he ain’t going to win it. I don’t mean to be mean or whatever, but that’s just the reality when you talk about Kirk Cousins throughout his career. And, you look at the Chicago Bears, they’re in build mode with a young quarterback, in Justin Fields.”

The Lions, meanwhile, will be equipped with Jared Goff under center for a third straight season. And, at his disposal, he’ll have two new weapons at running back – David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs - plus a potential new No. 1 tight end in rookie Sam LaPorta.

Additionally, the defense has undergone its fair share of quality changes this offseason. Most notably, Detroit general manager Brad Holmes made a concerted effort to upgrade the team’s secondary. He added veteran defensive backs Cam Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, plus drafted safety Brian Branch.

So, as Robinson attested to, Detroit has emerged as a strong favorite to win the NFC North not just because of the apparent lack of competition from its divisional rivals.

“And, of course, they have playmakers around Jared Goff and all of those things. And, the defense got better in the second half of the season. So, yeah, I’m buying them,” Robinson added.