The Detroit Lions are now just days away from kicking off their 2025 NFL season, in which they will look to build off of last year's historic campaign. This year, head coach Dan Campbell watched both his offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn take head coaching jobs elsewhere, meaning he had to do some scouring to fill those voids.
The Lions ended up hiring John Morton to take over as the new offensive coordinator, and Kelvin Sheppard for defense.
Recently, Campbell broke down what went into those selection processes.
“(General manager Brad Holmes) talks about it all the time, it doesn't matter what it is—players, coaches—they can be at the top of their game, of their profession, but are they good teammates?” Campbell said, per Sports Illustrated. “Do they mesh with the rest of the guys? I had to know Johnny would come in here and mesh with Scottie [Montgomery] and Hank [Fraley] and Bru [Mark Brunell]. That's big too. You may be the best coach in the world, but if I don't think you're going to fit with the rest of our guys, you're not coming in. It doesn't make sense.”
A big season for the Lions
Some fans have been wondering whether the change in offensive coordinators might result in a drop off in quarterback Jared Goff's game.
However, general manager Brad Holmes does not seem to be phased by any doubts because he trusts the process.
“The standard is set that there's no short cuts,” Holmes said. “There's no easy way out. It starts with the work. From a coaching staff, it's always fundamentals. Don't just scream it. Know what the plan is. to actually work on it and have it come to fruition, that's what me and him believe in. It starts with the work. There are no shortcuts. There's no easy road.”
The Lions put together a historic season last year but saw it fizzle out quickly in the divisional round vs the Washington Commanders.
Now that they are back healthy, the Lions are hoping to show that the loss was just a blip on the radar as they look to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history.
