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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Within the hours after the Detroit Lions‘ NFC divisional spherical loss to Washington, head coach Dan Campbell obtained a 4 a.m. textual content from All-Professional receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The defeat, after incomes the No. 1 seed for the primary time in staff historical past, continued to disturb each of them.
“I do know the fellows, [the loss] eats away at [them],” Campbell stated Monday. “I do know the correct guys — they’re our guys for a cause and that is what’s going to all the time give me hope and let me know we’re solely going to be higher.
“We’ll come again stronger, we’ll be taught from this, and it is simply extra gasoline on the fireplace, is what it’s.”
After experiencing a wave of feelings within the wake of Saturday’s 45-31 loss to the Commanders, Campbell stated he “completely” feels that the Lions’ Tremendous Bowl window stays open.
“Yeah, I do,” Campbell stated. “We discuss that core. That core group continues to be intact — and we have signed some again, some are up on contracts and that’ll be ongoing. However, yeah, we completely do.
“I believe an important factor is you need to know you’ve got received your tradition, you’ve got received your id, and you have got gamers that match into that, and we have that. And we have gamers in each pivotal place you may ask for to have success and people guys are made the correct means, so, completely, our window is open.”
The Lions predict to lose each coordinators — Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson — to NFL head teaching jobs. Campbell stated it is his job to “replenish and discover the subsequent man up” in the event that they head elsewhere, and he plans to be closely concerned in evaluating future candidates from inside and out of doors the group to ensure the staff retains rolling after a 15-win season.
The Lions need to maintain their terminology and can prioritize beginning quarterback Jared Goff‘s consolation to maintain him enjoying at a excessive stage.
The win-now mindset will not change, Campbell stated.
“We’re not going to permit that to occur,” Campbell stated. “Does it harm to lose these guys? Completely. They’re part of what we have been right here. They have been right here for 4 years they usually’re one of many main the explanation why we have been in a position to get to the place we have been.
“We got here out of the dump and received to the place we’re at, so I’ll eternally be glad about these guys and our staff will. And is it a loss? Completely, it would be a loss, however but we transfer ahead. This prepare rolls on and I am going to discover the subsequent finest guys for us.”
Getting into the postseason, Lions working again Jahmyr Gibbs felt this staff was higher than the 2023 roster that reached the NFC Championship Sport. Campbell and the group stay pissed off after developing wanting their final aim.
“We had these objectives. … We met two of these objectives this yr and in a way, went above and past what we had been a yr in the past, however but, we did not get any additional and man, that is disappointing. Nevertheless it additionally eats at me. That drives me. That motivates me.”
