Jack Campbell spent most of the offseason chewing on the Lions' loss to the 49ers in the NFC championship, and swallowing the fact that "I was part of the problem." He declared when he returned in the spring that "this year, the standard is higher, especially for the defense."
Just how high?
"We could be very well be a top-10 defense, we just have to come out here and do the right things every day. But why not be the best defense in the NFL, if we all want to get to where we’re going to get," Campbell said Friday after the third practice of camp. "I feel like that’s been the focus and the mentality that’s been adopted by everyone in the locker room."
The Lions ranked 19th in total defense last season, after ranking dead last the year prior. They nearly reached the Super Bowl on the back of their offense, a top-five unit for the second year in a row.
The defense got some much-needed upgrades this offseason, most notably in the secondary after Detroit allowed the most air yards in the NFL. The only room that wasn't injected with talent is the one to which Campbell belongs. At linebacker, the Lions are bullish on the trio of Campbell, Alex Anzalone and Derrick Barnes. Campbell, in particular, looks poised for a legitimate year-two leap.
"It’s going to come," said Campbell. "I’m not going to press for it, and you know what? If the leap doesn’t come this year, what about Year 3? Year 4, if I’m fortunate enough to make it that far. But I’m preparing every day, doing everything that I need to do to make that leap right now. As an individual, I feel like I’ve been pushing myself to honestly the maximum human capacity right now.
"I’m just going to keep finding ways to do more, because at the end of the day, I don’t want to be sitting in the offseason asking myself what I could’ve done more. Because I hate that feeling."
It gnawed at him for the last several months. He said in the spring that the memory of the final seconds ticking off the clock in San Francisco after the Lions had blown a three-score halftime lead is "what eats at me the most." Campbell was thrust into a bigger role that night when Barnes went down with an injury early in the game. He became a culprit in the collapse.
Campbell's brow was caked in sweat when he spoke with reporters after Friday's practice. His hands and wrists were still wrapped in tape, which he slowly unwound as he talked about the value of hard work, his affinity for the city of Detroit -- "Just strap up and provide for your family" -- and the reality that for all the eyes that might be on him this season, "the one who puts the most pressure on me is myself."
As a rookie, Campbell reflected the rest of Detroit's defense: stout on the ground, vulnerable in the air. He was second on the team in tackles, but often struggled in coverage. He has no problem coming downhill, like when he sniffed out and snuffed out an off-tackle run by David Montgomery during a red zone period Friday. With this length and instincts, Campbell should make more of an impact this season disrupting the pass.
"I have individual, personal goals. I keep them to myself, just because I don't want to be a headline or anything," Campbell said. "But ultimately, my number one goal is to go to the Super Bowl and win it, and that's not going to happen if the defense isn't performing at a high level, and then all the individuals on the defense aren't performing at a high level."
The defense has held its own in the early stages of camp, against a loaded offense. Particularly in the backend, the coverage looks stickier. That should make life easier on the linebackers, who can attack the play in front of them instead of worrying about mistakes behind them. Coordinator Aaron Glenn has yelled at his players to be more aggressive, even in practices without pads. There were a few dustups Thursday and Friday as the defense set a physical tone.
"In the linebacker room, we’re trying to take the ball away," Campbell said. "We don’t want tackles, we want to get the ball back to our offense."
Detroit's defense has talked about playing with more swagger. Well, most of the defense. Campbell laughed and said, "If you’re talking about swag, you’re not looking at me. Because I’m literally the lowest swag on the team." While his teammates have "cool shoes" and "cool cars" and "wear a bunch of cool stuff that I can never wear because I would look terrible in it," the 23-year-old from Cedar Falls, Iowa who likes to fish and hunt in his spare time, said, "I got me that 2015 Dodge Ram. Gets the job done."
That's all Campbell wants to do this season.
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