Detroit coach Dan Campbell tells Lions' players 'you're built for this' after divisional win
DETROIT (FOX 2) - It may have only been the team in the Detroit Lions locker room after their thrilling victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but coach Dan Campbell might as well have been speaking to the entire Lions franchise when he told them they were unbelievable.
"I'm telling you, we talked about it all year, this started a long time ago," he said.
For Campbell, it started exactly three years ago when he spoke at his first Lions press conference. For fans old and new, it's been a lot longer.
But no matter where the start line was, the finish line still isn't here. Detroit is moving on to play San Francisco for a chance to win the SuperBowl.
"You're built for this," Campbell continued. "You're — built for this and look what you guys did, you went out there, and it's another — hot team that we knocked off.
"It's the next hot team that you knocked off. You know how hard it is to win in this — league in the playoffs? Do you understand what you're doing right now? What we're capable of? That's two, alright? That's two. We got two to go with a bye in the middle," he continued, his voice getting louder.
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The echoes of a trip to the SuperBowl are beginning to grow.
Campbell continued building during his postgame locker room speech, before telling them how "unbelievably proud of everybody in here." He finished it off with a single game ball. Last week's went to quarterback Jared Goff and General Manager Brad Holmes.
This week's game ball went to Derrick Barnes, who caught the game-ending interception.
He didn't shy away from the moment or what it meant. After all, it was his first interception since being drafted into the league.
"It took three years to get my first interception man, but it means more because the people that believed in me - you know, a lot of people didn't," he said.
Barnes was a member of the team's first draft class since Holmes took over the team - and it wasn't without stars. Offensive Tackle Penei Sewell has become a staple of Detroit's run game on the O-line. Defensive Lineman Alim McNeil has also shown his quality on the other side of the ball.
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Ifeatu Melifonwu has been efficient when on the field as a cornerback, while Amon-Ra St. Brown has become Goff's best receiving target. Several other players from that round also start and have made a difference in several Lions games since joining the team.
While the 2023 draft class has captured the spotlight, bolstering the Lions' offense behind plays from Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta, it's the team effort as a whole that helped secure its playoff victories this season.
Game Recap: Lions top Bucs in hard-fought battle at Ford Field
The home game at Ford Field, Detroit's second this postseason, features two NFC teams hitting their stride at just the right time.