Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell opened his Munich press conference—which was attended by nearly 100 media members—with an off-kilter story. When asked what German he’d learned from Amon-Ra St. Brown, he launched into a tale about wanting to spice up the term “spread your wings” with some good old-fashioned profanity. He wanted the f-word, and when he looked it up, the closest he got was “scheiße”—the word for shit. He went for it, essentially saying “spread your shit wings.”
For us who know Campbell, that kind of clunky story is part of his self-deprecating charm. It’s undeniably funny, but it didn’t really land with the German crowd. They were either unprepared for the untraditional cadence of Campbell, or something got lost in translation.
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However, for the next 20 minutes, I was able to witness what is truly a joy every time I get the opportunity to do so: watching Dan Campbell win over a room. As the mostly German press got a crash course on Campbell’s folksy accent and imperfect diction, they were also treated to his charm and authenticity. My attention quickly turned from Campbell’s answers to the media members consuming his words.
The cracked smiles that eventually gave way to unstoppable laughter. The nods of shared experience. The realization by some that they better get their phones out before this incredible answer ended.
There were two answers in Friday’s press conference where Campbell shined the most and left the crowded pub-turned-media room beaming. The first was when Campbell was asked about making his pitch for an international fan to become a Lions fan. Campbell, instead, made an entire argument for the game of football.
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Campbell, as he often does when he’s about to drop bars, took his time to really think it through before answering.
“I was fortunate enough to be able to play this game before I coached it. I got to play 11 seasons. I think this is my 28th year in the NFL. I think it’s 28,” Campbell said, as he ramped up the passion. “This game, this game gave me a life, okay? I was not a superstar. I was not a speed demon. I’ve got size. I played tight end, so you do a little bit of everything. But it gave me an opportunity to make a life and do something I absolutely loved with a group of guys—at any given time, 53 men that have the same goal, and you’re all going in the same direction, and the blood and the sweat and the tears that it requires on a daily basis to be great are things you never forget.”
Buckle up, he’s just getting started.
“And it builds character. It builds character in your team, it builds character in your individual, and it allows you overcome anything in life that may come your way. I tell the team all the time, one day you’re going to get hit; you’re going to get rocked with something really tough in your life. And I hate to say it, I don’t want it to happen, none of us do, but you will. And you’re going to have to be the rock, but you’re going to know how to overcome it, and you know who you can lean on, too: your brothers who have gone through everything you’ve had to go through here.”
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Campbell then snapped out of his own trance, as he often does after a long, passionate answer.
“I just think it’s special that way. And it gives guys an opportunity that may not have all the bells and whistles—just because they do all the little things right and they maximize everything that they have in their ability.”
Now drive it home with some humbleness.
“That’s the best way I could do it or say it.”
The NFL may as well cut that answer together right now, and play it at every event in which they’re trying to grow the game. But Campbell wasn’t done.
Then he cut a promo specifically about the city of Detroit and how it has shaped his football team.
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“We don’t have the beach. We don’t have all this—now the summers are unbelievable, but things come a little bit harder out in that area,” Campbell said. “I always equate it to: it’s people that’ll do anything for you. They’d give you the shirt off their back if you needed it. And they’re all about doing the hard stuff.
“And when I came to Detroit to take over as head coach, man, I wanted to build a team that they could relate to. We want to be a team that they can look at and say, ‘I respect that. I respect the way they go about their business.’ That there is something gritty about it. It is hard work. It is inspiring football. It’s not the easy way out.’
“And so those are really the type of fans we have, man. Just good, wholesome people that really care about each other. They put in good days’ work and man, they back us up and support the heck out of us, and we love them to death.”
Throw some dramatic music behind that, play it before kickoff at Ford Field, and welcome the thousands of German fans who are now ready to ride with Detroit.
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Campbell’s German may not go beyond “guten tag” and “scheiße,” there is something he shares in common with the country’s culture. And he was sure to mention it in his perfect press conference dismount.
“You don’t come to Germany without getting a German beer. I know that. So, I will definitely have a beer before I leave, that’s for sure. I don’t know which one or what, but I’m getting one.”
After the dust has settled, a German reporter gleefully turned to the local Detroit beat writers and asked a question we’re accustomed to answering in the States.
“Is he always like that?”
Yes. Yes, he is.
