After the small taste of success, Campbell wants it all next season. Speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the team’s minicamp this week, the Lions head coach predicted that they would be back again next season and said the team could win it all this time.
“I want the whole enchilada,” Campbell said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy.
The Lions have endured a near-total rebuild since Campbell took over as head coach in January 2021, beefing up a defense that was among the league’s worst and building a potent offense around quarterback Jared Goff.
Detroit’s linebackers coach, Kelvin Sheppard, echoed Campbell’s prediction that the team could win it all this season and said the success comes because of the strong foundation they have built.
“Before you can set goals, you have to set a foundation,” Sheppard said, via The Athletic. “So I think right now, the things we’ve been discussing this offseason have been foundationally. I think we all know where we’re at as an organization and what the goal is this year. Dan, the whole enchilada, he’s been eating a lot of Mexican. But that’s what we’re all in this year, is for the whole enchilada.”
After a strong finish to the 2022 season saw the Lions finish above .500 at 9-8, they entered the 2023 season as favorites to win the division. The Lions delivered, winning their first division title in three decades before reaching the NFC Championship game for just the second time in franchise history.
After the heartbreaking conclusion to last season, Campbell has been consistent in establishing the goal for 2024. The Lions coach said back in May that he was single-minded about the purpose, saying anything short of a Super Bowl would be a failure.
“I don’t see bust, I see Super Bowl. I don’t know what bust is,” Campbell said.