It’s one thing for head coaches in the NFL to demand a hungry group of men, but Dan Campbell got creative with that narrative in his introductory press conference as the Detroit Lions head coach.
And that 2021 speech sparked quite the conversations across the league — from Lions fans motivated by it to members of the media, even locally in the Motor City, mocking it.
Looking Back at the ‘Biting Kneecaps’ Speech by Dan Campbell
Around this time three years ago, Campbell pierced his teeth into delivering a message that has since resonated across Detroit, plus the NFL realm.
It began with: “Here’s what I do know, is that this team is going to take on the identity of this city. And, this city’s been down, and it found a way to get up. It’s found a way to overcome adversity.”
Campbell, though, wasn’t through. His next words drew eyes, and ears, then fired up the social media fingers of fans and analysts.
“So, this team’s going to be built on: we’re going to kick you in the teeth, all right, and when you punch us back, we’re going to smile at you and when you knock us down, we’re going to get up. And, on the way up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off.”
Not just one kneecap, though, as Campbell continued his fiery introductory speech.
“And, we’re going to stand up, and then it’s going to take two more shots to knock us down. And, on the way up, we’re going to take your other kneecap, and we’re going to get up, and then it’s going to take three shots to get us down. And, when we do, we’re going to take another hunk out of you. Before long, we’re going to be the last one standing. That’s going to be the mentality,” Campbell said.
But the “biting off kneecaps” part sparked the most conversations online and on NFL analysis shows, with some ridiculing it.
Colin Cowherd of Fox Sports 1 did not warm up to Campbell’s opening speech. The national radio personality compared it to one disastrous introductory presser: Adam Gase when he was sworn in as New York Jets head coach. He even called Campbell more of a “professional wrestler” and “Fred Flintstone” than an NFL coach. ESPN personality Max Kellerman, then with First Take, called Campbell an unserious hire.
Have the Feelings About Campbell’s Speech Changed?
Fast forward to the present, and no opposing kneecaps were given teeth marks by the Lions.
However, Campbell has built a team that thrives on brutality. That blue-collar mindset has since galvanized the city, as the Lions are one win away from their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Campbell was reminded of his now-renowned speech following the Lions’ Divisional Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Turns out, Campbell has whoever mocked his speech embedded into his brain cells.
“You’re probably one of them, to each his own,” Campbell told one reporter after the win over the Bucs.
The reporter Campbell called out, Kyle Meinke of mlive.com, went on to write how “no one is laughing at Dan Campbell’s Lions anymore.”
The Lions have been a punchline forever. Dan Campbell became one too when he stood in front of a laptop and started talking about kneecaps.
Three years later, no one is laughing at Dan Campbell's Lions anymore: https://t.co/2WmArfNW8b
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) January 22, 2024
Cowherd, meanwhile, claimed that “Campbell was my guy” back on Sept. 7, 2023. He’s now added how the Lions head coach has had an “immeasurable impact” on Jared Goff and the Lions.
Meanwhile, one staunch supporter of Campbell was Pat McAfee. The verbose radio personality on ESPN lit into the national media members who mocked the hire and speech back in Dec. 2023.
MORE: Detroit Lions Depth Chart
Campbell has gone from parodied to putting the Lions in a position to clinch the NFC title. No kneecaps were claimed, but collective hearts from Detroit and other parts of the NFL universe were. And as it turns out three years later, Campbell’s speech was the first step in making the Lions a championship contender.
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