Dan Campbell Press Conference | Nov. 30, 2025

Dan Campbell Press Conference | Nov. 30, 2025

There was a really strange tweet from Kirby that said something like four words. Is there any kind of update on his status? I don’t I don’t know. I I don’t know about the tweet. No, I mean he’s he’ll be running around doing some individual stuff like that. Um you know, he’s doing a little bit more, but I I don’t know anything about the tweet. Coming back this week against Cowboys. I mean, he’s closer than he was um before. you know, he’s he’s close. Um, you know, it’ll we’ll know a lot more really tomorrow. You know, today’s a walk through, so tomorrow, Friday, see where he’s at. Um, but he is getting better. Like we said, he gets better every week. Yes. Obviously didn’t expect him to be out this long, otherwise maybe he would have gone on on IR. What What’s is it just a pain management thing? What What has been like the the holdup? Exactly. A lot of it is just trying to um get some stability, you know, uh in the leg and uh get some strength, get some stability, which in turn will help some of the pain, but but also some of the wear and tear. You know, the stronger you get it in there, it stabilizes it and so it doesn’t um you know, wear out as fast or create that kind of pain with it. So um that’s really what a lot of it is right now. Is this something you you pretty confident will clear up when he has the offseason arrest or is there concern of crime? Yeah, I don’t know. I mean, I I that’s hard to say. Um I don’t think it’s necessarily going away, but I think you do the best you can to manage it. You know, that’s uh it’s like a lot of these guys um you know that have have gotten some injuries here or deals with could be cartilage or meniscus or anything like that. It’s you do your best to manage it and you know they’ll there’ll always be a little wear and tear and it’s just you know how bad is it you know but I do know that the more you can strengthen and stabilize uh it that helps a ton helps with the swelling helps with the pain. Um so it’s where we’re at. What is his exactly? Is it more than a bone bruise then? Is he dealing with something else? No, I mean I think it’s it’s I think bone bruise was certainly part of it, but it’s also just, you know, he’s he’s got some wear. He’s got a little wear, that’s all. Yesterday, um you were asked about the pass rush and you said there, you know, felt like there were three snaps where you didn’t get home that you thought you should have. Um you know, that’s still a zero sack performance. So, if you’re getting the pressure you want, what what do you need to do more as a overall defense to to be getting home more and not just getting the pressure? Yeah. I mean, I I I think look, f first of all, Love did a hell of a job. He’s a heck of a player, man. And uh you know, that ball was coming out fast and he threw you know, he threw a few of these now off his back foot and uh and it was on point. So, you know, he’s got that ability. But, um, you know, I I think more than anything, it’s, you know, you do your best that you can to set up a one-on-one where you can find one. Uh, you’re trying to fabricate some of these. Most of them come up in third down to where you you want to get your guy in a one-on-one. Um, and then it’s up to him to win. And so it’s, you know, we had a few of those and we just we we didn’t uh, you know, we felt good about the person that we had and we just didn’t quite get there in time. So, got to be a little bit better. Um, you know, and and fundamentally, it’s a little bit like what I told the defense, we just, man, details and discipline and really fundamentally, we got to get better, you know, we we got to get better. um you know and it can’t just be um you’re going to win off talent, you know, or things of that nature, you know, it it was really more about pointing out all the things that have nothing to do with talent. Um so which really is it it is the details of discipline and the fundamentals. So we just got to be a little more on point there. We can everybody’s got to do their job and uh and and that’ll help. That’ll go a long way. Whatever you up. Go ahead. Coach, I was saying y’all been out in Dallas the last couple years. Obviously had the game out there. Y’all lost a controversial one. Then y’all come back last year. Y’all blown them. How is it just to have Dallas at home this time like and and host that team here? Yeah. I mean, I feel like we’ve been out there three times, three or four times. I don’t know. Has it been three or is it two? I don’t know what it is. Um, so yeah, to be able to get them back home, you know, that’s that’s that’s good. That’s different, you know, cuz you um but they’re playing good football right now. Uh you know, playing with a lot of confidence, man. They’ve beefed up that defense. Uh it’s a really good Dline. Uh those guys are active. Uh I flu has done a hell of a job. You know, he’s a good defensive coordinator. We know him. Obviously, he was in this division. Uh defense always played well. Um but he’s doing a good job. And then, you know, what shot he’s done offensively over there. and and Prescott. Uh those two receivers, they got a run game. Old Lions rugged. Um it’s it’s a it’s a um it’s a good team. It’s a it’s a good team, man. This this is a this is a real good team playing at a high level, confident football. So, this should be a good test for us, man. We’re we’re pretty fired up the last three years. I was just going to ask being how good they are since Quinnon Williams came aboard, what sort of impact he’s had on on that defense and kind of how they’ve played the last few weeks with with him in the middle. I mean, he helps, you know, I mean, he helps those guys. Um, you guys know how I feel about Kenny Clark. I think he’s he’s an outstanding player. And so, you know, that helps Kenny. Um, and and it helps really the rest of them. Uh, 41 plays at a high level, man. He can burn the edge. Um, you know, you got Clowny. Um, they still got Fowler. I mean, they So, they they got some guys now. 97’s a good player. You know, he can get an edge. Uh but it really you you put you know you put Quinnon in there man it you know he’s already a uh he’s a good player man you know run and pass gets off the ball disruptive but then he he really helps those guys around him he does you know because now he there’s some resources you may need there and and uh the rest of those guys they’ll get some five down stuff and let those guys go. So it’s a good unit but we just faced a pretty good unit too. Wanted to ask about Josh Pascal. He didn’t get activated last week. Did he have a setback or just wasn’t enough time? Yeah, it just it wasn’t uh it just wasn’t enough time really uh to really be able to say that we we knew he would be able to get through the year or that he was ready. That’s that’s what it came down to. Um you know, hate it for him, but it’s it’s it’s where it was at. How do you limit the uh explosives against an offense like that? Well, it’s not easy. Um, it’s not easy cuz those look those two receivers, man. Here’s what they do a great job of and it helps. So, you got you got two number one receivers on the outside and both of them are two different types of players. So, that gives them variety, versatility, but then they run the ball well. They have a diverse run scheme. Uh, they do a lot of under center Dak uh they’re against playing at a high level. the run action, the play pass stuff has been really good. So, when you can run it like they run it and then you got those guys and they got a pretty good tight end, uh, man, they become explosive. So, you know, I I’ll go back to this. So much of it is going to start with shutting this run game down. We we cannot let this run game get going. And, uh, cuz those guys are a handful anyway on the perimeter. Um, but if we can just at least shut down some of this two dimensional football, that’s going to go a long way for us. Just one more follow up about Dallas. Like what what did you take from the 2023 experience that’s become kind of legendary a little bit here with the Dan Skipper game and what that’s become, but what did you take from that experience particularly in the end? Did you learn anything? Uh, no. I mean I I uh not really I mean that was that was a crazy game, right? I mean, that was, you know, everything that that came down to and um had an opportunity there at the end and just didn’t didn’t wasn’t able to close it out. But there was a number of things. Um I don’t know if I’d say I learned anything really. Um you know, I think more than anything, it just uh makes you mad. That’s about it. Um but but all good, man. You know, it was if you’re a fan, that was a heck of a game. I know that. Um, you know, and you try to, if anything, you get in that situation again, you try to find a way to win that one instead of, you know, how do you keep it out of the hands of the officials. That’s really what you’re trying to do. Uh, just leave it, leave it out of there, you know, that way it’s just up to you. You ever seen a six lineman become a cult hero like Skipper, too? It’s crazy. Not really. It’s uh, you know, Skip’s a He’s a different breed of man, so he’s something else. He does a good job, man. He’s I tell you what, he’s dependable now. He’s reliable, dependable, and he does a lot of jobs for us. So, you um I want you said that 2023 game makes makes you mad. It it does feel like you put a little extra sauce into the one last year. You guys opened up the playbook and really took it to them, gave them one of their worst losses in franchise history at their place. Do you think that there’s carryover year to year? Do you think maybe they’re going to be looking to to bring a little extra into this one because of the way they, you know, lost that game last year? Uh, I don’t know. I mean, I I uh I think every every team’s different. Every year’s different, but I know this they want to win this game. I know that cuz I know we want to win this game. So, they’re playing good football. They’re they’re very much in that division race over there right now and playoff race. Uh we’re an NFC opponent and I know that they want to beat us. um you know so but we want to win too and we need to win so that’s where this game’s at. Any any updates on Graham and and uh Brock? Yeah, Graham’s doing he’s better. Um there again we walked through today and then Brock, you know, really nothing new. Nothing new from last week. You know, we’re still sending out scans for for what he you know for this trachea. Um, and just seeing if there’s, you know, any other second opinions that that, uh, would change, I guess, his the outlook for him playing, you know, and right now there’s there’s really nothing right now that would change that. So, we’re just kind of in a, you know, I know that frustrates him. He wants to play. Um, but we’re just kind of in a holding pattern right now. That could be a longterm deal. Yeah, it could be. Yeah, could be. Yep. What’s that? Follow up. Yeah. Does this feel I mean I know that you don’t ever consider a game a must-win just given where you guys are and where the division is going and what’s at stake against another important NFC opponent battling for a playoff spot. Is there part of that that may be a little bit true at this juncture? Well, we our margin for error is very small right now. So, of course, we we got to find a way to win and we want to win, you know, and I think I go back to this. I mean, we just lost one. We got to find a way to win this next one in front of us. And uh and yeah, I mean, time’s running out and uh so, you know, um it’s all about finding a way to win the game. But, but I’ve also been in these now before where we got counted out uh when I was a player. You know, we lost two in a row and we were almost ma mathematically uh eliminated from the playoffs. So that was all the writing and then we we won out and uh got in, you know. Um so you just man, you find a way to win the one in front of you and don’t get caught up in the rest of the stuff. That’s the bottom line. We’re in this business to win. We’re trying to win. We got to win. What year was that for you as a player? I was up too. Thank you. Hey, Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. N. Oh, heat, heat.

Hear from Head Coach Dan Campbell as he speaks to the media on Nov. 30, 2025.

Subscribe to the Lions YT Channel: https://bit.ly/2OABzdx
More Lions NFL Action: https://bit.ly/3epKf5l

#DetroitLions #Lions #NFL

Keep up-to-date on all things Lions:
Visit https://www.detroitlions.com/
Follow: https://twitter.com/Lions
Follow: https://www.instagram.com/detroitlionsnfl/
Like: https://www.facebook.com/DetroitLions