Lions Linebacker Says Dan Campbell Is Best Head Coach He Ever Had
The Detroit Lions are again among the best team's in the National Football League.
Part of the reason for head coach Dan Campbell having consistent success is his ability to relate to and motivate his players.
Linebacker Derrick Barnes recently shared with "Good Morning Football" why the coaching staff has such strong buy-in from the players.
"No offense to any other coaches, but Dan is probably the best coach I ever had, like, head-coaching wise. And he’s just like Shep -- you can go talk to these guys about anything, any problems you have," said Barnes. "That’s what I respect about them the most. When you respect a coach and the coach respects you, I mean, it’s a beautiful thing that I can walk up to his office anytime, ‘Hey, what’s going on DB, what’s on your mind?’ And I can express my feelings to him. It’s amazing.
"With Dan, I don’t think there’s any other guy like him, any other coach like him. Man, just the joy in his heart. Even when we lose, it’s like he doesn’t skip a beat. He is ready to go, day in and day out, week in and week out."
Campbell is a coach that is respected by his players and is known for his ability to get the most out of each and every member of the Lions' roster, even those on the practice squad.
"And you see, that's why we play the way we play. When you hear him talk, it’s just like, I’m bought in," said Barnes. "I’m just so blessed and honored to be part of this organization under Dan Campbell. Man, hopefully I get to spend the rest of my career here, because I don’t think there’s any place like Detroit."
Bye week emphasis
Even though the Lions have the week off, there are certain areas Campbell wants to see improved.
Detroit's fifth-year head coach expressed he is expected some answers given back, but he wanted the coaching staff to have a chance to get away.
Most coaches departed on Tuesday evening and will return to prepare for the Lions' final 10 games of the season.
"I gave them some things that I want to see. Work at their leisure when they get back. I want just a couple of answers on a few things that I wanted them to look out for, but I think it’s important that they get away. I do, man," said Campbell. "This’ll be the last chance we get a little bit of time to – no different than the players. There’re things I’m going to do, I’m going to continue to work through. I’ll do some things at home.
"But some of that, work’s never done. So, we keep going," Campbell added. "Where can we improve and get a little bit better in areas and set our players up in certain areas to have a little more success, across the board? So, that’ll be the bye.”
Vikings Lose Sixth-Round Rookie LB Kobe King to Waivers After Just Six Months
One of the Vikings' five selections in this year's NFL draft is already off of the roster, just six months after landing with Minnesota in April.
Former Penn State linebacker Kobe King, who the Vikings took in the sixth round, was waived by the team on Thursday to clear a roster spot for Aaron Jones as he came off of injured reserve. The outside assumption at the time was that the Vikings would try to get King to stick around on their practice squad.
But by exposing King to waivers, they ran the risk of losing him for nothing. And that's what happened. The New York Jets announced on Friday afternoon that they had claimed and been awarded King via the waiver process.
Cutting a sixth-round rookie isn't totally unheard of; the Vikings landed current starting safety Theo Jackson when they poached him from the Titans' practice squad in 2022. Still, even if it's a minor one, this is the latest example of general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah's widely-discussed struggles to find impact production in the draft.
King had appeared in in five games this season, playing 77 snaps on special teams and three garbage time snaps on defense. He was a healthy scratch in Week 7 and then was waived a few hours before kickoff on Thursday.
At Penn State, King stood out as a throwback run-defending linebacker with some thump to his game. He was a second-team All-Big Ten selection last season after recording 97 tackles, including nine for loss and three sacks.
Here's what Adofo-Mensah had to say about King after selecting him with the 201st overall pick:
"A lot of times in football we make it harder than it is, but it's a meat-and-potatoes game in some positions, and linebacker is one of them. You need somebody to tackle the person trying to advance the ball up the field against your team, whether that be special teams with the ball in his hands or defending the pass. He's somebody that plays with range, tackles. He's a really physical, knock-back, impact tackler. And we're excited to add him, not just to our fourth-down units but also potentially to be a starter one day in this league. A great communicator, was able to move people around in the Penn State defense, a great defense in its own right."
King came into this season clearly behind Blake Cashman, Eric Wilson, and Ivan Pace Jr. on the Vikings' depth chart at linebacker. He was also seemingly surpassed by undrafted rookie Austin Keys, who remains on the active roster. The Vikings have veteran LB Sione Takitaki on their practice squad.
The Vikings' other sixth-round pick, Pitt tight end Gavin Bartholomew, will miss his entire rookie season due to a back injury. He's on IR.
That leaves first-rounder Donovan Jackson, third-rounder Tai Felton, and fifth-rounder Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins as the drafted rookies currently on the Vikings' roster. Jackson is a starter on the offensive line and Ingram-Dawkins is a rotational player on the defensive line. Felton is a gunner on special teams who doesn't play on offense. The Vikings also have seven undrafted rookies on their 53-man roster: Keys, Max Brosmer, Elijah Williams, Joe Huber, Tyler Batty, Chaz Chambliss, and Myles Price.
The Vikings' 2024 draft class, led by J.J. McCarthy and Dallas Turner, remains largely unproven at this point, although Will Reichard and Levi Drake Rodriguez have cemented themselves as late-round values. Of the 16 players the Vikings drafted in 2022 and 2023, only three — Jordan Addison, Jalen Nailor, and Jay Ward — are currently on the roster. A fourth, Ty Chandler, is on IR and could return this season.
