Ladies and gentlemen, we’ve got ourselves a new Dan Campbell term, and it’s a fantastic one from the Detroit Lions coach.
“We are trying to avoid floaters,” Campbell said on Saturday morning before the Lions rookie minicamp. “We don’t want to draft floaters.”
No sirree, floaters are bad. Floaters are a waste of human flesh. They are guys who can doom an organization.
See the past 60 years or so.
“A floater is a guy who gets here and he’s just kind of, there he goes,” Campbell said, wiggling his hand in the air like a butterfly in a windstorm. “He’s just in the open ocean.”
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Check that. Not a butterfly; a floater is more like a piece of driftwood, just bobbing along, not really doing anything. Yes, Lions fans, you should be familiar with floaters. If you’ve watched this team for the past half-century (and then some), there have been far too many floaters.
“We want guys that are highly competitive, and they love ball,” Campbell said. “They’re not going to be perfect. They might not always say the right things. They mean well, but boy, they love ball. They’ll do anything for it and do anything for their teammates. In that regard, I’m elated with the guys that we have and the vision, keeping the vision with where it’s been and where it’s going.”
Aidan Hutchinson?
He’s no floater.
The first-round pick from Michigan football was busting his butt Saturday morning in a simple drill. He showed impressive explosion, quickness and agility, cutting between dummies.
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No floating there.
And defensive lineman Josh Paschal?
The dude was busting his butt, too, jumping first in line for drills — he exudes leadership — and he doesn’t even have a contract yet.
Those are guys you can build on.
Down in the trenches.
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A shot of Jameson
Now, let me tell you about someone else, just as impressive.
Jameson Williams, the wide receiver from Alabama.
Because he is not a floater either.
“It feels good to have my cleats on,” Williams said, looking down at his bright white cleats. “I haven’t had my cleats on since January. It feels real good, just to be out here with some guys, man. Just football. I just love football.”
Why did the Lions trade up for Williams?
That statement is all you need to know.
Yes, he is freakishly fast.
Yes, he can take the top off a defense.
But this kid sounded giddy just to have his cleats on again.
Williams is recovering from knee surgery; he didn’t do any running Saturday. He caught a few passes without really moving. But he mostly stood and watched and tried to learn, carrying a football the whole time.
“Oh, he’s engaged,” Campbell said. “We put him out there on the grass, and that’s his domain. He’s very much engaged. You ask him questions, he’s got the script, he’s on it. In meetings, he’s very engaged. He asks good questions. For where he’s at and for what you want — I know we’re only one day in, but that’s what we’re asking out of he and James (Mitchell) for that matter. The mental side of it, be in tune, know what you need to know, listen to all the little details and then give it back to us, and he’s doing that.”
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Megatron’s mirror
Williams was wearing No. 18.
“It was a couple of options but 18 — (expletive),” he said.
Like Campbell said: Sometimes, these pure football guys might not say the right things; they might not be perfect and they mean well; but boy, do they love ball.
“One reason was, Calvin Johnson had 81,” Williams said. “And when they see 81, I wanted to flip it there.”
Yes, he wants to be the mirror image of Calvin. And if you didn’t like him already, I think you are going to, real quick.
“Randy Moss had 18 at one time, and he’s my favorite receiver,” Williams said.
“What is the part of Randy Moss’ game that you want to emulate?” I asked.
“The deep threat,” he said.
Drafting Williams makes so much sense. The Lions are getting somebody who has elite potential at a reasonable price. The 15 highest-paid wide receivers make more than $10 million a year. The top four make more than $17 million each, after an offseason that saw wideout contracts rocket up.
So to have a wide receiver on a rookie deal makes fiscal sense.
I also find it encouraging that the Lions were willing to take an injured wide receiver. They are focused on the long term, not quick fixes.
Williams says he doesn’t know when he will return. And he’s focused on mental reps.
“The mental part is actually helping me get ready for the physical part,” he said. “When I get back, it will be full-go.”
He was still holding that football. He looked like a little kid carrying around a beloved blankie — like that football was his favorite thing in the world.
That is no floater. Even without doing anything, he was impressive. There were things to like about him, and that’s why this simple little rookie camp practice was so encouraging.
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Contact Jeff Seidel: jseidel@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @seideljeff.