Sean Payton sometimes needs things to say in his work as an analyst, so he compared Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell to Titans’ head coach Mike Vrabel.
It can be hard to stand out in sports media. Sometimes, outlandish things are said with little merit. Sean Payton is sure to only be spending one year as a FOX analyst before returning to coaching next year, but he has made the transition just fine.
Payton made his regualr Monday appearance on “The Herd With Colin Cowherd” earlier this week. Among the topics was Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, before it turned to Lions head coach Dan Campbell.
Here’s what the former Saints’ head coach had to say:
When I was in the interview process for Dan Campbell, I said that this guy (Campbell) has a chance to be the offensive version of what Vrabel is to the Titans.”
There’s a stature, he’s a former player. He’s a tough guy”
Sean Payton is trying to prop up Dan Campbell
Before taking the Lions’ head coaching job, Campbell worked under Peyton as tight ends coach in New Orleans for five seasons. Campbell also spent the final year of his playing career, 2009, with the Saints on IR after a training camp injury. Campbell has talked about his close relationship with Payton.
Halfway through his second season as a full-time head coach, Campbell should aspire to be a lot like Vrabel. Vrabel is a defensive guy, as a former NFL linebacker and a defensive coordinator. So Campbell, as Payton suggested, could be the offensive version.
The Titans consistently overachieve based on the talent level across their roster. They are 46-27 under Vrabel, in his fifth season as head coach, with a trip to the AFC Championship Game in 2019 and back-to-back division titles in 2020 and 2021. They currently sit atop the AFC South with a 5-3 record so far this season.
It’s perfectly fine for Payton to praise his former assistant coach and friend, and that relationship surely informed his words here. Campbell has a long way to go before he’s in Vrabel’s class among NFL head coaches. It’s not that he can’t get there, he’s just not there yet.