Two years ago, Dan Campbell said something that will always stick with me about his approach to being a head coach and doing his part to build a team and re-shape an organization.
It was March 2, 2021, and he had been on the job for 41 days as the Detroit Lions’ coach. Back then, the Lions were still conducting press conferences on Zoom because of COVID-19. His relationship with general manager Brad Holmes was new, so he was asked a question about the collaborative nature — the give-and-take — of making roster decisions.
“Here’s what I would say about a true alpha,” Campbell said. “A true alpha knows when it’s time to concede for the betterment of the team.
“And so I would tell you, one way or another, there’s already been a couple of things where it’s like, ‘Ah, maybe we don’t — you see it a little more this way, I see it (this way).’ We haven’t had one problem. And we’re not going to have a problem.”
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Honestly, I didn’t fully believe him then, because everything about Campbell’s appearance and his persona announces him as an alpha male prototype and a larger-than-life figure. He was 6 feet 5 and 265 pounds in his playing days, and I swear he’s gotten bigger and taller since then. He has a booming voice, he’s an Olympic-level up-down champion and he likes to manhandle furniture. Everyone knows it’s just a matter of time before he crushes the podium like an accordion at one of his press briefings.
So, yeah. Traditional alpha. But a man of concession? I don’t think so. Or at least I didn’t think so back then. Owner Sheila Hamp had just given the organization an edict for improved unity, communication and collaboration. I figured some of the kumbaya talk Campbell was spewing as a new coach was lip service meant to appease Hamp.
Two years later, I have little doubt about Campbell’s sincerity when it comes to collaborating with Holmes. On Tuesday, he gave us a little peek behind the process he and Holmes go through to construct the roster in the final stages of the preseason.
“It’s a huge puzzle,” he said, “and Brad and I sat down last night and just tentatively started discussing it in depth. We’ve — obviously we talk all the time, but really we try to, we kind of try to stay out of each other’s way and gather our own opinions.”
Campbell explained that he and Holmes separately seek input from coaches and the personnel department before they gather for their one-on-one meetings.
“So yesterday was our first time to really, ‘Hey, how do you feel? How do you feel?’ ” Campbell said. “And I’d say we’re pretty aligned. I mean, we really are.”
Campbell said he and Holmes will meet two or three more times before they finalize the initial roster. And if they happen to disagree?
“We’ll just flip a coin,” he said casually.
Someone suggested arm wrestling and the room of reporters laughed. Campbell smiled briefly before he quickly became serious and returned to the theme of potential disagreement.
“We don’t,” he said, “we don’t. That doesn’t come up. We’ve never had a ‘Well, who’s going?’
“I mean, we figure it out. We figure it out. We always do. And we either — both of us are happy or both of us are not happy.”
Without being a fly on the wall during Campbell and Holmes’ meetings, it’s impossible to know how many times either of them has capitulated and let the other man have his way. But my guess is that both have given in a fair number of times, because it’s rare for an organization to arrive at the brink of success through disagreement and dysfunction.
The work, the meetings, the figuring out of the roster and myriad other issues will continue long after the season opener. There will be discussions and concessions. But two years later, what’s harder to believe about the way Campbell and Holmes build a roster is that they won’t get it right.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.