A few days after having some choice words for Jahmyr Gibbs’ social media missteps, Dan Campbell said he doesn’t actually care.
But then again, a reporter only informed Campbell that Gibbs had accidentally posted some of the team’s vernacular and protection sets. At the time, he said he’d have to look into it, but he also made it known that he’d rather the team’s stuff not be out there in the open.
Monday, he sang a different tune.
“I don’t really give a crap,” Campbell said during his weekly radio interview on WXYT-FM via the Detroit Free Press. “If we’re going to lose because of code words, then we’re not good enough anyway. So I think we’ll just post the whole fricking playbook out there and every code word we’ve got. And it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to hurt us, it won’t affect us, and it’s all good.”
Suffice it to say, despite that screen grab being all over the interest since Thursday, Campbell doesn’t really seem to care. Perhaps the Detroit Lions head coach believed what Gibbs inadvertently leaked was much more nefarious than it actually was.
According to The Free Press, Campbell declined to answer when previously pressed if the Lions needed to change their language for competitive reasons. Again, at the time, it didn’t appear that he had any idea that Gibbs posted something on social media featuring reserve running back Jermar Jefferson with code words displaying celebrity names like “Kardashian” and “Jenner” in the background.
— The Coachspeak Index (@CoachspeakIndex) November 30, 2024
While Campbell didn’t give Gibbs carte blanche to post whatever he’d like to his social media, the fourth-year head coach of the Detroit Lions downplayed the mistake, saying that everything teams do is available for anyone who takes the time to analyze the game tape.
“It’s on tape—the TV copy. I mean, you guys at home get more than we do until after the game,” Campbell said. “I’m telling you, it’s crazy. Listen, it’s all out there, and you can find any and everything that you need on the tape and how to attack people, how they’re going to attack you, and no, listen, I’m not losing sleep over that.
“Now, do I want us posting stuff up from our locker room or our players or whatever? No, I don’t because you don’t know what’s going to happen with something like that. But no, in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal.”
In the end, Campbell assured, “We’re fine,” adding with a laugh, “I joked with him about it yesterday, so it’s all good — I’m not even worried about it.”
The 11-1 Lions have much more pressing matters, like an impending Thursday Night Football showdown with the Green Bay Packers.
