Dan Campbell has never exactly fit the stereotype of an NFL head coach who spends practice standing 30 yards away with a whistle and a play sheet.
Apparently, that was even more true when his coaching career began.
During his recent interview with Brad Galli, the Detroit Lions head coach revealed that when he first transitioned from playing in the NFL to coaching, he occasionally put the pads back on and physically worked against his own players.
Campbell wasn't doing it to relive his playing days. He believed getting his hands dirty was the best way to teach his players exactly what they were going to experience from an NFL defender.
"That was when I was really fresh out of playing and had become a position coach," Campbell said during the interview. "I was still in good shape. I couldn't run very much anymore, but I could still squat, clean, wrestle and manhandle."
Campbell's NFL playing career lasted a decade, primarily as a blocking tight end. He spent three seasons with the Lions from 2006-08 and built a reputation around toughness and physicality before beginning his coaching career with the Miami Dolphins in 2010.
When Campbell moved into coaching, he wasn't ready to teach everything from a distance.
"I felt like it was important," Campbell said. "I needed to feel their hands and their strength. The only way to give them a look that I knew a defensive end would give, without actually having the defensive end do it, was for me to do it."
It's an interesting glimpse into the philosophy Campbell still carries today. He has always leaned heavily on his experience as a former player when communicating with the Lions, something Detroit identified as a strength when hiring him as head coach in 2021.
Campbell wasn't just explaining how a defender would attack.
There was, of course, one problem with Campbell's hands-on coaching method.
"I did that for a while," Campbell said. "As you get older, you start figuring out who you can wrestle with and who you can't anymore."
Campbell is still plenty capable of looking like he could survive a few snaps at tight end, but there is apparently a line even he isn't willing to cross.
Galli asked Campbell whether he'd consider lining up against Detroit's All-Pro tackle today.
"Absolutely not," Campbell said. "I'd break in half."
