Dan Campbell Press Conference | September 9, 2024

[Music] um really like uh you know said last night um you know ultimately you know that was a that was a good win uh to pull that out um and uh you know our our resiliency showed up um you know we found a way to do what we needed to do I go back to what I said last night you know really starting with Fox's punt uh down there at the 11 dorsey's uh you know um down there covering covering his rear off and uh down to 11 defense has to take a stand they do we get a tfl second and 12 then they jump off sides uh second 17 and and really gets us the stop there so um and then the offense really closed it out at that point you're talking about um 17 plays 110 yards nine points uh really and no looking back um so it was a good job when we needed it those guys closed it out um David Montgomery uh put that game on his shoulders and uh he really willed that to happen um you know it was it was impressive and uh you know he's just he's a stud like we said last night um number of guys you know played pretty good um you know him obviously J Mo it was good to see J Mo have some explosives there uh make some plays and uh you know he just he keeps getting better and so now he's got to get a little bit better this week like like all of us do um but that was good to see man he he definitely helped us win that game you know defensively Alex was all over the field I thought Hutch and Davenport on the perimeter man they really uh all day long uh were a force um you know and uh Kirby Kirby played a pretty good game you know that was a big play uh right before halftime but overall it was it was pretty good by him special teams Fox as we talked about we we won the field position battle uh you know against this team and and uh you know a lot of that is on both sides punt punt returned but Fox had a had a huge game for us dorsy again talking about it as a gunner so a lot of good things um a lot of things we got to clean up you know too many three and outs on offense um you know we took them out of their game we felt like uh defensively forced them into more of a quick game and uh you know which means you got to go the long way and when you run you know almost 80 plays and you only give up 20 points that's that's pretty good it's a good start so um it's a good win how would you assess them as a whole I know that was a part that yall really focus on this offseason but what do you see from the secondary in particular yeah well look it's it's uh we got a lot of room to grow um but yet man there was those things in that game I was really I was really proud of on the back end you know it was good to see Carlton get in there and U has a huge fourth down stop that he had on the perimeter but he you know he's squeezing the Run game I just you know uh was it his best game no but he did a lot of good things uh ta it's very evident it's not too big for him um he's got a lot to clean up but yet man it was very promising you know I mean he was uh he was in stride um he showed up for us and he's only going to get better and better was good to see and uh you know BB I already talked about Kirby I thought Kirby did a good job and BB you know um made a lot of plays but then you know one of the first things he says when he's coming back in the locker room he's like I won't miss those tackles anymore you know and uh so he he knows it and he's he's really one of our best tacklers in general he's got it first game under his belt uh but all in all man just you know clean up some of the communication but but I thought it was promising where our Deb Dbacks are at something we didn't ask you about last night but there was a lot of footing issues CD slipped on on two critical plays Aman R tripped on the route that almost was picked if he didn't you know Salvage that with the tip pass was there anything to um the turf last night that you guys need to adjust to as the season progresses not really not that I know of um you know um and as far as I know they haven't done anything else to it uh so no I I I think we'll be good you know some of it is just getting used to playing back on that Turf again you know now they had problems too I think at times they tripped a little bit uh but it's it's the same Turf we've had so um we should be good after watch after watching the film what what more would you like to do to get I don't know if it matters much as you want but to get am ra involved and since it is a copycat League you know is that something you have to be how prepared you have to be for other teams to do the exact same thing yeah I mean we uh man we we uh we tried you know we did we we called his number quite a few times it just uh it felt like for whatever reason um you know either coverage took it away or you know something like that happens on the you know the inside slant man he kind of trips on it um there was just these these things that um you know it it just kind of was one of those games uh but we he's constantly somebody we think about I mean that doesn't go away and certainly we want to get him targeted more than than what showed yesterday I mean that's the obvious I mean he's a catalyst for us no different than we talked about like David in the Run game I mean Saint's one of our guys so um you know we'll uh but as far as you know teams looking at that we're I'm not worried about that we'll find a way you know that pass just that was he intending just to break that up I mean that was a huge play if it was cuz that might have been yeah I I look I didn't ask him directly but I would be willing to bet you anything absolutely it was cuz he's a smart player he knew he wasn't going to get to it so he better knock it down that's pretty hsy by him see this light level of rust that you saw in the first couple games that you watched level one of of rust that you saw in the in the games that you watched earlier I got you I got you and then with your team does that maybe potentially open up your mind to maybe play starters a little bit in the preseason in the future uh no no I mean um listen there there's always going to be an element of you know cuz even then what you going to play them 20 plays I mean we I would rather go against ourselves and run 60 which is what we did uh those last two weeks we scrimmaged each other going 60 plays so um so no I'm not especially when you win the game um you know I feel good with where we're at and you know I said it last night man do I like that we we were not that clean no it doesn't I don't feel great about that but but I'm not uh I'm not upset with the win either so we will clean it up and like I told the team all we have to worry about is getting a little bit better next week had a tough loss uh overtime loss against Seattle at the beginning of last year how much of a mental boost is it early on in the year to to play that kind of game and be the team that comes out ahead well look anytime you play an overtime game you know and you know yeah it's the first one it's the first one you put a lot of significant plays on the body uh it's a lot of intensity a lot of volume but but more importantly man it does there's an emotional element that goes into that and you know you don't win that that's you know it's uh it just it's kind of a gut punch for a little bit so that was big to be able to pull that one out and uh no we'd rather close that out before we got there but but uh but we found a way you said the dine was going to be kind of a catalyst for for what you guys did do defensively just curious after watch the tape what you thought of of those guys up front and then maybe the second question D is DJ still maybe on task for this week to add to that group week too yeah I mean that I think the plan was ultimately if we couldn't get DJ up last week or just what we didn't feel quite there that man Tampa was always the target you know and uh so you know providing there's no setbacks we'd like to get him going this week uh he looked pretty good in practice you know and as far as the dline and General yeah I those guys um you know just about every one of them had a winning performance you know up front and um I thought they played big I thought they played physical um you know and we feel like we have a good defensive line and I know that's game one but you know just since spring and training camp and seeing where we're at we just it's the right mix it's the right balance of length power size uh aggression and um and that's just game one we got so much room to grow in there too you know that's that's what's exciting of was going to be matchup based obviously but but dererk played a really heavy workload last night look you've talked about his maturation last year you guys are doing some different stuff with him this year a lot more down on the line of scrimmage so where where have you seen a different level of growth that you want to try him in these new roles and it's important to to keep him on the field at that kind of level yeah well he it's a credit to him and Shep you know uh really getting him to this point but I think you know first of all he mentally he has grown so much with understanding our defense and then what offenses are trying to do man conceptually so that's where it starts but then physically you know his ability to I mean he he can rush off the edge he can set an edge in the Run game he's also a stack backer he's just seeing things so much uh faster you know and and so he his uh the mental side of the game has grown so much and physically he really has all the tools I mean he you know he's a running hit linebacker that that can play on the edge um so um he gives us a lot of flexibility and as you could see last night that flexibility showed up I mean we just we kept him on the field and and I mean he essentially played like our nickel and uh you know and I felt like we made that team onedimensional you know I thought AG put together a heck of a plan and that was that was kind of part of it for this game Alim said he couldn't sleep last night he was up late watching Reba after he was watching the film just curious how you process the the emotions and the come down and stuff like that after a win like that he said he was what I play watching rebound yeah I got you um look it's hard to sleep anyway after a game but especially when you know you get home at whatever that is 2:00 1:00 I don't know um it's hard you know cuz your mind's racing and you're watching them tape you're thinking about it and you you know just all the different plays what you could have done what you want to do what went right what went wrong you know so I can imagine you know I remember that as a player so I can understand what what Max's talking about you know it's just you you go through it and um I think that's what's hard about a night game you know it is because you I mean it's impossible to sleep I think uh even as tired as you are it's just hard you know the mind won't go to sleep what was the progression in overtime on that drive was it leading into the overtime period when you won the toss was it a couple plays in where you and ven are talking and saying just keep pounding it just keep pounding it at what point did you realize that was going to win you the game well I think um you really look I thought Ben did a heck of a job uh closing that game out but but I think uh the first run demo had was really it it was you just felt like he's about to take this game over that the that first one um you know he took off and we got good movement up front and you could just see the Surge and you could feel number five and it it felt like we were going to be able to uh to break through and and we were we were okay [Music] n [Music]