Dan Campbell had plenty of praise for the Detroit Lions’ captain group this week, and the names on the list tell you plenty about how this team sees itself heading into Sunday’s opener.
The Lions will roll into the season with seven captains: quarterback Jared Goff, wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, offensive tackle Penei Sewell, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, defensive tackle Alim McNeill, linebacker Jack Campbell and punter Jack Fox.
Campbell made it clear he views the honor as something the locker room hands out, not the coaching staff.
"I was proud of those guys, man. That's a great honor to be voted.
That's voted by their teammates, their peers. But Jack and Hutch, Alim McNeill made it.
That's well-deserved. He earned it.
Sewell, Saint, Goff, Jack Fox," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of his team's captains.
For three of those players, this is a first-time deal. Campbell, McNeil and Fox are each wearing the captain label for the first time in their careers, a meaningful step for all three.
And when Campbell talked about Jack Campbell, he sounded like a coach who’s watched a player quietly become indispensable.
"Jack has taken this thing over, and we've said it from day one, but everybody to a man respects what Jack Campbell is about, the way he goes about his business. It means something to him, the way he works.
"He understands the game plan. He understands what offenses try to do to him.
He is snap-to-whistle all the time. So anything that Jack says, people listen to because he's earned that by the way he plays, his demeanor, and his FBI (football intelligence)," Campbell said of his star linebacker.
The rest of the captaincy picture has some familiar faces. Goff is set to serve as a captain for his sixth season, St. Brown and Sewell are each on their fourth, and Hutchinson will wear the "C" for the third straight year.
Detroit opens its regular season against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Sept. 13, at Ford Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. ET on Fox.
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