The NFL’s best teams think they have a shot to win the Super Bowl as they begin their offseason preparations.
After leading his team to the NFC Championship Game the previous season, head coach Dan Campbell wasted no time in establishing the tone for this year’s Lions during their first round of organized team activities.
“Let’s advance this farther. Let’s lift everything.
It can only be the cerebral aspect of the game this time of year, not the physical or aggressive. Can situational football be developed? Is it really possible for us to move this along? I discuss the level 401. Now that we’ve all been together and have the skill, we should be thinking and playing at level 401.
We have intelligent men here. We have players that are competitive. A few of these teams are only getting started. It is necessary for us to acknowledge that we are in our fourth year together. We have shared time. That appears to be what I’m searching for. I want to know whether we’ve elevated this to a new level even by the conclusion of OTAs.”
As demanding as the past seasons have been, Campbell disclosed that the Lions are stepping it up in 2024, putting additional mental pressure on the athletes to perform in more trying circumstances.
“Compared to previous year, we’ve improved even farther.
We’ve raised the bar even higher. We made it harder on them than it was the previous year with our in-game circumstances and some of the things we’ve done. We were forced to. We’ve put them under extra strain. We’ve increased our pressure on them a little bit.”
The Lions are under pressure to advance this season and contend for, if not win, the Super Bowl. However, Campbell is unwilling to discuss the negative aspect of it.
“I fail to notice the bust. I watch the NFL. Super Bowl or nothing else, I’m not sure what the bust is. Every team should have it, as we all know.
Every squad should ask itself, “Why are you playing? You have a Super Bowl to win. That is not different from us. We know, I believe, that we go in reverse from there. Just as last year, you have to prepare yourself. You’d best win a division to do that. You have to put yourself in the best possible position. The best possible seeding is what you need. How do you accomplish that? Return to your work now.
Campbell believes (knows?) that the Lions won’t have to worry about the “bust” portion of the “Super Bowl or bust” equation this year if they have the appropriate all-around strategy. In that regard, he’s already talking the talk and doing the deed.
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