Coach's scouting report: Dan Campbell previews Week 7 against Packers

Always important to get the coach's insight when you're talking about an upcoming opponent. Today it is the Green Bay Packers. The coach, of course, is Dan Campbell. Better than my insight? Well, let's just say it adds to it. Okay, Dan. It's a different level of insight. Exactly right. It is brought to you by Carhartt Woody with Dan Campbell. Coach Lyons coming off the bye week against the Green Bay Packers. I half expected you to come out here wearing a lab coat and have a mad scientist look because I know over the bye you've been cooking up a plan. Well, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it gives you a little time to look at yourselves, but also the opponent that's coming up, which, I mean, you can't ask for anything better. Packers coming off the bye back at Ford Field, so we're looking forward to this. Let's start with his defensive line and looking at Devontae White and specifically doing big things in the interior for them. Good player. You know, we've been going against him for a while out of Georgia, and he's really kind of come into his own. He's probably the most talented interior D lineman that they've got. He's good against the run. He can get an edge and then obviously finish on the quarterback, you know, creates the sack. But we're going to have to handle this guy. It seems that his speed was a little bit deceptive there. Oh, yeah. Well, he does. He gets on you. He's another one of these dancing bears, right? Zaire Franklin, the linebacker. I was looking at him as well, and he's a guy who is definitely going hunting as soon as the ball is snapped. Yeah, he is. I really like this player a lot. I got a lot of respect for his game, you know, and just throughout the years. And, man, he is a smart, headsy, physical, downhill, can play in coverage, man. Just he plays one step ahead because he can diagnose quickly. So this guy's got a nose for the football. He's a good player, and we're going to have to get a hat on him, really him and that whole back end. They're pretty dang good, 33, 29, 7. These are good players, man. They make it go. Let's move to offense right now. And, of course, Jordan Love makes the thing go. But Christian Watson has been a force for him. You know, he's steadily gotten better every year. You know, he's another one of these guys. I'm sure they look at us, too, and they're like, God, he's St. Brown, you know, and J-Mo and Gibbs. But we look at them, too, and it's like, man, freaking Watson and Golden, which, you know, Kraft. So Watson has really gotten better every year. He's always been a speed guy, but he's really honed his ability to run routes, make tough catches. And then he's got this closing speed, man. this run after catch love has got a tremendous amount of trust for this guy and that's just one this is actually a timing throw they don't get out you can see Minnesota's trying to check out of this right now and they don't get back fast enough and Green Bay hurts them um but this is where i feel like that connection between love and Watson has really grown we're not even talking about the bombs that go down downtown either some of these just direct go balls you know you mentioned Watson there. And you mentioned Matthew Golden. Let's take a look at him. Obviously the big deep threat here. But I was more concerned about his awareness with the football because in this play here you see him turn twice and still get the ball. It's unbelievable. I don't know how he does this. Yeah, right at the top end there. This is a high level play here. I mean, the fact that he looks over the opposite shoulder here on one of these deep. This is a 40 yard pass in the air. A lot of hang time. That's pretty advanced. You don't see that all the time. So that's what he's got. He's really improved. He's taken a huge step from last year to this year. How much of an edge do you think you have? This game at home, coming off a bye against a division opponent where games really count twice. Yeah, well, you start talking about edges. I'm always going to pick Ford Field. I love our home crowd, man. I think we're different than a lot of places because our fan base is something special. And I think it is hard to play there. We're going to be ready to go. But you mentioned it. It's like a game and a half, man. These division games are important. And you say you want to win a division, you better win a division game, right? Or more than that. So we're looking forward to it.