Discussing Lions win and Jack Campbell injury update

Hello and happy Monday. Welcome to the sports office. We have my friend Dave Burkett in chair number one. We've got Rich Luterman over there. Always helping us on the sports office. This is where we would love for you to join in today. I need some cheering up. I'm not going to lie. I am just down in the dumps. I love you. Thank you, C. Text the show, 248-200-5042. Also, you can Zoom in. We want to talk to you. We are so hoping tonight that we're going to hear from our dear friend who always calls us, right? Yep. All right. This episode of the Sports Office is brought to you by Figer Law. All we do is win. Certainly a big win for the Detroit Lions yesterday, but at a cost. My goodness. Not only the Jack Campbell situation, we'll get to that in a minute, but so many guys they lost. DJ Vanham went out with an injury. Brian Branch, both of them on the collision with... Concussion protocol presumably, hopefully you can give us an update on that if there is one. This is the last one. They also DJ Reed, Cade Mays, so many players, it felt like their injury luck had been so good. For lack of a better term, as of late to start the season, things were looking really good for them. And then yesterday, the wheels fell off. You know, Jen, I feel like I jinxed them. We were talking about that in the media room. Oh, Jimmy Rolder was the other one. Jimmy Rolder out for the season, hamstring injury, second one of the year. And we were saying exactly that, that they've been so fortunate when it comes to injury so far, but this was going to be a physical game, and we'll see how they can survive it. And they had seven guys not finish that game. Plus, Amon-Ra left early. He came back, but that's an eighth player that got hurt. And obviously, Jake Campbell, the most serious of them all. You see the hit there on the screen. That was just an eerie moment to hear the silence for a couple minutes. And I remember, obviously, I covered. And Reggie, when he was injured, I did not cover Mike Utley, but I've come to know Mike Utley in the years since his injury. I have just been back to court, obviously you see I was dreaming about Utley. I mean, just, it's incredible where your mind goes when something like this happens. And I think what blows me away the most is that it was so dark. Those players were emotional, were crying, obviously. Jack Campbell is beloved for so many reasons. He wears the C on his chest and he's such a great dude, young guy, you know, beautiful family, new baby. I mean, all of the things. And they know the risk they take when they suit up, when they put the pads and the helmet on and go out and play. It is a collision sport. It's a dangerous one at that. But for them to then, as I think Jared Goff put it so succinctly when he said, you know, then they blow the whistle and we got to go again. And it's just incredible how not only did they do that, but they did it with this purpose and this ferocity. They didn't, I mean, right on the next play, Hutch goes from gathering the guys in a prayer circle to making the forced pressure to stop them on fourth down. Well, if you, You could read his lips from the TV shot of that game and what he was saying. We're doing this for 4-6, essentially. And he said that after the game, too. And I think that was palpable. I mean, it was eerie. And, Jen, you're right. This is such a violent game. I mean, this is the third significant neck injury that they've had under Dan Campbell. Like, since Dan Campbell's been there the last year, Maurice Norris, preseason game where the game stopped. They stopped the game. Savion Smith a few years ago where an ambulance drove onto the the field in New England and took him off. I mean, this is, it's such a violent game. And you're right. Everybody understands the risks, but that doesn't make it, it's the human element of it when it actually happens. I mean, I can, I can feel the goosebumps on me right now that it's, it's. When you get to know some of these guys, and even when you don't, when you're a fan and you sort of realize and see what they mean to your team, you get to know them through the media. And for a lot of fans, they love these guys. And to see one of those guys go down in pain and to not know exactly what's happening with them now, I know how tough this is for a lot of people. I've got so many texts and emails and people reaching out today about it. Yeah. You know, I suspect it's not easy for the Minnesota team as well. I mean, they're all, you know, brothers. And you could see it on some of the Minnesota players as well. You know, it must be a very difficult thing to have that pause, you know, to get the player off the field and then to resume play. You know, it seems like when there's a pause in baseball, they let the pitcher, you know, throw some more warm-up pitches. But in football, they're right back at it. Well, and to your point about Minnesota, Rich, I mean, Dan said it today. He thanked Kevin O'Connell for reaching out, checking in on Dan, having the team say a prayer. And you're right, it's a brotherhood. Everyone who's played it, everyone who's been around it understands what they go through. That doesn't make it any easier to... To digest when something like this happens, but everyone has Jay Campbell in their prayers right now. Yeah, and the statement today, as much as Dan could say, can't say a lot. I mean, obviously, there's HIPAA violations involved as well. He's still in the hospital. He is resting. They said that the actual words were preliminary indications are positive, but You know, potentially what that means. We don't know. Dan Campbell went to see him last night. I'm sure he wasn't the only one. Do you know of any other players? I know that Derek Barnes, when we were talking to him in the locker room, said he was on his way right to the hospital at that point to go see him. Yeah. Did you get any feedback from those visits? I know some of the other some of the training staff was there as well. A lot of the training staff was there throughout the night. You know, Dan said today that a bunch of players went, but Jack was there. He was having testing done last night, so not everyone got to see him. You know, the players were in today. I believe tomorrow is an off day. I assume, you know, players will spend some time at the hospital tomorrow. I was going to say it probably feels good for them. You just know when someone you love, a colleague like we went through with Dan, you know, when someone is hurting, just Just to be there to show your support in any way, shape or form is probably what these players are looking to do, I'd imagine. I suspect they're looking forward to getting on with prep for Miami. You know, one of their fellow soldiers is down, but I think the way they... Carry on heading into Miami. I think what Jack Campbell would hate is for them to go to Miami and lay an egg. I mean, that would be a terrible thing. So let's get on with it. Aiden said that after the game yesterday, too. He said what Jack would want. Jack is all about ball. We had to focus back in. We had to get the job done. And again, it was that locker room afterwards. It was all about 4-6. That's what they said repeatedly. You got that sense on the field. Well, and especially it's so ironic. And I was talking to Charlie Langton about this just on the air at 6 o'clock. That it was after the second game of the season in Buffalo. You remember when Jack was standing there and tears were coming down his face. Oh, yeah. Because he did not perform and play to the level that he felt he owed his teammates. And I remember thinking, my god, this guy, I mean, he does, he loves football so much, you know, right up there with his family and whatever else. And it was just, it was so hard to watch him feel that way about his performance and then, you know, flip the script and there they all are standing by his side and crying for him yesterday. And even Gibbs said to me after the game, he's like, you know, he's my guy. I came in with him. You know, it just, it's all thick. Offense, defense, wherever you fit in that locker room, it's a really tight team and it's impressive to see them rally together and you just hope that he can get some normal quality of life back at some point. Because at this point, I don't even care if I see him play football again, I just want to shake his hand, hug him, see him walk into that door. I think, to your point, Rich, football is, hey, the game is going to happen next week. Whether people want it to or not. But for now, it's the furthest thing on people's mind. Sure. Essentially, you know, eventually they're going to get back to work. And they're going to have to Wednesday. And they're going to have to make that trip to Germany next week. But Jack is never going to be far from their mind, no matter what's going on and what they're doing. I know Derek Barnes was, you know, he said that after the game that he's always going to be there by his brother's side. Maybe not literally, but figuratively for sure. Let's touch on the game a bit here if we may, because I will tell you there were moments in that game when I thought that defense was too much for them. But as I talked to Penny Sewell after, he said that the one thing that Dan Campbell said to them on Wednesday was, this is the kind of game you're gonna have to play. And we're just gonna have to hang in and hang in and wear them down. And they actually did. And Panay was sitting on a chair and I said, you can stay seated. He goes, I'm exhausted. I mean, that offensive front man, they were just under attack the entire game. What impressed you the most about that performance from this group? I think the way that they adapted to what Minnesota was throwing at them. I mean, you mentioned it, Jen, early on in that game. The offense looked lost. I mean, Goff was sped up. He wasn't on time with a lot of his throws. The offense just wasn't doing great things. The second half, when they went to more of that. You know, quick outlet passing game when they brought those tight ends. Yeah, when they brought them in the backfield. And they just started pounding it and pounding it and pounding it in the fourth quarter. Those were adjustments that Drew Petzing, the rest of the coaching staff, Dan Campbell, right? The offense they had in their back pocket. They made some of those things. And really, look, Minnesota's defense is still really good. I was extremely impressed by what they did. But for the Lions to run the ball like that, that tells you what this offense is capable of against a really good playoff caliber defense. 66 yards in the first half for the Detroit Lions between Vaki and Gibbs. Total by the end of the game, 230. And Vocky, give Vocky some credit right here. Big time. He opened it up and he was like new energy. I mean, Gibbs is right there. And he could spell Gibbs, right? No doubt. It was exciting to see, you know, someone other than Gibbs getting the ball and doing something with it. Putting this team in a different spot. Yeah, the way that they're able to rotate players in, not only on offense, but on defense as well, I think it is so impressive. And we're going to talk more about Drew Petzing on the other side of the break, because I think this was his best game yet. As the coordinator for the Detroit Lions, we want, we've got some zooms coming and we're going to get to your questions on the zoom, the Motor City, Motor City Casino Hotel Live Line, the zoom meeting room ID is right there on the screen too. So zoom in and talk to us, Fabian. We would love to hear from you. Hopefully we'll get to hear from you tonight. If you were at the game yesterday and you want to share anything with us, stories about Jack, well wishes for Jack Campbell or talk about the Lions and what you think that victory meant for them. We will. Get to it all coming up on the other side of the break. Sports Office rolls on on this Monday night here on Fox 2. This advertising. Time now for our Figer Law winner of the weekend. We're going to take a page from Lions head coach Dan Campbell, who gave the game ball yesterday to the entire team for their gritty come from behind win over the previously undefeated Vikings. The entire team got it done under trying circumstances, and all of them deserve to be the Figer Law winners of the week. So I really love that. That is a great idea. Great call. Congrats to the Lions. Dan Campbell, once again, he always seems to rise, I don't know that rise to the occasion is the proper terminology, but he meets the moment, no matter what that moment is with his tenor, his heart, everything. There is so much about him to love. And how this team really is in his image, so to speak, Dave. He's multidimensional. I mean, he's the tough guy when he needs to be. He's emotional. He has that side to him that he's not afraid to show. I've said that many times that people have asked me what's different about this regime than past ones or whatever. Dan is completely comfortable with Whoever he is, right, everything that he is, the emotions that he's feeling, and I think when you're... He's an Aries. Okay, you too, huh? When your leader is that way, it allows everyone else to be the same, you know, to be comfortable with whatever they're feeling at the time, to be emotional when you need it, to, you know, talk trash when you need it. I'm in Rod and Jamison, you know, having fun out there, the offensive line, you know, dancing at the... The penalty last week against the Packers. So as he goes, the team definitely goes. And I think he's put together a pretty good staff again. And we saw sort of the fruits of that the last two games. Something interesting, Dave and Jen. They're playing much better than they were six weeks ago. Much better. However, these injuries are going to come into play. Can they keep this intensity going with the injuries? It's going to be an interesting game Sunday against... You know, a team that they should win on the road. It's going to be an interesting game. Yeah, it almost has this. I said to somebody yesterday on the elevator, they better keep it up against Miami because that has kind of all of the earmarks of a letdown game emotionally and just record wise. I mean, these last two games, they have had to put so much into physically, mentally, emotionally. They've just got to keep that peak up there and they have gotten better specifically on defense. I mean, let's talk about that just for a moment here. It was after the Buffalo game or maybe the Carolina game that people were calling for Calvin Shepard's job, you know, and rightfully so. There were questions, but they stayed the course. Dan Campbell, of course, you know, has his full faith in him. And boy, have they gotten better. What's been the biggest difference for you in how they've improved so far? Well, two things. You mentioned the rotation early on. I mean, they use so many players on the defensive side of the ball right now. And I think that helps you hide some of your players' deficiencies. And certainly, you know, there's some things that come with that. Everyone has to be in sync when it comes to communication. Some of that was maybe what was at fault with the Lions defense early on. And then the secondary, Jen, the secondary has been playing so much better than it was the first few weeks. It's just they couldn't stop anyone. Tight ends, number one receiver. They receive and now this is a unit that, hey, they are competing in the back end. Maybe they'll get a pass interference penalty. They'll give something up, but they are competing and they're getting pass breakups and they're making big tackles. Far fewer DPIs. Justin Jefferson held to, what was it, 33 yards yesterday. It is incredible that they were able to do that. Addison certainly burned them. A little bit and okay, Kyler Murray, Kyler Murray missed a lot of throws and you, but you know what? Look to your point Rich about Miami. Like Miami is a team that plays hard. They're not very talented. They'd be near the bottom of the league when it comes to talent and they're going to have some tougher games coming up. Yeah. New England defending AFC champs in Germany, right? That's a really good quarterback. Caleb Williams, they haven't played him in the Bears yet. That's two tough games coming up. All those road games to end the season. So, yes, they've taken care of business. They've done what they've had to do, win division games at home, beat a bad Arizona team. They should beat this Miami team this week. I don't think they're out of the woods. But I do think they are a team that has proven they can have a nice playoff run in them. All right. Speaking of out of the woods, my prayers go out to Jack Campbell. Get well, Big Jack. I haven't heard any status on Kirby Joseph lately. Any chance of him playing in a game anytime soon? That is from Saturn of Oak Park. Dave? Saturn, I think it'll be after the Germany game is probably when he'll be activated. We'll see. He's still got a ways to go to make sure that he's not dealing with pain in that knee, that he can get out on the field and playing games. But I think that's a Probably the idea is that after Germany, they activate them. Then they have two games in five days, Tampa and Chicago on Thanksgiving. So I don't know how much to expect in those two games, but I do think. And maybe even if it gets to a point where they put him on some kind of rotation where they can have him in and then he would miss a game, you know, play perhaps in Germany, maybe miss the game against Tampa and then play against, you know, Chicago. I would think that if they could get some form of... Serviceable reps out of him that part of Kirby would be better than no Kirby. You would think, but look, we don't know. I don't think he knows. I don't think the Lions know what he's going to come back as and how long he's going to last. And so Dan has done a good job of sort of tempering expectations of late in terms of what he will provide, when he will be on the field. I do think you'll see him at some point. I just don't know what he's going to bring. Yeah, we see D.J. Reid right there. He had that interception yesterday. Pro football focus has him 76.5 overall in 2026. He ranks 10th. Out of 102 qualified cornerbacks, there were people early in the season calling for him to be back. I mean, the way that they have, I don't know if it's how they've schemed going to more man coverage or if just the usage of the guys has changed it. But what has Shep done differently to help his players? I think we actually talked about that here where I thought they had to get back to playing more man coverage because that those are those who they are. That's who those guys are. And that's what Shep coaches. Let him do it and let him, you know, let him live with their mistakes. And look, DJ Reed will be the first to tell you that he was not playing good football early in the season. Those first three, four games, whatever it was, he was, he was, he was maybe PFF's worst ranked cornerback in taking that. Not even to account, it was like 140 passer rating against. He's been pretty darn good the last couple of weeks. Absolutely. Packer fan here in Southeast Michigan, I'm sorry for you for that. That's got to be a tough place for you to live here. It's a rival. It's NFL football. But in the end, it's a game played by humans. Big prayers up for JC and his family. With all the injuries to the secondary, do you believe the Lions are in progress or will make progress in acquiring a new cornerback via trade? Trade deadline a week from Tuesday, and there's a lot of talk about that already. Where do they go? And now based on some of the newer injuries coming out of yesterday's game. Does that change what they might be looking for? Well, I think you have to look at a little bit of help for that linebacker room. Back seven, whatever it is. I've thought all along cornerback was the weak spot. There's some deficiencies in the linebacker room now that you might have to address. Dan said today that they're going to look outside the organization for some help at the position. We'll see if that's signing somebody. Maybe it means trade. And in the final 10 seconds here before the break, quick yes or no. Would Alex Anzalone ever be a fit to come back here? I think he'd be a fit, but Tampa's winning right now, so I don't know. I know, in that ugly division, right? Somebody with, like, seven wins is going to get in the playoffs. It's going to be insane. All right, stick with us. We've got final thoughts on the other side of the break. Coming back, Sports Office on this Monday night. We want to hear from you. We've got more texts. We'll get to these on the Motor City Casino Hotel Live Line. Zoom in, too. Thanks. All right, welcome back. So somebody had reached out and said that they were totally bummed. Most of the network publications showed Campbell telling his team they were going to take a knee, say a prayer for Jack in the postgame locker room, and they didn't do it. That is what the Lions social media gives us. So where everybody is seeing it, that comes from the social media. And it might have been a private moment, prayer moment, which I respect, and they wanted to just kind of keep it in house. So that, Gordon from Warren, prayers for Jack and his family are crucial. Thank you for asking, and I hope that answer satisfies. All right, I hear the bell. I hear the bell. We've got a caller in here. Hello. Hi. Hi, Denise. Is it Denise? Yes. Hi, Denise. How are you? I'm great. I'm happy with the Lions win, but I'm also kind of hurt. I'm the Detroit Lions number one voted fan of the year for 2022. What? And so I kept closing. Thank you. Yes, I've been to the Super Bowl. I love the Lions, okay? And as a female who bleeds the Detroit Lions. And as a mother, when we see boys go down, it's like our sons, not only is he a football player, a Detroit football player, but he's like one of our children. So you kind of hold your breath like because you're thinking that's somebody's son, you know, but I have to give kudos to the Detroit Lions. That's why we love the Detroit Lions. That's why I follow them. I've been to three Super Bowls and I'm just hoping one year to go to a Super Bowl with my team. If they're on the field. So, you know what? Go Lions. You're in our prayers every game, no matter who you play. Beautifully said. I love that. Denise, thank you so much. And please call us back again soon. We're up against it here with the end of the show. But it was so great to see her. Today is my 29th anniversary. I signed another contract. I'm here for two more years. Congratulations. Congratulations. I will say, I have announced that I am not retiring until the Lions go to the Super Bowl. So, you're on the clock, Dan Campbell. I do appreciate you being here tonight with us, and I love talking with you all the time. You're so balanced and measured and good, and we're going to continue to cover everything with this Jack Campbell story and with the Lions as they get set to go to Miami, Florida, because we're going to be there with them. We're going to have the Lions pregame show for you. And games on Channel 2, Sunday, 1 o'clock. All right, there you go. We got it. All right, thanks for looking in, and as always, thanks for watching Fox 2. We'll see you back here tonight for Fox 2 News at 10, again at 11.