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What Detroit Lions coaches said Thursday: Brock Purdy a mini Montana? Campbell on ownership
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- What Detroit Lions coaches said Thursday: Brock Purdy a mini Montana? Campbell on ownership
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn was careful to say he wasn't comparing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy to his legendary predecessor, Joe Montana, but Glenn did invoke the Hall-of-Famer's name when discussing Purdy on Thursday.
"He understands timing," Glenn said. "So when you have that, and listen, I'm not comparing him to Joe Montana, but you kind of see those traits as far as putting his — once he hits his back foot, the ball is out. Like you see it. I think a lot of offensive coordinators, quarterback coaches like that because of the timing of the offense. So, I think he fits that system very, very well. And he's doing a really good job at it."
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Purdy completed 69.4% of his passes while throwing for 4,280 yards this season, in his first full year as a starter.
The 49ers have one of the best running games in the NFL and a host of explosive offensive skill players in Christian McCaffrey , Deebo Samuel , Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle , but Purdy's steady play at the game's most important position is a big reason why San Francisco is the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at the line of scrimmage against the Washington Commanders during the first half at FedExField, Dec. 31, 2023 in Landover, Maryland.
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"Just from watching the tape, he's highly competitive," Glenn said. "He understands the offense. He understands that it's not about him, it's about the masses of the whole team. And he understands he has really good players surrounding him, so his job is to deliver the ball to those good players and he's doing that at a very, very high level."
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Glenn, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, special teams coordinator Dave Fipp and head coach Dan Campbell met with reporters Thursday in advance of Sunday's NFC championship game. Here are more highlights from their sessions:
∎ This game features the first- and second-team All-Pro selections at tight end in Kittle and Lions tight end Sam LaPorta . Kittle led all NFL tight ends with 1,020 yards receiving this season, while LaPorta set a rookie tight end record with 86 catches.
On the AFC side, both the Kansas City Chiefs ( Travis Kelce and Baltimore Ravens ( Mark Andrews ) boast two of the game's other best players at the position.
San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle runs against the Detroit Lions at Levi's Stadium, Sept. 16, 2018 in Santa Clara, Calif.
A former NFL tight end, Campbell was asked what it says that the four teams left playing feature tight ends so prominently on offense.
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"Well, I think when you have a guy that can do everything, can do multiple jobs and do them well, I think those guys are hard to find," Campbell said. "We're fortunate, I think we've got one and he's just beginning. But Kittle, I feel like has been at this — he and Kelce are to me, at the top of their game in different spectrums. They both kind of do a little bit of different things, but it's also relative to their offenses, what they're asked to do and where they're needed.
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"But knowing we're getting ready for Kittle, I've got a lot of respect for the way he plays the game, man. He's high energy, he does it all, he's an aggressive blocker, he's strong, he's physical, he's good in pass protection, he's an explosive route runner, creates separation, run after catch, plays strong, team guy. I mean he does it all. He does it all. But I like our guy too and our guy can do quite a bit of things as well. And look, they're going to need him to play well and we're going to need our guy to play well."
∎ Campbell also spoke Thursday about Lions owner Sheila Hamp, and what it means to be able to reward her for the risk she took hiring him three years ago.
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"It means a lot," he said. "I always wanted to do that. I always wanted to prove her right. That's not an easy thing to do, to take a chance on somebody that nobody knows about or thinks deserves a shot or whatever it is. And so, to trust your instincts and trust people around you and to pull the trigger, it means a lot. It sure does. But once you know her and once I know her, it doesn't surprise me one bit. She's one of one. She's unique and I'll say this, everything that we kind of are and what we're about has started with her. It's really her, it's her vision."
Campbell said he considers himself fortunate that Hamp "allows me to be myself."
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"I don't feel like I have to be somebody I'm not, and you can't always do that," he said. "You can't — and so with that, I can coach. I can do what I need to do, and I appreciate that. So, she took a chance on me and yeah, it feels good to prove her right, but we're not done either."
Former Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders talks with Lions owner Sheila Hamp before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Ford Field, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023.
∎ One of Campbell's great lines in his introductory news conference three years ago was when he promised to field a team that would "bite a knee cap off."
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Well, Glenn went a step further when asked to describe his defense in one word Thursday.
"That's a good question," he said. " Well, we talk about gritty . That's who we are. Listen, we know exactly who we are. Are we the fastest? Are we the most talented? No, but we'll bite somebody's face off when we go play them."
So it's not just knee caps the Lions bite?
"We'll bite a kneecap too, if we have to," Glenn said.
∎ Fipp got his start in the NFL as an assistant special teams coach with the 49ers in 2008 . He said Thursday he'll always be grateful for his three seasons in San Francisco, and he shared the story about how he ended getting the job — with a lesson pertinent to everyone.
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Essentially, Fipp lost his job as a graduate assistant at Arizona after the 2000 season when the new coach, John Mackovic, had a young graduate assistant, Jeff Rogers he wanted to bring with him.
Fipp landed a job at al Cal Poly, and he got a call from Rogers one day earlier in his tenure at his new school asking for some help with video Fipp used to coordinate.
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"I'm kind of like, 'Help you out? You just took my job,'" Fipp said. "And then I'm like, 'Hey, it isn't his fault, just do the right thing.' And so I said, 'Hey, no worries.' Anyways and then we go on and now I'm coaching at San Jose State, well Jeff Rogers is the assistant special teams coach at the 49ers. He leaves to go take the job at Kansas State. He calls me up and he says, 'Hey, man, I just want to give you a heads up, I gave your name to the head coach and the special teams coordinator.' And sure enough, that's how I got the job, through Jeff Rogers."
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The moral of the story?
Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches practice at Detroit Lions headquarters and training facility in Allen Park on Thursday, Jan. 25, 2024.
"I try to say to everybody, especially my kids, they don't listen, but don't burn bridges," Fipp said. "You just never know it's going to come back. So, for me, the chance to go back there is incredible. I'm super grateful for it and obviously, the best way that I can show them that is by playing well for us on special teams."
∎ Johnson was asked to identify the hallmarks of his offense, one of the NFL's most potent units the past two seasons.
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He said everything he does is rooted in fundamentals and technique, but he said there's something he hopes define his offense when opponents turn on the tape.
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"I'd like to think that it all starts with the fundamentals and technique," Johnson said. "I'd say that's a huge part of it, cause it's what we've been preaching from the spring time through training camp and then even now during the season, all those little things. But when you turn on the tape, I would love to think that you see us playing with speed and attitude. Speed and attitude. We talk about that from Day 1 and hopefully when you turn it on that's what's showing up each and every week."
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com . Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: What Detroit Lions coaches said Thursday: Dan Campbell on owner, TEs
