The New York Giants and Detroit Lions went in two entirely different directions this season but their starting point was the same.
Back in early August, the Giants and Lions kicked off the preseason with a pair of joint practices ahead of their first exhibition game. Those practices were especially physical, highlighted by countless fights and massive fines levied by the NFL.
Despite the violent nature of those practices, both head coaches — Brian Daboll and Dan Campbell — dismissed it as nothing more than football.
“It’s no big deal,” Campbell said at the time.
Daboll and Campbell are old-school football personalities, so it came as little surprise that neither batted an eye. The NFL didn’t love it but the coaches did, even if they couldn’t admit that outright in public.
Fast forward to January and the Giants are at home after having compiled the worst season in franchise history. The Lions, however, are gearing up for a divisional playoff matchup against the Washington Commanders as the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
How did the Lions get here? Well, Campbell believes the Giants had a lot to do with it.
The Lions final practice is in the books ahead of Saturday's game against the Commanders.
Dan Campbell said the biggest difference this year goes back to joint with the Giants. Now the Lions begin their Super Bowl run.
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“I felt like the biggest adjustment for us was training camp out at New York,” Campbell told reporters on Thursday. “That was the first real taste of, you know, kind of the perception. And, you know, I thought the Giants, man… They practiced hard, they brought it.
“It was a lot of energy; a lot of juice. And I thought that was good for us to get that and it’s like now, you know what it’s going to be like all season, and we’ve handled it. I mean, we handle it well. We know we’re going to get everybody’s best shot.”
Campbell admits he wouldn’t be where he is today without the Giants organization, so perhaps there’s some admiration at play. But make no mistake about it, those joint practices set the tone for what was to come for the Lions.
Now the question is: Can the Lions carry that all the way to New Orleans and Super Bowl LIX?
