Back in 2017, defensive lineman Michael Brockers experienced Sean McVay entering the league as a young head coach and turning the Rams into an immediate winner.
A veteran defensive player even then, Brockers appreciated how McVay helped change the culture in Los Angeles, making things more about the collective than the individual.
Now with another new head coach in Detroit, Brockers said during a Wednesday interview on the Jim Rome Show that he’s seeing some similar qualities from Dan Campbell.
“Working with [Campbell] is awesome because he reminds me a lot of McVay and how he came in, as far as understanding that, man, there’s no ego when it comes to his coaching style,” Brockers said, via Chris Burke of TheAthletic.com “It’s all about the team, it’s all about — I don’t want to use a statement from the Rams, but it’s a ‘We not me’ mentality. It’s all about the team, it’s all about what we can do to be better, what we can do to win more games.
“I like that aspect about his coaching, it’s not, ‘I’m coming in here and I’m changing the team.’ It’s more about — yeah, he is coming in here, he’s a new coach and he has a lot of expectations. But at the same time, he’s expecting us as men to do our part. And I think that’s what we love and that’s what we respect about him.”
Detroit’s coaching staff is full of former players — including Campbell — and Brockers feels that likely helps in communication. The defensive lineman remarked that he’s never been on a team with so many former players before.
“So when you have that and you have that understanding that they have, they have an understanding of what we go through as players,” Brockers said. “So they understand that it’s going to be tough, it’s a grind. The season is a marathon, it’s not a sprint. And communication is vital. And the way you communicate is vital because a lot of guys don’t want to be yelled at or screamed at or stuff like that. Some people just want you to just talk to them as a man, gain an understanding of what you’re talking about and what you’re trying to teach, and then let’s roll.
“A lot of these players in the league, we aren’t about a lot of BS. Just tell us what we’ve got to do, explain it to us in terms we understand, and let’s get the job done.”
After losing double-digit games in each of the last three seasons, there’s a lot of work to do for Detroit to become a contending team in the NFC North. But with training camps set to start soon, Campbell has at least made a positive impression with his club’s players.