Phoenix — Dan Campbell has traveled to London three times for international games, and as the Detroit Lions coach decides how he wants to configure the travel schedule of this upcoming season’s trip to Munich, he's weighing a number of different possibilities.
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He’s gone over early in the week and won. He’s gone over there early in the week and “got throttled.” And one time, he went out on a Thursday and “played well.”
“I’m still wrestling with that, honestly,” he said. “I go back and forth.”
The Lions’ opponent has yet to be determined, as does the specific date of the game, although it’s widely expected to occur in the early November. Because of the Lions’ marketing rights in Germany, plus the presence of a three-time All-Pro in Amon-Ra St. Brown, who has family there and speaks the language fluently, it seems that, from a branding standpoint, the Lions would benefit from spending more than a few days in the region.
But that’s not the priority. Detroit is trying to win a football game during an important time of year, and that pursuit often involves trying to eliminate the D-word: distractions.
“I know this,” Campbell said. “You’re going to do whatever you think you can do and whatever you’re not willing to give into. The team that’s got the most energy, the most juice, doesn’t use excuses, is probably going to have a good chance to win this game.”
Most teams travel to Europe by air, but Campbell had a more novel idea for getting to Munich: leave right after the previous game and get there just before their scheduled kickoff time.
“I’ve been trying to pitch the idea, let’s just buy out a cruise ship. Right after that last game, jump on the cruise ship, and we’ll just adapt as we go over, man,” Campbell joked. “We go up, we walk through (practice) on the deck, we’ve got the hot tubs, pools, recovery rooms, we can game plan on the way.”
Campbell is known for his honesty and transparency in press conferences, but on more than a few occasions, people have mistaken his dry humor for the truth. During an interview with "Pardon My Take" in 2023, he said he pitched the idea of having a live Lion on the sideline for games. He was joking, but given his reputation, it’s still brought up by people who thought he was being genuine.
So, it bears repeating that Campbell was indeed joking about taking the cruise ship to Europe.
But hey, it's so crazy, it just might work.
“I don’t feel like anybody is taking it, though,” he said, disappointed. “I had a coach inform me, ‘It’s so many nautical miles, it’s going to take eight days to get there.’ I’m like, ‘Just keep your mouth shut.’
“I don’t think that’s going to happen, but I’m bouncing it around.”
@nolanbianchi
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Dan Campbell makes wild travel pitch for Detroit Lions’ trip to Germany