Old Dan Campbell Quote Seems Prophetic Amid Incredible Playoff Run

An old Dan Campbell quote seems to have predicted the incredible run the Detroit Lions have been on.

The Lions are four quarters away from playing in the first Super Bowl in franchise history, and to say excitement and hype are through the roof might be the understatement of the NFL season.

Lions fans are used to pain and disappointment. Detroit fans are used to being the punchline to a joke that stopped being funny about 30 years ago.

Dan Campbell is the man responsible for the team's absurd turnaround in just his third year, but it's definitely not a surprise to him, as an old quote indicates.

Old Dan Campbell quote resurfaces amid legendary Detroit playoff run.

The Lions opened the season with an adrenaline-filled win over the Kansas City Chiefs, and even with Travis Kelce sitting out, observers seemed to take it as a sign the back half of 2022 wasn't a fluke. Was Campbell surprised? Not all. He knew all along what his band of misfit toys were capable of.

Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions will play the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game. (© Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Campbell said the following after beating the Chiefs to get the regular season rolling:

I didn’t learn anything. I got verification on what I already knew. This is a resilient team. It already was a resilient team and we added pieces to that resilient team. We are built to handle some stuff and we did that today against a very good opponent.”

"I already knew."

Yeah, he most definitely did, and that's as clear as ever given the team is now in the NFC Championship game against the 49ers.

His comments after beating the Bucs echo what he said back in September when the team was just hype, and not proven.

"I envisioned that we would have a chance to compete with the big boys, and that’s where we’re at. I’m exhausted, and I didn’t even play," Campbell told the press Sunday.

The Lions coach went from talking about what he "already knew" in September when only diehard fans believed in the team to making a run

Dan Campbell, Jared Goff and the Lions beat the Buccaneers to advance to the NFC Championship game. (Credit: USA Today Sports Network/Junfu Han)

It was easy and fun for people to mock Dan Campbell when he was talking about biting off kneecaps, wearing a NASCAR helmet or crying when things weren't going well.

As a Lions fan, I'll admit it was frustrating to me at times when the team wasn't winning, but Campbell and the guys in the locker room never gave up hope.

Now, Detroit is in the NFC championship game for the second time in franchise history. It's the first time in my lifetime it's happened, and the same is true for many other fans.

It's a shocking and euphoric situation to be in, and will Detroit fans be surprised if Dan Campbell and the team play for the Lombardi Trophy?

At this point, everyone should know just like Campbell did in early September, but something tells me that won't stop people from going crazy. Let me know your thoughts on the Lions and the team's run at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.