New Lions defensive assistant Jim O’Neil told a story about his first encounter with Dan Campbell, and it explains what makes him so special.
Last year, Jim O’Neil was taking a year off from coaching. After a two-year stint as the Northwestern defensive coordinator and a dozen years of NFL positional coach experience before that, he was looking to reset and figure out his next move. He decided to drop in for a couple of Detroit Lions OTA practices to reconnect with defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn—whom he had hired back in 2014 when O’Neill was the defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns .
O’Neil—who was hired this offseason as the Lions’ defensive assistant and will coach the safeties this year—had never met Dan Campbell at the time. He wasn’t there to ask anything of Campbell, just observe and connect. Yet his first encounter with Campbell was something he’d never witnessed before at the NFL level.
“Dan didn’t know me, and he probably sat down with me and spent 25-30 minutes on two separate occasions,” O’Neil recalled. “So that right there, I was like, ‘Wow. I don’t know if that would happen in any other NFL building.’”
O’Neil also couldn’t help but notice the unique way the Lions were being coached. Immediately, he knew this team was bound to be a contender, and if he ever had a chance to coach again in the league, this was something he wanted to be a part of.
“Just being around Dan, being around the staff. Love the energy, love the sense of urgency, the attention to detail,” O’Neil said. “So, it’s been something I’ve really been looking for my entire career. I’m fired up to be here.”
O’Neil also appreciated how his interview went down with Campbell. Instead of just talking ball, Campbell showed an interest in his personal life.
“We just sat and talked for about four and a half, five hours, and it wasn’t necessarily football. It was more philosophy, about my family, and he’s just a guy that you want to work hard for,” O’Neil said. “He’s a guy–he’s what works in this league. What you see is what you get. Like I said in the opener, it’s kinda what I’ve been searching for my whole career, and I’m glad to be a part of it now.”
And now that he’s in the building, he’s seen the way Campbell operates on a day-to-day basis. He’s seen Campbell pull out a board game during a staff meeting, creating unique competitions between offensive coaches and defensive coaches. He’s been fowling with the staff. But Campbell can also get serious and talk ball when the time is necessary.
“He finds a way to make it fun and he’s passionate at the same time when we’re trying to get work done,” O’Neil said. “When it comes to special situation stuff and how we coach team ball and how we coach situational ball, just his leadership style is infectious.”
Whether it’s from afar or to people who share a sideline with him, Campbell has clearly made an impression across the NFL, and O’Neil believes that’s why the Lions are suddenly darlings of the league.
“It’s probably why the whole nation was rooting for the Lions all last year during the playoffs. People just want to be a part of it.”