Dan Campbell Camp Day 14 Press Event
- The Grey Manes Staff
- 2 days ago
- 9 min read
Dan Campbell kicked off his Day 14 press event with feedback on seveal players, some upocoming preseason strategy, injury updates and more.
Injury Summary
New/Updates:
Onwuzurike expected at practice
Scruggs to be on capped amount of reps
Jameson Williams minor shoulder injury, wont practice Monday night and no timeline
Nick Whiteside minor hamstring issue also will miss Monday practice
No Changes:
Branch - Potentially Early September
Kerby - Likely will linger into the season on same timeline as Branch
Peyton Turner - Has not practiced all camp despite a "minor" stiff back
Giovani Manu - Added to NFI/Injury List due to previously undisclosed injury form offseason
Jimmy Rolder injury is a Hamstring, has been working and running off to the side
Jacob Saylors - Ankle
Quick Hitters
Switching it up to an evening practice gives them a bit of rest time like a real week and a break from normal routine
Tate Ratledge at Center on Sunday was more about "just in case" than a full time move with Mays being injured
Scruggs will be at practice, but on capped reps. McLaughlin will get mixed back in at Center again
Talked about flexibility on OL and DBs, but said DBs have more currently than OL
Rotating guys through the nickel is about determine who has what traits as the nickel does a bunch of different jobs depending on the defense.
Asked about Tate in particular how much a players preference goes int position, Campbell basically said the best player at a position will play
Touched on Onwuzurike ramping up back to his 2024 self and that he is starting to hit the numbers they want to see. Will be at practice today
Talked about McNeil being disruptive and that they sometimes have to let a play keep going even if he gets a "sack' just to get work in
Loves the fans being at practice and the passion they bring
Campbell mentioned that decision has been made that most (but not all) of the starters will go against Washington and they will get a significant amount of time.
Dan Campbell Press Event Transcript
Opening Statement: I just think it's a good change up for the guys. Uh little extra recovery coming out of yesterday for this one and we'll have a recovery tomorrow. Kind of come in, walk through, get their legs back before the practice, uh the following day. But, you know, it's like our schedule. I mean, we play Sunday night, Monday night, 1:00, 4:00, you know, and you're on a short week, long week. I just think it's good to break them, you know, just kind of break your uh the normal routine of uh you know, you get in the flow and then I think it's time to break it and get into the next thing cuz that's what the season's like. You got to be ready to adjust.
We saw a heavy dose of Tate at center yesterday in team drills. Just was that kicking the tires while Juice gets back or is that something we might continue to see? Uh yeah, I think that was just, you know, getting him getting him some reps. I mean, you know, one way or another, he he's going to have to um be able to help us there. Um if it comes down to that where he's the guy or he's our next available center at the game if something happens, knock on wood. So, I think it was just, you know, that that's what some of that was. And um you know, so you know, I don't know if we'll do that tonight. Um probably get Juice. We got juice capped on reps today, so he won't get all of them. Uh, and then we'll probably put Seth back in there. Let him go a little bit. We'll keep Tate over there at right guard.
Uh, how much fluidity is there in kind of the setup of both your offensive line and starting secondary right now, but it still seems like you're doing a lot of mixing and matching while you're missing some of those key pieces in Cade, Kirby, and Brian. Yeah. Well, there is flexibility. I feel like there's more flexibility in the secondary than the O line right now. you know, not that um I just there it may take a little less um time and work. Now, that being said, we still got a ways to go, but uh we're probably a little better equipped um over there. Um old line, you know, just kind of mentioned this, it just it would take time, you know, it would take reps, it would take time, you know, you know, you'd be pushing Tate in. Then you got to find your guards. um you know and then they got to work together. So it's a little bit of that you know um but it doesn't mean it that it's we don't have flexibility in the room. It just it it's going to take a little more time that's all.
In particular with the nickel situation. Dan, you've been rotating a ton of guys at that top spot. Is it just because you don't feel good with one or you feel good with like three or four of them and you're just trying to decide which one is the right one for you guys? Yeah, I mean I think we're giving them all an opportunity and uh you know we use nickels for different jobs here depending on what the situation is and so that's some of it. It's also man who's your best cover guy, who's your best in the box player, who's your best blitzer and uh who's your best processor, the guy who's going to put out fires for you uh is just headsy gets it. So I think you know that's why we're rotating a lot of guy. are trying to figure out, you know, um really, you know, who can do what. Um and it's kind of the same thing once you figure that out, then then you need those guys to play together. You know, get these safeties together, get the corners together. We got Reed back. Rock's doing a good job uh and those other guys and uh kind of piece together and let him play with Tate, but also sort of in general, you know, like if a player has a preference to stay at one spot, I'm sorry, say it again.
With Tate, but I'm also curious in general if a player has a preference to stay at one spot like he prefers right guard. How much do you take that into account versus maybe what the team needs and what's the balance you try to, you know, find there? Yeah. Well, look, you as much as you can, you want a player to be comfortable. I mean that that's you really do. But at some point if we have no choice, you know, um then then you got to do what you got to do and the players know that. I mean Tate knows that, you know, he'll do whatever for the team. Um but yeah, we certainly take that into account, too, man. We want somebody that, you know, is you got to be willing to take that leap a little bit. And um so, you know, if it came to that, a guy like Tate, he he's prepared to do that. He's a team guy.
With Levi Onwuzurike, has he been on a ramp up plan at all still? Is how would you assess his performance in training camp and where is he at right now? Was kind of at the end of 2024 when he was kicking butt. Uh we have ramped him up. He's been on a ramp up plan. We felt like we started to hit some pretty good numbers. Um, and then he had a little set back. Uh, but I anticipate him being out there today. Um, and um, you know, you start talking about um, really I guess two years ago, he's a strong physical man. I mean, he's when he does it right and he plays low and he feels good, he can I mean, he can uh, wreak havoc in there. So, um, you know, he's doing a good job in there. He's mixing it up and it's just about, you know, trying to keep his body on the up and up right now.
Hutch was somebody we were all watching very closely last season. Um, you know, for obvious reasons coming off the injury, but now, uh, this year seems like day in day out, he's just kind of wrecking things a little bit for the offense there. Just how's he come back, uh, to camp now a full year removed from the injury? Yeah, he looks he looks great. you know, he's like look, I would say he's it when you're when you are coming off that injury, your ability to train now being healthy basically, right? You're So, now you're kind of out of that rehab mode and now you're in a truly strength, conditioning, training, power, explosion, all of it. So, he's just continued that route and every year he becomes smarter, more crafty. He learns the game. He so he's elevating his FBI and just his skill set. I mean he he's um the guy works his skill set every day, man. And every year he comes up with a little something new. He knows how to play the chess game. Really in the run game, but the pass game you see it like he he'll set something up for a while and then he's going to he he'll counter you at some point. You know, he just he's the headsy player, man. He knows what he's doing. So, and then he's got a motor. I mean, my gosh, when you have all those and then you got the motor he does, you know, he he's a he's a massive problem uh for an offense.
Just to stay with him for a sec, the uh I asked this, you know, say this half jokingly, but like how do you decide cuz he's so disruptive, how do you decide when to blow the whistle when he's in the back field in play some of these times, you know what I mean? Like he can Yeah. I mean [clears throat] I mean sometimes it's most of them what I do is if I don't blow them it's obvious and I'll just tell them hey that you know that's good job or that's a sack or um but sometimes I don't just for the sake of the drill you know you kind of have to do that a little bit otherwise you know you won't get a lot done so um but yeah he he's a pain man he he's definitely a pain but that's I'm glad he's our pain.
Yeah, I know you guys get here so early in the morning. Um, we deal with a little bit of the traffic in a good way with so many of the fans, whether it's early in the morning, it's raining like it was what, two days yesterday, super hot like it has been. Just can you speak to the passion of the fans if it's in the morning, evening, night through the weather and maybe what you've noticed, especially this this summer? Yeah, I mean, it's pretty cool. I mean, we do we've got we do have passionate fans. They um you know, this I've said it all along, it's a unique place. It is. It's not like this everywhere. And uh they live it, they breathe it, and uh they're here for us and our players and they believe. And um man, our guys love to play, you know, they love to show up for them. I mean, you know, they love it when they come out here. It brings up the energy and uh and then certainly on Sundays we start playing. It's big.
Dan, last season and the season before, I think even three straight seasons, you've always had the joint practices and whatnot. How do you gauge and know if your team is getting exactly what they were getting with that type of heightened practice routine? Yeah. Well, I think when you um I feel really good about that with where we're at right now. I think what you get is, you know, you do get different types of players, different skill sets, very good players. Like Houston, for example, man, you got Will Anderson coming in here. That's awesome. Like that's a that's a different guy who's an elite player. Um, but I'm also like Sewell and Hutch go against each other every day. I mean, tell me what's going to be better, you know? I mean, you're just talking about the competition of it and those guys working their craft against each other. Uh, Alim McNeil over there, you know, Ratl is an up-and-coming player. Um, you got Jah out of the backfield, you got to cover Jack Campbell, Mike, you know, pressure, coverage, all these things, man. Um, St. Brown, J amo. I just I think we've got pretty good competition here and um you know for this year I like I like what we're doing. I do.
You know what at what point maybe this week you'll make a decision on starters getting time Saturday. Uh I've kind of already done that a little bit. Um you know I'm not going to tell you guys but um but not everybody will play. I would tell you that. We are going to play a significant amount of the starters. That's my plan right now. You want to tell the fans? No, not yet.
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