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Detroit Lions a ‘special team’ with a ‘special staff’ says Dan Campbell. He is savoring every moment.

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Detroit Lions a ‘special team’ with a ‘special staff’ says Dan Campbell. He is savoring every moment.


One of the more indelible images during the New England Patriots’ Death Star reign centered on a hug. The immutable and unsparing coach broke into a smile as he wrapped his arms around his offensive and defensive coordinators – Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel.  

Coach Bill Belichick had just won his third Super Bowl when cameras caught the emotional embrace, emotional, in large part, because the three coaches knew they were never likely to coach together again.  

They were right. They didn’t. 

Life in the NFL can be a slog for teams on the rebuild. And then suddenly, it isn’t. Because the rise from the abyss speeds up exponentially at the end. 

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Savor the rise then, eh?  

Dan Campbell is sure trying. Mostly because few things in sports are as thrilling as a team finding its way out of the wilderness. But also, because chemistry is an actual thing and not always a certain thing. He’s got it with his two coordinators, Aaron Glenn and Ben Johnson. 

So, when you’ve got it … well, it’s best to revel in it for as long as you can. Campbell is most ardently reveling. 

He knows it and said so again Friday, that Glenn and Johnson will be head coaches soon. He also knows that if this season ends in a Super Bowl and on a confetti-drenched stage, then no season will ever quite compare, for obvious reasons.  

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Even if it doesn’t end with a parade, and the Detroit Lions lose before the Super Bowl, that doesn’t minimize what is happening now. Campbell understands this, too: 

The 8-1 record. The expectation of winning. The comeback victories and the walk-off victories and the relatively dominant victories.  

The Lions are a happening in the football world and they are taking over stadiums near you. Everyone wants to be a part of it. 

“Yeah, man,” said Campbell, “I savor every bit of this because you’re not guaranteed – we’re not guaranteed any more wins, as far as that’s concerned.

“You’ve got to earn every one of them and you don’t know what’s going to happen the next day or the next game in front of you. But I know this, this is a special team and it’s a special staff.” 

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Endings come in a hurry when the going is good. Especially in the NFL, where everyone else wants to steal a piece – or more – of what propelled a team in the first place. And if the rest of the league can’t take your players, then coaches are the next best thing. 

Campbell remembers that image of Belichick and his coordinators. Of all that joy and pride and love, but also the undercurrent of melancholy, because they knew that was it.  

“It’s a great image and that was a special team,” said Campbell, “that really started it all.” 

The New England dynasty, of course, and if Campbell and general manager Brad Holmes have intentions on winning big here, they’ll have to survive moments like that one. Belichick won three more Super Bowls after Crennel and Weis left. Turns out Belichick and Tom Brady were the key, not that anyone didn’t know that at the time. 

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Still, it’s not easy losing coordinators. Ask Philadelphia, where the coordinators bolted after the Eagles made the 2023 Super Bowl and the Eagles struggled the next season.  

Coincidence?  

Probably not, but that’s getting ahead of the story, and beyond the point of the story, which is always the same in a season like this one: Drink it in.  

Sip it, if you can. Smell it and taste it and do your best to feel this moment, and these Sundays – and Mondays and Thursdays – and remember that games like Sundays against the Texans, for example, don’t come around often.  

Or ever.  

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In fact, no team since the 70s had won coming from two touchdowns down having thrown five interceptions. As Campbell said late Sunday night – or early Monday morning – that says something. Says a lot, actually. 

About the grit and character of the team, obviously. But also, about the unseen and unknowable forces at work that make a win like that possible.  

Magic? Karma? Fate? 

Hey, something is happening when two field goals brush the inside paint on the uprights. 

Whatever the reason, it is reason to embrace every moment of this ride, one that’s more than 60 years in the making, that took a lifetime to get here and could be gone in a flash.  

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So, yeah, Campbell and Glenn and Johnson are savoring every meeting, and every practice, and every day, and every game. And they are savoring the time with each other.  

“Because those guys are going to be head coaches eventually, whether it’s now, whether it’s later,” Campbell said. 

It’s only a matter of time. And in the meantime? 

Campbell will keep telling himself this:  “I’m fortunate, I’m blessed, I’m thankful that I have the coordinators − counting (Lions Special Teams Coordinator Dave) Fipp as well − (and) all three of those guys are superstars. And yeah … I know (that) hey, when it’s over, it’s over. But we’re going to make the most of it until that time comes.” 

Everyone else who loves this team probably should, too. For what makes this feel so special is that it comes after so much heartache.  

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And that usually only comes once in a lifetime as well.  

Contact Shawn Windsor: swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him @shawnwindsor.





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Detroit, MI

The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged

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The first Detroit Lions OC candidate has emerged


Blough is only two years into his coaching career after retiring from playing after the 2023 season. He has spent the last two seasons as the Washington Commanders’ assistant quarterbacks coach, helping young quarterback Jayden Daniels emerge as a strong franchise player for Washington. Late in the 2025 season, Commanders quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard took the Stanford head coaching job, leaving Blough to serve as the interim quarterbacks coach for the rest of the season.

While backing up Jared Goff in Detroit, Blough was often described by the coaching staff as an excellent backup and strong offensive mind.

“I love the kid, if I’m being totally honest with you,” Campbell said back in 2021. “He’s just a little football player. And when I say that, I mean that in the highest regard. Look, he’s smart. He’s extremely smart. He knows where to go with the football, I love his timing. He knows how to command the huddle, he communicates well and on top of that, he’s a hell of a dude, by the way. He just is. So, he has not disappointed. He’s doing a good job. He’s out there competing with the rest of those guys.”

As of now, this is the only known candidate for the Lions’ offensive coordinator position, but it’s still early in the process. When more candidates emerge, we’ll have a tracker so you can see all of the names in one place.

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Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis

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Popular Detroit sports columnist announces stage 4 cancer diagnosis


Longtime Detroit sports radio host and columnist Pat Caputo has been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, he announced Monday.

Caputo, a host on Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket, last published a column on Nov. 7. On Monday, he explained the reason behind his absence.

“For those wondering where I’ve been: I have been diagnosed with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer, commonly referred to as a “death sentence” and had two other serious ailments which put me in ICU for several days,” Caputo wrote in a post to X. “It was sudden. I’ve literally been on my back for weeks. Bless you all.”

Caputo, 66, became a well-known personality in Detroit sports media during his time as an award-winning columnist for The Oakland Press from 1983-2020, according to the Detroit Free Press. He also was previously part of WXYT’s “Evening Sports” broadcast, and is an official voter for the Baseball Hall of Fame and college football’s Heisman Trophy award, according to his X bio.

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Caputo is nicknamed “The Book” for his impressive memory retaining sports stats and information, according to FOX 2 in Detroit, where he has been a regular guest on its “Sports Works” broadcast.

Caputo’s social media announcement regarding his health drew support from fellow sports media professionals, including Brad Galli, sports director at WXYZ Detroit, and ESPN’s Dan Wetzel and Dave Pasch.

“Pat, we’re praying for [you],” Galli wrote. “Awful awful awful to read this, man. God bless you.”

“Legend. Stay strong my friend. So much support out here for you,” Wetzel posted.

“Book, praying for you my friend. So sorry to hear this,” Pasch wrote.

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Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover

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Murder trial starts this week in death of Detroit neurosurgeon Devon Hoover


DETROIT (WXYZ) — Desmond Burks’ murder trial starts this week. On Monday, he attended his pre-trial hearing. Burks faces first-degree murder, felony murder and larceny charges in the death of Dr. Devon Hoover.

The prominent Detroit neurosurgeon was found dead in his attic in April 2023 after Detroit police performed a wellness check. Investigators said he had been shot twice in the head and his body was wrapped in a blood-soaked carpet.

Watch Darren Cunningham’s video report below:

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Trial set to begin in Dr. Devon Hoover murder case

At the pre-trial, Judge Paul Cusick set the tone for how he expects the trial to go. It could last several weeks, according to court administration.

“Obviously, there’s always been respect shown to this court by the defendant and attorneys in this case, and all of the witnesses need to show the respect that is going to be required. There will be no outburst from any witnesses or anyone else during the proceedings,” the judge said.

Cusick discussed scheduling for the trial, starting with jury selection Wednesday and outlined restrictions for news media.

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“Media is prohibited from showing and/or publishing the faces of any civilian witnesses not employed by the government,” he read.

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Those same restrictions were in place during the preliminary hearing.

At the prelim, a number of people testified that they were former lovers of Desmond Burks.

Those men and women described Burks as a hustler and said he would send them money from an unknown Cash App and then have them send the money back to his Cash App.

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Watch our coverage of the third day of the preliminary hearing below:

Day 3 concludes in Desmond Burks’ preliminary hearing in murder of Dr. Devon Hoover

Burks is accused of stealing more than $30,000 from Hoover via credit card and fraudulent bank transactions, and Burks allegedly used other people to execute his plan.

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Investigators said text messages revealed Burks had an intimate relationship with Hoover and was sometimes paid for sexual services.

Watch our coverage of the second day of the preliminary hearing below:

Mystery backpack focus of testimony during day 2 of Hoover preliminary hearing

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Testimony from the prelim also revealed that authorities zeroed in on Burks, in part, through cellphone records and surveillance footage involving Hoover’s stolen truck.

During the trial, we may hear from a close relative of Burks who identified him in surveillance footage during the prelim. The footage allegedly shows Burks walking away from Hoover’s stolen vehicle.

Watch our coverage of the first day of the preliminary hearing below:

Preliminary hearing begins for man charged with killing Dr. Devon Hoover

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The jury selection process is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday.





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