Campbell Sets the Record Straight on His Coaching Shuffle
Dan Campbell spent part of this offseason reshuffling titles on his coaching staff, and it left a lot of people scratching their heads. Drew Petzing came in as the new offensive coordinator, that much was clear. But what the hell is the difference between an assistant head coach and an associate head coach, and why did Scottie Montgomery’s title change while Jim O’Neill got bumped up?
Fair questions. Campbell finally cleared it up.
O’Neill Gets More, Montgomery Stays Put
According to Campbell, the move was about offloading some of his own responsibilities and putting more on O’Neill’s plate. Montgomery is still the receivers coach and still very much the number two guy in the building, just with a slightly different title. Not a demotion. Just a tweak.
Campbell said he’s lucky to have both of them. And when he mentioned being fortunate that O’Neill stayed with the Lions, that was not lip service.
O’Neill had defensive coordinator interviews this offseason. He’s been a DC in the NFL before. Aaron Glenn gave him major credit for his work when he was here. Kelvin Sheppard did the same. The guy is respected, and the Lions easily could have lost him.
Why This Matters
The Lions are in a critical window. They have the talent. They have the culture. Keeping talented coaches from walking out the door is exactly what good organizations do.
O’Neill was a defensive assistant last year, and now he’s the assistant head coach and safeties coach. Campbell giving him more responsibility and keeping Montgomery locked in makes sense when you have good people around you.
So yeah, Campbell giving O’Neill more juice and keeping Montgomery locked in? That tracks. That’s smart. That’s what a head coach with a brain does when he has good people around him.
Do you think O’Neill sticking around could be the difference this season, or are we all just addicted to hopium again? Drop your take below.
This is exactly the kind of move that shows Campbell knows what he’s doing. O’Neill had other offers on the table and Campbell made sure to keep him here by giving him real responsibility, not just a fancy title. That’s how you build something that actually lasts.
I get it, retaining good coaches is important. But let’s pump the brakes on calling this the smartest thing he’s done all offseason until we actually see it work on the field. I want to believe as much as the next guy, but I’ve been hurt before.
You know what’s different about now compared to the old days? When we had good coaches back then, we’d lose them to other opportunities and never replace them with anything better. Campbell fighting to keep O’Neill here shows he actually values building continuity. That’s the difference between then and now.