When Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters last week that new acquisition Za'Darius Smith was being given a couple days off before his first practice with the team, since his old team (the Cleveland Browns) had their bye week, it was easily a hint that Smith might not make his Lions' debut in Week 10.
That of course happened, as Smith was listed as questionable and he did not play against the Houston Texans. Even though he didn't play, Smith's impact in his first game as a Lion was clear.
Even though he wanted to play against the Texans, and lamented being given the week off with that in mind, Smith appreciated getting a little bit of rest and lauded Campbell's approach to his situation.
Dan Campbell lets bold proclamation slip during radio interview
Campbell made his regular appearance on 97.1 The Ticket's "Costa and Jensen with Heather" on Tuesday morning. He is naturally keeping eyes on the ultimate goal for this season, driven by "getting that one seed" and home field advantage in the NFC playoffs.
"Our guys know that. That was one of the things I talked about in training camp because you've got to work backwards," Campbell said. "I've said it before, you can't just keep saying the endgame is the endgame, we all know that. Now, what do you got to do? You've got to win your division, and you want to be the one. That's kind of where it goes, and so that whole focus is the division and getting that one seed, because your odds go up, that only helps you."
The decision to rest Smith against the Texans was an easy topic, and Campbell reinforced his eye on the bigger picture.
"We've got 11 games left here and we're gonna need him for every one of those," Campbell said. "Every time we get closer to the end, they get more critical. I just felt like it was the right thing to do, and then yes, I'm excited to get him going. I think he's gonna be an excellent addition for us. I think he brings a complimentary piece for us and our d-line and I'm excited to see him play for us."
Add it up. Eight regular season games left. Then two playoff games (assuming the No. 1 seed and a first round bye). Then the Super Bowl. That's 11 more possible games this season.
Having Smith at his best for what's expected to be a deep playoff run was a driver for the decision to give him a week off. That is not a revelation, and Campbell added a tangent to it. He expects the Lions' 2024 season to end in the Super Bowl, not that anyone should really be surprised.
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