Explore the mysterious mind of Dan Campbell, the coach of the Lions

COACH LIONS Dan Campbell stormed into the AT&T Stadium interview room following his team’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys on what was, to put it politely, a technicality—uncharitably, a heinous officiating error. With the game still within him, he held the lectern firmly with both hands, as though shielding it from a tempest. His psychological and bodily presence filled every void in the room like a sneaker wave. He sounded like he was dragging his words across cracked asphalt, heavy with the rasp of failure.

He did everything in his power to refrain from uttering what he had surely uttered the moment he rushed out of this room. When pressed to explain his anger, he responded, “I don’t want to lose, OK?” With 23 seconds remaining and the Cowboys up one, his team executed what was perhaps the ultimate play: a throwback pass from quarterback Jared Goff to tackle-eligible player Taylor Decker on a 2-point conversion. The authorities determined that Decker did not report as eligible, seemingly mistaking him for offensive tackle Dan Skipper. Now, as though his fingers could speak for him when his tongue couldn’t, Campbell’s fingers tapped the lectern twice. After a brief moment of blushing, he declared he was tired of talking about it and busted out of the room the same way he came in. The game didn’t make sense, so neither did he.

Every football player in history, regardless of level, has played with but not for Campbell. For the Dan Campbell Guy, who plays with broken bones, loves Metallica, and is in the weight room constantly, is almost never the guy NFL owners pick to represent their team. The Dan Campbell Guy is the coordinator or position coach, driving and inspiring behind the scenes and frequently keeping everything together from the inside out. No one wants to give him the mic. He is never the politically correct, the safe pick, or the one that lets everyone in the company unwind.