Dan Campbell tells incredible Baker Mayfield story amid Bucs-Lions the trash talk
By Josh Hill
It's already been an eventful week ahead of Sunday's playoff showdown between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Detroit Lions.
Both teams are meeting for a second time this year, with the Lions coming away with a comfortable victory back in Week 6. It was a loss by the Bucs that triggered a 1-6 slump that nearly sunk their season. Luckily Tampa Bay was able to pull itself out of that hole, something that has led to a rematch with Detroit in the Divisional Round.
Already the jaws are flapping and the trash talk is flowing. Antoine Winfield Jr might have started things by calling out Detroit -- not by name, though -- after Monday's Wild Card win. Lions safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson clapped back by throwing Baker Mayfield under the bus, who responded with a hilarious comeback.
It's nice to have the Bucs involving in a beef, especially this late in the season, but not everyone is throwing jabs when talking about their opponent.
Dan Campbell tells incredible Baker Mayfield story amid Bucs-Lions trash talk
Leave it to Dan Campbell to punch right through the macho trash talk to tell a story that is so Campbell-esque that it's surprising he didn't tell it sooner.
The Lions head coach talked about scouting an Oklahoma tight end back in 2018 and coming away impressed that Baker Mayfield was putting aside his own self-interest to help his teammates out by throwing to them at pro days and private workouts.
"I've always been a big Baker fan," Campbell said. "There’s no wonder why people rally around him and follow him.”
Just watch the whole thing, you won't regret it.
The only regrettable thing about this is how it makes Bucs fans Shawn Michaels knocking out Ric Flair, as the Lions are a great story that nobody in Tampa Bay wants to see continue. Part of the reason so many folks have bought into Detroit's journey is Campbell and his authenticity.
He didn't tell that story to try and stop the trash talk or to make a point, he just told it because he genuinely has an appreciation for Baker. If there's any bad blood it certainly isn't coming from the top in Detroit.