Many were surprised when Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters that his message to the team after losing to the 49ers was that it might have been their only shot at a Super Bowl appearance. Among the surprised was edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson.
In a Thursday conversation with PFT Live, Hutchinson said that Campbell’s message quickly changed.
“I think he as we all were emotional after that game,” Hutchinson said. “I don’t know if he meant those things completely because in our exit meetings the day after, he’s like, ‘We’re going to the Super Bowl next year!’ Like, ‘Screw it!’ Like, ‘I don’t care what it takes!’ Because I feel like I was — you kind of hear that after the game and you get a little discouraged because you’re like, ‘Do you think that was our only shot?’”
Hutchinson believes it ultimately was a result of the gut punch Campbell was feeling.
“I think it was just an emotional thing,” Hutchinson said. “I get it because it’s like you have this 22-week season and you’re so close and you just miss out. You’re like, ‘God, it took a lot to get here,’ but I understand. The next day, he kind of came in. He gave us this speech that we’re like, we’re all ready to play again right now. I felt like on that Monday and I believe it too because all the players that we have that are talented on our team are so young and we have so many more years all playing together. I think that this . . . is the tip of the iceberg and yes it does take luck and that good mojo to get back to where we were and to advance farther, but I feel like we have a lot of good a lot of talented players. A lot of good guys on this team.”
Indeed they do. But they will have it harder next year. They will no longer be the hunters. They’ll be the hunted. The measuring-stick team everyone will try to beat.
“I wouldn’t want it any other way,” Hutchinson said.
That’s definitely the way they’re getting it. And it’ll be fun to see how it plays out.