The Detroit Lions are on a great run, leading the NFC North with a 5-1 record and a National Football League four-game winning streak. Much of the team’s success can be attributed to the talent of quarterback Jared Goff, who has received rave reviews from head coach Dan Campbell.
It is well known that coaches look for references and examples in players who have shaped their past, either as a player or as a tactical leader of other franchises. In Campbell‘s case, he found an NFL legend who, from his perspective, has so many similarities to Goff that he dared to compare them in a lengthy statement.
“I was fortunate to be around Drew Brees for six years as a player and a coach. There are things about Goff that remind me of him. You see the professionalism, the work ethic, the process, the competitiveness. He has the attitude of a worker, he’s a worker in that sense, he has a quiet confidence, he’s not frazzled, he’s tough, he sees everything. That’s why we’ve put a lot of emphasis on him,” Campbell said in praise of the Lions quarterback on The Rich Eisen Show.
In the final year of his playing career, Dan Campbell was a teammate of Drew Brees in the New Orleans Saints. In addition, the current Lions head coach spent five seasons on the Saints’ coaching staff when Brees was there. Now Campbell coaches Goff for the Lions and sees a reflection of the NFL legend in Goff.
The stint of Drew Brees as a legend of the New Orleans Saints
Brees played for the Saints during 15 seasons, having shared team with Dan Campbell in six years. The quarterback led the New Orleans franchise during the 2009 season to its only Super Bowl, which it won with a 31-17 victory over the Indianapolis Colts and was named Most Valuable Player of that game. Brees was elected 13 times to the Pro Bowl, has a first-team All-Pro selection and won the Comeback Player of the Year award in 2004, in addition to being the NFL’s leading passer on seven occasions.
Jared Goff’s performance in the 2024 NFL season
Goff is playing a key role in the Lions’ campaign in the current NFL season. In six games, he has completed 128 of 174 passes for 1,610 yards and 10 touchdowns. In four of his appearances he caught 18 passes, but last week he had one of his best performances with 22 completions and 2 touchdowns.