The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears both occupy the NFC North Division, which was won by the Lions the past two seasons. This offseason, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to become the Bears' new head coach, leaving Detroit to find a replacement for the coach many thought was their brightest mind on their entire staff. On Monday, an interview was posted of Campbell speaking about Johnson and whether or not he has a rivalry with the former Lions coach.
Dan Campbell Brushes off Perceived Rivalry With Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears both occupy the NFC North Division, which was won by the Lions the past two seasons.
This offseason, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to become the Bears' new head coach, leaving Detroit to find a replacement for the coach many thought was their brightest mind on their entire staff.
On Monday, an interview was posted of Campbell speaking about Johnson and whether or not he has a rivalry with the former Lions coach.
Campbell used strong words to make his feelings clear on the situation before going on to explain his thought process on the Lions' games against Chicago this upcoming season.
"Is there a rivalry already starting with Ben (Johnson), like a the owner's meetings, coaches meetings?" Campbell was asked by Detroit reporter Brad Galli.
"Were you tying his shoes under the table?" Galli asked in jest which drew laughs from the Lions head coach.
"No, I saw him a couple times in passing, and uh, man, we're good, relationship's good, but, you know it's no different than anything else, look when we play each other, it's the next game, and we want to win, man," Campbell continued. "It doesn't matter who we're playing... we're out for blood."
It's been a busy few days for the Lions and Lions media with a veteran starter named a potential trade candidate and the return of injured defensive back Morice Norris to Detroit's Allen Park, MI training facility, which included a message to fans.
The Lions' bounce back preseason win against Atlanta on Aug. 8 showed that Campbell's team has plenty of depth after a rough first go of it in Canton, Ohio the previous week.
Detroit will have another chance to show what it can do on the gridiron this coming Saturday with Mike McDaniel's Miami Dolphins set to visit Ford Field.
Related: Alternate Angle of Morice Norris Injury Is Hard To Watch
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Aug 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
