It was a calmer, cooler, more analytical version of Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell that we saw at his weekly press conference on Zoom Monday afternoon than the one who was full of emotion after Sunday's heartbreaking 19-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
The man who was choking back tears in his postgame press conference on Sunday as he was telling us how much he wanted a victory for his players is the real Dan Campbell.
The man who in response to a question on Monday clicked off coverages that might have been used on the Vikings' game-wining possession and gave a roundup of injuries and his view of what's ailing the offense is the real Dan Campbell.
What we've learned about Campbell in his first season as head coach of the Lions is that we should accept both versions at face value. Both are the real person.
Among the other things we learned from Sunday's game – and Monday's press conference – include the following:
The one-two punch of running backs D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams is working for the Lions – with a statistic that's surprising; and how linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin’s value to the defense has been discovered in his fifth season as a Lion.
We start with Campbell:
Campbell on Monday: In his opening statement, Campbell praised the defense. It had its moments, good and bad, but he saw progress. It gave up a touchdown and four field goals to the Vikings. He also spoke of the offense's shortcomings.
"That was the best performance we had to date – and particularly in the secondary," he said of the defense. "I thought we did a really good job. The one that hurt is the drive at the end of the game that you've got to seal the deal."
He talked about how the offense started the game with a field goal and ended it by scoring 11 points on a field goal, touchdown and two-point conversion.
"But all in the middle was not good – particularly two turnovers in the red zone," he said.
Campbell on Sunday: No one projected a fast rebuild when the new team of Campbell and GM Brad Holmes took over the Lions.
Campbell caught a glimpse of the future in Sunday's loss, and how the Lions have improved in the last three games, even though it does not show in their 0-5 record.
"We're not quite there," he said in his postgame presser. "We have not quite gotten over the hump. I do think in the long run, this is going to pay dividends.
"As ugly as it is right now and hard to swallow, I do think we're building something special here that's going to serve us well in the long run."
One-two hit: Swift and Williams have been productive in splitting the load a running back. Sunday's game was another example of that.
Swift had 51 yards rushing and 53 receiving for 104 yards from scrimmage. Williams had 65 yards from scrimmage -- 57 rushing, eight receiving. That's 169 yards from scrimmage for the two backs combined.
For the season, Swift has 442 yards from scrimmage – 190 rushing, 252 receiving. Williams has 345 – 244 rushing, 101 receiving.
Total for five games: 787 yards from scrimmage for Swift and Williams. A 2,000-yard season is well within reach.
Snap counts: Through five games, Swift has 236 offensive snaps (67 percent) at the running back position. Williams has 128 (37 percent).
Just from the eye test, it seems like they've been closer to equal. In Sunday's game, Swift had 50 snaps. Williams had 22 – one more than wide receiver Trinity Benson.
Reeves-Maybin: He has been discovered after making tackles in plain sight on special teams since the Lions drafted him in the fourth round in 2017.
Reeves-Maybin has gotten more playing time at linebacker of late, and he's produced. On Sunday, he played 41 snaps at linebacker. He had five tackles, tied for fourth most.
Most important, he teamed with cornerback Amani Oruwariye to rip the ball loose from Vikings running back Alexander Mattison. Reeves-Maybin recovered it at the Vikings' 20, with two minutes left.
That set up the finish that ended in the Vikings beating the Lions on a 54-yard last-play field goal that let us see multiple real sides of Dan Campbell.
