Dan Campbell, the Detroit Lions’ head coach, became furious after learning from a writer that one of his players had mistakenly disclosed an offensive play on social media.
Before the Lions’ 23-20 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving, running back Jahmyr Gibbs posted a snapshot on Instagram story of teammate Jermar Jefferson standing in front of a whiteboard with particular plays.
Fans quickly noticed that the whiteboard was covered in particular offensive plays, however it is unknown whether Detroit uses any of them in games.
Regardless, Gibbs, 22, risked exposing team secrets by posting the photo on Instagram – and Campbell was unaware of it up until a press conference on Saturday.
The Lions coach was told by a reporter in that press conference about his player’s actions, which appeared to leave him both stunned and furious in equal measure.
When told about Gibbs’ apparent leak on social media and asked if he needs to remind him to be smart about posting online, Campbell said: ‘Oh, I didn’t know that. I did not know that.
‘Ok, yeah, I need to check on that then. Did not know that.’
Before swiftly leaving the press conference, he added: ‘Yeah, I’d rather our stuff not be out there. Thanks.’
Gibbs is currently in his second season with the Lions after being selected with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The former Alabama college star has been a crucial member of Campbell’s offense in 2024, recording a total of 973 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns so far, both of which rank in the top five in the NFL.
He has helped Detroit flex its muscles as a major Super Bowl contender by winning 11 of their 12 regular-season fixtures, with the only slip-up coming against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2.
Next up for the Lions is a huge showdown with the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field next Thursday.
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Packers Legend Blasts Lions Player for Leaking Team’s Signals
The Green Bay Packers did what they needed to do in the last seven days. After defeating the San Francisco 49ers 38-10 on Sunday afternoon, they also won their Thanksgiving matchup with the Miami Dolphins by the score of 30-17.
Now 9-3, the Packers still only hold the sixth seed in the NFC Playoffs picture due to two teams in their division having even better records than them. The Detroit Lions are 11-1 after their win over the Chicago Bears, also Thanksgiving, and the Minnesota Vikings are 9-2.
The good news for the Packers is that they play each of their division rivals one more time yet this season. They start with the Lions, who defeated Green Bay 24-14 earlier this year, this upcoming Thursday night.
And one former Packers legend is hoping to give them a leg up.
Earlier on Saturday, a photo that Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs posted on social media went viral. Not because of anything that he or other players were doing out of the ordinary, but because it had all of Detroit’s offensive signals written on a white board in the background:
Former Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari was quick to point out how big of a deal it was for a team to have their signals leaked:
Yikes. This is very damning. Plays are pretty universal. It’s the code words they assign and use at the line of scrimmage that is a problem.
Going to have to completely revamp new words to assign (no-huddle code words or OTL code words).
He then added:
It be a shame if @packers saw this. Or even @CoachMLaFleur or @CoachSteno.
As one can see, he tagged the X accounts of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.
Unfortunately for the Packers and their fans, a reporter made Detroit head coach Dan Campbell aware of the post. Campbell said he was not aware of the photo and that he was going to have to look into it.
Sounds like the Lions will have a whole new catalogue of signals for next Thursday’s game against the Packers.
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Jared Goff Reacts to Jameson Williams’ Apology After Thanksgiving Triumph
After the Detroit Lions’ hard-fought 23-20 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving Day, wide receiver Jameson Williams made an important gesture that did not go unnoticed by his teammates. Following a costly taunting penalty earlier in the game, Williams took it upon himself to apologize to the team in the locker room.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff was asked about Williams’ apology and praised the young receiver for how he handled the situation.
“Yeah, it’s huge. He’s right where he needs to be, he’s doing a good job – I know that was a mistake by him, but I’m proud of him, the way he handled it, the way he stood up and took responsibility,” Goff said as quoted by SI.
Williams, who was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after throwing the football at a Bears player who had been talking trash to him on the sideline, didn’t shy away from the mistake. Instead, he addressed it head-on, apologizing to his teammates for the incident. This level of maturity and accountability earned Goff’s respect and further solidified Williams’ standing within the team.
“We’ll move on, there’s no problems there,” Goff added, indicating that the team has fully accepted Williams’ apology and is ready to focus on the road ahead. The Lions, known for their strong team chemistry under head coach Dan Campbell, have embraced a culture of accountability, and Williams’ response exemplified this.
As the Lions continue to push toward the playoffs, moments like these highlight the growth and leadership on the team, with players like Williams taking responsibility and showing maturity both on and off the field. With the incident behind them, the Lions can continue their playoff chase with the focus squarely on the next challenge.
