Dan Campbell gives pointed response to question about rash of defensive injuries

Another week, and more injuries for the Detroit Lions defense. During Thursday's Thanksgiving losing streak-busting win over the Chicago Bears, linebacker Malcom Rodriguez (knee) and defensive lineman Josh Paschal (knee) and Levi Onwuzurike (hamstring) were lost to injuries and were unable to return to the game.

After the game, while acknowledging Paschal and Onwuzurike could miss time, head coach Dan Campbell was clearly the most concerned about Rodriguez's injury.

"I don’t know how significant it’ll be just yet, but he’s the one I fear a little bit," Campbell said.

The list of injured Lions' defensive players this season is getting long. Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone, John Cominsky, Kyle Peko. Others have missed a game or two here and there, but defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn has navigated it all as Detroit was second in the league in scoring defense entering this week.

Dan Campbell has no time for inviting any injury excuses

After Thursday's win, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Campbell was asked if he feels snakebit by all the injuries to the Lions' front-seven. The response was pointed, however it should have been expected.

“Let me ask you this, does it really matter? Like, who cares? That’s what I go back to, it doesn’t matter. Either it is or it isn’t, we get a guy back or we don’t get a guy back. And worrying about it and moaning about it and b*tching about it, it’s like calls right? It’s like calls. It’s like (the pass interference call on cornerback Kindle) Vildor, I could sit there and throw a fit about it, it doesn’t matter. It’s called, it’s done. I know this, whoever we have available, we’re gonna get them ready to play and we expect them to hold the line, period. You’ve got to do your job and everybody around you is looking for you to do your job.” 

NFL players and coaches embrace the "next man up" mentality, out of sheer necessity to maintain that perspective when injuries inevitably come, and arguably no team fosters that idea more than the Lions under Campbell. So it's not surprise he had no time for the idea his team is "snake bit", or whatever phrase might be used for a tough run of injuries on the defensive side of the ball.