While he dabbles in other genres, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell definitely tilts heavy with his musical taste. More specifically, he’s an unabashed fan of Metallica. He welcomed the band to Detroit when they announced their 2023 tour, and he quoted one of their songs during a speech captured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in 2022 as a metaphor for the “GRIT” mentality he wants his players to maintain.
“When it comes to the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, it’s just a freight train coming your way, Campbell said. “So if you’re seeing a f****in’ light, it’s a freight train. Just put your head down and go to work. It’s about to be fun men. It’s about to be fun.”
The Lions took Boise State edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein in the sixth round of April’s draft. He has one heck of a back story, rooted in being the first Egyptian-born player ever selected in the NFL Draft. Over his final two seasons in college he posted 33 tackles for loss and 22 sacks, so he should be immediately helpful to a Lions’ defensive line hat sorely needs production from edge rushers not named Aidan Hutchinson.
Ahmed Hassanein again shows he knows the way to Dan Campbell’s heart
When the Lions called an understandably very emotional Hassanein to tell him they were drafting him, he dropped an all-time quote when he talked to Campbell.
“I would die for you, coach. I just wanted you to believe in me”, Hassanein said. “I just wanted you to believe in me, coach. I would die on that field for you. I promise I would.”
After rookie minicamp and before full-squad OTAs, Hassanein posted a collection of photos on Instagram, captioned with what Campbell said on “Hard Knocks” back in 2022.
Read more: Lions are not (yet) concerned about Alex Anzalone missing offseason work
“There is no light at the end of the tunnel. There is no light. There’s a song Metallica has, ‘No Leaf Clover,’ and it says man, when it comes to the soothing light at the end of your tunnel, it’s just a freight train coming your way. If you see an expletive light, it’s just a freight train. Just put your HEAD DOWN and go to WORK. It’s about to be fun.”
Hat-tip to Hassanein for censoring Campbell’s use of, as some young folks might say, “the bad f-word” during that speech from training camp in 2022.
Telling his new head coach he’d die on the field for him. Quoting his new coach from nearly three years ago, which included a quote of Metallica lyrics. Hassanein clearly knows the way to Campbell’s heart, and he’s wasting no time getting it done.
This article first appeared on Side Lion Report and was syndicated with permission.
‘He never once said a word to me’: Packers HC Matt LaFleur breaks silence on…
Cleveland Browns’ New QB Update Will Probably Surprise You
The general consensus has been that Joe Flacco will ultimately be the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback come Week 1 of the 2025 NFL campaign, but apparently, it’s no sure thing.
As a matter of fact, there is a chance it isn’t even probable. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com has provided an update on the Browns’ quarterback situation, revealing that Flacco is not the frontrunner to open next September under center. “It’s a tough call before we’ve even seen the first practice of organized team activities, but I know Kenny Pickett heads in as the frontrunner to win the starting job at the outset,” Cabot wrote.
“He’ll take the initial first-team reps in OTAs and probably the mandatory minicamp, and it seems like it’s his job to try to keep for now.” This definitely comes as a bit of a surprise considering that Flacco is a seasoned veteran who led Cleveland to the playoffs a couple of years ago, so the prevailing thought was that the 40-year-old would represent a stopgap until one of Shedeur Sanders or Dillon Gabriel were ready.
Evidently, though, Flacco may be competing for a backup role. The Browns signed Flacco in free agency after swinging a trade for Pickett. Cleveland then selected both Gabriel and Sanders in the third and fifth rounds of the NFL Draft, respectively, resulting in a rather crowded quarterback room.
You have to think that a trade will occur at some point, as it doesn’t seem likely that the Browns will carry four signal-callers into the regular season. But perhaps it’s actually Flacco who has been headed toward being the odd man out all along.
Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic saw his season come to a disappointing end on Sunday, and the only thing the three-time NBA MVP seemed certain about afterward is that he was thirsty. Jokic and the Nuggets were eliminated from the playoffs with a 125-93 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals series between the two teams.
Following the contest, Jokic was asked about his plans for the offseason. He had a very simple response. “We will see, you know? But for now, like the next couple of days, there’s gonna be a lot of beer, probably,” Jokic said. You can bet Jokic will make plenty of time to spend with his horses, too.
Jokic had another MVP-worthy season in 2024-25, though Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the heavy favorite to win the award. Jokic averaged a triple-double during the regular season for the first time in his career with 29.6 points, 12.7 rebounds and 10.2 assists per game.
Though the result was not what Jokic had hoped for, the odds were stacked against the Nuggets after star forward Aaron Gordon had to play through a significant injury on Sunday. The Thunder were also the best team in the NBA during the regular season, and Denver gave OKC as much as it could handle. Jokic and his teammates have earned a beer or two.
The WNBA announced on Sunday that the league is investigating whether “hateful fan comments” were made against Angel Reese during Saturday night’s game between the Chicago Sky and Indiana Fever. Reese and Caitlin Clark were involved in another scuffle midway through the third quarter of the Fever’s 93-58 win over the Sky at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.
Clark committed a hard foul on Reese by slapping her longtime rival on the arm. Reese took exception to the play and stood up to confront Clark, but the two were quickly separated. Officials reviewed Clark’s foul and upgraded it to a Flagrant 1. The WNBA was later made aware that a fan or fans may have directed inappropriate comments toward Reese after the skirmish.
“The WNBA strongly condemns racism, hate, and discrimination in all forms — they have no place in our league or in society,” the league said in a statement, via ESPN’s Katie Barnes. “We are aware of the allegations and are looking into the matter.” Reese was booed loudly throughout the game, which was expected. She and Clark have a rivalry that dates back to when the two played against one another in college.
While no details about the alleged comments have been revealed, the Fever also issued a statement addressing the situation. “We are aware of the allegations of inappropriate fan conduct during yesterday’s game and we are working closely with the WNBA to complete their investigation,” Pacers Sports Entertainment CEO Mel Raines said in a statement. “We stand firm in our commitment to providing a safe environment for all WNBA players.”
Both Reese and Clark downplayed their latest scuffle after the game, with Clark saying there was “nothing malicious about it.” Reese called the foul a “basketball play.” Clark scored a game-high 20 points and made 4-of-8 three-pointers in the Fever’s win. Reese had a team-high 12 points and 17 rebounds for Chicago.
Major detail emerges about Brock Purdy’s new contract extension
The San Francisco 49ers are really hitching their wagon to Brock Purdy, even beyond just their large-scale financial commitment.
Purdy’s new contract extension with the 49ers reportedly comes with a very interesting and noteworthy detail. It contains a full no-trade clause for Purdy, according to a report by Mike Garafolo of NFL Network on Sunday. The news broke earlier this week that the 25-year-old Purdy had secured a five-year, $265 million extension from San Francisco, locking him in through the 2030 NFL season.
Purdy’s contract makes him the fifth-highest paid NFL quarterback by total value and the seventh-highest paid NFL quarterback by average annual value. It also comes with a sizable amount of guaranteed money over the first three seasons in particular.
Purdy, a 2023 Pro Bowler who led the 49ers to the Super Bowl that season as well, is coming off a relatively down year in 2024. He threw for 3,864 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as the 49ers went 6-11 and missed the playoffs. Fans have been largely skeptical up to this point of Purdy’s ability to live up to that enormous extension.
The fact that San Francisco won’t even be able to trade Purdy away without his consent probably will not help the public perception of the contract either. But there is immense value in having a true franchise quarterback under contract from his age-26 to age-31 seasons. The 49ers clearly believe that the former NFL passer rating leader Purdy will be that guy for them and are giving him a contract commensurate to that belief.
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