For several decades there was little to no interest in a Detroit Lions coach addressing the media at the start of training camp. The entire state of Michigan was not, in fact, hanging on every word that came out of Wayne Fontes's mouth about how they wanted to improve or waiting to see what Bobby Ross had up his sleeve for the coming year. But that's all changed when the franchise won more playoff games in eight days than they had in the previous 65 years. So much so that people were actually looking forward to hearing from Dan Campbell early on Wednesday.
There's just so much intrigue as the 2024 NFL season approaches. How will the Lions respond to unusual success? How will Jared Goff react earning a nice, juicy extension? How is Jameson Williams progressing? What can D.J. Reader bring to the defensive line?
All of those storylines, however, seem trivial compared to the enormous podium the team has decided to utilize. Campbell, who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs 265 pounds, couldn't help but notice the sheer girth of the setup right off the bat.
"This is a huge podium," he remarked.
“This is a huge podium.” - Dan Campbell pic.twitter.com/cXF3x8sgL2
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) July 24, 2024
That thing is both large and in charge. It looks like something Mugatu would have posted up behind in Zoolander. It looks like a picture on the internet after someone has promised to increase its size by 5 percent with every retweet. It kind of looks like Ford shut down its assembly line for an afternoon to fabricate the unit. It looks like something even Penei Sewell would struggle to control on the line of scrimmage.
Truly amazing what humans can do when they set their minds on something.
The Lions have created the largest podium in American sports but just like the on-field product, there's no reason to get complacent. They could add more bells and whistles and panels to it with each victory. The only limits are the ceiling and surrounding load-bearing walls.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as The Detroit Lions Have Created a Giant Podium for Dan Campbell to Stand Behind.
