We’ve spent five years hearing Dan Campbell tell us about GRIT.
ESPN has had “C’mon Man!” and “Jacked Up!” on “Monday Night Countdown”, while NFL Network has given us “Angry Runs” on “Good Morning Football.“ And of course “You Got Mossed!” on “Sunday NFL Countdown.“
I figure it’s time we start punching some holes in a GRIT card.
“It’s our core foundation, men. Grit,” Dan Campbell told the Lions during the season opener of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” in 2022. It’s written on the walls all over Allen Park.
So
each week, I’m going to find a few plays that I think best demonstrate GRIT.
Here are my three from preseason Week 1.
Seth McLaughlin looking for work
McLaughlin initially punches the 1-technique to his right while keeping his eyes to his left for any stunt or blitz rusher.
Once right guard Miles Frazier squares up on the block, McLaughlin is free. No stunt or blitz player emerges in his assigned gap, so McLaughlin starts looking for work. That’s when he sees left guard Christian Mahogany engaged with the 3-technique and comes over with a nasty shot to the ribs to help clean up the block.
Skyler Gill-Howard refuses to stop
The former linebacker showed off his instincts, athleticism and passion for the game on this third-and-5 in the fourth quarter.
Gill-Howard gets held as Josh Johnson escapes the pocket, but he doesn’t stop chasing the Bengals quarterback. His persistence and pursuit allows him to track Johnson down, holding Cincinnati to a field goal.
Dan Campbell called it one of his favorite plays from the game.
Some defensive tackles would stop after being held when the quarterback scrambles in the fourth quarter of a preseason game.
Some defensive tackles are not Skyler Gill-Howard.
Ahmed Hassanein doesn’t let the moment distract him
Hassanein had a big night with two sacks, but that’s not what impressed me most.
Following his first sack, Hassanein showed the emotion that came with his return to the field after last season’s injury. It was an authentic celebration after an impassioned journey back to the field.
It would be easy for a young player to get caught up in that moment and not be as dialed in on the next play. But Hassanein, despite being raw and relatively new to football, relentlessly attacked the next play.
The Bengals run a screen pass to his side. Hassanein adjusts from his vertical pass rush, takes a strong pursuit angle and gets in on the third-down stop.
The sack was the highlight. The response on the next play is the GRIT.
Vote for the GRIT Play of the Week
Three plays. Three different versions of GRIT.
Now it’s your turn.
