Dan Campbell Had Simple Message For Lions Moving Forward

Dan Campbell is already targeting a trip to the Super Bowl next season.

Campbell and the Lions came shockingly close to punching a ticket to the Super Bowl after building a 17-point halftime lead over the 49ers in the NFC Championship. However, the team collapsed in the second half in brutal and humiliating fashion.

It was a gut-wrenching blown opportunity that will haunt the team and fans for a very long time.

Campbell claimed after the game that he told guys in the locker room that it might have been their only shot. It was a brutally raw, honest and real outlook.

Winning in the NFL is shockingly difficult, and there's no guarantee the Lions ever return to the NFC Championship. While Campbell had a somber and ominous tone after losing to the 49ers, it sounds like he quickly shook it off during a conversation with Aidan Hutchinson.

Dan Campbell has his sights set on getting to the Super Bowl.

The team's star DE revealed the following about his private conversation with Campbell during a Thursday interview with PFT Live, according to Yahoo Sports.

"I think he - as we all were - emotional after that game. I don't know if he meant those things completely because in our exit meetings the day after, he's like, ‘We're going to the Super Bowl next year!’ Like, ‘Screw it!’ Like, ‘I don't care what it takes!’ Because I feel like I was — you kind of hear that after the game and you get a little discouraged because you’re like, ‘Do you think that was our only shot?' I think it was just an emotional thing," Hutchinson said. "I get it because it's like you have this 22-week season and you're so close and you just miss out. You're like, ‘God, it took a lot to get here,’ but I understand. The next day, he kind of came in. He gave us this speech that we're like, we're all ready to play again right now. I felt like on that Monday and I believe it too because all the players that we have that are talented on our team are so young and we have so many more years all playing together."

Dan Campbell focusing on the future. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

This is the exact kind of mentality and energy fans want to see out of Campbell. Was the loss to the 49ers brutal, painful and completely avoidable? Without a doubt.

However, dwelling on it won't get fans or the team anywhere. It's like any other part of life where you take a disappointing loss. You give it a day to heal, and then focus on getting back to work.

You know what Delta Force guys do when they have a bad day? They pick a target and smash it. You can either sulk and feel bad for yourself, or you can get back to work. One is a loser mentality. The other is a winner mentality.

If you don't know which one is which, then I can promise you're not a winner.

Dan Campbell is a winner, has turned around the Lions and has fans believing for the first time in decades that the team is a real contender. Now, it's time for Campbell and company to do everything possible to take the next step. Let me know your thoughts on the Lions at David.Hookstead@outkick.com.