Lions need to see more from backup QBs, Hendon Hooker will start next preseason game
Campbell said Hendon Hooker will start this week's preseason game against the Falcons and play the first half, and Kyle Allen will play the second half. That reverses their roles from the Hall of Fame Game, when Allen started, Hooker entered in the second half, and neither played well.
'I see Hooker starting this first half versus Atlanta, and then Kyle will take the back half,' Campbell said. 'Both of those guys are — it goes without saying they're frustrated with the way that went, and they both want to improve and get better, and they will.'
The Lions have Super Bowl aspirations, and a good season from Goff could get them there. But they'd also like to think they could stay in contention if Goff gets injured and has to miss time, and they'll need Hooker or Allen to play well to do that. The Lions certainly need a backup quarterback who can play better than Hooker and Allen did in the preseason opener.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
6 minutes ago
- USA Today
Aaron Donald takes 4 of the top-10 best DT seasons since 2019
It's hard to pick another defensive tackle better than Los Angeles Rams legend Aaron Donald. The Rams' star made the Pro Bowl all 10 years he played in the NFL, as well as eight first-team All-Pro teams and three NFL Defensive Player of the Year awards. He was a top-5 vote-getter for DPOY four other teams, too. So, it's not terribly surprising that some of Donald's seasons rank among the best by a defensive tackle over the past six seasons. But, according to Pro Football Network, Donald's four best seasons took the top-four spots in their top-10 rankings since 2019. These were ranked on PFN's DT+ metric. Here's how the seasons broke down for Donald: Now, it should be noted that Donald's 2018 season, when he led the NFL with 20.5 sacks, wasn't included because it predated the 2019 cut-off. But the rest of these seasons make sense. Donald tallied 12.5 sacks in 2021 with 19 tackles for a loss, 25 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles in the Rams' Super Bowl-winning year. He also came in third for DPOY. In 2019, Donald led the NFL with 20 tackles for a loss to go with his 12.5 sacks and 24 quarterback hits. He finished fifth in DPOY. Oddly enough, Donald's best statistical season and third DPOY award ranked third on this list. He tallied 13.5 sacks — his second most in a season after his 2018 year — with 14 tackles for a loss, 28 quarterback hits and a NFL-leading approximate value (via Pro Football Reference) of 23. Donald's final NFL season in 2023 ranked fourth on the list. He registered eight sacks, 16 tackles for a loss and 23 quarterback hits. While he didn't make the DPOY top-5, he finished ninth in Comeback Player of the Year after he missed six games in 2022. Donald was one of the best defensive players of the past decade and played every year for the Rams. It will be tough for any defensive tackle in the near future to come close to the accomplishments of Donald.
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
- Yahoo
49ers Lead NFL With $176 Million in 2024 Ticket Revenue
The San Francisco 49ers stumbled to a 6-11 record in 2024, just one year removed from a Super Bowl appearance. Still, they finished with the NFL's highest ticket revenue, according to someone familiar with the NFL's internal gate report. The Niners generated $176 million in net gate receipts from general seating and club seating (luxury suites are excluded). The tally is after local taxes but before the visiting teams' share. More from Pop Warner Embraces NFL Flag Football Program-and Tackle Too Bob Iger Won't Split the Baby in Two After the ESPN-NFL Deal Closes NFL Head of Security Faces New Challenges After NYC Shooting The 49ers were $40 million ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, who ranked second at $136 million. Rounding out the top five were the Philadelphia Eagles ($130 million), Denver Broncos ($129 million) and Miami Dolphins ($127 million). This marks the third straight year San Francisco finished first, with the Las Vegas Raiders the previous top club in 2021. Thanks to the demographics in and around Santa Clara, Calif., where Levi's Stadium is based, the 49ers can command high ticket prices. The team also made the NFC Championship game four of five years before the 2024 drop-off. The Niners' season ticket revenue also got a boost in 2021 when the club raised prices by $20 on average and included many concession items for free as part of a 'member inclusive' ticket price. It has further raised prices multiple times since then. At the other end of the spectrum, the Tennessee Titans' ticket revenue jumped 10% to $81 million, but the club still finished No. 32 in the league for the second straight year. However, expect Tennessee to shoot up the rankings when their new stadium opens for the 2027 season. The Indianapolis Colts ($83.3 million) and Arizona Cardinals ($83.4 million) had the next-lowest gate receipts in the league. The NFL gathers the data annually and shares the results with its 32 teams, covering gross ticket revenue, net revenue and total tickets sold. The NFL did not respond to a request for comment on the contents of the report. Even though the 49ers have been on top the last three years, the rankings can swing from year to year based on league's 17-game schedule. Last year, NFC teams had nine regular-season home games and one preseason game, while the breakdown for AFC teams was eight and two—and regular-season ticket prices are typically much higher than preseason. Regular-season ticket prices are 100% higher than preseason in Green Bay, which helped the Packers post record revenue in 2024 in their first-ever season with nine regular-season games at Lambeau Field. International games also impact the rankings. The NFL used to 'make up' the shortfall in local revenue when teams had to relinquish a home game to play internationally. With the expansion to a 17-game schedule, the league determined that every team would play internationally at least once every eight years. So, instead of making teams whole, the NFL now just pays teams' travel expenses for their international game under the rationale that every team will lose a home game—and, in turn, home game ticket revenue—during that time. The Eagles ranked third in 2024 net gate receipts despite losing a home game when it 'hosted' the Packers in Brazil last year. NFL bylaws require teams to share 34% of ticket revenue with other clubs. Clubs can deduct certain expenses from the shared total and get waivers from certain obligations tied to renovations or new stadium construction. Every team received roughly $27 million from its cut of visiting teams' share in 2024. Best of Tennis Prize Money Tracker: Which Player Has Earned the Most in 2025? Browns Officially Get Public Money for New Stadium in Ohio Budget WNBA Franchise Valuations Ranking List: From Golden State to Atlanta
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
"We never shook hands, we never spoke our whole career" - Dominique Wilkins on why he and Larry Bird never got along over their lengthy NBA careers
"We never shook hands, we never spoke our whole career" - Dominique Wilkins on why he and Larry Bird never got along over their lengthy NBA careers originally appeared on Basketball Network. Dominique Wilkins didn't carry grudges often during his Hall of Fame career, but there was one rivalry that never softened while the games were still being played. It wasn't built on trash talk or off-court friction; it was rooted in competition, the kind that leaves no room for pleasantries. That tension lived between Wilkins and Larry Bird. For over a decade, their names sat on opposite sides of some of the hardest-fought battles in Eastern Conference history. Yet, through all those years of trading baskets and bruises, there was never a word exchanged. Not friends with Bird Their mutual silence became a subplot of a basketball era defined by personality clashes and regional pride. Bird, the stone-faced icon from French Lick, and Wilkins, the high-flying sensation out of Atlanta by way of Georgia and North Carolina, were never destined to be friends on the court. "We never shook hands, we never spoke our whole career, ever until we retire," Wilkins confessed. What separated them wasn't hatred, but a quiet, hardened edge that only long-term competitors can develop. Wilkins entered the league in 1982, at a time when Bird's Boston Celtics were the standard in the East. Boston had won the title in 1981, reached another Finals in '84 and ruled the conference with a type of force that suffocated rising teams like Wilkins' Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks weren't considered serious contenders during the 1980s, but they had toughness — and Wilkins was the engine. His blend of relentless scoring and airborne grace gave Atlanta its pride during those years. Every time the Hawks met the Celtics, it was clear that Wilkins wasn't stepping on the floor to bow to history. He was there to challenge it. Their playoff clashes in the late '80s were particularly intense. The 1988 Eastern Conference semifinals became one of the most celebrated duels in NBA postseason history. In Game 7 of that series, Wilkins dropped 47 points in Boston Garden, but Bird responded with 34, scoring 20 in the fourth quarter alone and pushed the Celtics over the line. Wilkins left the court without a handshake and without regret. The silence between them continued, not because of bitterness, but because neither man needed to speak to know what had just relationship Wilkins didn't forget the feeling of that playoff loss. He carried that loss like a badge, proof that he had given everything. The respect existed, buried beneath the rivalry. They never crossed personal lines, but they never tried to cross paths either. Wilkins admitted later that the lack of interaction was real. The coldness eventually thawed, but only once the jerseys were off for good. In retirement, the competition faded and what remained was respect. Time, more than words, mended the gap. "Larry and I have a very cool friendship, relationship that we see each other we always give each other respect and have a short conversations," Wilkins said. "Larry don't talk a lot, but the respect that he showed me. I remember after that seventh game he said to me, 'Man, you gave us everything. We won but we both deserve to win this game.'" That kind of acknowledgement takes time, sweat and decades of shared battles. Their connection now is down to a memory that only two men who went through it together could fully understand. Their paths would officially cross again in 1994 when Bird was holding an executive role in Boston. The Celtics signed Wilkins and he played for a single season. The respect that had formed through years of collision became more visible in those encounters and the kind of rivalry that defines legacies and burns into basketball history. And in that sense, both men walked away with something story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Aug 2, 2025, where it first appeared.
