Dan Campbell: Philly fans throw batteries, spit on us, it's a great place to play

Dan Campbell is preparing his Lions to play in Philadelphia against the Eagles on Sunday night, and he's going to tell his team about his own experiences playing in front of Philly fans.

Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket that he has fond memories of all the awful things Eagles fans did when he was on the road there during his playing career.

"It's a great place to play," Campbell said. "It's electric. Had batteries thrown at us, spit on, just the classic stuff. It's probably the most hostile place to play. Going into the stadium, leaving it, during the game. Things have backed off a lot now since back in the day — some of these things you can't do anymore."

As a rookie in 1999, Campbell was playing for the Giants, and teammate Michael Strahan intercepted a pass and took it to the house in overtime to win the game against the Eagles. Campbell told a repulsive story about what a Philly fan with end zone seats did to Strahan during the ensuing celebration on the field.

"We all go back to meet him, and it was like a 64-ounce cup this guy had that was full of tobacco spit, and I'm running over there celebrating and he pours it on Strahan's back while everybody is running over there," Campbell said. "I backed off at the last minute. Just stuff like that. It's a hostile environment, it gets you fired up. I'll make sure our guys are prepared, They're going to love this. Our guys are going to embrace this . This is fun stuff."

Campbell said he's preparing his players for a big game in Philadelphia, taking on the reigning Super Bowl champions on Sunday night.

"I'm going to give them a very good snapshot of what this is going to be like," Campbell said. "Keep your poise, and every play matters. This is a heavyweight match. One misstep can cost you this game. That shouldn't make you tight, that shouldn't make you play conservative, just understand it's going to take all three units and every play you've got to give it your full attention, and lay it on the freakin' line. You can't ask for anything better. Our guys are going to be so excited to play in this one. Our coaches are excited to coach in it. This is big-time football on Sunday night. We're fired up."

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