Lions linebacker Jack Campbell said he will not change the way he plays.
The NFL highlighted Campbell in a memo it sent to teams about punch-outs, warning defenders to avoid punching the ball carrier when trying to punch the ball out.
“I don’t know how many people have played in an NFL game, but when you’re going full speed and you’re trying to get the ball out, punch-outs are hard to come by. So, I don’t really care,” Campbell said Friday, via Will Burchfield of 97.1 The Ticket. “I’m going to keep punching, and if I miss it, ‘f’ it. Screw it.”
Campbell said the NFL intends to call personal fouls on punch-outs that miss the football and instead hit the ball carrier.
“So, I’ll probably have 150 personal fouls by the end of the year, so that’ll be fun,” Campbell said.
The punch-out was made popular by former defensive back Charles Tillman, with his “Peanut Punch” helping him to a ridiculous 44 forced fumbles in 13 NFL seasons.
The Lions have forced seven fumbles this season, one off the NFL lead. Campbell had a strip-sack of Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and a punch-out against Bengals running back Chase Brown.
“They just got mad at me for punching somebody,” Campbell said of the NFL highlighting him in the memo. “But, I mean, they got pads on. If anything, it hurt my hand more than the other guy.”
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