Detroit Lions: GM Timeline Won’t Save Jim Caldwell’s Job
By Zac Snyder
Concerns the Detroit Lions’ GM search timeline will interfere with a coaching change are unfounded. Look at the last time Jim Caldwell was fired for proof.
Oct 25, 2015; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell looks on during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports
The Detroit Lions have not lived up to expectations in 2015 after putting together an 11-5 season with a playoff appearance in 2014. The front office has already been held accountable with the firings of general manager Martin Mayhew and team president Tom Lewand.
Conventional wisdom says Jim Caldwell will be the next to go, but there are some that think a protracted search for a new general manager could lead to Caldwell surviving as the Lions’ coach by default.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio had the following to say about the Lions situation in his roundup of potential NFL head coaching openings this offseason:
"The apparent plan to hire a G.M. and then to let the G.M. make a decision about Jim Caldwell could buy Caldwell valuable time. By the time a G.M. is on the job, it could be too late to find a viable replacement for the head coach, giving Caldwell a chance to prove to the new boss that Caldwell is the right guy for the job."
The problem with this line of thinking is that changes in the front office and on the sideline often happen in tandem. In fact, all we have to do to find an example of a similar situation to what the Lions currently face is to look back at the last time Jim Caldwell was fired. The parallels are striking.
Next: January 2, 2012