Detroit Lions: Who Finishes the Season if Jim Caldwell is Fired?

Jim Bob Cooter

While Teryl Austins coaching star may be fading, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter’s may be starting to burn brighter. The Lions offense was prolific in the opener against the Indianapolis Colts and quite good in the Lions’ second half comeback attempt against the Green Bay Packers.

If a coordinator is to be elevated to interim head coach, it could be argued that Cooter makes more sense than Austin given the Lions’ current situation.

The Case For: Cooter handled a big promotion without issue last season. He was put in a difficult position having to take over for Lombardi last season but he did more than right the ship. The Lions offense wasn’t just competent for much of the second half of 2015, it was often proficient. He handled that jump with ease, perhaps he could handle another big jump.

The Case Against: This time last year Cooter was a first-time quarterbacks coach before getting thrown in as the OC following the firing of Joe Lombardi. The offensive side of the ball is ahead of the defensive side of the ball right now, but are things really as good as they seem?

The offense really struggled against a not very good Bears defense. Golden Tate has gone from very productive to complete question mark and the offense has looked disjointed at times. Cooter very well may have a long and bright coaching career ahead of him, but it might be wise to pump the brakes for the time being.