Detroit Lions: Who Finishes the Season if Jim Caldwell is Fired?
By Zac Snyder
![Sep 18, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports Sep 18, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell during the first quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/5e47aaa8a77526e7cd5bd99e759e9f6b3625613e5e161257dd68c1d48466b683.jpg)
Al Golden
The most interesting changes to the Lions coaching staff during the offseason were the additions of coaches with head coaching experience. That includes Al Golden, who now coaches the Lions’ tight ends after spending many years as a head coach at the college level.
The Case For: The obvious is head coaching experience. Turning to Golden as an interim head coach means giving the job to someone who has done it before. It would also give Golden influence into areas beyond his current job as tight ends coach. His background is more heavily on the defensive side of the ball and elevating him could pay dividends.
The Case Against: While Golden has extensive coaching and head coaching experience, it has been on the college level. The history of coaches moving from college to the NFL with success is limited, although that may not be much of a consideration for naming an interim head coach. He’s also new to the staff and may not have the rapport to rally the players like some other longer-standing members of the coaching staff.