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)
Ron Prince
Coordinators are usually look at from the outside as the most likely default choice for an interim head coach but current job titles suggest otherwise. If you’re looking at job titles for who is number two in command, that would be Ron Prince.
The Case For: Offensive line coach Ron Prince holds the dual title of Assistant Head Coach – the only member of the coaching staff designated as assistant or associate head coach under Caldwell. That speaks to his spot in the coaching pecking order and makes him worthy of consideration to become the interim head coach if Caldwell is let go. The offensive line has improved since he took over those duties midway through last season and Prince has head coaching experience, leading Kansas State for three seasons.
The Case Against: Promoting Prince to interim head coach might be viewed, rightly or wrongly, as too much of a continuation of the Jim Caldwell era to represent a real shakeup. Why fire one person only to hire his number two? That last time the Lions did that they went from Matt Millen to Martin Mayhew.