Another Detroit Lions loss has fans calling for Jim Caldwell’s firing. If it happens, who takes over might not be as obvious as it seems.
The Detroit Lions are a mess. It was on full display in their week four loss at the Chicago Bears as the offense was stagnant and disjointed and the defense got carved up by Bears backups at multiple positions.
Worst of all, the team just hasn’t looked prepared in any of the last three games – all losses. The Lions weren’t done any favors by starting with three road games in their first four but they haven’t done themselves any favors by going 1-3 in that stretch. At the very least, the home game against the Titans should have been a win and ending the first quarter of the season at least 2-2 was a reasonable expectation.
But the Lions failed to meet that expectation and so it is unsurprising that fans are now heavily calling for the firing of Jim Caldwell. Now, I’m dubious that firing Caldwell now rather than riding out the season will have any impact. Making a mid-season change can lead to a bounce in performance but my eyes see a team too deeply flawed to make much of a different in the short-term.
That being said, I have absolutely no problem if Bob Quinn decides sometime during the season that it is in the best interest of the team going forward to make a change. Quinn has dreams of taking the Lions to a place Jim Caldwell is not capable taking them.
If the Lions end up playing out the season with an interim head coach, it will have to be someone already within the organization. There just aren’t coaches available to come in during a season, so what the Lions have on their staff is what they have to work with. That being said, they have quite a few options to choose from.
Teryl Austin
Turning the Lions defense into one of the NFL’s best in 2014 made Teryl Austin a hot name for open head coaching positions. He has had head coaching interviews each of the last two offseasons but hasn’t landed the big gig yet, but his Lions defenses have failed to replicate the success of 2014.
Could the Lions turn to Austin on an interim basis in hopes of salvaging their season, while also giving Austin an opportunity to build his head coaching resume?
The Case For: Austin is the most logical up and coming head coach candidate currently on the coaching staff. It would be a gamble considering he doesn’t have head coaching experience but he has been getting looks from teams in need of a coach and if the Lions fire Caldwell, well, they will be in need of a coach.
The Case Against: The Lions defense is a mess. Adding on head coaching responsibilities when there is so much work that needs to be done with the defense doesn’t sound like a recipe for success. If Austin’s house was in order on defense, he’d be a natural fit as an interim head coach. But it’s not and diverting his attention will only make things worse.
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.
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.
Randy Edsall
Like Golden, Randy Edsall was another former college head coach hired by the Lions in the offseason. Unlike Golden, his role is less defined, at least publicly, as he was hired as the Director of Football Research – Special Projects.
The Case For: Edsall has a resume very similar to Al Golden’s as a former defensive coach turned head coach who had success at the mid-major level before stepping into a major conference. An additional plus for Edsall is that he has coached at the NFL level before, serving as the defensive backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars under Tom Coughlin in the mid-90s.
Firing a head coach in-season can lead to a lot of shifting around in the coaching staff as there are fewer people to do the same amount of work. Given Edsall’s current role, installing him as the interim head coach minimizes disruptive changes as it keeps all current coordinators and position coaches in place.
The Case Against: Making Edsall the interim might minimize shiftin around in the rest of the coaching ranks but he might be in for a bigger adjustment than anyone else as he’s thrust back into the in-game aspect of coaching.
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.
Gunther Cunningham
If you’re looking for a wild card candidate to consider, how about Gunther Cunningham? His tenure with the Lions is as long as anyone on the coaching staff and he remains around the team with the title of Senior Coaching Advisor.
The Case For: Cunningham brings a wealth of experience both as a defensive coordinator and a head coach in the NFL. He has been with the Lions since Jim Schwartz was hired so he knows the team and personnel very well. His fiery attitude is a complete 180 from Caldwell’s calm demeanor – the kind of change may fans want to see. He may not be the best choice at this point, but he may be the best chance of seeing something entertaining from the Lions the rest of this season.
The Case Against: At 70-years old, Cunningham may not be interested in returning to the grind of a full-time coaching job, even on an interim basis. He has been away from more conventional coaching roles for the last three seasons.
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If the Lions do fire Caldwell at some point this season, there isn’t any reason to view the person named as his replacement as anything more than a placeholder. When the time comes to replace Caldwell, who would you like to see as the interim head coach and then the permanent replacement?