Jim Caldwell: Success in Detroit was impossible. Why? Where to go now?
By Bruce Walker
In a 2015 game against the Arizona Cardinals where the Lions were completely embarrassed, Caldwell benched Detroit Lions Quarterback Matthew Stafford.
But it was not the benching itself that bothered me. Stafford had already thrown two interceptions in the first half. It was the report that Caldwell had told Stafford that if he were to throw another interception, he would get pulled from the game.
What was he thinking? What elite athlete anywhere succeeds by focusing foremost on not making a mistake?
The answer is none.
That told me that this coach was more interested in playing not to lose rather than playing to win. The Lions were down at the half 28-7 and Caldwell was pressuring Stafford to not screw up again rather than go out and do whatever it takes to win the game. That sort of negative threatening can never lead to greatness.
How could you make this throw while playing to not make a mistake?
Instead, it shouts, “Play scared. Don’t do anything wrong. Be conservative. Be tepid. Take no risk.”
Trust me, when you play to simply not make mistakes, you will most likely lose. Just hunker down and expect bad things to happen and that’s a pretty good indication that they will.
True to form, Calvin Johnson admitted after the game that he ran the wrong route on a back shoulder fade that Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson easily picked off, benching Stafford in that blowout loss.
Caldwell appeared to quit on the game and make Stafford the scapegoat. That is exactly how it looked from my vantage point.
Nevermind the fact that the Lions defense allowed the Cardinals to gain 187 yards rushing with a 7.5 yard-per-carry average. Or that Carson Palmer completed almost 79% of his passes and threw for three touchdowns. Nevermind that Ameer Abdullah fumbled twice and lost one while Golden Tate also lost a fumble.
Or the fact that the Lions were severely unbalanced offensively. They could not rush the ball, securing a mere three first downs running against 22 first downs passing.
Stafford had no help from a run game or from and responsible defense. He was asked to win it all by himself then was criticized for making mistakes.
The loss publicly belonged to Stafford and Caldwell acted in a manner that made sure that the world knew it, even during the game.
In that game, Jim Caldwell was unable to discern the actual problems and correct them to give the Lions a chance to win the game. Instead, he simply found someone to blame. and took away the Lions best chance of winning.
Caldwell played scared.
Since that time, many similar circumstances have arisen that magnify Caldwell’s conservative lack of troubleshooting and problem-solving skills. In virtually every game there seems to be curious decisions that often affect the game’s outcome.
Like choosing not to challenge Golden Tate’s reception.
The call may or may not have been overturned. Even if it were so, there is no guarantee that it would have made a difference in the game. The tragedy was giving up instead of trying. You communicate to your team (and your fans) that you are unwilling to take a reasonable risk.
And if the team upstairs told Caldwell that a challenge was not worth the effort, that is also a function of the direction that they have been given by their head coach.
Be conservative. Safe. Harmless. Risk-free.
The Bengals game had other examples. The Lions had the ball on their second drive of the game. Theo Riddick ran for seven yards on first down then Tion Green ran for two leaving a third and one situation on their own 48 yard line. Third down saw an incomplete pass. In a game that they had to win, they punted from midfield for a mere 31 yards.
The same situation reoccurred in the second quarter. The Lions had the ball, fourth and one on their 49 yard line. They punted for 30 yards and the Bengals marched back down the field and scored a field goal.
Caldwell squandered those opportunities twice in the first half. In reality, that defined the entire Lions season.
Instead, Caldwell played conservative. Safe. Predictable. Or maybe it was just normal for him.