Detroit Lions coaching search: Movement could be coming Monday
By Zac Snyder
The Detroit Lions head coaching search has turned into a waiting game with a week passing since the last interview. Is Matt Patricia still in play?
It appears the Detroit Lions are done with interviews for their vacant head coaching position. It has been a week since the Lions wrapped up their first week of interviews with New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia. While they reportedly had placed a request to interview Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, that interview may never happen.
That leaves the Lions with five candidates to become the team’s next head coach: Jim Bob Cooter, Mike Vrabel, Pat Shurmur, Winston Moss and Matt Patricia. The Lions also gave Teryl Austin an interview but Austin removed himself from consideration and moved on to become the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals.
Reports have swirled from the very beginning that Patricia was the guy the Lions had zeroed in on, but uncertainty in that outcome was thrown into the mix with Peter King reporting that Patricia prefers the Giants job. King went on to add that missing out on Patricia could mean the job passes to Vrabel.
Backup plans are nice, but it’s best to not need it, especially when even the backup plan is no guarantee.
According to the latest information from Ian Rapoport this morning, Vrabel is considered one of two finalists with Josh McDaniels for the Indianapolis Colts’ vacancy.
"Indianapolis has narrowed its search to two candidates: Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Texans defensive coordinator Mike Vrabel. The plan is to gather intel this weekend, meet, then proceed Monday with either second interviews or simply by making a choice."
With the Houston Texans’ season over, the Colts are free to hire Vrabel immediately if he is their top choice. Of course, that is true of the Lions as well. The fact they have not hired him indicates he is not their top choice, in line with reports, speculation and expectations that Patricia is their leading candidate.
But Patricia is still under consideration by the Giants – the tea King reported he prefers. The Giants, however, seem to be moving at a slower pace than any of the other teams going through the coach search process. The New York Post reported the Giants were down to three candidates – Patricia, McDaniels and Shurmur – but Rapoport reports otherwise.
"The Giants haven’t officially eliminated candidates, but it’s clear there are four left with legitimate chances at the head coaching job — McDaniels, Patricia, Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks and Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur."
Rapoport goes on to say that, like the Colts, Monday could be a big day in the Giants’ search, provided the Vikings are eliminated from the playoffs this weekend.
"Shurmur is highly regarded inside the Giants’ building, far more than people realize. As for Wilks, the respect GM Dave Gettleman has for him has gone a long way, and he’s very much in the picture. This remains open, though a Vikings loss could force a Monday decision between Shurmur and Wilks."
Shurmur has also been prominently mentioned in connection to the Arizona Cardinals job. Wilks is also a candidate there.
Yes, Rapoport provides an update from the Lions’ perspective as well, and it’s mostly good news for Lions fans hopeful Matt Patricia is the team’s next head coach.
"Patricia has a good relationship with GM Bob Quinn and is considered to be ready for a head coaching job. In addition, Detroit would like to keep offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter for his work with QB Matt Stafford. Vrabel is the other candidate still alive here. The real question is, was there a shift with Patricia being more interested in the Giants job? While Patricia won’t make a call until after his team is done playing, there has not been enough credible information to make one believe he’d pick the Giants over the Lions."
Next: Teryl Austin finds good landing spot with Bengals
With so many similar names involved in the head coaching searches things should start to move quickly once the first domino falls. It’s just a question of which team and coach are that first domino and when it happens. As Rapoport notes with the Giants and Colts searches, that could come as soon as Monday, but that could be delayed the longer leading candidates remain in the playoffs.