SLR Hot Routes: A Look Back at the Detroit Lions (VIDEO)
Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
4. Two part question.
A) Who is your favorite Lions coach of all-time, and why?
Williams – Call it easy, but my favorite coach of all-time is Jim Caldwell. Caldwell, in just one season, has changed the culture in Detroit.
Payton – Wayne Fontes. A. He led the Lions to their only playoff win of the Super bowl era. B. He coached the Lions to their best franchise record. C. How could you not love this guy? He looked like he was on the Sopranos. Could it be that the Lions performed so well under him because they were afraid they might get wacked?
Fischer – Wayne Fontes of course. Who else has the balls to open his last press conference by saying sarcastically, “what do you mean I’m fired”. Wayne was unable to get the Lions to the Superbowl but they were exciting. Probably why he was around for so long.
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Platte – Joe Schmidt. Not only a great player, but a great coach, and one of the only coaches in Lions history with a winning record. Schmidt did a lot of things very well, but running a team with that dysfunctional front office was doomed from the start. Schmidt won games despite the front office’s failings, which makes him special.
DeMara – There’s been so many bad ones, but Gary Moeller was a favorite due to what he did in a tough spot. After Bobby Ross gave up mid-season in 2000, someone had to run the team. Moeller managed to coach the Lions through a nice win streak in the middle of the year, and helped them narrowly miss the playoffs. I maintain Moeller should have received a longer look for the job in 2001 based on this, but Matt Millen had his own ideas.
Shackelford – Jim Caldwell. It doesn’t hurt that I met him hours before Detroit’s home opener last season and got a few pictures with him. From the football side of things, he’s completely changed the culture in Detroit. For the first time in a long time, it feels like there is a plan in place and that the Lions actually have a chance to do something special.
McCoy – My favorite Lions coach of all time is Wayne Fontes because he was ahead of his time in installing run and shoot offense and offense lit up the scoreboard. He actually led the franchise to the playoff multiple times.
Ackerman – Wayne Fontes. He has the most wins in franchise history and was a unique individual.
Next: Our Least Favorite Coaches of All-Time