Seven Head Coaches the Detroit Lions should consider

Eric Ranes: Teryl Austin

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

It may be true that most fans want to “clean house” to try and break the curse that is Lions football, but Teryl Austin was impressive enough in interviews for head coaching gigs last year to believe he will likely get a job this upcoming offseason. For several reasons, he may be the right choice for a franchise that has suffered from the overly conservative Jim Caldwell for the past two seasons.

Austin has shown savvy in his timely use of aggressiveness in his brief stint as Lions defensive coordinator, and typically has brought with him a good gameplan. With Nevin Lawson and Quandre Diggs developing in the secondary, he seems to be accomplishing something the Lions tried for years with the likes of Chris Greenwood, Jonte Green, and Bill Bentley; that is finding and developing good young talent in all rounds of the draft. He has also instilled discipline on stupid post-play penalties that had plagued the team for what seems like decades and has gotten the most out of under-the-radar free agent talent that has been brought in like Josh Bynes and George Johnson who have tried and failed elsewhere.

Most fans are scared of losing Austin, but I think a promotion is deserved and he would expand the increase in aggression that has made the defense worth watching in his tenure to both sides of the ball. I think that is something Lions fans crave. Being that the team should be rightfully wary of losing his tutelage to the young, promising defensive core, Austin and a combination of his choice of replacement at defensive coordinator would put the team’s focus in the right place alongside other winning teams around the league. That focus is consistent hard-nosed defense that gives offenses all the chances they need to win.

Scott Bischoff is up next with an option that may already be on top of the Lions wish list.

Next: Scott Bischoff: Adam Gase