Detroit Lions: Replace Jim Caldwell or is more house cleaning needed?

General Manager

I am a bit on the fence with Bob Quinn now. I am not quite to the point of calling for his firing, but I’m one let’s keep head coach Jim Caldwell from coming to one of two conclusions; either he has no power to fire Caldwell or he doesn’t think he needs to go. If it’s either of those two, I wouldn’t want him to stay.

So, there’s the test. After your staff let’s a team snap the ball with only nine men on the field so that they can convert a third down easily, what will you do, Bob?

How many games can your team get into double-digit deficits to start games? It was twenty to nothing last week in a game that you could not afford to lose.

After the season started we learned that some multi-year deal was signed to retain Jim Caldwell for upcoming seasons. It’s a decision that he may regret, and one, frankly, that I don’t think Caldwell earned.

We’ll see how it plays out. If Caldwell stays, I would want to replace any GM that is okay with settling for third place in the division every year.

Head Coach

Fiery local radio personality, Mike Valenti, who is a mainstay on Detroit’s 97.1 the Fan, went off on Coach Caldwell for about ten minutes this week. This CBS article recounts his best sentiments and has the video of his on-air diatribe.

"“This stuff … this doesn’t fly in New York. You know what happened today in New York? It mattered? OK, bleep mattered. My Giants just broomed out a GM with a Super Bowl, broomed out a coach who made the playoffs last year. The record is one thing this year where the Giants are a Dumpster fire. But you know what it was about? Malfeasance, the bungling of a situation. The Giants screwed up with Eli Manning, John Mara was furious. So you know what he did? He did what a real owner does. He put a bullet in the coach. And then he put a bullet in the general manager, and said you’re both out of here because you both embarrassed this organization.” “That’s what a real owner does in a real city, where it matters.”"

A big part of his ammunition regarding Caldwell was that third down with only nine Lions defenders on the field. Even Jim Caldwell had to admit that errors like that fell on him and his staff.

Free Press writer for the Lions, Dave Birkett, later recounted that defensive coordinator, Teryl Austin, also took blame for the failed play. It looked like the Lions were going to challenge the previous play but it never happened. The Lions also didn’t check their personnel for the next play, either. It seems like mismanagement happens too often with Caldwell, and many fans are sick of the pattern.