Detroit Lions: Replace Jim Caldwell or is more house cleaning needed?
In the Lions den
I’ll also cover an in-house option from the ESPN article, Teryl Austin. He is listed as a, “hot coordinator” candidate and is already in town as our defensive coordinator. I really like Austin and this would make some sense, but the defense hasn’t been great during his tenure.
Notably, he wanted Aaron Donald, Pro Bowl defensive tackle for the Los Angeles Rams, instead of tight end Eric Ebron in the 2014 draft. He has also developed players like Darius Slay, who may make the Pro Bowl himself this year. Austin is respected around the NFL despite pedestrian numbers in Detroit.
Michigan connection
Lastly, David Shaw, the coach of the Stanford Cardinal, would be another candidate I would hope Bob would contact. Shaw’s father, Willie was a defensive back coach for the Lions in the ’80’s and David played high school football at Rochester Adams High School in Rochester Hills, prior to moving back to California to follow his dad’s career.
Shaw is also a former assistant to Jim Harbaugh, but has built his own winning tradition since Harbaugh left the Cardinal in 2010. Shaw’s 73-20 record speaks for itself, as does his first place finishes in the PAC 12. He has tied or won first place in five of his seven years at the helm.
His career features NFL stops before his current run in college football. Shaw has worked for the Philadelphia Eagles, Oakland Raiders, and Baltimore Ravens.
Sound off
Perhaps I sound reactionary to you. Maybe you’d like me to think about how bad some of our coaches have been before Caldwell, how nice the Ford family is, or how inept Martin Mayhew and Matt Millen were. I hear you. I have attempted to give some benefit of the doubt to Mrs. Ford, Quinn, and Caldwell.
Honestly, I am just sick of watching teams go win rings that were rebuilding after the Lions. I’m tired of sitting around waiting for the magic to happen. There is no magic. Either the people making decisions make good ones or you lose games. Who to hire, who to draft, who to coach, and when to challenge or take a timeout are all decisions that these particular individuals have failed at. Fans deserve better.
Next: Detroit Lions - Playoff chances are drastically diminishing
Who do you think should have been discussed? Sound off in the comments section. Thanks for reading, Go Lions!