The Detroit Lions season is basically over, but the speculation has just started about who might be their offensive coordinator next year.
The Detroit Lions seem to be on their way towards a rather sizable overhaul of personnel once this disappointing campaign is over.
The defense, which has to be considered Matt Patricia’s baby, will most likely be getting a great deal of attention from general manager Bob Quinn as he allocates team resources to upgrade what has been sloppy to just plain bad play on that side of the ball.
As the former defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots, Matt Patricia does have first-hand experience with how a championship defense is supposed to look and perform.
In case you’re a little confused, this isn’t it.
So an offseason shopping spree to aid Patricia’s defense makes all the sense in the world since it is apparent that not just any players can run it well. There can also be included the speculation about the how well it is being coached, but that is a discussion for another day.
The special teams have been anything but special and there has already been a move there as Patricia relieved Joe Marciano of his duties as special teams coach. Assistant special team coach Devin Fitzsimmons has taken the reigns for now, but the Lions will most likely be making another move this offseason here as well.
Then there is the offense…
Jim Bob Cooter was retained as the offensive coordinator with the idea of keeping the continuity on that side of the ball rolling. Especially since they ranked seventh in scoring offense last season. Despite the concerns about how poorly they had run the ball under Cooter, the idea was if they could improve the personnel on the offensive line and in the backfield, then that should have this unit firing on all cylinders.
Obviously, that hasn’t been the case.
Now the wolves in the media and fans are calling for Jim Bob Cooter’s head. The offense has not only been unimaginative, but ineffective as well. Despite many who are putting the blame on Matthew Stafford, which is yet another discussion for another day, it is Cooter and his system that have to take the biggest responsibility for the Lions’ offensive inconsistencies.
So since the speculation has already started, if Matt Patricia were to make a change at offensive coordinator, the question has to be; who has the best chance to lift this offense to greater heights?