Who will be the Detroit Lions head coach next season?
By Robert Jones
The ‘Patriot Way’ need not apply
One more name to toss out on the defensive side of the ball would be Don Martindale, the Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator. Martindale has been with the Ravens since 2012 and since he took over as the defensive coordinator in 2018, he has kept the Ravens near the top of the defensive standings.
Once again we’re talking about a man who bleeds aggressive, take-no-prisoners defense. Detroit is one of the few cities whose fans would appreciate a dominant defense if the Lions ever had one.
If the Lions were to look towards the offensive side of the ball then they may wish to consider Brian Daboll of the Buffalo Bills. His offense is a meat and potato system that likes to run the ball and dominate defenses physically, but it’s not without a productive passing game that stretches the field.
One reason to consider Daboll is how well he has handled Josh Allen. He has done a wonderful job of slowly giving Allen the reigns and building him into a fine young passer. Since a change in regime could very well mean trading Matthew Stafford, then someone must be able to groom Detroit’s next young passer.
Another offensive mind to consider would be Shane Waldron who is the passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams. He also doubles as the quarterback’s coach for the Rams. Waldron is considered a budding young offensive mind in the NFL. The biggest question would be if he’s ready yet.
The final offensive-minded name I’ll toss out is Nick Sirianni the offensive coordinator for the Indianapolis Colts. Nick is a big piece of the puzzle for the Colts’ creative ingenuity on offense. We need to consider that he kept the Colts offense productive last year even though Andrew Luck retired.
These are a few up and coming candidates that could be given their big break with the Lions, if we want to call that a break. You might notice that I omitted ‘Patriot Way’ candidates because at this point I think we all feel like they need not apply.
I think it’s safe to say that if a new coach is hired to steer this team, it’s best to steer another direction than the whole ‘Patriots of the midwest’.