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Caldwell was going to be let go by the Ravens and that is why the Lions hired him so fast. They could not hire a guy who was being replaced as OC. As far as being an assistant HC that is a role he is perfect for. Caldwell is a good coach from Monday-Saturday. Just struggles on game day.
That +.500/-.500 split is all you need to know about the Caldwell Era.
I really wish they had fired Caldwell during the season to give a Austin an audition.
I was unaware he'll be looking for a job. You planning on looking for work if they let you go in 8 years? Did you quit golf, GB?
"Nobody else hired him so see he really did suck" is a pretty weak argument for a guy who turns 63 in two weeks. Look, I understand how confirmation bias works, but these weak attempts to elevate no-impulse-control Schwartz and denigrate Caldwell are unnecessary. It's OK to admit he did a good job and that it was time for change; they're not incongruent.
The most successful Lions coach in SB era wasn't good enough.
Bingo. 4-23 (.148) versus teams that finished with a winning record, and 0-3 in the playoffs.
- Lions were 32-5 (.865) versus teams at or below .500 in the Caldwell era
- "We didn't beat the really good teams" - Bob Quinn.
It's a measure of how far we've come since the end of Stafford's 2nd season that none of these things matter:
What matters:
- back to back to winning seasons for the first time in 22 years
- 16-8 (.667) versus NFC North opponents - best 4 year division record in team history
- 3-0 on the road versus division opponents (first time ever)
- 5-1 versus division ties team record
Really enjoyed seeing the way Quinn handled his press conference. Glad they made the decision immediately and lined up two interviews with four more candidates behinds Austin and Shumur. Took full responsibility for the 9-7 teams and made it clear he's in charge. Wood will participate in the interview process and they'll keep Martha informed but it was his call to fire the HC and his call on who the next coach will be. What he's looking for per the press conference:
- No hardware
- Zero playoff wins
A lot of that is pretty standard, generic stuff, but I like the way Quinn handles himself. I like that he was well prepared to make the move and acted quickly to get into the hiring cycle.
- could be an offensive or defensive background candidate (though the candidates are all defensive guys except for Shumur)
- familiarity will be a factor, could help (as expected - have to think Patricia and Vrabel score highest here)
- offensive scheme won't matter, Stafford can make all the throws. Glad he stated this explicitly. It was a bit unusual for Matthew to lobby for JBC but I like that they've made it clear this isn't the NBA, stars don't dictate to the team who to hire.
- JBC is not part of the hiring process. Focus is on finding the best HC, we'll worry about the OC and the QB later.
- Leadership was the first quality he brought up. Have to change the culture.
- Previous HC experience helpful but not a prereq (don't think any of the 5-6 candidates have been a HC but have to research it - have not contacted Pats about McDaniel yet)
- Would consider college coaches (I don't believe this)
- Wants a coach with a strong personality. Said the relationship between the HC and the GM is the most important working relationship in the organization
Looks like Miss Daisy is not driving the car after all. Her driver takes a new direction, good to see him get out of the right lane and turn the signal off.Moonlight said:
USA Today ranked the NFL HC vacancies and rated the Oakland Raiders as being the most attractive with Detroit second. ESPN ranked the Lions job the most desirable.
One other thought about coaching trees more relevant to this discussion: Maybe the Belichick thing is mere coincidence, but I have a (totally unsubstantiated theory): There are some managers who succeed by nurturing their direct reports and making sure they achieve their own career goals. There are others who succeed by squeezing every ounce of talent from those people. I wonder if BB is so singularly focused on winning that he's not setting his assistants up for future success. Mangini left the Pats and instantly became the enemy (and that was even before he "snitched" on Spygate).
Unfortunately the optimal point for doing that would have been after the Ravens game - 9 men on the field on the most crucial third down of the game was the turning point, 10 days after giving up a TD with 10 men on the field. Would have been terrible optics.
Is that even relevant anymore? I feel like teams constantly switch between the two. I remember hearing about a team that was nominally 4-3 and actually played the majority of snaps in a 3-4.
Yep, the Lions base defense after first down for several years has been the nickel, usually with Killebrew at LB but Tabor fulfilled that role a lot in the 2nd half of the season. They were almost always in the dime on third down. Probably gonna lose Whitehead (best cover LB in 2017) and Wilson to FA, along with Don Carey - the latter is mostly a gunner but he's really good on ST, so it's def gonna be a back end draft/UDFA need to fill.
As pointed out in the mentions, he left off John Fox 2014.
I think its still the case that no Detroit Lions head coach has ever gotten another HC job in the NFL after he left the Lions.
I think it is mostly due to the Brady effect. There are so many coaches that turn into hot garbage without a HOF QB. The other huge benefit of Brady is all the free agents that sign with the Patriots because of him. But Patricia seems to have what it takes. I hope he gets a HC shot with the Lions or another team.
Looks like this was premature speculation I took from social media ?
- Vrabel is now Wednesday, Shumur is Thursday.
Maybe on both counts. I have serious doubts on either but that’s limited to my life experiences.
I must admit, this argument has never made sense to me. The vast majority of coaches in the NFL don't have HoF QBs, yet plenty of them are still successful. Or is the idea that guys who coach Brady are actually mediocre coaches whose mistakes get covered up by him? If so, how has Belichick thrived for so long surrounded by replacement-level assistants? Also, that wouldn't explain why the defensive coaches have been just as bad as the offensive ones.
I'm glad Calvin wasn't a diva but he sure is doing a lot talking now. I wish he would have been more vocal when he played because I think his teams lacked leadership, especially on the offensive side of the ball.
This might actually make him easier to get since some teams without the connection could shy away from him due to the controversy.
Oh, they had leadership. Raiola & Suh. Played dirty on the field and the off-field player incidents were numerous. When’s the last time you heard something like that? Allen Park was a lot different the last four years. Michael Roberts sleeping in? Go home, your season is over. Come back stronger next year. And I bet he will.
They lost their starting QB & starting RB last year too. Zimmer is a terrific HC - and that was not a trendy pick four years ago.
Please let it be Ngata!That sure was a low key HC interview for JBC. I didn’t read anything about it until after it was conducted.
So if we hire Vrabel, which defensive player is a candidate for situational TE?
What do we know about him?Leroy Hoard said:
My only worry with Vrabel is Vance Joseph.
Arob? Whymatuski said:
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2018/01/06/patriots-bracing-for-matt-patricia-to-exit-likely-for-detroit/
I do not know much about Patricia. The only thing I have read about him is that he is a very intelligent man. That he is the reason due to his analytics that the Pats were always getting rid of defensive players a year too early instead of a year too late.
