OT: Lions Fans - Who do YOU want as the next coach?
Now that it's widely reported that Schwartz is going to be out, who do you want?
The typical "names of the booth" have been mentioned (Dungy, Cowher, Gruden), Lovie Smith has been speculated. Bill O'Brien probably has the most buzz of anyone. But who would you like to see coaching the Lions next year?
December 26th, 2013 at 9:13 AM ^
Bill O'Brien is a name being thrown around that I certainly wouldn't mind seeing. Especially given his reputation with QBs.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:44 AM ^
Matt Millen might have an aneurysm. So, double bonus
December 26th, 2013 at 9:15 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:17 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:20 AM ^
was just talking about.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:26 AM ^
Because it'll still be a joke but not that funny.
Also, the guy is ripped, so I assume he can stand up to the players and that helps out. Perfect fit IMO.
December 26th, 2013 at 2:30 PM ^
Dude needs to pull his pants up. You can almost see the top of his carrot.
December 26th, 2013 at 4:15 PM ^
because the steroids made his johnson a wee willy.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^
No more nice guy - this team lacks discipline.
Offense oriented - this team has enough talent in defense. The area that needs to improve is actually offense.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:28 AM ^
*Harbaugh
December 26th, 2013 at 10:18 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:27 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 2:37 PM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:30 AM ^
I could see O'Brien heading there, but I hope PSU does whatever is necessary to keep him at State College. The B1G needs as many high-level coaches as it can get, and I think O'Brien can build something really special if he sticks around.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:34 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:40 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:46 AM ^
I do think the Lions are currently more talented than the Raiders, so there's more to work with as an incoming coach, but the Lions organization is where the hopes and dreams of football coaches, players and fans go to die. With that team, you just know that somehow it's going to find ways to screw things up and shoot itself in the foot.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:58 AM ^
How are the Lions not a good NFL opening? They already have a "franchise"-level QB, 1 of the top 2-3 WRs of all time still in his prime, and a near-elite front 7 defense.
I would love to see BOB, but if not anyone else with a good history of QB development would be fine. Any competent coach would have the Lions regularly competing for playoff spots with the level of talent they have on the field. And given the great job Mayhew and his staff have done assembling a talented roster (think about that for a moment, compared to the state of the roster 4-5 years ago), I trust that he'll pick someone that can take the Lions to the next level.
December 26th, 2013 at 10:26 AM ^
If they've already got a "franchise"-level QB, why do you need someone with a history of QB development?
December 26th, 2013 at 1:58 PM ^
because his footwork is terrible and he never had proper QB coaching. He relied on his arm talent which is undeniable. He needs a QB coach to keep him in check and in tune with his footwork. I don't care for his arm delivery, but his footwork is horrendous.
He is without a doubt a franchise QB.
December 26th, 2013 at 11:06 AM ^
Mayhew has certainly done better than the miserable Matt Millen, but calling his performance "great" seems a bit of an exaggeration. "Great" drafts don't have these decisions:
2009: drafted Pettigrew 20th overall, leaving Michael Oher and Clay Matthews on the board
2010: drafted Jahvid Best 30th overall 1st round, with preexisting concussion issues
2011: drafted Titus Young 44th overall, early 2nd round, with preexisting mental issues
2012: drafted Ryan Broyles 54th overall mid 2nd round, w/preexisting knee issues, leaving Peter Konz on the board, who was a starter at C as a rookie for the 13-3 Falcons.
Those are four high picks who have produced virtually nothing of importance for the Lions.
December 26th, 2013 at 11:12 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 11:32 AM ^
If you think it's merely 20/20 hindsight to believe that drafting players with significant pre-existing injury or mental health/character issues is dumb for a franchise like the Lions, then you'd be a great addition to the Lions front office.
December 26th, 2013 at 11:45 AM ^
2009- There were 25 other teams that also passed on Clay Matthews.. also he was projected as a 3-4 OLB, in which the Lions never ran
2010- Jahvid was a reach, but he was also a steal given his ability and where they drafted him. It was a roll of the dice, that looked great when he was healthy actually.
2011- Titus Young wasn't a bad player, he produced quite well. Now the other issues... are something else. If anything the more disappointing pick in 2011 was probably Leshoure from the same round in which we traded up for, and bypassed Torrey Smith, Randall Cobb, Demarco Murray picks later.
2012 - Ryan Broyles was another reach given his medical history. Passing up Levontae David, Ruben Randle, and TY Hilton looks bad now.
I'll give him credit for being aggressive in trying to acquire talent, and add to a team that was depleted when he took over. The position he was in, probably made him roll the dice and draft BPA and hope for the best
December 26th, 2013 at 12:37 PM ^
I have been hearing/reading that excuse about Lions draft picks for close to four decades. "Other teams made the same mistake too!" is pretty thin rationalization.
If you're the Patriots or Ravens with their talent and depth, maybe you can afford to make a reach pick like Best and Broyles and Pettigrew. The Lions are not in the position—they have to have as many productive players as possible, especially with high picks.
You've acknowledged that Best and Broyles were reaches, and acknowledged that Young had issues—which were revealed during his time up at BSU. How these draft decisions square with doing a "pretty damn good job" is a mystery to me.
Like I said already, Mayhew has done a better job than Millen. "Great" or "pretty damn good" not so much, IMHO.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:29 PM ^
have you followed the patriots? they suck at first round picks...
listen, everyone, drafting is hard, it is a roll of a dice, and no one is perfect. To pick out the bad picks is to ignore the quality picks at d-line and corner (yes I like our corners)... or to ignore the fact that Michael Oher isn't exactly exhulted in Baltimore...
as for the coach I don't think the Fords reaching in their pockets has been the problem, the problem has been the performance by the people they pay...
I wouldn't mind wisenhunt, I would love O'brien, and I would think about Rex Ryan provided he brought a quality offensive coordinator.
Call me crazy, but I think Ryan would be a great fit with this team as it exists right now.
jdon
December 26th, 2013 at 12:48 PM ^
he was a great back at Illini. He was the best back on the roster until he tore his Achilles Tendon which robbed him of his athletic ability. No one could've predicted the injury. The recovery rate and performance after the injury aren't very good. Odds are against him on being back to his old self. He looked slower, less explosive than he was at Illini.
December 26th, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
2009: Oher wasn't worth the 1st round pick and is overrated because of the blindside story. Clay Matthews wasn't a fit for the 4-3 scheme. He needs to play rush LB.
2010: It was a gamble, but Best showed flashes of what he could have been if he hadn't had issues.
2011: There wasn't any indications that he had pre-existing mental issues. If there was, Boise State must have done a hell of a job doing it.
2012: I have zero issues drafting Broyles because it's a freak injury and never had injury history in the past until the ACL tear. Once you come back from it, you don't tear it again. Your knees gets stronger. He tore ACL again on the other knee which has nothing to do with his pre-existing issues. Peter Knoz isn't a very good player and struggled big time at OG. Lions OL is superior than the Falcons. Larry Warford who was drafted at 3rd round is one of the best OG in the league. He's better than Konz in every which way. The word on Konz is he has an pre-existing medical condition which apparently a neck issue.
I can go to every GM who have made picks and made stupid picks at the time. You can play this game and I'll say the same with 31 other GMs.
Point is Mayhew has done a phenomenal job of upgrading the roster from 0-16 to a team that should contend for the SB. Only coaching is holding the team back.
December 26th, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^
Long time GM for the Packers, and a pretty good one at that, said that if you get half your decisions right you are a good GM, 60% gets you to pretty good, and 70% gets you to great, and that he hadn't seen anyone get past 70%. (paraphrasing here)
Mayhew is not a bd GM, in fact I would be happy with him being our GM for a lot longer. His drafting along with his free agent finds have been solid enough for us to acquire a baseline of playoff caliber talent and he seems to be getting better at it with practice.
Schwartz probably was a bad hire, but he also may have been a stepping stone. Like when Gruden climbed the hill Dungy left behind. It could be argued that you needed a guy to get you to the guy who gets you to the Superbowl since there was so much transition needed. Yet to be determined.
December 26th, 2013 at 12:40 PM ^
The Lions have an owner who is willing to shell out money for a good team. They want to win, that's for sure. They are one of the most talented team in the league. They have Stafford, Bush, CJ, one of the best OL in the league, good DL, Levy and Slay. HC has to think they can mold them into a SB contender.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:38 PM ^
The thing about Bill O'Brien is that he will leave PSU at some point. It's not really a question of if but when, so I'd rather he go to the Lions than some other NFL team. O'Brien is definitely bound for the NFL one day.
December 27th, 2013 at 1:05 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
I honestly don't know. We've gone the college football coach route, the former NFL coordinator route, the former NFL head coach route, etc., etc. The Lions just haven't ever hit paydirt with their coaching hires in my entire lifetime. Wayne Fontes was a good as it got, only because his players seemed to fight tooth and nail for him whenever his job was jeopradized.
It's painfully clear, though, that discipline (e.g., defensive line incessant offsides + stupid personal fouls) and offensive basics (Stafford's mechanics) need to be addressed.
This team has some decent components. If it wasn't for the Lions dreadful history, it *should* be a plum NFL coaching opportunity.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:32 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:42 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 10:39 AM ^
Though some coaches do significantly better in their second or third jobs like Dungy, Belichick, Carrol etc
December 26th, 2013 at 10:41 AM ^
...similar to Dungy. People are tired of Schwartz and the dickish mindset of this team that they get from their coach.
I'm not saying I want either, but I'd take them over Schwartz, even when the Lions were winning I thought he was a moron. I was embarrassed on Thanksgiving when the defense broke the pre-game huddle yelling "GOONS!"
Schwartz is a clown and he instilled a mentality that is nothing I support. You can win without it.
It's not tough, it's undisciplined and embarrassing. It loses as many games as it wins.
I'll never support a guy like Schwartz. I'd rather have Smith and mediocrity and class than Schwartz and one good year. That said, I don't think it has to be one or the other.
Schwartz is one of the bottom 10 coaches in the NFL. We would upgrade with Dungy, Smith, Cowher, Gruden, O'Brien, or just about anyone else. If Tomlin was fired I think he'd be perfect, at least personality wise.
We need someone the locker room will respect, someone who will get the most out of the talent, someone who will be tough like the city and someone who will represent the organization in the right way.
December 26th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
The main reason I would like Lovie is that I would like to see more Black head coaches... but thats just me...
maybe other people feel the same....
ps. then again I was sad we didn't get pryor because I wanted an hispanic coach, a white running back (mcguffie), and a black quarterback. That would of been quite the reversal of trends... lol
December 26th, 2013 at 7:26 PM ^
My opinion, but I think hiring a coach b/c of his race is the definition of racism. I'm not sure Lovey would want to be hired on that basis either. I sure wouldn't.
December 26th, 2013 at 11:14 PM ^
Not knowing how to spell his name is racist.
/s
December 26th, 2013 at 9:33 AM ^
Just to throw another name out there that might be on the list, a couple days ago, NBC Sports threw this out there - (full article):
But with Schwartz widely regarded to be on the firing line after Detroit’s meltdown over the last six weeks, one name is emerging as an early favorite to succeed Schwartz: Ken Whisenhunt.
This would not be my top choice, but the News and Free Press went as far as to speculate that the Lions might have broached the idea to Whisenhunt already based on the premise that it would make sense for the Lions (in both Niyo's and Seidel's story, they do admit to not really knowing if this has happened though).
December 26th, 2013 at 9:35 AM ^
Here is a a snippet from Pro Football Talk (from Tuesday)
Both the Detroit News and Detroit Free Presshave stories today suggesting not only that Whisenhunt could be the next coach, but even that the Lions may have already reached out to Whisenhunt, the former Cardinals head coach and current Chargers offensive coordinator.
(Edit - Really? One minute? You beat me by one minute?)
December 26th, 2013 at 9:45 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:37 AM ^
I think the Lions are going to take a serious look at Ken Whisenhunt.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:41 AM ^
December 26th, 2013 at 9:50 AM ^
I'd love Gruden. Or Lovie. Or David Shaw.
December 26th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
If the Harbaugh rumors are true in SF (said to be the reason he was mentioned in the Texas search) I say go get Jimmy! He is exactly the type of coach this team needs. He is great with QBs, he will get them disciplined and have them play with an edge.
December 26th, 2013 at 11:36 AM ^
That things aren't working out in SF right now. His players are giving some pushback because he is too much of a hard ass and apparently he isn't getting along great with the higher ups because he is a cocky SOB. These are all internet rumors of course, but these issues were cited as a reason why he would look into the Texas job.