January 14th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
I'm spitballing here, but it might have something to do with his history as head coach of Ohio State.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:09 PM ^
So what you're saying is, because he was head coach of Ohio, and successful against us largely, you feel that much disdain that you wouldn't want him to possibly be able to attribute some of that success to a team you now like? You would feel better if he was a huge loser at Ohio St. and came to the Lions? I guess i'm not bitter enough to think that way.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:17 PM ^
Yep that's pretty much it.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:49 PM ^
/s
January 14th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
Yes I do realize this is a Michigan sports blog. Most people who are fans of michigan college teams are fans of their own state's professional teams as well. Which is why you see posts about the Lions so much here. I just don't see the point in being irrational about a hire who hails from Ohio St. and had success there. Why does it matter as long as the guy wins? If he loses, it is what it is,we are no better off than we were. Whether our record is .500 or more, if we're not making the playoffs we aren't any worse off. Also, with what's left of the coaching pool, and considering we picked Caldwell, who's success under anything but Manning has been bleak, i feel that Tressel at least went out being a winner, albeit took a hit of character because of NCAA violations, but this is the NFL. Hopefully can bring some on -field success to a team that is historically ran themselves into the ground.
Apparently i am in the minority but I think I have a right to my opinion to want both of my teams to be successful. If you are an individual that wishes distraught on your own team because Tressel USED to be a rival coach a few years ago, then that's your opinion, as a fan. If you want to sulk about the hire because it's a coach from a well coached rival school, you can also have that opinion. I was just asking why people think this way.. but all i got was "because he coached Ohio St." Seems like a shallow reason but hey, to each his own I guess.
January 14th, 2014 at 5:13 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 12:49 PM ^
SI.com ran something late yesterday which reported that Bill Ford, Jr. had been in contact with Tony Dungy, who had been something of a mentor to Caldwell, so there was some praise out there for Caldwell. Dungy said:
“I know the Lions also want discipline and good character in the locker room,” Dungy told ESPN.com. “I’m not saying their other candidates can’t achieve those things but those are Jim’s strengths with his background, especially from his influence under Joe Paterno at Penn State and hopefully in our program in the NFL.”
January 14th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
So if we compare coaches to superheroes, and the most positive thing Dungy can say is about how nice and good charactered our players will be, you know, instead of winning and bringing an explosive offense?
Well, I'd say this infers that we just hired Aqua Man.
January 14th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
Why Dungy? Why bring up working under Paterno when trying to praise someone's character?
January 14th, 2014 at 12:50 PM ^
Great hire. We got the guy that led the 29th ranked offense with a qb that threw more int than touchdowns. Sounds like a lateral move, Stafford can continue throwing 5 ints a game
January 14th, 2014 at 12:53 PM ^
There was also an article on ESPN talking about how the Ravens were considering firing him as offensive coordinator and were hoping some franchise would come along and hire him so they didn't have to make that decision.
It is very inspiring to hear that the guy you've just hired as HC was on the verge of being canned as an OC just before you hired him.
January 14th, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
They HIRED and PROMOTED a guy who was about to be fired. SAME OLD LIONS. What a joke!
January 14th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
Citing the team's continued pursuit of the longest championship drought title, Lions management has also agreed to give away their first round pick in next year's draft to the Arizona Cardinals.
January 14th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^
OK, we get it. Five posts of you rebutting positive comments about Caldwell with nothing but "he's terrible" has successfully driven the point home that you don't like the hire.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:31 PM ^
/s
January 14th, 2014 at 2:04 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 12:55 PM ^
I hope he is better than people are saying. Being a Lions fan sucks.
January 14th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
First Lions coach who is black / African American? Never thought Id see that from WCF...
Actually I think this hire may be a blessing in disguise, after the other candidates bailed. Caldwell is highly regarded around the league.
January 14th, 2014 at 12:58 PM ^
Look at his record. The man is not HC material.
January 14th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
uninspring hires of all time. After his 2 year run Megatron will be a little odler and the window will be closed up a bit more on any playoff opporrunities. Ugh!
January 14th, 2014 at 1:01 PM ^
This man has had TWO winning seasons in his ten years of being a head coach. He has failed at literally every single stop of his career. Naturally, he's a perfect fit.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:03 PM ^
to be traded. The offense is officially dead and if it's true Tressel is coming also, possibly as OC, this team will never win more than 6 games per season.
You can't play ball control/field position offense in the NFL. The league is built for offense and the Lions are officially doomed for another 50 years.
Worst organization in Professional sports. Period. End of Story. No one wants to come to Detroit.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:04 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 1:13 PM ^
Same Old Lions.
This organization is just screwed from the top down. It has zero accountability, zero direction, zero idea of what it takes to win and zero will to actually do what it takes. This is a same old stuff hire all the way by a organizatioin that couldn't get off its collective ass enough to go and get the guy that they wanted. If Wisenhunt was the guy they wanted, they needed to go and get him. There is no salary cap on coaches - just go and freaking hire the dude. If it looks like you are losing him, offer more coin. Go and compete and win something for a change.
I saw the Lions waste Barry Sanders, and now its going to do the same thing to Megatron.
I once heard someone comment that you can never really change your childhood sports team. You can try, but there is always a part of you that stays invested and pulls you back. As a kid, my NFL teams were #1 the hometown Lions and #2 my dad's team the Cleveland Browns. I am just stuck with these two clown shows.
I actually hope that the Lions do hire Tressell. That just may be revolting enough to finally make he give up on the Lions.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:49 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 1:14 PM ^
Worst case scenario: I've already got a "Fire Jim" t-shirt.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 1:26 PM ^
The man is known as an offensive guy. So according to Football Outsiders,
The year before Caldwell became Baltimore's OC (2011), Baltimore was 13th ranked Offense by FO. 2012 they were 13th. 2013, 30th.
2008 Indy 5th ranked offense (year before Caldwell took over)
2009 6th ranked offense
2010 6th
2011 27th [No Peyton]
Even if we ignore the no Peyton year, he has a history of not improving an offense at best. Driving it into the ground at worst.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:26 PM ^
I would've thought the Detroit job would be one of the more sought-after ones this offseason with that DL and the offensive talent but this is just awful. Even Josh McDaniels would have been a better hire, IMO.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:29 PM ^
Dave Brandon needs to buy the Lions. He'd make Bill Belichick the highest paid coach in the history of the world.
But a beer at Ford Field would cost $200.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:45 PM ^
Does anyone remember this Lions/Browns-level of stupidity in Peyton's last game as a Colt?
Edit: For those unaware, there was a running clock and the Jets only had one timeout remaining.
They were going to use that timeout to stop the clock and kick a 50 something yard field goal to try and win the game. The Jets kicker, Nick Folk, to that point in his career was not a very good long distance kicker. He had been cut from Dallas the year before for going 6-14 on 40+ yard field goals, and was just 5-11 on 40+ yard field goals that season.
Rather than letting them try the long field goal, Jim Caldwell called a timeout which allowed the Jets to run another play, resulting in a long gain. This allowed the Jets to call their last time out with seconds left and kick a short field goal, all but assuring victory.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:57 PM ^
Thanks for this. Awesome reminder of how great the next three years are going to be.
January 14th, 2014 at 2:04 PM ^
And his explanation of "trying to make the Jets run as many plays as possible" makes zero sense. He's clueless about clock and game management.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 1:43 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 1:54 PM ^
Before you judge Detroit Fans, who do you root for as far as NFL?
January 14th, 2014 at 2:04 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 2:14 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 2:16 PM ^
The Lions haven't won a title since 1957, and you're calling out fans who have finally had enough futility?
January 14th, 2014 at 2:19 PM ^
I thought you were going to say some dumb shit like "Pittsburgh or New England" or any team save Cleveland. As most of the older guys and I don't know how old you are but watching the Shitshow Lions tear down the eighties teams for money, driving Berry into retirement because he was the ticket seller (so close) and now having this team on the brink and history says it will be a the standard "Goddamn plane has crashed into the mountain again". It's frustrating but sure as shit Ford Field will be sold out and three years there be a new coach peddling hope in "the D".
January 14th, 2014 at 2:42 PM ^
January 14th, 2014 at 5:07 PM ^
(Please read the subject line in Mike Gundy's voice. Thanks.)
I have seen this orgnanization win one playoff game in my whole lifetime. I was in Indy last year and mentioned this to a Colts fan. At first, he didn't believe me. When I told him no, we have only one playoff win in over 50 years, he was in shock. People in other NFL towns can't believe that it could happen. The NFL is, and has been, set up to avoid Lions kind of failure. It is designed so that every fan base gets to have a playoff run every few years. Its fun. Its exciting. Its the NLF and it takes a special kind of ineptitude to achieve this level of suck. (Even the Browns had the 80s.)
People are reacting to this hire with that history. The problem is that this hire is such a Lions move. As an organization, they failed to get to their objective. Again. And there doesn't seem to be any really push to change how they do business. They look like they haven't a clue because they leaked that this was their guy and failed to get him. Contrast that with the Texans getting BOB, the Titans getting Wisenhunt and even Michigan getting Nuss. it is Same Old Lions.
I am glad that you are at least a little fired up for the hire. I haven't given up on the team altogether (though if they hire The Vest. . . ), but the last 20 years has taken its toll. Please try to understand those of us who look at this hire and want to give up.
January 14th, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
The two don't even compare.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:45 PM ^
Man. All this hate for Caldwell and the Lions before he has even coached a single game. I get he may not have been your first choice to be coach and you all wanted someone better to come walking throught that door. Well guess what? So did the Lions. They tried to get their guy and it didn't happen. For all we know, the Lions did everything right and Whisenhunt may not have wanted to come here. Sometimes that happens. And when you are a franchise that has a stigma about being a perennial tire-fire that is to be expected. Sure the Lions ownership has had a lot to do with that in the past, but it does seem like the Lions are trying to turn the corner and move forward.
Mayhew has doen a great job of assembling this team and they are in good position going into next year. And for the shit people are giving Caldwell, he seems like to a perfect fit to instill a sense of discipline and accountability into this team that limits the number of bone-headed penalties and plays we were accustomed to seeing under Schwarz. So all of you that are done with the Lions, so be it. But I am not going to let the progress this franhise has taken to gain respect be thrown out the door just because they didn't get their first choice of coach.
January 14th, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
This franchise had been set back 5 years with this move.
January 14th, 2014 at 2:07 PM ^
Five years? Give me a break. The Lions went from 0-16 to 10-6 and in the playoffs 3 years later. From this thread its no secret you dislike the hire, but lets not act like this is a move that will haunt the Lions for years to come.
January 14th, 2014 at 2:12 PM ^