In First Season, Caldwell Leaves Little Doubt Lions Got The Right Man For The Job
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
CBS DETROIT - Initially, the hire of Jim Caldwell underwhelmed many outside the Detroit Lions organization. With the 2014 season in the books, there should be no dispute the Lions ended up with the exact head coach they needed.
Caldwell made a positive impact in many areas of the organization, but as the coach himself always noted, the results on the field matter more than anything, so evaluating Caldwell's first season in Detroit starts with the bottom line.
On the field
The Lions won 11 games in the regular season and then lost on the road to the Dallas Cowboys in a wild-card playoff game that went down to the wire.
Detroit showed marked improvement in how it finished the year, winning four straight games in the second half of the season before losing in Week 17 to the Green Bay Packers. Instead of stumbling at the end of the year like they did in 2013, the Lions were going strong and were shocked when they lost, and that reflects the leadership of Caldwell and the bar he set.
The roster changed little from 2013 to 2014, but under Caldwell the team came much closer to maxing out its potential. Last season the Lions won seven games total and skidded through the second half by losing six of their last seven. This season Detroit tied for the second-most wins in franchise history, made the playoffs for just the second time since 1999, and played a competitive postseason game that came down to the wire.
Some have talked unfavorably of Detroit's schedule, arguing the success does not mean much because it came against inferior opponents, but a team can only play the games on its schedule. Certainly, there is plenty of room for improvement considering the Lions came up woefully short against better competition - the Arizona Cardinals, the New England Patriots, the Green Bay Packers and the Cowboys.
Fans and media may take issue with a handful of choices Caldwell made during games, perceiving mistakes of omission or commission, but as coaches will also point out, nobody ever talks about the decisions that the staff gets right. A record of 11-5 indicates that, for whatever calls people believe Caldwell should have made differently, he made plenty of good ones.
Building a staff
By hiring Teryl Austin and Joe Lombardi, Caldwell took chances by handing the reins of the defense and offense, respectively, to a pair of coaches who had never before served as coordinators at the NFL level. For the most part, the risks paid off.
The defense spent much of the season leading the NFL in points allowed per game and yards allowed per game. The secondary, which had been considered a weak link in 2013, looked steady this season. Second-year cornerback Darius Slay improved under the tutelage of the venerable Rashean Mathis, who also had a solid season, and the safety tandem of Glover Quin and James Ihedigbo ranked among the best in the league. The linebacker group performed well also, overcoming the early-season loss of starting middle linebacker Stephen Tulloch. DeAndre Levy again proved exceptional. Last but best, the defensive line dominated, pressuring passers and dramatically reducing the effectiveness of the running games of opponents.
Few would label Austin's debut season anything less than a complete success. Accordingly, Austin has interviewed with several teams about their head coaching vacancies, so he may be one-and-done in Detroit.
Whether Lombardi was a smart hire has been a source of more debate. The offense did not put up the sparkly statistics it has in other seasons, but general manager Martin Mayhew had a few comebacks for any dips in numbers. First of all, he said the Lions would rather have wins than flashy stats. Second, Mayhew suggested, the implementation of a new offense is not easy and not always a smooth process. Lastly, the team suffered a slew of injuries on that side of the ball; almost every lineman missed at least one game - several missed more - and all three tight ends (and wide receiver Calvin Johnson) missed multiple games as well. Not everyone will accept Mayhew's analysis for the offense's shortcomings, of course, but his explanation has merit.
John Bonamego was the special teams coordinator when Caldwell arrived, and Caldwell retained him. The Lions struggled in that phase of the game in 2014, not getting as much as they would have liked from their return teams and more notably weathering a costly revolving-door situation at kicker. Nate Freese and Alex Henery, both of whom the team eventually released, combined to make only 4 of 12 field goal attempts. The Lions should be credited, however, for giving an opportunity to Matt Prater, who made the Pro Bowl in 2013 before starting the 2014 season on a suspension related to alcohol abuse. Prater kicked well for Detroit down the stretch and has said he would like to stay with the Lions long-term if they want him.
Creating a great work environment
Asking the question of whether great team chemistry breeds wins or whether wins breed great team chemistry, one will get a few different answers. Either way, the Lions clearly enjoyed both this season. A corn hole game and a ping-pong table showed up in the middle of the locker room - the team's leadership council had talked with Caldwell about adding them - and often players stuck around after practice to compete and socialize. Serious on the field, in the weight room, in the training room, in meetings rooms, players got to have fun in the locker room, and the closeness developed in the building translated to the field. Caldwell facilitated the family atmosphere, posting on a bulletin board which players were having birthdays or babies so players could stayed in the loop about each other's lives.
In addition to allowing the locker room to be a place for fun, Caldwell kept meetings engaging. Not all NFL coaches quote authors, poets, military leaders and the Bible throughout the course of the season; Caldwell would sometimes quote more than one in a given media session. A amazingly well-read individual, Caldwell used his breadth of knowledge to keep players on their toes. He could deliver the same message players had heard a thousand times, but he approached the topic with a new twist, and players appreciated it.
As far as on the field, Caldwell practiced what he preached, giving coaches time to work with players on the fundamentals that all coaches deem essential. Unlike all coaches, however, Caldwell allowed for more daily work in that area.
Pleasant surprise
When the Lions introduced Caldwell, the organization acknowledged - unprompted - its pursuit of Ken Whisenhunt, then the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers. The team referred to Caldwell and Whisenhunt as "two Plan A's."
The hire of Caldwell was not a splashy one, but at least for one season, Caldwell and the Lions proved it was the right one.
