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Retaining Caldwell As Lions Coach Buys GM Quinn Time

By Tom Millikan

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported this morning that the Lions plan to retain Jim Caldwell as head coach. Caldwell will be entering the final season of his contract. The report mentioned nothing about a contract extension and let's hope it stays that way.

Caldwell has done nothing to deserve a contract extension. He is 16-16 over the past two seasons. Going .500 does nothing to warrant a contract extension.

Personally, I wanted Caldwell fired and Patriots Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels to be the next Lions coach. It's my belief McDaniels could get the most out of Matthew Stafford. I also wanted McDaniels because he knows the Patriot way and has worked with Lions General Manager Bob Quinn. If you want McDaniels, now is the time to get him because he's a hot candidate.

I'm not going to go off the deep end because Caldwell was retained. I'm fine with it as long as he is not extended.

Keeping Caldwell buys Quinn time. It would have been a relatively bold move for Quinn to fire Caldwell now. It would have raised eyebrows from ownership and around the league. Suddenly the magnifying glass would be more intense on Quinn based on the next coach he hires. By retaining Caldwell, Quinn gets another year of observance and he gains trust with Lions ownership. He is being fair to Caldwell, and Martha Ford will respect that come the next time when a coaching decision needs to be made.

What's most telling to me about retaining Caldwell is that Quinn is not enamored with McDaniels or Patriots Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia. If he was, he would have fired Caldwell. Quinn may have a Patriot way, but he's not going all in right now with the Patriot way.

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