Are The Lions Looking At Brian Kelly?
By: Terry Foster
Rumors of the Lions possibly being interested in Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly came out within minutes of Bill Ford Jr's less than rousing endorsement of coach Jim Schwartz.
Sorry. But I believe that is calculated. And that is great news if true. It shows that the Lions are thinking outside the box even if they have yet to act outside the box.
Maybe this isn't the same old Lions who are willing to allow people fail over and over again before bringing in fresh blood. Schwartz hasn't done anything to warrant a hands off approach. My gut feeling is he is a pretty good coach but this is a production league. The Lions need to join the new era of thinking.
Schwartz is 22-40 in four seasons with the Lions. His players went through a sour stretch of arrests that brought shame upon the organization and on the coaching staff. And the Lions are coming off a 4-12 season after making the playoffs. They need to make the playoffs for Schwartz to keep his job or have a very impressive 9-7 season that gives you hope for the future.
The same old Lions would keep Schwartz if the team finishes 7-9 or 8-8. They would talk about the progress from a four-win season. I would view it as more mediocrity. Do you know why the Lions blew things up and hired failed General Manager Matt Millen? They were tired of eight and nine win seasons -- one year in the playoffs and one year out.
Oh and here is a great statistic for you. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is 1-22 against teams with winning records.
Now do you see why the seat under Schwartz should at least be warm?
(Join me tonight at the downtown Detroit Buffalo Wild Wings (7 pm) for a 100 Things Tiger Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die book signing.)
