Report: Lions OL Coach Heading To Memphis
By Ashley Scoby
@AshleyScoby
According to Sports Illustrated's Thayer Evans, Lions assistant offensive line coach Ryan Silverfield is heading to Memphis to become the school's OL coach.
Silverfield just recently joined the Lions, after assistant OL coaches Terry Heffernan and Jeremy Washburn were fired leading up to the team's trip to London. Before getting to Detroit, Silverfield was a senior offensive analyst at Arizona State. He had also spent time with the Vikings (six seasons) and at Toledo (last season).
The move would leave the Lions with one fewer coach on a staff that has already seen its share of shakeup. Washburn, Heffernan and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi were all fired earlier in the season, and quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter was promoted to offensive coordinator. Ron Prince took over the offensive line in the interim.
Should Evans' report be accurate, Silverfield would have spent just over a month in Detroit.
The rest of the Lions' staff's future is up in the air as well. Detroit is 4-9, mathematically eliminated from the playoffs and on the hunt for a new general manager. Once that new GM is brought in, it's likely he or she would want their own staff in place.
Including this year, head coach Jim Caldwell is 15-15 during his time at the helm.
