Jim Schwartz doesn’t want to discuss it nor has he talked about it with the Ford’s however the big Honolulu Blue and Silver elephant in the room remains the job security of the Lions head coach heading into next season.
But I guess if they’re not talking about it, we certainly will!
After their 18-16 loss to the Ravens on Monday Night Football, the Lions are once again on the outside looking in when it comes to the NFC playoff picture. And if things are to play out the rest of the year in a way that Lions fans are use to, Detroit will have missed the playoffs in four out of the five seasons under the Schwartz regime.
So, if the Lions do indeed miss the playoffs or go and get ransacked in the first round lets take a look at some potential coaching candidates that could be headed to Allen Park in 2014.
Ken Whisenhunt – San Diego Chargers OC
Whisenhunt first made his mark on the NFL coaching scene with the Arizona Cardinals when he helped the historically lowly franchise make it to the Super Bowl in 2009 almost beating his former team the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a few disappointing seasons in the desert Whisenhunt was fired but picked up as the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers under new head coach Mike McCoy last offseason. It was also here that Whisenhunt made himself a hot name on the NFL coaching scene once again after he was able in a way to resurrect the career of Philip Rivers.
Could he do the same with Matthew Stafford?
Lovie Smith – Former Chicago Bears Head Coach
Whether or not you thought he should’ve been fired by the Bears, Lovie Smith will without a doubt be back in the NFL after taking the season off. Although not a quarterbacks guy, Smith has compiled a 81–63–0 record as a head coach during the regular season and a 3-3 record during the postseason. Smith is also very familiar with the NFC North winning the division three times (2005, 2006, 2010) with the Bears as well as taking them to the Super Bowl in 2006.
Bill O’Brien – Penn State University Head Coach
Bill O’Brien has made Penn State fans wonder what they could’ve had if they didn’t waste their time trying to cater to Joe Paterno and the mess he helped create in State College. During his time with the Nittany Lions, O’Brien has done nothing but keep Penn State relevant in the wake of the Child Sex sanctions handed down by the NCAA earning him multiple coaching awards including the Maxwell Award, Big Ten Coach of the Year and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award. He’s also gotten the attention of the NFL.
In terms of the Lions, O’Brien is also a QB guy helping turn Matt McGloin into an NFL QB while taking on a resume that includes being a QB’s coach with the New England Patriots, Duke and Georgia Tech.
David Shaw – Stanford University Head Coach
David Shaw made it very apparent that there is life after Jim Harbaugh at Stanford.
Yes, Shaw is relatively new when it comes to being a head coach but during his short time heading the Cardinal he’s gone 34-6 while earning Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and 2012. In addition too he’s also a former QB coach at the University of San Diego, the Baltimore Ravens (2002-2004) and the Oakland Raiders (2001) where he was able to get the most out of Rich Gannon.
Jon Gruden – ESPN Monday Night Analyst
Year in and year out Gruden remains to be the fans choice.
I’ve never been totally enamored with Gruden nor do I truly believe despite the rumors that he’ll leave his cushy job on Monday Night Football and return to the NFL sidelines.
Zac Snyder of the SideLion Report gave a good write up on the notion of Gruden coming back, weighing the pros and cons. I definitely think you should take a look and make your decision on Gruden from there.
Mark Dantonio – Michigan State University Head Coach
Ok I really don’t believe Mark Dantonio is going to leave Michigan State, not for Texas, not for the Lions not for anyone. Nor do I think the Lions would seriously consider Dantonio as a candidate.
But that’s them not me.
After his body of work with the Spartans you’d have to think that Dantonio would be getting some serious consideration from the NFL… right?
Other Television Guys
I’ve decided to lump guys like Brian Billick, Bill Cowher and Tony Dungy into this category because you can pretty much say that same thing about all of them.
- Like Gruden, they’re not leaving their very comfortable television gigs to coach the Lions or any NFL team for that matter.
- They’ve been away from the game for too long.
- I guess I could have put Gruden in this category after all.
Now I’m suggesting that the Lions fire Schwartz now. I still think the season needs to play out since the Lions technically are still in the playoff hunt.
But again, if the season plays out where the Lions don’t make the playoffs or back in only to get eliminated in the first round what has Jim Schwartz or his staff done to be deserving of coming back another season?
Then again though this is the Lions who always seem to hold onto a head coach (or team executive) far too long. So it’s completely foreseeable that Jim Schwartz comes back next season, playoffs or not.