The success for the Lions on the defensive side of the ball under Teryl Austin may be short-lived. According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, the rest of the football world has taken note of the tremendous job that Austin has done with the Lions and have taken his name into consideration for head coaching vacancies.
Via CBS Sports:
Several teams have been making calls and gathering information on Austin, who is seen as a dynamic leader who could evolve beyond just coaching one side of the ball. It would be surprising if he did not receiving multiple interview requests to interview for head coaching jobs, with Atlanta being one of them. Austin has been coaching since shortly after finishing his playing career at the University of Pittsburgh and has been coaching at the major college or pro level since 1991, when he was a graduate assistant at Penn State. He’s coached defensive backs for the Cardinals, Seahawks and Ravens and has earned rave reviews for his first season in Detroit.
Austin made his way to Detroit with head coach Jim Caldwell after spending time with the Baltimore Ravens as a defensive backs coach. La Canfora further goes on to mention that many players on the Lions ‘rave’ about the job Austin has done while being a tough but fair motivator despite some of the short comings Detroit had on defense heading into the season.
Depending on what happens Sunday against Green Bay, teams interested in Austin could begin interviews during a first round bye if the Lions should earn one with a victory over the Packers.
