Sunday saw a fitting ending to the Detroit Lions’ disappointing 2013 season. Despite yet another fourth quarter lead, the Lions lost 13-14 to the Minnesota Vikings.
2013 was such a promising season I actually predicted the Lions to take the Super Bowl. Instead, Detroit failed to even make the playoffs and Head Coach Jim Schwartz failed to keep his job.
Go ahead and give me some of that humble pie. I was wrong. Everyone else was right.
Now all the noise around Detroit is about who will replace Schwartz and lead the Lions, hopefully, to the next level?
In the midst of many head coach firings around the league, the Detroit Lions’ head coaching opening has been called the most attractive opportunity in the NFL.
Here are the top 3 attractions to the Detroit Lions’ head coaching position paired with the top 3 detractions to the job.
#1 Reason to Head Coach the Lions – Incredibly Talented Roster
The Lions have a hugely talented and young quarterback in Matthew Stafford. He has a very good offensive line to protect him and the greatest target on the entire planet to throw the football to with Calvin Johnson a.k.a. Megatron. Add a one-two punch with running backs Reggie Bush and Joique Bell and you’re looking at an offense ready to take off with some good coaching.
Detroit also has one of the scariest defensive lines in football. Ndamukong Suh is dominant, Nick Fairly needs but a bit of coaching into consistency, and the young talent of Ziggy Ansah and Devin Taylor is considerable. Linebacker DeAndre Levy just had a breakout year with 6 interceptions on top of 119 tackles…
There are plenty more players to go on about like Sam Martin, Jeremy Ross, and Joseph Fauria to name a few. But already enough star players are listed that any football coach would be drooling over having them all on the same roster. All this and more awaits you in Detroit.
#1 Detraction to Lions Head Coaching Job – Expectations to Win Immediately
With the talented roster in Detroit, why not expect the new head coach of the Lions to win right out of the gate?
Changing a culture is no easy task and it usually takes some time for a new coaching staff to have success. But in Detroit, everyone is talking about how this team is ready to win now. This mentality is not just coming from fans, but from the Lions’ front office too.
But hey, this is the NFL. The pressure to win now is always on. You can’t expect to be head coach without a lot of pressure on you to win. Just know, there won’t be much patience for losing in Detroit.
On the other hand, the ownership in Detroit has been known for its patience over the years so one bad season may not end your head coaching career in the Motor City.
#2 Reason to Head Coach the Lions – Top 10 Draft Pick
It’s always nice to have an early draft pick. Couple that with Detroit’s front office’s success in finding talent and you should be able to plug the last couple holes in the Lions’ roster.
Maybe you’ll be able to land a certain cornerback from Michigan State to help the coverage problems Detroit has had or nab a great receiver to pair with Megatron.
The odds are between the draft, non-drafted talent, and free-agency, Martin Mayhew and company will help you find a number of talented players to add to an already exceptionally talented team.
#2 Detraction to Lions Head Coaching Job – Toughest Division in Football
Well, maybe.
The NFC North didn’t live up to its often held reputation as the toughest division in the NFL this year, but don’t expect to get lucky enough to see Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler both get injured in the same season.
Every year you’ll have to contend with the Bears and the Packers. And with Adrian Peterson and the emergence of Cordarrelle Patterson, the Vikings are no cakewalk either. But it will have to be seen what Minnesota looks like next year with their new head coach in place.
#3 Reason to Head Coach the Lions – The Detroit Lions Curse
It’s said that Bobby Layne cursed the Lions to lose for 50 years after being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1958. Maybe he really cursed them to 100 years of losing because the 50 is up and somehow, the Lions continue to fall short even when everything seems perfectly lined up in their favor.
Awe, you don’t believe in curses anyway. Despite many talented players over the years, the Detroit Lions have never been to a Super Bowl. And that’s a draw. Imagine leading the Lions not just to their first Super Bowl appearance, but their first Super Bowl win? How would Indiana Jones put it? Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.
#3 Detraction to Lions Head Coaching Job – The Detroit Lions Curse
I’d like to say I don’t believe in things like curses, but sometimes it’s hard to rationally explain why the Detroit Lions have been so lacking in success since the end of the 1950’s.
Somehow, the Lions have found new and exciting ways to lose game after game, year after year.
This season with only 3 wins over the last 7 games, the Lions would have secured a home game in the playoffs for the first time in 20 years. Detroit only got 1 win. And the Lions lost to a couple of pretty bad teams at home over that span. Each lost game saw a fourth quarter Lions lead disappear. How could Detroit not pull out 2 more wins during that time?
Just tell yourself you don’t believe in curses. But the Detroit Lions are the only team to ever go 0-16. And even through the team enjoyed 10 years with Barry Sanders, they only managed, what, 1 playoff win? Is there nothing in the back of your head worrying that you can’t make this team win no matter how good it is?
Conclusion
The Detroit Lions Head Coach position is the best opportunity in the NFL. The team is there and everyone is desperate to win. You could take what was once the laughing stock of the NFL and turn it into a Super Bowl championship team.
Just keep telling yourself there’s no such thing as curses and imagine the fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.
What do you think are the best and worst things about the Lions’ head coaching position?