So much for the premise of this thread 
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So you believe that him stacking defenders on the sidelines not the end zone when Aaron Rodgers is gonna throw a Hail Mary was good coaching and we just don’t understand his brilliance there …
Interesting analysis
News flash for all the football gurus defending the Lions coaching staff…teams only do the “back and forth kind of thing” when they are to far away to do a Hail Mary. But why would we expect Caldwell to know that???
Even if Austin called the D on that play, if I was the head coach I would’ve have overruled Austin at that moment not try and defend the stupidity later in a press conference. But then I understand football unlike Caldwell who is just a motivator
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Is that what I said?
Ah, ok, so you did read what I said.
The play was following the Phantom Face-mask Penalty. There was plenty of time to set the defense. The Packers getting 15 yards moved them from “back and forth kind of thing” range into “Hail Mary” range…but apparently none of of staff was smart enough to notice and change the D call. They just left the D call from the play before when ARog could not reach the end zone.
You might try and lay it all on Austin but the HC has to recognize this and make sure the most critical Defensive Call of the game makes sense and he is in agreement.
He can’t just wipe his hands and say “Not my call”. They have headsets…they talk. If Caldwell had a clue he HAS to make sure they are setting up to defend the Hail Mary.
Come on man…
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That’s fine. Let’s just say it’s on Caldwell. Let’s just agree that there may be a number of games per season that Caldwell will lose for you based on historical failures as a head coach.
That number is not high enough for me to rejoice over at the rumor of his landing in the NFC North.
Instead, what comes to mind for me is the work he did with Stafford from Day 1. Caldwell is also the guy that made it OK for Stafford to improve himself while away from the club. Previously he had Linehan trying to be that “single voice” in his head. Caldwell also brought a more rigid system (at times) that forced progressions and timing. Caldwell also adjusted his system to suit Stafford. Caldwell created a QB room that Orlovsky credits his growth and post-playing career to. I’ve not heard anything from Keller specifically, but I imagine he would have the same praise that Orlo has.
I’d much rather the Bears ruin a talent like Fields rather than develop him into one of the better QBs in the league. If there is any hope for Fields, it will be best realized by a HC like Caldwell, IMO.
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I also think Jacksonville is in a much better salary cap situation as well.
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Jaded, I agree moving on from Caldwell was something I didn’t necessarily disagree with.
Indeed, Caldwell is not a great coach but he’s certainly above average IMO.
I’m happy with Campbell and I hope he can lead us to a SB win.
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Same.
- Don’t want to root against him
- Hope they hire a much worse coach than JC
- Bald dudes rule. Hurts my feelings to see him coaching in Chicago.
…just go to Jacksonville, brother! No state taxes here.
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Playing Devils Advocate: He couldn’t win a playoff game with a roster of Matthew Stafford, Calvin Johnson, Burleson, Tate, Bush Bell, and a defense that had Tulloch, Levy, Slay, Fairley, Ansah, Delmas, Suh, and Quin. That’s like the best roster they had since the 90s. Maybe Caldwell did an adequate job, or maybe he didn’t get the most out of that roster. I like Caldwell but man our bar is so low for coaching.
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I think a big part of the MCDC hire was to bring back the culture lost from the firing of caldwell. Its what brought the winning and was misunderstood by the lions front office at that time. Its why the patriot way doesnt work outside of new england. I wonder if caldwell would have lasted a few more seasons if they won that playoff game? Could we have avoided the patrica years?
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They won that playoff game if the refs stayed off jerry jones party bus and call the game even. That play is in that other thread about lions get hosed or worse ref calls or whatever that thread is called.
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Interacting with Refs in that way should result in the LEAGUE GETTING FINED/SUED…something. Compensatory picks for The other team, infracting team fined, loss of first round pick for 2 years…sometihgin. Total garbage…not okay.
For sure. Make no mistake about it though…they were Brought here to create ultimate contention, and to build it right. I suspect Spielman had better recognition of what it takes, given what he’s been through, as well as from having learned from his brother.
Yes! I think Martha was the first owner that cared, and did her best, in following the advice of the “experts.” In putting far more effort than had ever been put in before, it still was a colossal failure. Shiela was part of it and was being groomed for her current position. Being directly involved with the past failure was the fertile soil that was needed for Sheila to understand that she doesn’t understand shit. That failure was the fertile soil that this new Lions way of being needed to come into fruition.
Past failure taught her
- She doesn’t know football…adn more…
- She doesn’t know what she doesn’t know (doesn’t really even know which questions to ask
Enter Office LB’r…who essentially hires a more experienced version of himself.
And a team of football worshiping badasses that care more than any non-player in this city ever has.
We totally could have avoided the Patricia years, but we would have had some wildcard appearances, possibly a divisional playoff appearance or two…and that is all.
We needed the failure of the Patricia era to teach our front offices, as well as light a fire under ownership’s ass.
This is what the universe meant to happen.
Law of Averages says we are due for a high level run. It was impossible to see how it could have happened.
Well, my brothers…Now you know!
I predict this thing starts to look very much like Bill Cowher’s Steelers for a looooong time!
Love it!
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We’ll see. That “getting over the hump narrative” seemed like a cop out lions fans chose to lean into to save face.
We had Linebackers and running backs and defensive linemen who wouldn’t (and didn’t) make other teams active rosters starting for us and yet lions fans act like we had the jaguars team from a few years ago or the ray Lewis ravens.
Took green!? Paul worrisome? Jeremiah Ledbetter!?
Even with our shorty roster Caldwell found ways to beat teams within the division regularly. That was one of the biggest tells that Patricia was gonna bust out. We could no longer beat teams in our division.
I have faith in Campbell so Caldwell doesn’t scare me. But I feel like guys are sleeping on Caldwell.
I disagree. If you don’t have a better replacement then don’t move on. Otherwise what’s the point. Changing coaches is a humongous deal in the NFL.
Almost never does a NFL team have the HC’s replacement lined up when they fire their coach
Be real
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Well let’s be realer. Almost never does a NFL team fire not only A winning coach but THE MOST winningest coach they’ve ever had…
If the premise was “9-7 isn’t good enough” then you should have “good enough lined up” it’s not like his salary counted against the cap. That’s like cutting your top WR because he isn’t fast enough in a year where the draft and FA has no speedsters. Why not just wait and work around it. Especially if you’re winning.
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Exactly. He did well for us. Would hate to see him do well with the Bears.
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A very prominent Super Bowl winning coach told me the 2 coaches who aren’t good HCs are the ones in Detroit and the guy who replaced him in Indy. This was the summer of JC’s last season, as well as the Colt’s coach he was referring to. Prophetic. As well as the summer of West Coast, speaking of prophetic 
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