One of the Top-5 DL coaches in the NFL is a guy named Kris Kocurek. Yeah, he used to be the Lion’s DL coach. Which is the point of this post. Lions have to fire Patricia and Quinn but should do something REALLY radical like keep good coaches and bring in MORE good coaches - less egomaniacs.
KEEP: Coordinators Coombs (ST) and Bevell (O). Yes, I know everyone is mad at Bevell for lower performance this year but this guy’s got a long track record of winning and adapting. He had one stellar year and one mediocre year, let’s at least break that tie. And Coombs’ STs are excellent. KEEP our OL and WR coaches.
HIRE: Bucs Speed and Conditioning coach + their Asst. Conditioning Coach who has a PhD and is a pioneer in individualized rehab. (Lions start EVERY season with groin and muscle injuries, Bucs have only ONE backup with a ‘pull’ injury and ONE starter with limited practice (from a knee injury), that’s it.
HIRE: A new DC - Rams DB Coach Aubrey Pleasant. Rams have an attacking front, #1 passing D and Aubrey was passed over for DC role last year with a contract ending in 2021. Let him pick his DB and LB coaches but HIRE DL Coach Kocurek again!
HIRE a HC who is a motivator and a manager (but would actually consider taking a job with the Lions) like Mike Daniels of SF. He’s their run game coordinator (which Bevell will like) but has coached WR too and Mike Shanahan took Daniels with him from Denver to DC, then his son Kyle hired him in SF. He’s young (38), trusted and tutored by winning HCs.
[Yeah, I get this bored since the Lions suck. The point is keep the good and build on it. Don’t scorch the earth like Quinn did. And yes, I know HC’s like to pick their own squads but if I were GM, I’d say you gotta play the hand I deal you this first year or two.]
Yeah, I know. I said I’m playing fantasy GM at the bottom. It feels like the only way that we’ll get squad of coaches I can believe in [but mostly, I was just a bored Lions fan.]
Our coaching is so bad that even by going and replacing it with league average coaching we’re likely looking at adding 2-3 wins per year. It’s very unlikely that the next HC hire is worse than MP. That bar is VERY low.
Joe Brady with an experienced DC like Wade Phillips
Gary Kubiak and give him the keys to the kingdom - Head Coach and let him pick his own GM
Defensive options - Matt Eberflous or Wink Martindale
Offensive options - Brian Daboll or Arthur Smith.
Rethreads - Todd Bowles, Coach Caldwell!
It will draw ire from many and I wouldn’t be a fan of the appointment but would people consider Jim Harbaugh if he was to bring Vic Fangio in as DC ( This would obviously involve Fangio getting sacked in Denver)
I’m honestly at a loss as to who would WANT to come here. I mean we need a GM first, so we should poach someone with either experience or a right hand person to someone successful. I mean we really are a coaches graveyard.
We will attract head coaching candidates as it is obviously life changing money and also the fact that while the Lions ownership draw a lot of ire from their fans, within the league they are seen as unobtrusive and not prone to snap judgments when it comes to their head coaches like some other franchises. It won’t be the sexiest of head coaching vacancies but there will be no trouble attracting quality candidates - now whether we hire the right person is what remains to be seen.
Sadly… kevin colbert isn’t coming. He’s been the gm for a great franchise for years. He’s not going to uproot his family for a lateral move. His assistant on the other hand… I do think if we are going to emulate a team… pittsburgh and baltimore seem like a place to start. Kc is less long term proven… but the organization also has a rich history of good teams. Organizations that have won with multiple coaches, QBs, etc I think is the best place to look.
I feel the same way… go get someone from a franchise that has won repeatedly with different teams/coaches. Steelers and ravens are perfect examples. Heck, the packers too.
Or the Andy Reid tree. Funny to think maybe Millen at one point was ahead of his time in hiring Marty Morhninweg. It failed miserably but Marty has gone on to have a pretty successful career (albeit not as a HC).
