Quote:Make that the 2-1 Lions 27 and the 0-3 Redskins 20.
D6- what's your fan's feelings on Coach Jim Schwartz? [BLEEP]/Neg?
P.F., my impression is most Lions fans don't have a favorable opinion of Jim Schwartz. Some consider him arrogant. Many don't like the fact that Schwartz gives the media as little information as possible, much like with one of his mentors, Bill Belichick. Schwartz gets heavily criticized for the Lions high penalty totals and a perceived lack of discipline by the players.
Having said all of this, my overall opinion of Jim Schwartz is favorable. This goes beyond the fact that I finally saw the Lions win a road game against the Washington Redskins, after generations of failure in DC by the Lions. Here's a tidbit that I think will hit home for you. Prior to yesterday, the last time the Lions beat the Redskins on the road was in 1935, when the home team was the Boston Redskins. They played in Fenway Park.
Jim Schwartz took over a Lions team that went 0-16 the previous season. The lack of overall talent on the roster was alarming. A rebuilding project that was painful was necessary. The 2009 Lions went 2-14, with the season in essence being developing Matthew Stafford and as many young players with significant potential as possible. The amount of roster moves that season was off the charts. Waiver Claims were the norm. What did the Lions have to lose! The following season, Stafford injured his shoulder and only played in 3 games all season. The Lions had a victory taken away in the season opener in Chicago, because of the ' Complete the TD Catch Process rule' . The Lions were 2-10, with injuries piling up. Things changed that December. The Lions won the final 4 games, breaking an NFL record 26 game road losing streak. I was very impressed with the way the team responded late that season. It carried over to 2011, with a 4-0 pre-season, which is normally meaningless, but not for a franchise that set records of futility the previous decade. The Lions started 5-0 in the regular season. The team had an attitude that I didn't see from the Lions since the 1990's. After a rocky 7 game period in which the Lions went 2-5, the team responded with 3 straight wins to clinch a playoff spot. Something the Lions didn't do since the 1999 season. This after being 0-16 three seasons ago. This didn't happen by accident. Granted, the roster was much more talented than in previous seasons. But the Lions won many close games that season.
Things got off track in 2012. It was Schwartz's worst season as Lions HC. The multitude of off-season arrests set the stage for a very disappointing season. Injuries compounded the situation. Schwartz's decision to throw the challenge flag on an automatically reviewable play on Thanksgiving Day against the Texans was costly. Unlike in 2011, the Lions lost most of the close games.
To Jim Schwartz's credit, he made some difficult changes on his coaching staff in 2013. Yet, he kept Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan and Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham in place for the 5th Straight year. The Lions continuity with both Coordinators and systems is the antithesis of the consistent changes that took place before Schwartz became Lions HC. This is one of the key reasons why I'm a supporter of Coach Schwartz.
Unlike in the previous off-season, there were only 2 off the field incidents in the 2013 off-season. Both players that got into trouble in the off-season got cut this summer ( Ronnell Lewis and Amari Spievey. ). The team was much more focused. The use of the Senior Bowl, as the Lions staff coached the South team, made a huge difference with the Lions draft. Both Ziggy Ansah ( 1st Round ) and Larry Warford ( 3rd Round ) were coached by the Lions staff in Mobile, AL. Both players are off to terrific starts to their NFL careers,
While the penalties are still problematic at times, overall I'm happy with the direction the team is going. There's quality leadership on all 3 units. I was thrilled with the aggressive 4th and 1 call on the Redskins 12 yard line with less than 5 minutes remaining in the game, with the Lions up 20-17. Matthew Stafford ended up getting the 1st Down with the QB sneak and the Lions scored a TD on a bullet from Matthew Stafford to Calvin Johnson, despite the Redskins staff making a good Defensive call. Sometimes, great talent wins out. That was one of those times. Yet, it was made possible by Jim Schwartz playing to Win the Game, as Herman Edwards would say.
