Quote:D6, do you think the Lions stick with Caldwell until the end of the year? With Teryl Austin and Gunther Cunningham on the payroll, they've got a couple of coaches who could walk right into the head job if necessary.
Martha Ford seems to want to keep Jim Caldwell in place the rest of the Lions season. Whether it will be a viable option remains to be seen. Before the Lions host the 49ers the 2nd to last game of the season, the Lions next 6 opponents are : at Green Bay, Oakland, Philadelphia, Green Bay, at St. Louis, and at New Orleans. The way the Lions have been playing in the last 6 + quarters, combined with the level of these opponents, winning even one of these games is going to be an uphill battle. Especially, if the players focus more on their own futures than playing team football and concentrating on the task at hand. It's not a given that Caldwell is going to make it through the season, despite current intentions.
I agree with you that Teryl Austin and Gunther Cunningham have the skills to be the Lions interim HC. In the case of Teryl Austin though, being that he's Defensive Coordinator and the coaching staff is minus 3 coaches after last week's firings, it will be difficult for Austin to be able to handle the role of interim HC and Defensive Coordinator. Because Gunther Cunningham's role since Jim Caldwell became HC is more along the lines of advising the G.M. and helping with game planning, it would be easier for the Lions to function with Cunningham in the interim HC role. My guess though is Austin would be named interim HC if Caldwell was let go before the end of the season. The Cunningham suggestion is a good one though that I didn't previously think of. Cunningham was the team's Defensive Coordinator during the 5 years Jim Schwartz was HC. Cunningham has been in the background for the most part since. When he was DC, the highlight of the football week leading up to games for me was on Friday's when Cunningham spoke to the media. Cunningham said what was on his mind. He's the antithesis of tight lipped Schwartz and Caldwell.
It's unlikely that Jim Caldwell will remain Lions HC for 2016. The one chance Caldwell might have is if the team plays much better the remainder of the season and if someone with ties to Caldwell becomes the Lions new G.M. Bill Polian might have interest in the position if it would mean that his son Chris, who of course currently works for the Jaguars, would take over after a certain period of time. It's also possible that Chris Polian could be hired to be the Lions G.M. from Day 1. It's anyone's guess what direction the Lions will be going in beyond this season.
