Quote:That's interesting.  I didn't realize he was the Florida DC.  I like that he has Super Bowl coaching experience too even if it wasn't as a HC.  Things like that matter to me.

 

Do you have any thoughts or insight as to whom he would select on his coaching staff?  That is a very important factor to consider as well.

 

  Before answering your question,   my gut feeling is Teryl Austin is going to need to be coming off a season of tangible success to get hired as an NFL HC.    Though I believe Austin would be a good NFL HC in a good NFL organization,   the Lions Defensive results in the first half of the season work against his chances of an NFL owner hiring him if the 2nd half results aren't better.   I can't stress enough though that Austin hasn't been playing with close to a full player deck.  Case in point,  yesterday the Lions best CB  ( Darius Slay  ),   LB  ( DeAndre Levy ),  and DT ( Haloti Ngata ) were all out because of injury ).

 

   In terms of a coaching staff Austin might put together,  because he's coached with several teams in the last decade,  he has many working relationships.    It's easier for me to speculate on Lions coaches Austin has worked with because of my familiarity with them.   I'll mention some coaches that I think could be appealing to Austin:

 

   So much is going to depend on what happens regarding Jim Caldwell's future as Lions HC.   With the Lions having a number of opponents in the 2nd half of the season that are currently playing well,   Caldwell probably has at best a 50-50 chance of being retained for 2017.    There's been speculation that GM Bob Quinn would retain Lions Offensive Coordinator Jim Bob Cooter regardless of whether Caldwell is back in 2017.   That makes sense considering the results Cooter has attained with Matthew Stafford.   Even if Cooter remains in Detroit,   the team's QB Coach Brian Callahan,  the son of Redskins O-Line Coach Bill Callahan,  could be someone that Austin tries to bring with him to his staff.   Callahan is in his first year as a QB Coach but he's following a similar path as Cooter.    Both have a background with Peyton Manning in Denver. 

 

   Lions Assistant Head Coach on Offense/  Offensive Line Coach Ron Prince,  who was once the Kansas St. HC and Virginia and Rutgers Offensive Coordinator could be of serious interest to Austin, if available.    You might recall Prince being the Jaguars Assistant O-Line Coach under Mike Mularkey.   Prince was the Lions TE coach before the coaching staff shakeup in the middle of last season.   Because he had a background as an O-Line Coach,  Caldwell gave him that position after the team's 2 O-Line Coaches were fired.   Under Prince and Cooter,  the Lions O-Line has made many less mental mistakes,   as the blocking system is much more simple than it was under Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi.

 

  On the Defensive Side of the ball,   I would keep an eye on Lions CB Tony Oden,  who likely would be promoted to Defensive Coordinator if Caldwell is retained.   If Caldwell is let go,  I make Oden the favorite to become Austin's Defensive Coordinator if Austin gets an NFL HC position next season.   Oden's work has been highly praised and he seems to have many of the qualities that Austin has.   Oden will likely become an NFL Defensive Coordinator somewhere in the next few years.   He has a coaching background with Sean Payton in New Orleans. 

 

  Both Lions LB Coach Bill Sheridan and Safeties Coach Alan Williams are former NFL Defensive Coordinators.   Williams worked under Vikings HC Leslie Frazier in that role when the Vikings used the Tampa Two Defense.  Williams was also with Tony Dungy and Jim Caldwell as a DB Coach in Indianapolis.     The fact that Williams has gained experienced in a different system in Detroit helps his chances of becoming an NFL DC again.   Because of Austin's background as a DB Coach,  he understands the value of someone who a DB Coaching background being the team's Defensive Coordinator.    Sheridan was a DC under Tom Coughlin with the Giants,  which could make him appealing to Austin as a DC or as a LB Coach if Caldwell isn't retained.

 

  Lions Defensive Line Coach Kris Kocurek will be in demand as an NFL D-Line Coach elsewhere if he becomes available.   Kocurek got more out of George Johnson ( now on the Bucs IR list ) in 2014 than anyone has ever been able to at the NFL level.   This season,  though the overall D-Line has been a disappointment,  in part because Ziggy Ansah missed close to 4 full games with a high ankle sprain and the current shoulder injury to Haloti Ngata that's kept him out 3 straight games,   DE-DT Kerry Hyder has been the most pleasant surprise by far on the Defensive Side of the ball this season.   Hyder likely would have been released again if not for a stellar pre-season finale performance against the Bills.   Hyder already has 5 sacks this season and had the most consistent pressure on the unit in yesterday's loss to the Texans.     Kocurek is an old school D-Line Coach.  He's highly respected.   He learned under Jim Washburn,  both in Tennessee and Detroit.   

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