'Tension has developed' between Jim Schwartz and Martin Mayhew, according to report

"Black Monday" is almost here for the NFL. The first day after the end of the season will kick off the coaching carousel around the league, and although the Detroit Lions aren't expected to be major participants in it, you never know. That was the gist of what Sports Illustrated's Don Banks had to say about the Lions in his "Black Monday" primer. He noted that the Lions "will probably remain status quo with both head coach Jim Schwartz and general manager Martin Mayhew," but he indicated that multiple sources told him to "keep a wary eye" on the situation in Detroit.

That actually wasn't the most interesting tidbit in his section on the Lions. The much more interesting thing he mentioned revolved around the relationship between Schwartz and Mayhew and how "tension" may be building between the two.

Sources say tension has developed between Schwartz and Mayhew this season, with the Lions' penchant for taking chances on character-issue type players, and the effect on the locker room, at the root of the problem. In other words, which Lions decision-maker will get the blame for the Titus Young problem, and other similar rolls of the dice on the personnel front? Detroit has collected a few too many bad-boy types, and there might be a price to pay for the moves that have back-fired.

While Banks indicated that the issues between Schwartz and Mayhew "might still be smoothed over and dealt with," he is right in saying that this is a situation worth keeping an eye on, especially when it comes to if the Lions will make any changes with their coaching staff. For example, Schwartz has made it seem like he would prefer for offensive coordinator Scott Linehan to return, but there were rumblings earlier in the week that Linehan may be on his way out. Could this be a sign of the so-called tension between Schwartz and Mayhew? It remains to be seen, but the next week or so should be pretty interesting when it comes to the future of the Lions.

Reminder: You can follow Pride Of Detroit on Twitter and like us on Facebook.