Lions News And Notes: Jim Schwartz Tops Head Coach Power Rankings

• National Football Post's Joe Fortenbaugh recently put together NFL head coach power rankings for the 2012 season. Surprisingly, Detroit Lions head coach Jim Schwartz topped the entire list, coming in ahead of the likes of Tom Coughlin, Bill Belichick, Mike McCarthy and Jim Harbaugh. Here's why:
  

  You may scoff at the fact that Schwartz tops our list, but consider the evidence: This guy took an 0-16 franchise with a roster that couldn’t beat half the teams in Canada and turned it into a legitimate Super Bowl contender in just three years. He may not have a Vince Lombardi Trophy on his mantel just yet, but nobody has done more with less in such a short time span than Jim Schwartz, who still doesn’t get enough credit for what he’s done with the former laughing stock of the NFL.

  Personally, I think having Schwartz No. 1 is a stretch given the caliber of some of the coaches mentioned above. However, Schwartz does deserve credit for what he's done in the last three years, and if the Lions continue improving in 2012, he may in fact deserve the top spot on this list in 2013.
• Aaron Berry says that he is up to 187 pounds from his playing weight of 180 pounds last year. He is putting on weight in order to be able to be more physical and to decrease the chances of getting another shoulder injury.
• Zack Follett talked about concussions in an interview with 97.1 last week.
• Barry Sanders has posted a photo gallery from the 2012 NFL Draft.
• In case you missed it last night, I stopped by the Sooner Nation Podcast on Crimson and Cream Machine to talk about the Lions' draft picks from the University of Oklahoma.

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