Bill Ford Jr. declines to speculate about Jim Schwartz's future

Jim Schwartz's future was the subject of much discussion after the 2012 season. With the Detroit Lions going 4-12, there was a lot of speculation over if Schwartz would continue to be the team's head coach. Although it never got to the point where Schwartz being fired looked like a real possibility, it's something that was at least worth talking about because of how rough 2012 was for the Lions.

This year, given that Schwartz is still the Lions' head coach, the team needs to bounce back and play like it did in 2011 rather than 2012. If the Lions don't turn things around, Schwartz could very well be let go. A playoff appearance only buys you so much time in the NFL, and another lackluster season could result in Schwartz's firing.

Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. was asked about this very topic at Tuesday's OTA, but he declined to speculate about what could happen to Schwartz if things go poorly in 2013. Instead, he simply said this about Schwartz (via the Free Press):

"I think Jim would be the first to admit that there have been times where he’s learned on the job," Ford said after he watched the Lions’ organized team activity today in Allen Park. "But I think he’s a very, very good coach."

I would be pretty surprised if Schwartz is still the Lions' head coach if they go 4-12 or something like that again, but there's no real sense in Ford Jr. putting added pressure on Schwartz by declaring this a make-or-break season publicly. I'm sure Schwartz knows better than anybody that he will be looking for a new job if the Lions don't win in 2013.