Wednesday open thread: Would you be okay with losing Teryl Austin next year?

For the third year in a row, Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is drawing interest as a head coach around the league. Already, Austin’s name has been connected with two head coaching vacancies: the Los Angeles Rams and the San Diego Chargers.

In the past two years, it looked increasingly likely that Austin would be poached by another team. However, it obviously never happened for the defensive coordinator. This year, the buzz is louder than ever and it seems like this could actually be the year Austin gets his shot.

Austin’s time in Detroit has truly been an up-and-down journey. In his first year with a solid defensive roster at his disposal, he created one of the most dominant defenses of the 2014 season. Since then, however, the Lions defenses have been among the worst in the league. Austin hasn’t been helped out by a much weaker roster and some crippling injuries, but we aren’t talking about bad defenses, we’re talking about some of the worst in the league.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Are you okay with the Lions losing Teryl Austin for a head coaching job elsewhere?

My answer: Not really. Despite how bad the defense has looked for the past two seasons, Austin has developed a system that limits points. Detroit’s defense may have allowed yards upon yards against mediocre offenses, but Austin managed to develop game plans that kept the Lions offense in games.

Austin has proven in the past he can create a dynamic defense with the talent necessary. The Lions don’t have that talent right now, but they are starting to build depth. Four defensive draft picks this year got significant playing time this season, so talent appears to be on the way. Losing Austin would mean a potential change to the scheme and starting over with developing young talent.

Austin has his flaws, but the rebuilding process in his absence may be more harmful to the team.

Your turn.