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The Detroit Lions are in the playoffs for the second time in three years under head coach Jim Caldwell. However, the way they got there has some fans wanting a head coaching change. Detroit lost their grasp on the NFC North after starting 9-4. They couldn’t hang with the likes of the Giants, Cowboys and Packers, and backed their way into the postseason.
With that perceived collapse, it looked like Caldwell’s seat was getting hotter and hotter as the season came to a close. But according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, that is not the case at all. Schefter is reporting that Caldwell will be the Lions coach in 2017, regardless of the result of Saturday’s playoff game against the Seattle Seahawks.
The argument for keeping Caldwell is quite easy. His record over three years of coaching the Lions is 27-21, the best winning percentage for a Lions coach since Buddy Parker in the 1950s (not including Gary Moeller’s 14-game reign as coach in 2000).
Caldwell has polarized fans, though, with his overly calm demeanor during games, his stubbornness with injury secrecy and occasional lapses into conservative game management—although statistics show he is actually one of the most aggressive coaches in the league.
Regardless of your opinion on the subject, it appears Caldwell is here to stay for another year. A regime change during the Bob Quinn era will have to wait at least another year.
UPDATE: The team has confirmed that Jim Caldwell will be the coach in 2017:
The Lions have confirmed that Jim Caldwell will return as head coach for the 2017 season.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) January 4, 2017