Tuesday open thread: Which Detroit Lions coach has the hottest seat?

With the Detroit Lions disappointing 2017 season teetering on the edge of irrelevance, focus has turned to the offseason.

The first decision general manager Bob Quinn will have to make is with his coaching staff. Though head coach Jim Caldwell was handed a “multi-year” extension prior to the 2017 season, that hardly gives him job security.

But Caldwell isn’t the only Lions coach under fire. Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter has worn out his welcome with some fans after the Lions have failed, once again, to create any sort of efficient running game. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, too, has had blame pointed in his direction. The Lions’ defense went from being a true strength to being a huge liability against some of the worst offenses in the league.

So today’s Question of the Day is:

Which Lions coach currently has the hottest seat?

My answer: For simplicity sake, I’m not going to include positional coaches (so you’re safe, Ron Prince).

You could really make an argument for all three coaches/coordinators. Cooter has the most talent to deal with and just can’t seem to put it all together. Looking at the roster, this should clearly be a top-10 offense, but it just isn’t.

Austin may not have as much talent, but he certainly doesn’t seem to have figured out how to use the guys he has. After an extremely promising start to the season, it seems that opposing offenses have figured this defense out. When the Bears, Browns and Ravens are lighting up your defense, they’re making the adjustments and you clearly aren’t.

But the answer to this question has to be Jim Caldwell. He’s the centerpiece, and—fair or not—he’s the one responsible for everything that happens to this team on gameday. He’ll get the glory when they win and the blame when they lose. And when you see clear mismanagement, like not having enough guys on the field in back-to-back games, that’s a failure to put your players in the best position to win.

I like Caldwell. I think he’s a very smart man, and I actually respect the way he deal with the media. But right now, he’s doing a poor job managing the team, and that’s abundantly clear. Unless there’s a big turnaround in the final quarter of the season, his seat should be very hot.