Tuesday open thread: Are you concerned about the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator search?

On Monday, the last offensive coordinator candidate the Detroit Lions have been linked to was hired away. Nathaniel Hackett has taken the Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator job, meaning we’re only left to speculate who the next OC in Detroit will be.

That has sent some people in a panic. Admittedly, on the surface, it looks bad when the three offensive coordinators you were looking at were hired elsewhere. However, there are no indications that the Lions missed out on their top choice. It’s simply guys they were “interested” in and in Hackett’s case, someone they reportedly interviewed.

The good news is that it certainly looks like the Lions may be targeting a coach that isn’t yet available. With no hires yet made, it stands to reason that the man they want to hire is still in the playoff race. And if that’s the case, they’re getting someone from a very good offense. The four teams remaining were the top four scoring offenses in the league in 2018.

So considering all of those factors, today’s Question of the Day is:

Are you concerned about how the Lions’ offensive coordinator search is going?

My answer: I’m not concerned that the search is taking so long. As I said above, there’s a pretty good chance that means they’re trying to get someone from the playoff pool, and I’m okay with that.

That being said, there is something that concerns me from this coaching search, and it’s painfully obvious. The New England Patriots are still in the playoffs, and it seems inevitable that someone from that staff—be it wide receivers coach Chad O’Shea or anyone else—will be coaching in Detroit next year.

I understand the need and desire to be around like-minded individuals and people you know, but I was really hoping Matt Patricia would think outside of the box on this one. There are plenty of brilliant minds around the NFL, and to just ultimately go with the guy that you know seems a little close-minded. It’s taking the path of least resistance, and that’s a poor strategy if you want to grow as a coach and a person.

O’Shea may turn out to be the right man for the job, as it seems like he was going to take over for Josh McDaniels when it looked like he was going elsewhere. The Lions may not hire O’Shea at all or anyone else from the Patriots team. So while “worried” may not be the right word, call me unenthusiastic about the search thus far.

Your turn.