Notes: Analyst argues the Detroit Lions need Jim Harbaugh

Many names have already been floated for the newly vacant Detroit Lions head coaching gig, but one sports analyst says the answer is already here in Michigan.

Though he wears many hats in sports media, Rob Parker wrote a column for Deadspin arguing University of Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh should be considered for the job.

As you’re well aware, the Lions announced Friday the organization is parting ways with general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia. There seem to be a few way-too-early front runners for the head coach position from Detroit media, including San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. (The PODcast dives into more options, click here for that.)

But Parker argues the key to the Lions’ future is in Ann Arbor. His main point is that the Lions need someone who is already a proven NFL head coach, instead of giving a chance to a first timer, like they have before with Patricia, Jim Schwartz, Rod Marinelli and Marty Mornhinweg.

“They can’t take a chance on an unproven commodity like some teams have. The Lions can’t be a training ground. They can’t afford to guess wrong, hope to land the next big thing,” he writes.

Parker argues that in his first three seasons as head coach for the 49ers, Harbaugh went 36-11, including three NFC Championship games and a Super Bowl appearance in 2012.

“The Lions — who have won just one playoff game since 1957 — can’t get this hire wrong. It’s imperative that they hire a coach who knows the league and can restore instant credibility,” Parker says.

I know what you’re thinking—the elephant in the room. What about what’s going on with the University of Michigan football program right now? Parker addresses that too, read the whole column here.

Thoughts? Let it rip in the comments.

And onto the rest of your notes.

• So what do these firings mean for the future of Matthew Stafford? Dave Birkett ponders for the Detroit Free Press.

• Also from Birkett, the NFL Alumni Chapter of Detroit have offered a name as a General Manager replacement: former Lions executive Larry Lee.

• ESPN’s Mike Rothstein has a nice overlook at the failed Patriots Midwest experiment.

• Some words to fans from Sheila Ford Hamp:

• WDET offers a look into author Richard Bak’s new book that takes a look at the Lions’ 1950s success — “When Lions Were Kings: The Detroit Lions and the Fabulous Fifties.”

• A history lesson from USA Today’s Mark Lane — six Lions coaches who left midseason.