Jim Caldwell
Jim Caldwell
After Sunday's 26-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengels, the calls for Lions' Coach Jim Caldwell to be fired gain intensity.
If you're a betting person, you'd be wise to wager that Caldwell won't be coach soon after the final home game against Green Bay.
Justin Rogers of The Detroit News is among those who feel he should go:
Change doesn’t guarantee success, but things have peaked with Caldwell at the helm. Much has been made of the Lions wasting the careers of Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, both generational talents at their position, but it's time to express concern that they’re also wasting Stafford’s talents.
After years of being overvalued by the fan base because of his gaudy statistics, Stafford has legitimately evolved into one of the 10 best quarterbacks in the game the past two years. But the team has nothing more to show for his individual progress.
It’s not easy to suggest a coach, and by extension, his staff, lose their jobs. These are people I respect, and I know the players, to the man, adore Caldwell. But there are lofty expectations in professional sports. Progress is needed to justify tomorrow, and the past three years, the Lions haven’t made any.
Some fans blame the ownership. They think the Fords should sell the team. But in the meantime, many want Caldwell gone.
A Freep reader, Daryl Tomsa, comments:
If Caldwell isn't replaced then the Ford family while they may say they WANT to win a Championship, they are not willing to do what needs to be done to even have a shot at winning one.
This was an inexcusable loss in an all too familiar situation So, in those instances where ownership is COMMITTED to winning it all, there would've been a coaching vacancy by the time the team stepped off the plane back in Detroit.
Here are two News readers' views:
Keith Johnson: I have tried valiantly to defend coach Caldwell, however yesterday's performance was inexplicable and can only be blamed on coaching. I know that players have to make plays, but those plays are predicated upon a game plan that makes sense.
Michael Peterson: YES! Fire him or move him to DC... He is NOT head coach material - we know it, he knows it, the team knows... Mediocrity is not a good bellwether for success. If their record continued to improve then fine - another chance perhaps BUT they are stuck in the mediocre category.
