Written by Nate Atkins at MLive.com
Days before the Detroit Lions will head into Seattle’s CenturyLink Field to face the Seahawks and their 12th Man crowd, they chose to settle a little bit of the noise that had been building back at home.
The Lions will bring back coach Jim Caldwell for 2017, regardless of the result of this weekend’s wildcard game, regardless of whether or not he ends the season with four straight losses. A 9-7 season and a second playoff berth in three seasons was enough for first-year general manager Bob Quinn to want to settle any distraction this week over whether the Lions’ coach’s job is in jeopardy.
The Detroit Lions didn’t win a division title this year, but they did make the playoffs for the second time in three seasons under Jim Caldwell. And for GM Bob Quinn, that meant something in his evaluation of the head coach.
The NFL is a win-now league, generally high in parity and low in job security, but the parameters are slightly different across the league. Five different organizations chose to hit the reset button by firing their coach by season’s end.
Here’s how Caldwell’s success so far with the Lions stacks up against the five coaches who were not so fortunate with their teams:
Jim Caldwell, Detroit Lions
Record with team: 27-21 (.563)
Playoff record: 0-1
Last playoff appearance: 2016
2016 record: 9-7
Seasons with team: 3
Bottom line: Caldwell wasn’t Quinn’s hire, and he’s flirted with some major peaks and valleys in three years with the Lions. He has changed the demeanor of the Lions in ways the Ford family was looking for. His promotion of Jim Bob Cooter to offensive coordinator resulted in a more stable Matthew Stafford, who remains the foundation of what the Lions want to build.
Rex Ryan, Buffalo Bills
Record with team: 15-16 (.484)
Playoff record: 0-0
Last playoff appearance: N/A
2016 record: 7-8
Seasons with team: 2
Bottom line: Rex Ryan’s teams were perpetually .500 no matter what the roster looked like, which was like an evening out of the chaos he worked in. The Bills had high hopes after a 9-7 season and a top-five defensive finish the year before Ryan’s arrival, and the defensive-oriented coach didn’t produce enough improvement, particularly on his side of the ball.
Jeff Fisher, Los Angeles Rams
Record with team: 31-45-1 (.414)
Playoff record: 0-0
Last playoff appearance: N/A
2016 record: 4-9
Seasons with team: 5
Bottom line: The king of job security without making the playoffs, Fisher appeared to have good standing with a Rams team that was slowly integrating a No. 1 pick at quarterback. Then his team lost six straight games by an average of 22 points, and the fear of losing the interest of a new fanbase in Los Angeles created too much reason to move on.
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