The Detroit Lions caught the NFC North off guard last year when they finished second in the division at 11-5. It's not that the Lions didn't have a solid roster in place, it was just that many had tempered their expectations for the first year under new head coach Jim Caldwell. Transitioning to new leadership is never an easy process, and Caldwell's last head coaching experience was a 2-14 season with the Indianapolis Colts. You can see why some fans had their reservations.
Unfortunately, those concerns may have been well founded. Though the Lions lost some major talent this offseason, most notably Ndamukong Suh, many expected them to still be competitive. Instead, Detroit opened the season with five straight losses and stand just 6-9 overall. As such, it's possible that Caldwell could lose his job during the offseason. ESPN assigned him a grade of nine (out of 10) to determine how hot his seat is.
"Caldwell really has little to no control over what will happen to him anymore," ESPN Lions reporter Michael Rothstein wrote. "Team president Rod Wood has said the Lions' new general manager will decide Caldwell's future in Detroit. If the Lions hire someone who knows Caldwell - Sheldon White or Chris Polian, for example - he has a decent shot. If they bring in someone who has no familiarity with Caldwell, it could be a much tougher sell. That he will be the first Lions coach in the Super Bowl era to have a record of over .500 after two full seasons might bolster his case with his new boss, though, and is the only reason he isn't at a 10 here."
Many expected the Lions to regress slightly this year, but not to this extent. Detroit's defense finished 2014 ranked second in yards allowed per game (300.9), third in points (17.6) and first in rushing defense (69.3). All of this made the offense's job significantly easier. This year, they rank 17th (350.1), 25th (25.3), and 19th (113.1), respectively. That has put more pressure on an inconsistent Matthew Stafford and a non-existent running game.
As Rothstein mentions, the new GM will decide Caldwell's fate. For his sake, he better hope it's someone familiar.
