It feels like we’re getting close to the Detroit Lions appointing their next head coach. Team president Rod Wood told reporters on Tuesday that he accepts that one of the candidates they have already interviewed, or as a schedule and interviews with them, will be the team’s next head coach.
This has drastically changed our ranking of the candidate for week 6 leaders’ head coach. As of now, there are only six candidates we know of who have interviewed the team. It is possible that there are more candidates we do not know about – in fact it probably will. However, it also means that there are likely to be candidates at our position of power (for whom we have no confirmation of interviews) who have never really been considered.
Let’s try sorting it out on our latest rankings.
Week 1 rankings
Week 2 rankings
Week 3 rankings
Week 4 Rankings
Week 5 rankings
1. 49ers Defense Coordinator Robert Saleh
Trending: leader in the clubhouse
There’s a very good chance that Saleh coached his last game as a 49ers defensive coordinator, and he went out on a pretty solid note. Through three quarters, the 49ers defense only hit 109 yards and allowed six points to a Seattle Seahawks team trying to win the one-time in the NFC.
Unfortunately, things fell apart in the fourth quarter when the Seahawks placed just three touchdowns and 91 running yards in the last 15 minutes. To be honest, one of the scores came after the 49ers stumbled within their own 20-year line, but that’s not exactly the end Saleh was hoping for.
Overall, Saleh seems to be the best candidate for the kind of qualities the Lions are looking for, and his hometown’s roots make it a pretty perfect match.
2. Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy
Trending: on
Being the second candidate to conduct an interview for the Lions’ head coach position must mean something. Bieniemy is a popular candidate everywhere, and although he may eventually land somewhere else, he is still very clear in Detroit.
There is little to take on the Chiefs’ Week 17 performance as they wrapped up their entrees with the best AFC playoff direction. However, I suppose optimists can point to Chad Henne’s stat line – 23-of-32 for 218 yards, 2 TDs and a passer point of 111.2 – as a sign of good coaching.
Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma Head Coach
Trending: stable
Oklahoma scored 55 points and 435 SPOETJERWE 7 Florida heading for a full blast in the Cotton Bowl last week. Granted, the Gators are not considered a top defensive team, but it was still a ridiculous performance from OU.
Oklahoma will finish seventh in points and finish tenth in the season.
The question with Riley consists of two parts: is the Lions even interested, and is there any way to cut him off from Oklahoma? The first has yet to be seen, but let’s examine it for a moment. Rod Wood said Tuesday that he believes some of the interviews they have already requested will find their next head coach. Riley is not one of the reported interviews so far, but requests for college coaches do not have to go through the NFL. Those tend to be a little more mysterious, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see a college coach or two still in the mix.
As for the greedy Riley of Oklahoma, it still feels unlikely to me.
4. Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell
Trending: on
Like Riley, I believe Campbell can definitely still be in the mix, simply because university interviews are more behind the scenes. In terms of his performance this week, the Cyclones recorded four of their first five possessions and sailed to an easy 34-17 over the Oregon Ducks.
Iowa State finished the season 34th in the country with 332.9 points per game and 34th in yards per game (436.3). Not bad for a college that has never finished in the AP’s top 10 before Campbell shows up. They will surely be finished there by now.
5: Darrell Bevell, interim head coach of the Lions
Trending: stable
Bevell completed his interview with the team on Tuesday, but I think the bigger news is how big a fan he has in the Lions’ front office. Before answering any questions from the media, what the team president had to say about Bevell is completely unsolicited:
‘I want to compliment Darrell Bevell and what he’s really done over the last five weeks. It is a very difficult task to enter into an interim head coaching assignment during the season. I think the players crowded around him. Darrell did a good job of organizing things, and then in the middle of his five-game streak with the COVID-19 situation and close contact with the coaches we lost to the Bucs game. But even with that, I think we went through it and (it’s Darrell’s proof of that. “
I’m not entirely convinced it was just a custom interview.
5. Saints Assistant Head Coach / TE Coach Dan Campbell
Popular: new in the list
Campbell is reportedly one of the Lions’ interviews that will take place next week, and because he has compiled their list, he should be here as well. Campbell has been a pending candidate for several years, and this may be the year he gets a job.
He was heavily involved in the Saints’ successful running game and is considered a great leader. He also did not spend his career in just one place, as he was the coach of the Dolphins for five years. He even got his shot as head coach there and has been in the interim role for the last two months of the season after Joe Philbin was sacked. After a 1-3 start with Philbin, Campbell led the Dolphins to a 5-7 record. A team that has not scored more than 20 points in the first four games has averaged 20.4 in the last twelve games, including 82 points in the first two games as head coach.
6. Titans Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith
Trending: on
Arthur Smith is currently on the Lions’ shortlist of officially requested interviews, which already puts him in a good position. He also comes back with a 40-bomb performance – the Titans’ fifth of the year – when they take down the Texans on a last-second field goal to close out the AFC South.
Derrick Henry ends up with more than 2,000 years of racing. Ryan Tannehill finishes with the fifth highest rating in the NFL. The team was fourth in the standings, second in the yardage and fourth in DVOA.
The reason he is near the bottom of the real candidates of the Lions is simply because he is asked so much. Literally, all six teams with a vacant head coach have submitted a maintenance request for him and he is simply not going to accept them all. In fact, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports that Smith may not meet with the Lions.
7. Oud- Bengal head coach Marvin Lewis
Popular: new in the list
I still do not know how serious Marvin Lewis is, but the fact that he was the first Lions interview is certainly significant. Maybe the Lions were just looking at a veteran coach for guidance, maybe he’s a serious candidate. Lewis definitely has all the personality requirements that Rod Wood said the team prioritizes this time:
‘I would say that their focus is on leadership, culture, teamwork, awareness of each other’s strengths and weaknesses and what we’re really looking for is a culture that is open, inclusive, where everyone comes together as a team and in one word. , communication is paramount and everyone is doing the right thing for the Detroit Lions. So, the people we seek and the people we bring to interviews. ”
8. Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll
Trending: cold
Daboll is a brilliant offensive thought, and he proved it again on Sunday and knocked a very good Dolphins defense apart to 56 points and 455 yards offense, despite Josh Allen being at halftime. The Bills had little to play for, and the Dolphins had everything at stake. Still, Daboll’s offense tore apart a Dolphins defense that entered the No. 1 defense this week. The Bills beat them so much that they finished sixth.
So why is Daboll completely at eight? Well, because there was not even a hint of interest from the Lions. And after hearing Wood talk, it’s easy to see why.
The Lions are interested in appointing a leader at dusk. I thought this quote from Wood was extremely telling:
‘If we go through the interview process, we will hopefully find that people are 100% confident the right people for the organization. And like I said, I think one of the previous calls, it’s very different from how we approached the search for Bob (Quinn) and Matt (Patricia), where we were more focused on candidates because of their performance as opposed to the criteria established before we started interviewing them. ”
I just don’t think Daboll – who spends his playing days in hockey – has yet to establish himself as the kind of leader the Lions are looking for, despite impressive performances on the field.
9. Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald
Trending: Back to the countdown
Northwestern used to be the exhausting ones of the Big Ten, but now they have won four bowling games from the last five years. Their most recent victory was the Auburn Tigers in a 35-19 game that was just ahead of time in the third quarter, before the Wildcats scored three consecutive points.
Inconsistently trusted Jason La Canfora says the Lions are one of three teams that ‘have him on their radar’, and says Fitzgerald will consider his options in the coming days. Fitzgerald has turned down requests several times in the past, so he still looks like an unlikely hire, but he’s definitely one of a few university coaches who can apply late.
10. Colts defense coordinator Matt Eberflus
Trending: off
The Colts found their way to the post-season thanks to another solid defensive display. Mike Glennon was fired six times and stumbled once, as Indianapolis allowed only 283 yards total offense and 4.4 yards per game. Granted, it was against the Jaguars. This week’s playoff game against the Bills should put Eberflus’ unit to the test.
However, he tends to back down, as there seems to be little interest on the Lions’ side. Detroit can only interview Eberflus next week, but we still haven’t heard a look. I’m not sure if we’re seeing a current NFL coach mix.
From the list: Greg Roman’s offensive coordinator
Trending: off
After a bit of criticism in the middle of the season, it seems like Roman is getting the Ravens offense back in the right direction just in time for the post-season. After scoring just 20.6 points per game in Weeks 8 to 12, they finished the season averaging 37.2 points per game in the last five.
The Lions can’t interview Roman yet, but like Eberflus, there doesn’t seem to be much buzz between the two. It may be time to stop dreaming about this one.
From the list: Former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer
Trending: off
Although Meyer may still be a former university coach who investigates late, it seems he can cost a lot (or not?) and the Jaguars seem to be the team that is most interested. Because of his sketchy past, I’m not sure he’s the kind of cultural rental the Lions are looking for, not even with Chris Spielman’s OSU ties.