Jim Schwartz's tenure as head coach of the Lions may be coming to an end. His reaction to the fan base's boos and heckling late in Sunday's home loss to the Giants will not help his case. Schwartz opted to take the game to overtime instead of going for the win, a decision that was met with heavy vocal criticism from the crowd.
Jim Schwartz reacts to backlash from Giants loss, fan treatment
Lions fans do not seem to agree with Jim Schwartz’s play-calling and he seems to be upset about it.
Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Schwartz not-so-calmly responded with this:
The coach was asked about the treatment of the crowd following his visibly vulgar reaction to their chorus of jeers. Schwartz addressed a question regarding the appropriateness of his response with “I didn’t grab the microphone and make a crowd announcement,” according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
He did also say that he did not mean to discourage the fans and that he appreciates their support, according to ESPN 96.1 in West Michigan. Schwartz was asked four times about his crowd engagement before acknowledging that he could have handled the situation differently, according to Justin Rogers of MLive Media Group.
Schwartz and the Lions lost, 23-20, in overtime to the Giants and are now eliminated from the playoffs. This is second straight season that the Lions will not reach the postseason. Speculation has been widespread about Schwartz losing his job with Detroit now out of the mix for the playoffs.
The Lions close the season in Minnesota against the Vikings.
More from SB Nation NFL
See More:
