Lions hire Jim Caldwell to replace Jim Schwartz

“We believe Jim is the right man to lead our team and deliver a championship to our fans,” Lions owner William Clay Ford said in a statement from the team. “We had a very specific plan and profile for our next head coach, and I am convinced that we found that man in Jim Caldwell.”

Even when the Colts were winning, Caldwell drew criticism for game management issues. Manning’s injury obviously played a big role in the Colts’ decline, but how much? Here is what Clark Judge of CBS Sports wrote when Caldwell was fired:

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Both guys are relatively unknown to most fans, but both are well-respected around the league. Caldwell is getting his second shot at being a head coach in the NFL after a disastrous 2011 campaign with the Colts that ended in him losing his job. Prince was on Indianapolis’ staff while Caldwell was in charge.

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In 1961, the students of Beloit Memorial High were each given a 200-question personality test. The goal of the test was to determine which career fields each student would most naturally be suited to enter. A young Jim Caldwell was one of those students, and “Head coach, football” was on his list. But it wasn’t at the top. Exclusive to SB Nation, here are the 22 Better Jobs for Jim Caldwell.

1. Man waiting for his turn at the barber shop

The Lions fired Jim Schwartz after five seasons in Detroit. He took the fall for the team’s underachievement, losing six of its last seven games to blow a potential divisional title. The Lions had only one winning season under Schwartz, but there is enough talent on both sides of the ball to right the ship.

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Caldwell was the first coach to interview for the vacancy in Detroit after the Lions fired Jim Schwartz. If he does become the next head coach in Detroit, he would do so with the recommendation of Tony Dungy. Caldwell coached under Dungy in Indianapolis and Dungy spoke with Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. on Monday to “reaffirm strong attributes he believed Caldwell would bring to the Lions” according to Tim Twentyman.

Teams often look for opposites when replacing a fired head coach. Swartz was known for his intense personality while both Munchak and Caldwell are more mild-mannered types. The Lions also interviewed former Houston head coach Gary Kubiak. Regardless of who the Lions offer the job too, Sean Yuille of Pride of Detroit wouldn’t be surprised to see a move made sooner, rather than later to avoid missing out on another candidate.

In addition to Kubiak, the Lions have either interviewed or reportedly shown interest in: Jim Caldwell, Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt and Jay Gruden. Like Kubiak, they all have backgrounds on the offensive side of the ball. Of the five, only Gruden doesn’t have NFL head coaching experience.

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Whisenhunt is also considered to be a candidate with Washington, Minnesota and Tennessee, so the Lions could have some competition when trying to nab their candidate.

Detroit fired Jim Schwartz after five seasons and just one playoff appearance, posting a 29-51 record in his career with the team.

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McKay’s Bucs went 22-53-1 in his first five seasons for a worse winning percentage that Schwartz’s .362 with Detroit, but no coach since had finished as poorly since McKay.

The Lions went 10-6 in 2011 and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 1999, but the team has been a significant disappoint since then. With playoff aspirations in 2012, Detroit flopped to 4-12 but opted to retain Schwartz for another year. The team had the lead in the NFC North with a 6-3 start this season, but lost six of its final seven games for an epic collapse after appearing to be a good bet to host its first playoff game since 1991.

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Shortly after news broke Monday that coach Jim Schwartz had been fired, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports is reporting that the Lions will retain GM Martin Mayhew for the 2014 season.

Mayhew just finished his 13th season with the Lions organization and his fifth year as the general manager.

In 2012, Detroit languished to a disappointing 4-12 record, including an eight-game losing streak (their worst under Schwartz) to finish the season after starting a more-acceptable 4-4. In 2013, the Lions finished with a 7-9 record after starting the season 6-3 with playoff potential. Detroit was already knocked out of playoff contention entering the final week of the season, as Chicago and Green Bay were the only teams left standing in the NFC North.

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