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Now that the search for a general manager for the Detroit Lions has come to an end, all attention is turning to the search for the team’s head coach. With options narrowing after Robert Saleh finds a new home in New Jersey, things should heat up quickly.
That being said, the list of Lions nominees seems quite small. With all signs that Arthur Smith is landing in Atlanta (or Philly), that leaves the following coaches on the shortlist for interviewees in Detroit: Interim head coach Darrell Bevell, longtime Bengals coach Marvin Lewis, Saints Assistant Head Coach Dan Campbell, and Chiefs Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, who is expected to speak to the Lions on Friday, is leaving their list of candidates at just five, none of whom have interviewed a second time.
For the past month or two, I’ve been ranking Lions head coach applicants based on hype and likelihood of landing the Lions job. Now that Detroit’s list has narrowed, I’m going to rank in power based on my personal preferences.
1. Brandon Staley, Rams Defensive Coordinator
Okay, I’m cheating right off the bat. Staley did not interview the Lions and as of Friday morning they had not requested an interview with him. however, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, his name came up during their in-person interview with Brad Holmes, now managing director.
First, let me address the common concerns with Staley. I’m not oblivious to the optics of what looks like another Bob Quinn-Matt Patricia couple. However, Staley and Holmes have only been together for one season. This is not another cop buddy movie. These two guys have reached this point in their careers on their own merits and unrelated.
The other concern is that Staley is too green for this. He’s only been a coordinator for a year, and he’s only been in the NFL coaching ranks since 2017. That’s a legitimate concern, and it’s likely multiplied by the fact that Detroit has a GM for the first time in place now. That’s a lot of inexperience for a team that specifically said they wanted an experienced crew to right the ship.
But Staley’s resume warrants a meteoric rise. The Rams are first in defense, fourth in defensive DVOA, and in the top five in almost every statistical category. Sure, the Rams’ defense is talented, but Wade Phillips couldn’t make it the best defense in the NFL.
Staley is a brilliant defensive spirit who is on the cutting edge of building game plans. He’s billed as defensive end Sean McVay, and he’s earned the absolute respect of tough figures like Jalen Ramsey. If you need more conviction that this should be the guy, read the many profiles on him that have emerged over the past couple of months. His philosophy would bring the defense of Detroit into the right millennium.
2. Former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis
No matter what I write here, some of you won’t be able to get past 0-7 in the playoffs, and I understand that. Detroit isn’t just looking to make it to the playoffs. They want to be able to put real achievements hanging from the rafters.
However, after our conversation with Joe Goodberry, I think there is reason to believe that ownership limited Lewis’s ability to be successful. With an incredibly small recognition department and an even smaller budget to build a team, Lewis did about as well as you might reasonably expect.
Plus, I don’t think it’s particularly fair to judge Lewis on his playoff record. Of course, his 131-122-3 overall record isn’t that great either, but the man has made the playoffs five straight seasons and won the highly competitive AFC North four times.
More than any other coach candidate on this list, I trust Lewis to build a strong team around him. He has the connections and he has a very good hiring history.
3. Saints Assistant Head Coach Dan Campbell
There’s a pretty sizable drop after Lewis here, but Campbell has become the head coach hype for several years now and almost got the job at Indianapolis in 2018.
There isn’t a ton of information on Campbell out there other than that he’s a formidable leader that players absolutely fell in love with. He brings some head coaching experience from his interim days with the Dolphins, and it doesn’t hurt that he’s been with Sean Payton for the past five years.
My biggest concern with Campbell is hiring his coordinator. It’s unclear exactly who he would be looking for to complete his coaching staff, but these recruitments would be hugely important as Campbell has never been a coordinator and isn’t much of an Xs-and-Os guy.
If he was the recruiter, I would have to withhold my judgment until he filled the rest of the coaching staff.
4. Buccaneers Todd Bowles Defensive Coordinator
Bowles is a great leader and perhaps an even better defensive mind. Pretty much everywhere he went as a defensive coordinator, good defense followed.
Cardinals 2013: 10th in DVOA, 7th in score
Cardinals 2014: 19th in DVOA, 5th in score
Buccaneers 2019: 5th in DVOA, 29th in score
Buccaneers 2020: 5th in DVOA, 8th in score
But, man, it’s hard to ignore his tenure as head coach of the Jets. Bowles led 24-40 in four seasons with the Jets and was last in his division three times. And it’s not like his defense is doing particularly well during this time, either.
Jets 2015: 6th in DVOA, 9th in score
Jets 2016: 23rd in DVOA, 28th in score
Jets 2017: 22nd in DVOA, 22nd overall
Jets 2018: 22nd in DVOA, 29th in score
5. Interim Head Coach Darrell Bevell
Bevell would certainly be the least inspiring of hires, but he would come with an offensive system that has proven to be at least somewhat successful in Detroit. It’s also clear that he has earned the respect of many players in the final weeks of the season.
However, it wouldn’t be really exciting if the Lions, after careful research, decided their best candidate came from their own backyard. It’s also unclear how Bevell would approach Detroit’s biggest problem: their defense.
6. OC Chiefs Eric Bieniemy
For another round of coaching, we saw the hype of Bieniemy fade completely. He’s gone from being one of the hottest contenders to being completely silent, and it’s not the first time it’s happened. At this point, you must be wondering what exactly happens during these interviews.
But even putting that aside, I have never personally been too high on Bieniemy. Andy Reid’s coaching tree has been inconsistent at best, and Reid is still primarily responsible for the Kansas City offense. Throw some ugly skeletons in Bieniemy’s closet, and I just think that’s an option best avoided. I get the allure of a young coach with an attacking spirit, but I don’t think Bieniemy is that type.
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