Jim Caldwell Could Be Early Favorite For Coach Of The Year

By Travis Newville @travisto989 on October 29, 2014

The Detroit Lions‘ first-year head coach, Jim Caldwell, has put the Lions right where they should be. The Lions are in first place in the NFC North, second place in the NFC, own the top-ranked defense in the NFL, and they have put many criticisms to rest.

After the Lions’ collapse of 2013, the team did not wait long before determining that Caldwell was the right man for the job. Caldwell has put a sense of responsibility into his players that Jim Schwartz was never able to do. He is forcing his younger players to grow up fast, and they are all about doing their job as a team.

One of the toughest feats of any head coach in the NFL is struggling with team injuries. Caldwell has taken all of the Lions’ injuries in stride, and has his team playing quality football even without some very important players. Caldwell has instilled a next-man-up mentality, and all of the younger players seem ready to step up when they are needed.

Teryl Austin is the Lions’ defensive coordinator, and he has helped Caldwell by turning the Lions into a defensive powerhouse. The Lions are winning games by way of their defense, so their coaches deserve recognition and praise. The Lions’ defense has essentially the same roster that was near the bottom of the league in many categories last season, but they are the top defense in the NFL this season.

The coaching staff of the Lions deserves a lot of credit for what they have been able to achieve with just a few scheme adjustments and a few key free agent acquisitions. The troubles that the Lions faced early in the season were all handled very nicely by Caldwell and company. He is definitely going to be in the running for the AP Coach of the Year award, and he has earned it.

Travis Newville is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. You can follow him on Twitter @travisto989, or Like him on Facebook here. Add him to your Google network.