In the next few weeks the Detroit Lions will hire their eighth head coach -counting interim coaches – since 2000. It may seem cliché to say, but this hire is the most important in years for Detroit. That this organization has hired and fired so many coaches is either the cause of, or maybe the effect of, its lack of success. For comparison, the Pittsburgh Steelers have had 3 head coaches since 1969.
Despite the fact that Detroit has changed head coaches every three years for the last two decades, the Lions have never had a roster better suited to make a run at that elusive Super Bowl than they do now.
Please, understand what the writer of this column is saying. One of the major issues with the Lions is the belief of the organization that their talent is better than it actually is. Certainly, this edition of Lions is extremely talented when compared to the roster the last time the team made a coaching change.
However, if Detroit is to get to a Super Bowl, it will not be competing against Lions teams of the past, but against Packers, Bears, and Vikings of the present, not to mention Giants, Seahawks, 49ers, and others lurking in the NFC with no interest in helping the Lions reach their goal.
Many pieces, though not all, are in place for the next head coach. Anyone desiring a head-coaching job – and believe me there are exponentially more men who want NFL coaching jobs than there are NFL coaching jobs-understands that there is going to be work to do if he gets one of the coveted positions.
There is work to do in Detroit but the cupboard is far from bare. The shiniest of the pieces are obvious: the league's best receiver in Calvin Johnson, one of the top three interior defenders in the NFL in Ndamakong Suh, and a strong-armed quarterback in Matthew Stafford.
Depth leaves something to be desired,the case throughout the tenure of general manager Martin Mayhew. But, as Lions fans realize by this point, winning in the NFL isn't simply an exercise in the amount of talent that you have. That would be the case in the SEC, Big Ten, or Pac 12, for example.
There isn't a single team in the NFL that does not “have talent", several have more than the Detroit Lions. The NFL is the ultimate game of inches, and those precious and tiny units of measurement are determined by things such as game planning, play calling, adjustments, preparation, and discipline.
The next Lion coach has to be someone with the ability to foster a winning culture, which includes all the factors mentioned earlier, and to do it in a place where it literally has not been done before. I urge Lions to do something that they have, in my humble opinion, consciously avoided in the past. They should hire someone with a proven track record and also listen to that person when he gets to the Motor City, because he is, inevitably, going to tell them some things they don't want to hear.
To me that someone is clear. Ken Whisenhunt, offensive coordinator for the playoff bound San Diego Chargers, should be the next Detroit Lions head coach. There are other names that have been kicked around in the media, including Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell and former Bears head coach Lovie Smith. Both of these would be solid hires and an upgrade over Detroit's previous coach. Now, the Lions have already missed out on Lovie, as he was picked up by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
However, selecting a new coach is not about finding the one and only person who is qualified, but the best one. Whisenhunt has head-coaching experience, having led the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2009. The Cardinal franchise is the only one that had a pedigree arguably worse than Lions before their trip to the big game.
Additionally, Whisenhunt coached in the Steelers organization and worked with Ben Rotheliesberger. His work as the coordinator in San Diego has quarterback Philip Rivers playing better than he has for the last three seasons.
All these successes can't be attributed solely to Whisenhunt but, given his coaching pedigree, which includes the success every Detroit Lions fan goes to bed dreaming of at night, there is little doubt that Whisenhunt is the best candidate for the Detroit Lions coaching job as it stands right now.
The Chargers are in the playoffs, so rules restrict the Lions, or any other franchise, from approaching Whisenhunt until the Charger season is done. I predict that will happen this weekend in Cincinnati.
The Lions should do their due diligence and interview excellent candidates such as Caldwell, Smith, Mike Zimmer, and others. They should then make a beeline to Ken Whisenhunt's door the nanosecond that they are allowed to as per NFL rules.
The Lions haven't asked me – they never do – but if they did, I'd tell them to do whatever they need to do, including writing a bigger check than they want to, to hire Whisenhunt. He's not the only great candidate, but he's the best candidate for the Detroit job.
It's a no-brainer.