Joe Lombardi expected to call plays
— -- ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Joe Lombardi has never called a play in the NFL, but when the Detroit Lions play their first preseason game in August, that should change.
Lombardi, the Lions' new offensive coordinator, said he believes he will be the one calling the plays this fall.
"I believe so," Lombardi said. "That's always a collaborative effort, though. I think a lot of the play calls get done during the week in game-planning. No matter who is calling plays, a lot of suggestions are being made on game day.
"But yes, I think I'll be the one that will."
Lombardi said over the past "few years" in New Orleans, he has tried to envision what plays he would call in certain situations. He said he would do something similar during the week as the Saints would put together their game plans.
Expect the Lions' playbook to look similar to what Lombardi worked with in New Orleans. That will be the baseline and then they will make adjustments to fit his current personnel from there. He also anticipates collaborating with what his assistants will suggest.
"You're going to see some differences," Lombardi said. "But the playbook that we're starting from is the Saints playbook." Lombardi was hired from New Orleans, where he was the quarterbacks coach from 2009 to 2013 and an offensive assistant in 2007 and 2008. His prior coordinating experience was at Mercyhurst from 2002 to 2005.
He doesn't know where he will call plays yet, either from the sideline or from the press box. A lot of that will be determined by who Detroit hires as its quarterback coach. Lombardi said he would prefer if the team hired a quarterbacks coach, but no decision has been made yet. Lombardi deferred to head coach Jim Caldwell for who the Lions might hire and what the timeline would be.
Caldwell did not take questions Friday, but he did express confidence that anyone who has coached quarterbacks will be fine calling plays.
"Let me tell you something. When you coach the quarterbacks, the entire offense runs through you," Caldwell said. "Every single phase of it runs right through you and often times, you have as much say-so as anybody because you know what he likes and what he doesn't like.
"Those things are all part of that position and I think he's certainly on the verge of having a great, great career."
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