Lions coach Jim Caldwell's focus on 'the team,' not coaching future
— -- ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- Jim Caldwell is once again getting questions about his job security after the Detroit Lions?lost their second straight game by double digits, putting them on the verge of missing the playoffs despite a 9-4 start to the season.
On Tuesday, Caldwell pulled out an old quote from the late Michigan coach Bo Schembechler, saying his focus this week is on "the team, the team, the team" instead of his own potentially perilous status.
"Just like I said, we talk about the team, the team, the team. That's the most important thing," Caldwell said. "My future doesn't matter. I'm coaching, you know. This is an important game for us. That's where our focus is. That's where our focus is."
Caldwell is 27-20 in three seasons with the Lions, but 16-15 over the past two seasons. The men who hired him, former team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew, were fired last November after Detroit's 1-7 start.
The Lions eventually hired Bob Quinn from New England as Mayhew's replacement, and after a week of deliberation, Quinn chose to retain Caldwell as Detroit's head coach in January. The Lions then started the season 1-3, but then won eight of their next nine games to take a two-game lead in the NFC North with three games to play.
It made Caldwell a potential coach of the year candidate. Detroit then lost to the New York Giants, 17-6, and to Dallas, 42-21, potentially placing Caldwell back on the hot seat heading into the season finale against the Packers, to whom the Lions lost 34-27 in Week 3.
"It's the team, the team, the team, period," Caldwell said. "Coaches don't worry about themselves or anything of that nature. "This is a big game for our entire organization. This is huge."
If the Lions beat Green Bay on Sunday, Detroit will win its first divisional crown since the 1993 season. If the Lions lose, they might be out of the playoffs entirely.
Knowing what's potentially at stake, Caldwell said he feels "zero" added pressure.
"I'm glad to be right where we are," he said. "We've had a chance since, I think I showed our team, we had a chance to control our own destiny for a number of weeks, and we still do, even in the last ballgame we still have an opportunity to control our own destiny. Oftentimes, teams don't get that opportunity. They haven't earned that opportunity. Our guys have earned it, so yeah, I'm excited about where we are.
"And you just don't get in this position very often. It's hard to get here, and I'm excited about the opportunity for our guys, and I know our guys are excited about it as well."
Besides defeating Green Bay, the Lions could make the playoffs through other scenarios, including if Washington loses to the New York Giants. Even if Washington wins, the Lions and Packers would both make the playoffs if their game ends in a tie. That would make Green Bay the division champion and the Lions the wild card.
Caldwell admitted that potentially playing for a tie late in the game could factor into Detroit's decisions Sunday night if it means making the playoffs.
"Obviously, if it's part of the equation, it's always part of the thought process," Caldwell said. "That's the simple and most direct way to tell you. It would be ridiculous for me to answer it any other way. You can answer that question yourself, right?
"But I know one thing, our goal is to win games and to win games, period. That's our goal and aim. And we understand, I know when I first went down south and was coaching at Wake Forest, one of the alumni, he said, 'Coach, we're with ya, win or tie.' So I know how that works."
