Jim Schwartz hired as Lions head coach

Updated: January 23, 2009, 7:30 PM EST from MSN.COM sports
51 comments

ALLEN PARK, Mich. (AP) - For the second time in three years, the Detroit Lions have turned to an ex-St. Louis Rams coach to try to turn around their dismal offense.


New Lions coach Jim Schwartz on Friday hired Scott Linehan as offensive coordinator. The Rams fired Linehan as head coach after the team opened the 2008-09 season 0-4.
"Scott brings a lot of experience, not only to the offensive coordinator position, but also coaching the quarterbacks, which is a job description for our offensive coordinator, and also head coaching experience in the NFL," Schwartz said at a news conference.
In 2006, the Lions also turned to a fired Rams coach to head their offensive effort. They hired Mike Martz a month after he was fired by St. Louis. He coached the Rams from 2000-2005, including a Super Bowl loss in 2001.
The Lions fired Martz one year ago, replacing him with Jim Colletto.
Linehan became the Rams' coach in 2006. Before that, he spent four years as an offensive coordinator for the Miami Dolphins and Minnesota Vikings.
Schwartz drew a connection between Linehan's time in Miami and the upcoming challenges for the Lions.
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"He came from Minnesota where he had had some pretty good success and went to Miami on a team that - probably a lot like us here - was going through a transformation, a new program and those kinds of things," Schwartz said. "(He) had a lot of success with a defensive-minded head coach in executing that vision that Nick (Saban) had and he turned it into a head coaching
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Well these guys are't complete dolts but they seem like NFL hangers-on instead of
leaders.

A. If the person has been fired, that means he's doing his a very good job.

B. FORD IS A JOKE!!!!!!!!

C. I guess you can understand Schwartz decisions

,but if he really is saying what I think he is saying. They are going to take Matthew Stafford.

afraid of what???................How much worse can u be than 0 and 16???

0 and 32 baby. dream of it.

ACTUALLY, I did. I was at Eastern Mich U in the midst of our 27 game football losing streak! It was kinda cool!!!!!

ALLEN PARK -- Now Gunther Cunningham gets to do it his way.
Cunningham, a man who is long-winded off the field, believes in quick strikes on it. He wants to attack quarterbacks and disrupt opposing offenses with a beefy front line and aggressive scheme. That's the Lions' new mantra as they transition from the more passive Tampa 2 defense to Cunningham's dream of squeezing quarterbacks as soon as they step off the field.
But how?
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He's still trying to figure that out as he evaluates the talent on the roster.
Last season Cunningham, then defensive coordinator of the Kansas City Chiefs, was forced to conform to the wishes of coach Herm Edwards. The Chiefs played more of a cover 2 defense and didn't put much pressure on opponents -- in part because of the loss of defensive end Jared Allen in free agency to the Minnesota Vikings.
Cunningham admitted he was miserable watching the sliding production of the Chiefs, who ranked last in the NFL with 10 sacks and were only ahead of the Lions in total defense, giving up 393.3 yards per game.
During an impromptu meeting late last season, an official asked Cunningham how he was holding up.
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From Detnews.com
I love this guy already !
He wants his Dee to be bigger and attack QBs. Genious !

An aggressive line don't work if the corners are soft...dude's got his work cut out.

If the corners aren't athletic they can't play aggressive.

Have you seen their schedule for next season? They definitely can win a couple of these...




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LOL!!!



Maybe this one

Well, that depends. Are we talking totally blind or legally blind but they can still see basic outlines and shapes?

Because if we're talking about the latter, then yeah, we're in deep trouble.

Really, it shouldn't make much difference for their opponents, since the Lions have a habit of disappearing on Sundays anyway.

Ford Sr. still making the big moves...
happen. And it did not happen last year.
Q: Is that something you felt determined going into that, that this was going to be yours, you weren't going to allow that to happen again?
A: I suppose in the back of my mind, yeah, because we've gone wrong in the past. And some of the hirings and firings I wasn't too crazy about. So yeah, yeah.
Q: I want to be clear. If Mayhew and Lewand had come in and said, "We want somebody else,' you'd have said, 'No, I'm taking Schwartz?"
A: We'd have a long conversation about why do you want so and so and what's the matter with Schwartz?
Q: You were pretty rock solid on Schwartz.
A: I was, yes. But I wanted to get their feelings before I expressed mine.
Q: But you said it was solely your call.
A: It was.
Q: So you would've overridden them?
A: I don't know (laughs).
Q: So Marinelli and Marriucci were more contentious?
A: I guess; I didn't know their backgrounds, particularly. I relied on Matt and others for what their opinions were. The decision wasn't mine. Not saying I was against it.
Q: But Matt took the lead more?
A: I took their word for it. If that's him, that's him.
Q: But this time, you took more the lead?
A: Yeah, right. Right.
Q: To the fans, how personally do you take that criticism, or do you not allow it to?
A: I mean, not that the yelling at the stadium does much for you. You get a couple of drunks and they can say anything. But you pay attention. If there's a noticeable decline in attendance and the comments are not favorable, you pay attention to it. The fans are really the people you want to please here. God, especially now in Detroit, the shape it's in, we gotta try twice as hard to give them their money's worth. The money is tough to come by for all of them, I understand that. But the least we can do is put on a good performance for them. I think we will. I certainly hope we will.
Q: Do you worry about your legacy, words like that?
A: No. In what respect?
Q: They've owned this team for...
A: ... 100 years (laughs).
Q: ... and championships, that's what everybody wants, how bad do you want it?
A: I want it (laughs). I can promise you that. As I say, starting with Jim, and as far as my livelihood goes, I'm gonna shoulder the responsibility for any mistakes we make. I don't mean every play. But if things go sour, and the fans turn against us, I'll have nobody to blame but me. And I'm aware of that. But that's a nice challenge to have, to keep them happy in bad times.
Q: I wanna ask about Mayhew and Lewand too, because there were some people around you who counseled you to sweep everybody out and clean house. Is that the same thing with you, too, your call? While some others suggested to do otherwise.
A: I didn't have any opposition.
Q: You made that call fairly early, didn't you? How early?
A: Yes, I can't tell you that timetable, I can't remember.
Q: But it was fairly soon.
A: -
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A: I've been told by the commissioner not to comment (laughs). I can't comment.
Q: The fans always say, "Mr. Ford will say to play the quarterback." When will you order Schwartz to play Stafford?
A: Ask Jim, don't ask me.
Q: Do you do that?
A: No, I don't not, contrary to public opinion, interfere with the football side of it. I mean, if so-and-so plays lousy on Sunday, I think he's a bum (laughs). But no, I've never said, "Don't say play this guy or play that guy," uh-uh. These guys know more about the game than I do by 10 miles. So I'm not going to try and second-guess them. If something goes wrong, we'll talk about it.
Q: But you've never said...
A: No, never ever.
Q: Millen had said the contract thing was an ongoing thing, he said a week ago.
A: His contract?
Q: Yes, I wanted to be clear on what the status was? Is it in arbitration?
A: No, it's settled.
Q: Did that happen recently?
A: Yes, fairly.
Q: Was it settled in arbitration or handled between you and he?
A: It was handled between his lawyer and mine. It never got to arbitration or anything like that, and I'm glad it did because we're friends, and I don't want to be on the other side of quarreling with a friend, over you said this or I said this. It worked out very peacefully, it worked out fine.
Q: Did he get somewhere between zero and $12 million?
A: I'm not gonna...(laughs)
Q: I remember him saying, "If Mr. Ford ever wanted me to leave, I'd leave."
A: He did say that.
Q: That would mean he'd resign, which would mean if he resigned (as opposed) to being fired. I'm going to assume that was the crux of the issue.
A: We've never fought or totally disagreed on anything. It all worked out. That's about all I could really tell you. It ended amicably. So that's about it.

• ...

The Breast Monologues

This is what is wrong with the Lions for all these years. The stupid Lions fans that keep supporting this nonsense. And the stupid owner who is content to be a loser if people keep buying his inferior product.

What's even worse is when you meet people that expect you like/root for the Lions just because you live in Michigan.

I always have to explain the definition of a "fan" to them.

There's been nothing that the organization has done that makes me remotely want to root for the team.

Red Wings, Pistons, and to some extend the Tigers have done it, but the Lions? LOL Please....

It will be stupid for me to root for them, for a player I didn't even see live (Barry Saunders.)

On the other hand, Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick has made this guy a Hall of Famer and made University of Michigan popluar (even more then Charles Woodson was suppose to do) as it was there when he develop to become an awesome QB and perhaps the best of all time in the NFL. Yes, I want U of M popular so that big star recruits from high schools can come here and play football!



Is that a Yankees hat?

Hey Lat, keep that Pat love in the Pat thread there it belongs.
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Buck, you callin' me stupid ?

Naaaaaa. I'm just venting. Been a Lion fan since 1966. Ugh

Didn't this guy once coach for the Lions?

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