Detroit Lions: 5 reasons why Calvin Johnson trade rumors won’t amount to anything

Oct 28, 2015; Chandler

2. Letting things fall into place for Cooter

Jim Bob Cooter is now running the show after Joe Lombardi seemingly forgot who Stafford and Megatron are and what their strengths (and weaknesses) are, so the Lions offense has nowhere to go but up. Even before the firing, the Lions finally showed signs of life on that side of the ball, even if the Minnesota Viking still managed to sack Stafford with reckless abandon. The Lions offensive line, which once looked like a clear strength of theirs, could also improve now that the offensive line coaching staff has been overhauled.

Basically, Mayhew and the Lions seem to have hope that this team can make strides with philosophical changes on offense, and they might see at as unfair if they don’t give Cooter and Co. enough time to show their stuff while they have Megatron. Because if they trade Megatron, then their offense will consist of Golden Tate, Eric Ebron, Ameer Abdullah, and nothing else. How can they judge Cooter’s merits as an OC based on that? And would that be seen by Cooter and prospective OCs around the league (should the Lions choose to hire someone outside the organization at that position next year) as disrespect?

A Megatron deal involves an awful lot of politics within the organization (this theme will continue in this piece), and the recent offensive coordinator change is one of them. The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, which means that if the team does trade Johnson, Cooter will have had just the game against the Kansas City Chiefs to show his coaching capabilities with Johnson.

Next: Who wants him?