Detroit Lions: 5 Offseason moves to make for 2019
By Zac Snyder
Hire an experienced offensive coordinator with a vision based on personnel
Jim Bob Cooter did a good job stepping in midseason for the fired Joe Lombardi to get the Lions offense moving then followed with some incremental progress over the next two seasons before things fell apart this season. It was easy to romanticize the early part of Cooter’s tenure as the Lions’ offensive coordinator but the way it ended might not be so surprising.
He became a first-time position coach when he joined Jim Caldwell’s staff in Detroit then was thrust into the offensive coordinator job just a year and a half later when Lombardi was ousted.
With total hindsight at our disposal, it stands to wonder whether Cooter’s first shot as an offensive coordinator came as a result of convenience rather than because he was truly ready for it. That’s no knock on Cooter, but it could be a lesson to value more experience when looking for his replacement.
But some level of experience isn’t enough. The next offensive coordinator needs to come in with a vision for how to best utilize the talent the Lions have in place. This season the Lions offense became less than the sum of its parts with Matthew Stafford‘s arm talent neutered by the passing scheme.
The eternal debate about whether Stafford is or can be elite is meaningless in this discussion. He is and will be the Lions quarterback, both Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia have made that clear. Stafford has his strengths and he has his weaknesses and a successful offensive coordinator candidate must be able to articulate and implement his vision for how that will factor into the offensive scheme.
This kind of vision goes beyond Stafford. Players like Theo Riddick bring value to an offense but must be put in more specific situations or roles to maximize their impact. Carries going to players other than Kerryon Johnson need to be more than wasted snaps, like handing off to LeGarrette Blount was all too often last season.
Overall fit between coordinator, personnel and head coach must be aligned. The way the offense played last season made it seem like there were breakdowns in each connection of that triad and strengthening those bonds is a must for next season.