Detroit Lions: 5 Replacements for Matt Patricia as head coach
By Tayyib Abu
Detroit Lions head coach candidate No. 3: Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma HC
Lincoln Riley is quickly proving himself to be an outstanding head coach at the collegiate level. Before the start of this season, his record with the Oklahoma Sooners was 58-10. He had also developed two of the last three Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray.
The Detroit Lions have been terrible for years. What the team may need is a confident, charismatic program builder. The Lions have no culture, no real football plan. Riley has taken over the Oklahoma program and developed his own culture while keeping the Sooners a powerhouse at the college level.
Riley would command a high price. But money is no object for a franchise that hasn’t won its division since the realignment. Furthermore, Riley would demand a lot more power than traditional head coaches. Riley would want input on the front office staff, plus he’d wish to have substantial input in the draft process.
That might not be a bad thing as Riley would bring a considerable amount of college knowledge to Detroit.
Yes, Riley may wait for a marquee team to offer him a job. But he also has an ego and where to better to stroke that ego than a city where he can be a legend if he wins one playoff game? Detroit can tempt Riley to swap college for the NFL.