Jim Caldwell supposedly watched every single pass that Matthew Stafford threw this season in order o prepare for his interview with the Detroit Lions. It paid off as the Detroit Lions have hired Jim Caldwell to be their 26th head coach. The Detroit Free Press, ESPN, NFL Network, USA Today all reporting that the Detroit Lions have ended their search.
Yes, it’s the same Jim Caldwell that went 26-22 (2-2 in the postseason) as head man with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009-11. He was the fallback option as the Lions missed out on Ken Whisenhunt.
That means only the Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns are without a head coach. It’s a Midwest thing, when it comes to the NFL coaching carousel. The formnal press conference by the team announcing the hiring of Jim Caldwell will come later. Jim Caldwell most recently served as Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach for the Baltimore Ravens. So the ascension of Joe Flacco probably had a lot to do with this hire. Caldwell was also a four year starter for the Iowa Hawkeyes when he played college football. Jim Caldwell also led the Wake Forest Demon Deacons from 1993-2000
Paul M. Banks is the owner of The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also an analyst for multiple news talk radio stations across the country; with regular weekly segments discussing: Illinois, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Bears and Bulls on NBC and Fox Sports Radio. President Barack Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)