In an interview today with WJR, Matthew Stafford shed some light on the Detroit Lions current situation. He talked about his role in the process of selecting a coach as well as where this team sits talent wise. Although it initially appeared that the franchise quarterback would play a major part in the selection of the new coaching staff, that may not be entirely correct.
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Early in the process, Stafford talked about his desire to retain offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.
“Jim Bob and I have a great relationship,” Stafford said, via ESPN. “Ever since he’s had an opportunity to take the reins, this offense has moved in the right direction in my opinion. I feel like I’m playing some of the best football of my career, so I would love to have the opportunity to keep working with him. He’s been good for us and good for me.”
However, it appears that his influence will only go so far when it comes to determining the next Lions’ head coach. In today’s interview, Stafford discussed how he has not been consulted by Bob Quinn or other management about the hiring of the next coach. Surprisingly enough, Stafford said he’ll find out the same way as us.
“It doesn’t affect me either way, honestly,” Stafford said when asked about a potential role in the search process. “I’ll just go about my business. When you guys hear, I’m sure I’ll hear. I’ll talk to whoever it is, and we’ll go from there.”
This begs the question, does Stafford’s plea for Jim Bob Cooter hold any weight? While Stafford voiced his desire for Jim Bob Cooter publicly, it may have fallen on deaf ears in management. Stafford also acknowledged that continuity in the league is somewhat rare.
“I think in this league, it’s so year to year,” he said. “Very rarely are teams the same, personnel-wise or coaching-wise. So every team is different.
So it appears Stafford will sit on the sideline while GM Bob Quinn searches for the Lions next head coach. And while the quarterback and head coach’s relationship is important, this is not shocking. Bob Quinn said right away that players would not be involved in the coaching search.
Stafford also discussed the job Quinn has done acquiring talent for this football team, and in this department, it sounds like Stafford is satisfied.
“We’ve done a nice job in the recent past of stockpiling talent. I think if we can continue to do that at a high rate, we’ll be in a successful position. As many good football players as we can put on our football team, that’s going to help us out a bunch.”
Satisfied with the collection of talent on the team could be a sign that this team is just a good head coach away from truly competing. Stafford appears to believe that bringing in talented football players is the most important aspect of winning, not necessarily head coaching.
“At the end of the day, it’s the guys on the field – the guys out there making the plays, the guys putting up points and getting interceptions and doing all the stuff out there making the plays that help you win football games.
By leaving Stafford and players out of the hiring process, Quinn is making a statement that this is his hire, and it will be especially important for him since his legacy could very well ride on the success of this hire and the team going forward. With the Lions seemingly on the edge of contending, all hope lies in Quinn.
