We are only two weeks into the 2020 NFL season and the hot topic for Detroit Lions fans (and media members) is two-fold. First, when will the Lions fire Matt Patricia and second, who will replace him?
In my opinion, Patricia should be fired as soon as possible but knowing the Ford family and their history, that move likely will not happen until after the 2020 season.
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But what if Lions’ ownership decides to move on during the season? Who would become the Lions head coach?
Most believe that if Patricia is fired, current offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would become the interim head coach for the remainder of the season and that ownership would hire a new coach during the offseason. I 100% agree with that notion but what if the Lions decided to get crazy and bring in a new head coach in the middle of a season? (Highly unlikely)
Well, that is what Steven Mullenax suggests in his latest piece for SideLion Report.
Michigan faithful may thumb their noses at this notion. But there likely isn’t a bigger name the Lions could land in the middle of an NFL season than Urban Meyer. Remember, many of the top head-coaching candidates will be otherwise employed during the season as either NFL coordinators or already committed as head coaches in college football.
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Whoever is hired in Detroit, the rebuild will be full go in 2021. Adding someone as high-profile as Meyer midseason could set the Lions up very nicely for the flurry of changes coming this offseason.
Plus, Meyer’s presence would likely stir up some much-needed excitement within a deeply depressed fanbase following the massive failure of the New England Patriots’ Midwest experiment over the past three years
Meyer’s achievements in college are legendary. Best known for his time as the head coach for Ohio State and Florida, Meyer has won three National Championships and has never posted a losing record over his entire college career. In fact, in his seven-year tenure at Ohio State, the team had an incredible win-loss record of 83-9 during his watch.
Despite only being 56-years old, some believe Meyer is done with coaching due to health concerns, which was the reason given for his retirement in 2018. But Meyer himself said he’d consider coming to the NFL if it were for a team like the Dallas Cowboys. If Hemp offered him the keys to Detroit and total control of the team, perhaps that something he’d consider as well.
Will the Lions bring in Urban Meyer during the middle of the season? Hell no. Could they eventually hire him to replace Patricia before the 2021 season? It’s a possibility.
The only way this would ever happen would be if the Lions decided that GM Bob Quinn is keeping his job and that he had the freedom to hire the next head coach. But I believe Quinn will be out the door with Patricia and there is no way the Lions would bring in a guy like Meyer and give him complete control as suggested by Mullenax.
Is it interesting to think about what the Lions could look like with Urban Meyer calling the shots? Sure. Will it happen midseason. Nope.
