Claims Made by Jim Caldwell Put Bob Quinn's Leadership in Question
When the decision was made to retain Jim Caldwell after Bob Quinn was installed as Lions general manager in 2016, the indication was that the ex-Patriots scout came to the decision after meeting with Caldwell extensively.
“It was me and Jim sitting in a meeting room, talking football and talking about life, talking about a lot of things,” Quinn said in 2016 via the Detroit Free Press. “I’m not going to get into specifics of every nook and cranny that we talked about but it was constructive meetings that after the course of two days and about 10 to 12 hours, I came to that decision."
In a recent appearance on Glover Quin's "The DB Room" YouTube show, Caldwell revealed that based on the conversations he had with Quinn, he felt Detroit's then-new general manager wanted to hire his own coach.
"I think without question that had he been left to his own devices, I probably would have been gone the day he came in. Just kind of the feeling that I got, even though obviously it went through a two-week process of kind of going through an interview process with him in order to keep my job," Caldwell explained.
He commented further, "I was thankful to be able to continue because I did think that we were going to move in the right direction. I did think that we had something that was pretty special."
Based on the comments made by Detroit's former head coach, Quinn may not have been authorized to dismiss Caldwell as soon as he walked into the building.
Recall, Lions ownership expressed fondness for Caldwell -- openly and rather publicly.
Also, Caldwell had the overwhelming support of many on the roster at the time.
In looking back, Detroit's current rebuild could be at an advanced stage had Quinn made a different decision or had the insight to hire a coach with more NFL head coaching experience than present head man Matt Patricia.
Patricia has gone just 9-22-1 in his two years at the helm -- hugely disappointing campaigns that pale in comparison to Caldwell's four-year tenure in the Motor City (36-28 overall mark and two playoff appearances).
But, Quinn supposedly wanted Caldwell gone after Caldwell's second season in Detroit came to an end, and ultimately, didn't get his wish.
So, it begs the question: Who's really in charge over on Republic Dr.?
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