So when will the campaigns to “Fire Schwartz” begin in and around Ford Field? If and when they do, will it be an 
organized venture comparable to the “Fire Millen” thousand member marches or just a few unforgiving Lions fans who have once again seen enough?
There is a vicious cycle that has revolved around Lions coaches and staff in Detroit over the past decade. The FireMillen.com website became extremely popular around Detroit so you have to wonder how long it will be before a Fire Schwartz website is launched. A search on Go Daddy this morning revealed the domain FireSchwartz .com was taken. Can’t verify if the owner of this domain is setting up a site geared towards the Lions coach and staff or not but after the media riot Schwartz caused after Sunday’s loss, you have to wonder.
Lions’ coaches have a history of getting run out of town and sometimes those campaigns starts too early. In Schwartz’ case, the fans have remained more patient than I can ever remember, offering their new man a fair opportunity to rebuild the pile of trash that Millen left behind.
Although Schwartz’ record to date in Detroit is an embarrassing 4-20, the fans and media saw promise with parts of the puzzle falling into place but after Sunday the Detroit media is reporting that hope has disintegrated.
During this year’s 2-6 run, there was Calvin Johnson’s “non catch” that should have been a dramatic come from behind win then the “sure win” Sunday against the Jets. Factoring those two games into wins like they would have ended for most other NFL teams, the Lions should be sitting at 4-4 but instead are 2-6. Throw in the fact their “franchise” Matthew Stafford is sidelined with what appears to be his 5th significant injury in less than two seasons and the situation reeks misery.
After Sunday’s OT 23-20 loss against the Jets, Lions head coach Jim Schwartz took the blame for missing a few calls as he should have but when the calls are so blatantly obvious, you’re going to get severe backlash like in his case.
With the Lions up 20-10 with about four minutes left in the game, Stafford took a snap and scrambled to pass when it should have been an obvious running play (remember the clock was their opponent at the time). At this point every NFL coach potato across the country knew it was all about ticking that clock down to zero. Caught from behind, “china doll” Stafford hit the turf ending his day with yet another injury to set the stage for one of the biggest implosions in Lions history.
After a Lions’ punt, the Jets scored to make it 20-17 but if you did the math at this point, things still weighed heavily in your favor.
With Stafford wearing his ball cap on the bench, the Lions got the ball back and with the Jets out of timeouts, Schwartz and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan actually called another pass play, that’s not a typo, they called for a pass play inside the two-minute warning with the opposing team in their stadium and out of timeouts. Third string quarterback Drew Stanton, another potential draft bust who was taken high in the second round, threw an incomplete pass stopping the clock for the Jets and the rest is history.
The play was summed up by the Jets players after the game with ex-Lion Damian Woody saying, “I couldn’t believe they called that,” With Braylon Edwards being more direct:
“That was a stupid call.”
Yes it was and the most troubling part of it is the fact it was made by a knowledgeable man with way more intellect than I and most others could ever claim. That said, is there a force that removes every speck of common sense from a man’s cranium after he dons a headset with a Lions logo on it?
Being very familiar with the vicious cycle surrounding coaches in Detroit over the years, I have to wonder how numbered Schwartz’ days have suddenly become.
In all fairness Schwartz has created some important pieces for the Lions including the defensive line who prior to Sunday is said to be one of the better in the NFL and he deserves to stick around at least through next season. But the NFL is like life in the sense that people, media and fans alike, tend to forget anything good that has been done when they feel cheated or betrayed and those are the feelings that are associated with this Lions loss on Sunday.
With Sunday’s blatant mismanagement of the clock, the media began reexamining several other questionable calls Schwartz has made during his 4-20 run and are going as far as comparing them to other infamous blunders from the past including Marty Mornhinweg winning an OT coin toss and giving the ball to the Chicago Bears, a move that led to another Lions loss.
Linehan appears to be jumping ship at the end of this season as rumor has it he is taking a head coaching position in the NCAA. Will he be remembered for calling the passing play that Stafford was injured on or will that just blend in with the rest of the gaffes we have seen in Detroit?
So going into Buffalo to play the 0-8 desperate Bills, Schwartz will have to somehow keep his team focused to play another meaningless game outdoors on the road in the later half of a season. With Stafford again on the sidelines collecting part of his guaranteed $41 million and center and team leader Dominic Raiola saying Sunday’s debacle “the worst loss in my ten years here” I have to say good luck with that Mr. Schwartz.
Stafford and the Lions are a bad marriage – Sports Climax
How Durable is Matthew Stafford? – Sports Climax
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