Predict Jim Caldwell's regular season record (and when he gets fired)

[ReMeDy]

I say he goes 3-13. Fired after three seasons.

I don't see him working out at all. First is the bullying mentality left from the Jim Schwartz days. I understand the Lions want a spark--Caldwell offers them something different--but Caldwell is the wrong kind of spark. He is one of those "let the players play" kind of guys, so he could care less if Suh gets an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, or if Stafford throws INT's. I never saw him talking to his team on the sidelines, even when losing. Week in and week out, the Colts would make the same mistakes, with or without Peyton. He's also proven to be bad at clock management.

Stafford is going to have to play lights out, but he's too inconsistent. The Lions hope Caldwell can coach Stafford out of this inconsistency, but where was Caldwell when Curtis Painter needed him? I'd like to say Calvin Johnson and Ndamukong Suh will help carry the team, but back when Peyton had his neck surgery, Caldwell nearly took the Colts to 0-16 with the likes of Reggie Wayne, Freeney, and Mathis, so he's proven he doesn't know what to do with talent. We wouldn't even be talking about this guy if Tony Dungy and Peyton Manning hadn't gifted him wins.

 

I'll bookmark this topic and necro-rise it after the regular season ends, so you guy's pride is on the line here! Make it count!

[Jules]

How optimistic that he is already getting fired and is a failure? Maybe everyone should give him a shot first? People love to bash this guy so much but he was not the only reason we declined in 2011 so heavily and not the only reason we lost the Super Bowl.

 

I hope he shocks us and does well and brings some needed calmness to an immature Lions team.

[Gavin]

Oh goody...another hate Caldwell thread

[GoColts8818]

Those that take joy out of a good man like Jim Caldwell failing just because he didn't win more football games here as a coach show what kind of person they really are.

[NFLfan]

Those that take joy out of a good man like Jim Caldwell failing just because he didn't win more football games here as a coach show what kind of person they really are.

Taking joy in seeing anyone fail says a lot about one's character.

[Nadine]

I hope he is outrageously successful. I wish him the very best and I agree he's gotten a bad rap here.

[Synthetic]

I actually want Caldwell to have a winning season, that way all of you can lose your minds again when you blame him for golden boy throwing your Super Bowl down the drain to Tracy Porter.

 

 

9-7 or 10-6, Lions enter as a wildcard and get stomped down by the Saints in the dome again.

[SilentHill]

I actually want Caldwell to have a winning season, that way all of you can lose your minds again when you blame him for golden boy throwing your Super Bowl down the drain to Tracy Porter.

 

 

9-7 or 10-6, Lions enter as a wildcard and get stomped down by the Saints in the dome again.

 

Yea, I bet you want to face the Lions, It's the only "playoff" team you match up well against in the NFC, lol.

[Synthetic]

Yea, I bet you want to face the Lions, It's the only "playoff" team you match up well against in the NFC, lol.

 

 

I don't know about that, we match up pretty well against San Francisco, Carolina, Atlanta, Green Bay, Chicago, and we gave Seattle a much better run for the money than the Broncos did in the Super Bowl. I'd take our defense over Green Bay's too. Brees typically shreds them to pieces.

[Qwiz]

Yea, I bet you want to face the Lions, It's the only "playoff" team you match up well against in the NFC, lol.

They better hope they don't run into the Seahawks again

[Gramz]

I wish him nothing but the best.   I don't "get" the hatred towards him.

[Qwiz]

I wish him nothing but the best. I don't "get" the hatred towards him.

He's the scapegoat. Fans gotta blame somebody unfortunately.

[CR91]

Its been awhile since we had a Caldwell hate thread

[Nobody]

Their floor is higher but their ceiling is much lower with Caldwell. 9-7 year one with no big improvements year to year. Fired after 4 seasons.

[lollygagger8]

While I do believe Na'Polian handcuffed Caldwell while he was with us, I don't believe he's anything special coach wise. 

 

I don't know about a record, but with all the toys Stafford has now, if they don't make the playoffs, the season will be a colossal disappointment. 

[dgambill]

While I won't say he is a "good" coach he did win a SB with the Ravens stepping in as their offensive coordenator and helping lead Flacco to the most impressive playoff qb run we've ever seen.

 

That said I don't have a lot of faith...he seems to be a really laid back coach and quiet...and on a team lacking leadership I don't know if that works. Funny though how outside of Belichek and Dungy none of the coaches with Peyton and Tom really have done well on their own....almost as if we already know that these two qbs cover up a lot of flaws and make people look better than they really are. Name all of Brady's coaches that have left and either come crawling back or struggled...and those with Peyton haven't faired all the better. I hope Caldwell does well...he seems to work well with qbs and certainly Stafford has a lot of tools to work with...but I'm just not sure his demenor will help the team.

[BOTT]

10-6

[GoColts8818]

He's the scapegoat. Fans gotta blame somebody unfortunately.

When your right your right.

 

Jim Caldwell has become a complete scapegoat for a lot of Colts fans.  Don't get me wrong I don't think he's the greatest coach in the history of football but I also don't buy the idea that he had nothing to do with the Colts winning games like several Colts fans like to float out there either. 

 

My favorite scapegoating people do with him is how they put the whole Super Bowl loss on Caldwell's shoulders but come up with any excuse they can find to take the blame away from Peyton Manning who you know threw a pick in the game it's self for the loss. 

 

For the record I am NOT saying it's all Manning's fault either.  The Saints played a better game that day and the Colts lost as a TEAM it wasn't just one person's fault.  It took mistakes from Caldwell, Manning, Baskett, the defense, Stover, and on and on for the Colts to lose that game. 

[Qwiz]

When your right your right.

Jim Caldwell has become a complete scapegoat for a lot of Colts fans. Don't get me wrong I don't think he's the greatest coach in the history of football but I also don't buy the idea that he had nothing to do with the Colts winning games like several Colts fans like to float out there either.

My favorite scapegoating people do with him is how they put the whole Super Bowl loss on Caldwell's shoulders but come up with any excuse they can find to take the blame away from Peyton Manning who you know threw a pick in the game it's self for the loss.

For the record I am NOT saying it's all Manning's fault either. The Saints played a better game that day and the Colts lost as a TEAM it wasn't just one person's fault. It took mistakes from Caldwell, Manning, Baskett, the defense, Stover, and on and on for the Colts to lose that game.

Agreed. I've gotten into at least a couple of discussions defending Caldwell from people who like to blame 2011 and the SB on him, while also ignoring the near perfect season, overall winning record and the fact that he helped get to the SB in the first place. Blaming the loss solely on him (though I have seen some blame solely Baskett lol) is just something uneducated or people with an agenda like to do.

[Burls' Kid's]

Enough Caldwell bashin' folks, ok? He didn't lose that SUPERBOWL. The Saint's came out after HALFTIME and gambled the entire game on a desperate offsides kick attempt and nailed it. That's all....

 

It goes that way sometimes...hat's off to the Saint's for having the guts to do it.

[oldunclemark]

wow....this is a 2-time Super Bowl coach and he resurrected Baltimore '

offense in their champion year..

 

I predict Detroit wins their division

[Valpo2004]

If Caldwell can discipline that team they will have a pretty good year.  

 

I don't think one can determine the amount of discipline a coach uses or is willing to use just by looking at them on the sidelines.  

 

Some people out there think discipline should be a private matter.  If you yell at a under performing player on the sidelines you are gonna get asked about it in the media and you have to either lie about it or you have to throw the player under the bus thus causing them to distrust you and hurting their confidence.

 

Do it in the locker room, private practices, or in your office and the player can get the message that their performance will not be tolerated while at the same time not throwing them under the bus or obviously lying to the media about it.  

 

Only time will tell if Caldwell can reign in that team.  

[HtownColt]

11-5 wins the NFC North loses first round of playoffs to the NFC West wildcard team

[Dustin]

6-10

[throwing BBZ]

No 6-0 division for him.
7-9 in year 1.

No idea how good of a job his GM or his coaching staff will do.

[mvbighead]

Some of this hate is down right funny.  I don't have a lot of love for Caldwell, but losing a QB without a solid backup plan hurts a LOT of teams.  The Kerry Collins experiment should have been avoided IMO and we should have given Painter a chance early to instill confidence and give him the first team reps.

 

That aside, if Caldwell is as good as Manning seems to say, he could potentially take Stafford's boom or bust erratic play and get much more consistent high level play with fewer busts. Let the rest of the team play out and he should be in for a good season.  Stafford, Megatron, the new TE, Golden Tate, and a handful of other players that are all decent to good contributors should mean a lot of offensive production.  Then you have a front four with Suh and a newly motivated Fairley... they could compete i think.

[Superman]

I'm not into record predictions, personally. Too many variables.

 

And while I don't like the way Caldwell coached the Colts, for the most part, I think coaches get better all the time. His time as a coordinator should have given him some experience with game theory and game management, and hopefully he puts some of that together and produces some wins.

[BOTT]

When your right your right.

 

Jim Caldwell has become a complete scapegoat for a lot of Colts fans.  Don't get me wrong I don't think he's the greatest coach in the history of football but I also don't buy the idea that he had nothing to do with the Colts winning games like several Colts fans like to float out there either. 

 

My favorite scapegoating people do with him is how they put the whole Super Bowl loss on Caldwell's shoulders but come up with any excuse they can find to take the blame away from Peyton Manning who you know threw a pick in the game it's self for the loss. 

 

For the record I am NOT saying it's all Manning's fault either.  The Saints played a better game that day and the Colts lost as a TEAM it wasn't just one person's fault.  It took mistakes from Caldwell, Manning, Baskett, the defense, Stover, and on and on for the Colts to lose that game.

I wouldn't blame Stover for missing a FG that was obviously out of his range...that is actually the one thing I blame Caldwell for.

[BpG]

It's a very tough division, but 3 wins? Your agenda couldn't be more transparent. 

[That Guy]

I see his team doing well this year.  The Bears and Packers don't intimidate me, and Minnesota is missing some key pieces.  I could see Detroit winning their division with an 11-5 record.  They have the talent to pull it off (except in the secondary).  I'll call them the four seed in the NFC.  Then they face the #2 team from the NFC West (I see Seattle and San Fransisco getting the #1 and #5 seeds, but I don't know who'll get which one); that is where their season ends.

 

I doubt Caldwell gets fired in the next couple years, and I hate that people see him as a scapegoat.  He was a decent (not great, but definately capable) coach who had the bad luck to feild a QB-deprived team with a fan base that has been spoiled by QB play.

[King Colt]

Never could read Caldwell. All I know is I like the firey coach, like a Ditka. I want my coach screaming his bloody head on good and bad plays. I just don't see how a coach can just stand there and stare.

[Gavin]

Never could read Caldwell. All I know is I like the firey coach, like a Ditka. I want my coach screaming his bloody head on good and bad plays. I just don't see how a coach can just stand there and stare.

He didn't https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ujvgSlXW9FY

[Chucklez]

I think Caldwell is working with a better lions team than last year. Their division is a bit rough for them though considering who they are playing against and their schedule is just kinda tough in general. I dont see the Lions doing any better than 7 - 9, but thats not because of Caldwell...

I think Caldwell would do a good job to get them 7 wins this season.

[supremecoltsfan300]

6 wins this year, then 5 next year, which causes him to get fired. Everyone likes to call it hate, but maybe some of us just feel the man is an awful HC. Jim seems like a great person, and that's all nice and good, but football-wise, I don't like the man. It wasn't just the superbowl where he was outcoached, it was all three years of his tenure with us.

[chad72]

I think Caldwell makes the Lions a playoff team in year 1, and I wish him the best.

 

He could not match wits against the best but he won't be playing the best elite coaches every week, IMO. Plus, he is smart enough to surround himself with coaches of his choice than Polian's choice, and I feel that will make a difference.

 

I don't think he will get the Lions to the promised land that is the SB, but he is good enough to make them a playoff contender in the NFC, IMO, albeit more likely as a wild card.

[rock8591]

Taking joy in seeing anyone fail says a lot about one's character.

 

Nobody's hating him as a human being, just as a coach. As a coach, he was a joke.

[jskinnz]

Never could read Caldwell. All I know is I like the firey coach, like a Ditka. I want my coach screaming his bloody head on good and bad plays. I just don't see how a coach can just stand there and stare.

 

Did you like Dungy?  What about Knoll or Landry or Walsh?  All were not very demonstrative at all. 

[jskinnz]

Nobody's hating him as a human being, just as a coach. As a coach, he was a joke.

 

That is extreme and the evidence clearly points to it not being really close to true at all.

[jskinnz]

While I won't say he is a "good" coach he did win a SB with the Ravens stepping in as their offensive coordenator and helping lead Flacco to the most impressive playoff qb run we've ever seen.

 

That said I don't have a lot of faith...he seems to be a really laid back coach and quiet...and on a team lacking leadership I don't know if that works. Funny though how outside of Belichek and Dungy none of the coaches with Peyton and Tom really have done well on their own....almost as if we already know that these two qbs cover up a lot of flaws and make people look better than they really are. Name all of Brady's coaches that have left and either come crawling back or struggled...and those with Peyton haven't faired all the better. I hope Caldwell does well...he seems to work well with qbs and certainly Stafford has a lot of tools to work with...but I'm just not sure his demenor will help the team.

 

That is what I don't get - the connection between being "laid back and quiet" on the sidelines meaning that he is that way in practice or in meetings or that he does not hold people accountable.  In fact, I have repeatedly this year that the reason Detroit brought him in was to instill discipline that is lacking with them.  There will be an accountability that was not there before.

 

I don't want to sound like a Caldwell apologist - probably too late for that - but I think the bad name he got here was unfair and not really close to accurate.  Don't think he was the greatest coach ever but was very clearly not as bad as many think that he is.  I wish him well with the Lions.

[Poster X]

The Lions should be an interesting team to watch. They need to learn that Johnson can't do it alone though... and build around him. I think they should be a playoff team with ten wins. Maybe.

Take the under on Caldwell facial expressions.