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January 15, 2009

James Cook: Schwartz exactly what Lions need

By JAMES COOK

There's a long list of things the Detroit Lions need in order to turn the franchise around.

Since a new owner isn't on the menu, at least the Lions seem to have made a solid choice for head coach.

Thankfully, Jim Schwartz isn't one of the NFL's old guard.

An innovative thinker and planner, Schwartz may just be the exact kind of hire Detroit needed to rescue the franchise from its doldrums.

The Lions have won exactly one regular-season game in their last 24. But, hey, they were perfect in the 2008 preseason.

If nothing else, Schwartz has some guts. He goes from the team with the NFL's best record to the worst. Taking on a team that was 0-16 the previous year takes some intestinal fortitude, but he has nowhere to go but up.

And the Lions' bevy of draft picks, thanks to fleecing the Dallas Cowboys in the Roy Williams trade, makes Schwartz an even better pick. He believes in building through the draft, although his presence surely won't hurt if the team decides to pursue Titans free agent Albert Haynesworth, who would replace Shaun Rogers in the middle of Detroit's defensive line.

The Lions were the only team this season to interview Schwartz, which could be a sign. But a couple years ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were the only team to bring in Mike Tomlin, and they're still playing, so that turned out pretty well.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about Schwartz is that while he's worked his way up the ranks, he has earned a reputation as a "Moneyball-style" statistical analyst.

His defenses are for from the static and Paleolithic Tampa-2 the Lions ran. He varies formations, uses players at multiple positions and tailors his game plan each week to the opponent. How refreshing.

He can be somewhat unorthodox, and has even challenged respected coaches like Norm Chow and Bill Belichick.

He's well-respected, which should help in finding innovative coordinators to handle both sides of the ball.

Three major factors obviously played into this decision:

äHis oldest daughter is only 7, so there's no son-in-law to hire.

äHis name doesn't start with an "M." It does contain one, but it's much better than Mornhinweg, Mariucci, Marinelli and Millen.

äHe isn't 10 years behind the NFL curve in schemes.

Expect an overhauled defense that goes after the quarterback and an emphasis on the offensive line, two things the Lions have been horrible at.

An avid chess player, Schwartz may even finally give the Lions a coach who can outthink his counterpart.

Whether he can be a good game-manager -- one of Rod Marinelli's shortcomings -- remains to be seen, because Schwartz has never been a head coach at any level. But he's a meticulous game-planner, which bodes well for game-day decisions.

There's nowhere to go but up.

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