Detroit Lions Come Back to Earth; Jim Schwartz Blows It

By Charlie Portelli

Following the Lions big win on the road at Chicago they could not have been on more of an emotional high. That was precisely the reason they could not close the door on the Pittsburgh Steelers after building a 27-20 halftime lead. In the NFL it is not about how you handle failure, it is about how you handle success. Some teams and coaches especially know how to handle success. Jim Schwartz just simply is not one of those coaches at this stage in his career. 

It comes as no secret that I am not a Jim Schwartz supporter. When it comes to coaches, their demeanor tells the story for me. I do not like Jim Schwartz' demeanor and I also think that he struggles managing games. He helped prove that point even further on Sunday. The fake FG call in the fourth quarter was absolutely idiotic. I am a fan of a more aggressive style of coaching, but being smart always has to trump being aggressive. There are times for such a move, but that was possibly one of the worst times for that kind of call. Schwartz had the Lions on the brink of a 7 point lead in the 4th quarter with a short FG but instead chose to run a fake FG with holder/punter Sam Martin on 4th and 5 at their opponents 10 yard line. With the Steelers in the shadows of their own goal line, this obviously does not give the Lions very much room to run on such a fake. More importantly, by not executing the fake, he gave the opponent, who was fueled by a very active home crowd, new life and momentum. It is hard enough to win on the road in the NFL, but Schwartz made it nearly impossible with his error in game management at a critical time. The failure on the fake FG gave the Steelers an inordinate amount of momentum and it completely took the wind out of the Lion's sails. Schwartz obviously defended his decision to fake the FG after the game, but it does not matter what he says. He helped blow the game for the Lions with that brainless call. 

While I place a great deal of blame for this loss on coach Jim Schwartz, it was certainly a collective 2nd half collapse for the Lions in this game. The Lions scored 0 points in the 2nd half after lighting the scoreboard up for 27 in the first half. Stafford only threw for 35 yards in the 2nd half. Calvin Johnson was completely shut down in the 2nd half. Stafford threw to him just 3 times in the 2nd half, but none of those throws were completed. They also dropped interceptions, missed many tackles, had an ineffective pass rush, and of course coached terribly. The Lions are not accustomed to the success that they have enjoyed so far this year. A steady head coach can help ground a team and keep them focused, unfortunately, the Lions lack that. Luckily for them their schedule and injuries to other teams in their division give the Lions hope to win the division, but it will still not be easy. 

The Lions are set up to win their first division championship since 1993. The stars are aligning for them. It is theirs for the taking. Unless their own head coach gets in their way.