ALLEN PARK — Matthew Stafford certainly has his thoughts about coach Jim Caldwell who is on the hot seat after the Lions did not reach the playoffs this season.
Stafford said if GM Bob Quinn asks he’d be happy to share his thoughts on Caldwell.
“If he asks my opinion I will tell him I appreciate everything coach Caldwell does. I think he’s a really good leader of men, I think he does a great job in our locker room of getting us ready to play football and the rest is up to the players to go out there and make plays and win games,’’ Stafford said on Wednesday. “As far as any major details or anything like that I’ll keep that between Bob and myself. I think he understands what kind of guy coach Caldwell is too, he’s been around long enough to understand what he’s all about.’’
Stafford said he is not “crazy proactive” about working with the front office but is available.
“I think that’s the appropriate approach for a player. It’s not my profession to know what guy on what other team or in college runs a 40. It’s not what I spend my time on. I’m definitely available, dialogue has happened throughout the years and will probably continue to happen. Whether or not my opinion is taken seriously is not up to me I just go out there and play ball if they ask me something, they ask me something,’’ Stafford said.
Caldwell is wrapping up his fourth season with the Lions with a 35-28 regular season record. He’s brought the Lions to the playoffs in two of those four years.
The coach was hired by former GM Martin Mayhew in January 2014. When Quinn was hired in January 2016, his first big decision to keep Caldwell as coach. Both shared similar
Caldwell is the second coach Stafford has played for in Detroit. Jim Schwartz was brought in prior to Stafford’s rookie season to turn around the team that had just finished the 2008 season with a 0-16 record.
The Lions (8-7) host the Packers (7-8) at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Ford Field.
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