Getty Robert Saleh looks on at a presser.
The Detroit Lions are looking at putting together a comprehensive search for coach and general manager, and when they do, what type of characteristics will be preferred?
So far, the process is still getting off the ground, but a clear theme has taken hold according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated. The Lions are going to be wide open and give everyone who interviews a fair shot. Within that process, the team could be expected to look for a leader as a head coach and an executive with a solid scouting background to fit in at general manager.
To that end, Breer thinks the Lions could look to hire Robert Saleh and pair him with Ed Dodds from Indianapolis. In a recent update, Breer wrote that the sense he is getting is that the Lions want to go with a solid scout while looking for a strong personality to lead at head coach.
“My sense is the Lions (again) are going to go with a scouting type on the GM, and are looking for a “leader of men” as head coach, which is one reason why I’m bullish on the idea of pairing 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh and Colts assistant GM Ed Dodds in Detroit. The feeling is, on the GM side, with Disner there, they can afford to tweak the job to fit an evaluator; and on the coaching side they’ll need a guy who has the strong presence to unify the entire operation.”
If unity and consistency are what Detroit is looking for, this team could give the Lions exactly what they crave and might be the strongest the Lions have been in years in terms of getting things right.
There could be a lot that plays out before then, though.
Ed Dodds-Robert Saleh Connection Gains Steam
In the mind of Breer, this combination makes sense in Detroit because it would allow the coach to lead while the general manager could focus on scouting and evaluation. Breer has previously said the Lions and their fans should keep an eye on Dodds if Saleh is a strong contender for head coach. Clearly, that continues to be the case as it relates to what Breer is hearing and projecting the Detroit search could end up like when all is said and done and the process closes out.
Ed Dodds Biography
Dodds has worked his way up the league ladder in his career and long been craved for potential general manager roles in the past but has elected to stay put. Would the Detroit situation entice him to make the jump? It’s possible it could be an interesting one and not a far move for Dodds just a few hours north from Indianapolis. Dodds has worked with Seattle before the Colts, and has developed a reputation as a great drafter and a key right hand man for a couple of elite general managers in John Schneider and now Chris Ballard. Often, he’s been credited for savvy free agency moves. To that end, he seems ready and primed to take over his own team which is something that the Lions should have the ability to understand.
Pairing Dodds with Saleh would be one of the most interesting combinations on the market this offseason, and could give the Lions a good leg up when all is said and done.
Will it happen? Breer continues to beat the drum for that being the case when all is aid and done.
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