Getty Darrell Bevell before the Lions game against Minnesota.
It’s long been assumed the Detroit Lions may look outside the team for their next boss, but one of their current coaches could end up being a contender for the role when all is said and done.
According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, Darrell Bevell’s candidacy can’t be discounted at this point in time given the fact that the offensive coordinator turned interim head coach interviewed well with the team. That’s according to Birkett.
Some of you scoffed when I mentioned this last week, and said he was a legit candidate, but I got really good feedback on Darrell Bevell’s interview.
Again, no idea what happens, but since we’re talking before these playoff games kick off, figured it was worth mentioning again
Bevell interviewing well isn’t that much of a surprise considering the fact that most folks on the team like him and the players spoke about how much fun he made the game when he took over for Matt Patricia. Bevell got an interview early last week, and while many felt as if it was a mere courtesy to talk to the interim coach, it’s possible that the team could be considering him in a bigger way than many thought.
Darrell Bevell May Have Earned Right to Stick With Lions
The way Bevell held the team together in the wake of Matt Patricia’s firing and the dysfunction that soon followed after may have earned him the right to stick around. It’s important to remember the Lions were a mess, but Bevell steadied the ship and earned a win in the very first week he was coach against the playoff-bound Chicago Bears. Bevell kept the team mostly competitive after that, especially on offense. Things that went bad with the team were outside Bevell’s control. Given how the players responded, it made sense that Bevell could be firmly in the mix for a role in Detroit following the season and how things played out.
Even if Bevell doesn’t land the job as coach, it’s possible that he could be a coordinator in Detroit given his ties to some of the potential bosses that could also be in the mix for the job.
Darrell Bevell Career
For years, Bevell has been an offensive coordinator, first with the Minnesota Vikings and then with the Seattle Seahawks. In Seattle, Bevell got plenty of love for what he was able to do with Russell Wilson and the talented offense he had, and even won a Super Bowl while coming within an eyelash of winning another. In spite of this, Bevell never got the love as a head coach candidate and was removed from his role in Seattle. After taking some time off, Bevell was tapped to take over for Jim Bob Cooter in Detroit by Matt Patricia. It’s the role he’s held ever since.
Detroit’s offense under Bevell has been inconsistent at times, but arguably not as much of a problem as the defense has been. Overall, Bevell has been a solid coordinator through the years in all of his stops after being a quarterback at Wisconsin in college.
It’s probably a long shot he gets the Lions job at this point, but it’s clear that his candidacy cannot be dismissed thanks to the fact that he has had a solid interview wth the team.
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