Lions' Caldwell brushes off pleas he deserves job security
Allen Park — Why hasn’t Lions coach Jim Caldwell received a contract extension yet?
It was a question that was raised by ESPN commentators Sean McDonough and Jon Gruden during Monday night’s nationally televised game, and led to the broadcasting duo to clamor that Caldwell has done enough to earn job security.
Yet, Caldwell is unfazed by the Monday Night Football crew’s pleas that he deserves an extended stay in Detroit.
“I heard a little buzz about it, but it's not important,” Caldwell said Tuesday.
“Just like I’ve said before, I’ll say it a thousand times, I’ve told you guys I’ll answer it the same way now and you ask me eight weeks down the road, I’m only concerned about a couple things — It’s my men and my mission. And our mission is to win. Everything else will take care of itself. And they aren’t worried about anything else other than that. So, that’s our focus.”
Caldwell added even if he signed a contract extension, he wouldn’t disclose it to the media.
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"That's the honest truth,” he said, stone-faced.
Caldwell, who is entering the fourth and final year of his contract, has guided Detroit to the playoffs twice in the past three seasons and has the second-most wins by a Lions coach over his first 50 games with a 29-21 record, trailing only Buddy Parker (1951-56).
He has also led the Lions to their first 2-0 start since 2011 following the team’s 24-10 triumph over the New York Giants in front of a prime-time audience.
And with millions of people watching, Caldwell dismissed the notion that people outside of Detroit were wondering the same question as McDonough and Gruden about his job status.
“I think what they’re most concerned about and most interested in is how we play and if we win or not,” Caldwell said. “I think that’s the most important thing. That’s the most important thing to me, and I think they view it the same way I believe.”
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