There were rumblings this week that former NFL head coach Jim Caldwell declined interviews with the Vikings and Raiders regarding their head coaching vacancies. However, Caldwell took to Twitter this morning to deny those rumors.
“I would like to correct an erroneous report that I turned down opportunities to interview for the head coaching job with Minnesota and Las Vegas,” Caldwell said in a statement. “Those reports are not true.
“I have profound respect for both organizations and for the Wilf and Davis families and I did not decline any opportunity to interview with them.”
Caldwell, 66, served as the Dolphins’ quarterbacks coach in 2019 before health issues forced him to step aside. Fortunately, he’s said to be back to full health now, and it sounds like he’s ready for his next job.
Between his time with the Colts and Lions, Caldwell owns a career 62-50 record as a head coach with four playoff berths and one Super Bowl appearance. Caldwell’s last stop in Detroit saw him never finish with fewer than seven wins, but he was still canned following back-to-back 9-7 seasons.
This offseason, Caldwell has already interviewed for jobs with the Bears and the Jaguars.
Can anyone honestly say that this guy wouldn’t be head coach right now if he was white? Look at the record! And he is a quality man (unlike John Gruden, Joe Judge, and many many other dudes).
Color has nothing to do with it. I wish people would stop saying that. The issue was he couldn’t win the big games and bring the Super Bowl Title to Detroit. He had the team to win with but choked big time.
While I agree he couldn’t win the big game, he had a team that was quite far from a super bowl team. Did he have a team to win at least a playoff game? Yes. A super bowl title team? No.
62-50 record isn’t good. Not sure what you think a bad record is.
His 62-50 record equates to 7 seasons of a 9-7 record, which is good enough to have been in the playoffs this year in both the AFC and the NFC.
It’s still not good.
But he coached the Lions. To a winning record. Back. To. Back.
I’d say that deserves coach of the decade if there were such an award.
Damn right. He deserves an award. Probably the best head coach they’ve had in the 2000s although the record didn’t show it
He is pretty much a black Jeff Fisher and they let Fisher be a head coach in the league for 22 years. Maybe he just needs a thicker mustache?
I see where that comparison would come from but that seems a little harsh. I don’t remember Caldwell and his teams being nearly as dysfunctional as Fisher’s teams often could be. Fisher should just have his own category of mediocrity.
Fisher made and nearly won a SB, plus has been further away from a HC job than Caldwell in the past 5 years.
Throwing the race card is lazy. If the Lions were racist why would they of hired him? In retrospect it looks like a very bad firing but he had some talented teams and couldn’t make the next step.
I agree he should get another job offer but his losing the job at the time wasn’t a shock.
It’s not “lazy” if you knw American history, why our laws are the way they are, why wealth disrtibution is the way it is.
Caldwell was hired by one regime and fired by the next and many racist/American minded people hire blacks. Some even have kids with them and listen to rap music.
I could explain to exactly whats happening in America but you wouldnt care so I hope that you are able to understand American history and see the changes we have made and how they’re not actually changes we just write a bunch of stuff on paper and make laws and pretend everything’s okay, Americans do not prefer black people… Its just how we are. Get over it!!!
That record would be 60-36 if we exclude the year Kerry Collins and Curtis Painter were his best options at QB
Keep trying to develop racism where it doesn’t exist.
The league is 66 percent black.
As of today, the NFL has one black coach.
The NFL is the model institution of systemic racism.
He’s a good coach who has had multiple opportunities as a head coach in the NFL. I’m all for more head coaching opportunities for minorities but Caldwell is an odd choice for you to highlight since he’s tried, and essentially failed, twice. He did well but had his faults and his teams did well but not maybe as well as they should have done.
It is funny how many American Natives do you see as HC? That is the minority here if you really want to call things out.
How many American Natives are playing professional football? The issue is that well more than half of NFL players are black but very few head coaches or front office executives are black. It’s not about representing every minority just for the sake of representation. If you took issue with my use of the word “minorities”, fair enough, I was referring specifically to black coaches and executives.
Ok, there are other minorities and I have to say Blacks are not the minority any more. Just an FYI… you have to read and open up the minority counts in America now…
As long as people refer to him as a black coach then we will continue to base decisions on skin color. Success is success. Quality people come in all shapes, sizes and colors. By all accounts he his quality and will almost certainly fill one of the vacancies this off season.
Let me guess… Youre overweight, in a sexless marriage and will die over a flag?
Listen bro… Your way of life doesn’t work for everyone. Not everybody has to look and behave exactly and you do or your idea of what a real American is and in case you haven’t noticed, people around you are getting fed up and you can sit here continue to lock your doors and watch your news and get on the internet and tell people your true feelings but I can’t stop change or progress and that’s what truly bothers you people?
His in game decision making was always questionable in Indy and Detroit. A conservative coach that has never done anything to truly impress, his record is good because he coached Peyton Manning. More teams are looking for more creativity out of head coaching candidates now.
I think this is a fair critique of Caldwell, although I wouldn’t go so far as to say he won only because of having Peyton in Indy. He is conservative, but I would argue that conservative and steady might be exactly what a couple of these teams need after tumultuous previous regimes. If nothing else Caldwell should be getting looked at for coordinator jobs if he is so inclined.
I’m sorry but I think it’s crazy to hire a coach in his late 60s. If he needs 3 seasons to get things turned then you are talking about a guy entering his 70s. I think you need younger if you are hoping for a 10-15 year run. This is a stop gap hire for any team
A great stop gap hire for the jags. They need experience, stability and leadership.
I agree that Caldwell would be a great fit for Jacksonville. I don’t remember him being a disciplinarian per we, but he seemed to be an effective communicator who players respected.
It’s just that guys respect him and listen to him, it’s not even about how he behaves or how he dresses or appears, it is quite literally about accountability and keeping it real and honest and trust!
Trust… this is something but almost every typical fan forgets and they think it’s really as simple as whats on paper or what theyre being told.
Dan Campbell, aside from third stringers that eventually decided to play along with his new franchise quarterback, the veterans never respected him and you can just see that guys were not listening to him while Aaron Glenn kept the defense together and THEN earned a head coaching interview because of what he was able to do for the Lions yet Dan Campbell is trying to take all the credit and he’s too busy trying to entertain the media to even really care what’s actually happening with his team? The fans and the Dan Clan will support him no matter what because they have media articles to prove that he is universally loved in that locker room lol
So when are we going to hold “journalists” responsible for lying?
As long as journalists continue to be allowed to make reports solely based on unnamed and anonymous sources… never. I majored in communications and I completely understand the need to at times protect a source’s identity, but that shouldn’t always and exclusively be the only source for information.
99% of sports stories come from unnamed sources. that’s just a joke.