2015 DETROIT LIONS MEDIA GUIDE

As the Lions’ head coach, Jim Caldwell guides
the team with 38 years of previous coaching
experience, which includes 14 NFL seasons and
24 years on the college level prior to his arrival
in Detroit last year. Two Super Bowl titles and
three appearances in the NFL’s championship
game and 12 playoff appearances highlight his
coaching resume, which includes leading the 2009
Indianapolis Colts to an AFC Championship and
Super Bowl XLVI appearance and guiding the Lions
to a playoff berth last season.
On January 14, 2014, the day Caldwell was
hired by the Ford Family to lead this proud and
historic franchise, his message to the organization
was two-fold:
“Image and identity. Either you create it, or
somebody’s going to create it for you,” Caldwell
stated. “So, let me tell you what we’re going to
look like. We’re going to be smart. We’re going to
be a football team that takes the field that’s not
going to shoot itself in the foot.
“We’re going to be a team that is disciplined,
focused and understands situational football. It’s
going to be drilled and drilled and drilled and not
just given lip service. What you should see on the
field is obviously a product of our coaching, our
instruction and our demands.”
Caldwell continued, “We’re going to do things
the right way, but we’re going to be a physical,
hard-nosed, rough football team. We’re going to
flat get after you from the word ‘go’ every single
snap of the ball on offense, defense and in the
kicking game.”
With that message firmly in place, Caldwell
enters his second season in Detroit seeking to take
the Lions to greater heights in 2015 after finishing
11-5 last year.
FIRST SEASON IN DETROIT
By finishing 2014 with an 11-5 regular season
record, Caldwell tied Potsy Clark (1931, Portsmouth
Spartans) for the most wins in franchise history
by a coach in his first year with the club. He is the
third coach in team history to lead the Lions to the
playoffs in his first year with Detroit (George Wilson
in 1957; Bobby Ross in 1997).
Caldwell is the seventh coach in franchise history
(since 1930) to lead the Lions to a winning record
(entire season) in his first year with the club, and he
is one of four coaches (Potsy Clark in 1931, George
Wilson in 1962 and Wayne Fontes in 1991) to lead
the Lions to 11+ wins in a season.
Defensively, the Lions put together one of the
best units in team history over the course of a
season. Detroit ranked second overall in team
defense (300.9 yds/g) and third in points allowed
(17.6 pts/g). The team’s No. 2 ranking in total
defenses was the highest finish for the Lions since
1970, and the 300.9 yards allowed per game was
the lowest tally allowed since 1993.
Detroit’s top-ranked rush defense allowed just
DETROIT LIONS
JIM CALDWELL
HEAD COACH
Years with Lions: 2
Years as NFL Head Coach: 5
Years in NFL: 15
69.3 yards per game, which not only set a team
single-season record but it ranked as the ninth best
single-season run defense in NFL history.
Improved ball security became one of the
team’s greatest improvements in 2014. By
accumulating a +7 turnover differential (27
takeaways, 20 giveaways), the Lions finished with
a +19 improvement in turnover margin, which was
the second-best improvement in the NFL over the
past two seasons. Detroit decreased the team’s
turnovers by producing 14 less giveaways last year
compared to 2013 and finished tied for the secondbest
improvement.
Five players accrued Pro Bowl honors for their
2014 performances (WR Calvin Johnson, CB Glover
Quin, QB Matthew Stafford, DT Ndamukong Suh and
WR Golden Tate). The five-player group represents
the most Pro Bowl players for the Lions since 2000.
Additionally, it was the first time ever the Lions had
two wide receivers named to the same Pro Bowl,
Stafford became the first Lions quarterback to play
in the Pro Bowl since 1972 and Quin became the
first Lions Pro Bowl safety since 1992.
Lions Leaders, Most Wins in Head Coach’s First
Year
Rk Coach Year G W L T
1 Potsy Clark 1931* 14 11 3 0
2 Jim Caldwell 2014 16 11 5 0
3 Bobby Ross 1997 16 9 7 0
4 George Wilson 1957 12 8 4 0
5t Dutch Clark 1937 11 7 4 0
5t Buddy Parker 1951 12 7 4 1
7 Gus Henderson 1939 11 6 5 0
* Portsmouth Spartans (1930-33)
Lions Leaders, Playoff Berths in Head Coach’s
First Season
Year W L T Coach Finish
1957 8 4 0 G. Wilson 1st in NFL Western Conference
1997 9 7 0 B. Ross 3rd in NFC Central; Wild Card
2014 115 0 J. Caldwell 2nd NFC North; Wild Card
Lions Leaders, Single-Season Wins by Head Coach
Rk Year G W L T Head Coach
1 1991 16 12 4 0 Wayne Fontes
2t 1931* 14 11 3 0 Potsy Clark
2t 1962 14 11 3 0 George Wilson
2t 2014 16 11 5 0 Jim Caldwell
COACHING OVERVIEW
‣ ¾ Hired as head coach for the Detroit Lions January
14, 2014.
‣ ¾ In four years as an NFL head coach, Caldwell has
led his teams to 11+ wins twice, including last
season with Detroit (11) and in 2009 while with
Indianapolis (14).
‣ ¾ With an 11-5 record in 2014 as Lions head coach,
Caldwell has now won 10+ games for the third
time in four seasons as a head coach in the NFL,
which also includes 14-2 in 2009 and 10-6 in
2010 with Indianapolis.
‣ ¾ Holds a 37-27 (.578) regular-season record in
EXECUTIVES AND COACHING