Tom Kowalski of Mlive.com, whose finger is always on the pulse of the Detroit Lions franchise (even when it doesn’t have a pulse), thinks that the team might be close to hiring a new head coach.

“There is nothing — absolutely nothing — coming out of Allen Park today and my suspicion is that the Lions are putting the final touches on securing a new head coach,” Kowalski writes. “I have no hard knowledge of this, but I’ve seen this before — the quiet before the storm.”

Kowalski points out that the Lions interviewed candidates on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and that nothing is happening on Thursday.

It’s believed that Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is the favorite. The other possibilities are Dolphins secondary coach Todd Bowles and Chargers defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. Bowles has had two interviews, and Rivera interviewed Wednesday, three days after his team was eliminated from the postseason.

Vikings defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo were interviewed prior to this week, and have not been invited for second interviews.