Detroit Lions fire Jim Caldwell: 10 things we'll never forget

Jim Caldwell’s tenure as Detroit Lions coach is over, but in the same way that Jim Schwartz was no scaredy cat and Rod Marinelli owned a sharp shovel, it won’t be forgotten. Here are 10 of our favorite memories from Caldwell’s four seasons as coach.

• That pass back and forth kind of thing: Man, the Lions were terrible out of the gates in 2015, losing seven of their first eight games, yet somehow they were back close to playoff contention when they lost on a Hail Mary to the Packers the week after Thanksgiving. Aaron Rodgers launched a pass 61 yards to Richard Rodgers for the game-winning score, but the Lions, somehow, weren’t defending against a Hail Mary because Caldwell said he was “looking for more of that pass back and forth kind of thing.” There’s a good chance he was the only one looking for that.

Trending Lions news:

►Lions coaching search: 7 candidates to replace Jim Caldwell

►Lions fire Jim Caldwell: A timeline of his tenure

• Count to 11: Caldwell’s game management was an issue this season when the Lions played key plays with fewer than 11 men on the field in back-to-back games. The Minnesota Vikings scored a touchdown against a 10-man defense on Thanksgiving, and the Baltimore Ravens converted a key third-and-7 against a nine-man unit a week later. The Lions also had 10 men on the field for a couple special-teams plays in 2015, including one failed game-winning field-goal attempt by the Packers. Caldwell once poked fun at a reporter for his statistical-based questions, asking if he used an abacus. Perhaps it would have helped if the Lions had one on the sideline.

• The comebacks: Not everything Caldwell did ended poorly in Detroit. In fact, in 2016, the Lions set an NFL record with eight come-from-behind victories in the fourth quarter or overtime. They had some spectacular ones, too, like driving 35 yards in 23 seconds for the game-tying 58-yard field goal against the Vikings, then winning in overtime. Give Caldwell credit for keeping his team level-headed when times got tough.

• The slow starts: Of course, the flip side to needing sometimes miraculous comebacks is that the Lions, especially over the last two seasons, were prone to digging themselves big holes early. The Lions were one of the worst first-quarter offensive and defensive teams in the NFL this year, and they went through one four-game stretch where they were outscored 36-3 in the first quarter of their games. The slow starts extended to seasons, too, as they opened the 2015 season with a 1-7 record, which prompted the Lions to fire Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand at mid-season.

►More: NFL coaching rumors: Latest news on firings, hires

• International incident: The final loss in that 1-7 start two years ago was a 45-10 blowout at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in London. In need of a couple scapegoats, Caldwell fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and offensive line coach Jeremiah Washburn before flying across the Atlantic, and then his team got bombed once it was on the other side of the pond. Given what transpired after the Lions returned home with Mayhew and Lewand, it’s remarkable Caldwell survived to coach two more years.

• Stars and stripes: The Lions were on the wrong end of a couple highly questionable calls during Caldwell’s tenure. In 2015, they lost to the Seattle Seahawks when K.J. Wright batted a Calvin Johnson fumble out of the back of the end zone, and in the 2014 playoffs they lost to the Dallas Cowboys when officials picked up a penalty flag. Caldwell took issue with both calls, but he rarely demonstrated any distaste for them publicly – something that irked fans.

• More from Matthew: One of the main reasons the Lions picked Caldwell as their head coach in 2014 was they wanted to get more out of Matthew Stafford and they liked Caldwell’s record of working with quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Joe Flacco. Mission accomplished in that regard. Before Caldwell arrived in Detroit, Stafford was a talented player who put up big numbers but seemed to lack that little something extra. Now, whether it’s due to Caldwell’s influence, Jim Bob Cooter’s coaching, Stafford’s own maturation as a player or all of the above, he’s a top-10 quarterback in the NFL.

• Story time with Papa Coach: Caldwell was great at telling stories – or filibustering when he encountered things he didn’t want to talk about, depending on your point of view. He had tales on golf and football and his grandsons, one of whom calls him “Papa Coach,” and he invoked philosophers, authors and even the Bible when weaving his tales of wisdom. Some of them were pretty entertaining.

• Mediocrity reigns: The Lions went 4-23 in the regular season against teams that finished with a winning record under Caldwell, and 32-5 against teams that went .500 or worse. Enough said.

• Check the report: We will, Jim. It’s just not the injury report we’ll be checking this time.

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!