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Lions general manager Bob Quinn has enjoyed working with Jim Caldwell.

(Mike Mulholland | MLive.com)

ALLEN PARK -- Lions general manager Bob Quinn announced last week he would bring back Jim Caldwell as coach in 2017, even though Detroit had just lost three straight games and the division.

Then they went out there were run out of the playoffs by Seattle.

But not even that four-game losing streak could shake Quinn's confidence in Caldwell, nor his believe that bringing back the coach for a fourth season was the right decision for the franchise.

What was his rational in the decision?

"Every day, Jim is really consistent," Quinn said Thursday afternoon during a season-ending press conference at team headquarters. "I've really enjoyed working with him. I really enjoyed the day to day interactions, which are multiple. I mean, the rug between my office and his office is worn out between the two of us. So it's a really great working relationship, and I really have a great feel.

"Being able to see him deal with the team, starting back with the OTAs, into the season, training camp, and it's been a consistent message, and I think that's what you need as a head coach. You can't have a head coach who is too high or too low. I really believe in his approach to handling the team, how he practices the team, how he maintains the health of the team."

The Lions were looking for better consistency as an antidote to the emotional swings of the fired Jim Schwartz back in 2014. And somebody who could develop Matthew Stafford too. Then-president Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew eventually settled on Caldwell, and he's been as advertised through three seasons.

He matched a team record for wins in his debut season (11), then earned a second trip to the postseason in his three years at the held this past season, something no Detroit coach has ever done.

But the Lions also lost the division on the final day of the season in both those years, and were eliminated from the playoffs without a single victory. Detroit still has not won a postseason game since 1991.

Quinn acknowledged that he was disappointed with the end result, and expects more in 2017. But he also said he believes the 9-7 record was a good one, and a step in the right direction.

"Listen, we won nine games, and I think that's good," Quinn said. "I think our goal is to win a lot more games in the regular season. It was up and down. We faced some adversity. We had some injuries, just like every other team does. I think our staff did a good job -- my staff, of finding new players. The coaching staff, implementing those players. And helping us win enough games to make the playoffs.

"The season didn't end the way we wanted it, obviously, and it's my job to build this roster for the 2017 Lions, and that process is off the ground and running."

Without any playoff wins in three years in Detroit, is Caldwell still capable of taking Detroit to the Super Bowl?

"Jim has a tremendous amount of experience. He was a Super Bowl winning coach in Indianapolis, he has a great feel for the team, he's very well-rounded," Quinn said. "You watch him at practice -- and I know you guys are only there for 15 or 20 minutes -- but he can coach any position on the team. And the other good thing, he lets his coaches coach. He's not a micromanager. He does a great job implementing what he thinks will work for the team that week. His coaches coach, he oversees, and I think that's a really great way to run a team."

Quinn declined to comment on his interest in signing Caldwell to an extension. Caldwell's deal expires after next season.