ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- There are times before Jim Caldwell heads into a news conference when he knows the negativity is going to come. It’s something the second-year Detroit Lions coach said he’s felt from the outset.

He likened it Tuesday to walking into the “Dungeon of Doom." Caldwell's discussion about the media began when he interrupted a reporter who was pointing out that it seems when negativity starts this season with the Lions it snowballs.

“Let me interrupt you one second. Negativity has always been here, from you all’s standpoint. From the media, that’s always been part of it. That’s the first thing that I think you notice here. I think I called it the Dungeon of Doom when I walked into that room sometimes,” Caldwell said. “So that hasn’t changed. It was just a matter of that our guys played better [last season] and we’ve got to get them to play better. The other thing is, criticism doesn’t bother us, and in particular it doesn’t bother me. If you disagree with me, don’t like what we do, I’m not one that feels like you’re persecuting me as a result of it. You have your opinion. I got mine. I got my expertise in my areas; you’ve got yours, right?

The negativity is one thing Jim Caldwell has noticed in his dealings with the Detroit media. AP Photo/Matt Dunham

“I think the discussion is healthy and it’s good. I think you stir up the fan base because they have an interest in it, they have passion for it, which is good. The negativity part of it -- we control that atmosphere. If we allow it in, that’s our problem, OK, that’s our problem. And we have to make certain we control it. That’s my job.”

Caldwell has coached at Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Baltimore and now Detroit in the NFL and Penn State, Iowa and Wake Forest in college, and he he said he believes the Detroit media is the most negative he has encountered during his coaching career.

“There’s no question,” Caldwell said. “That’s a fact. I’m giving you the facts. Not every single person, I’m not trying to cover the entire group with that phrase, because that would be unfair, but I’m just talking about overall.”

Caldwell said he understands why the negativity exists “in some ways” but that it is something very noticeable to him.

“I’ve been a few places, been around a little bit in my life, and that jumps out at you, two-fold,” Caldwell said. “But that’s not an issue for me because of the fact that what our job is, regardless of what the ethos is, our job is to win games, which we have not been doing to this point consistently enough. That’s why we’re looking forward. That’s why we’re looking for opportunities to make certain we get better next week and forge ahead next.”

Caldwell said he’s stood in front of teams for a long time, so he can sense the difference in various rooms. And he said he is not blaming the media for Detroit’s 1-7 record -- he said it is the team’s job to win games -- but that the negativity is noticeable. He also said he hasn’t read or listened to everything, so he isn’t fully informed, but it is something he’s felt.

“There’s a difference I think in some cases. I think there’s some balance, you know. Trust me, I don’t read every single thing that’s written. I don’t listen to the talk shows,” Caldwell said. “So I’m, in some ways, giving you something that I’m not necessarily informed, but there are some things that I do know and that I can sense. I’m a people person. I’ve been around my team; I’ve been in front of teams a long time, and walking in amongst that room, I certainly know the difference, OK, that without question.

“But that’s just a frank and open and honest answer. But for us, for our job, that doesn’t have anything to do with us, doesn’t have anything to do with how we’re playing and doesn’t have anything to do with us losing. It’s our job to win.”