The Schwartz Factor in Detroit

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Much of the focus on the Detroit Lions has been centered on their personnel. Whether the players came from free agency or the draft, fans have been talking about Larry Foote and Matthew Stafford, among others.

But it wasn’t just the roster that received an overhaul. From the firing of Matt Millen, to the promotions of Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew and eventual hiring of James “Shack” Harris, major changes to the front office were made.

Those moves and other changes paved the way for Jim Schwartz and his coaching staff. Among the additions to Schwartz’s staff are assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, quarterbacks coach Jeff Horton, offensive Line coach George Yarno and defensive line coach Bob Karmelowicz.

While there are certainly some improvements on the roster, it will be up to the aforementioned group to get the most out of their players and put a winning strategy together every Sunday.

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Bob Karmelowicz has a large responsibility with Detroit this season. With 17 years of NFL experience, he could very well be the man who turns this defensive line into a bull-rushing sack machine. His most recent job was with the Houston Texans.

This is the man who welcomed Mario Williams into the NFL in 2006. In his rookie season, Williams tallied 4.5 sacks; in 2007, he notched 14 and had 12 in 2008. While Karmelowicz was in Houston, the team improved defensively and overall. While he was not the D-line coach in either of the last two seasons, he was special assistant to the head coach.

Before working for the Texans, Karmelowicz was with the Kansas City Chiefs for eight years as a D-line coach. Before K.C., he worked for the Washington Redskins and the Cincinnati Bengals. It was in 1975 Karmelowicz took his first collegiate job as offensive line coach at Arizona State.

With the exception of his last job in as a special assistant, Karmelowicz has more than 34 years of experience as a line coach. His job in Detroit will be molding Ikaika Alama-Francis and Cliff Avril into the pass-rushing ends who get sacks and create turnover opportunities for the secondary.

Karmelowicz has the collegiate experience to know how to handle young players. That said, with nearly 20 years in the NFL, he also knows how to handle egos and get production. The Lions would like to see one of their young players notch a few more sacks than last year’s leader, DeWayne White (6.5).

Defense

With the defensive line seemingly in good hands, the ultimate success of the defense lies in the hands of Gunther Cunningham. Logic would dictate that when you bring in a guy with nearly 40 years experience, you would be confident in his ability. However, I don’t have that confidence in Cunningham.

In 1995, when Cunningham began his first stint with the Chiefs, he had one of the top defenses in the league. The Chiefs were among the top five in points allowed, passing, rushing and total yards, as well as interceptions. I think the key point among those stats actually lie in the players on the roster. Among the best K.C. had to offer, Derrick Thomas, Dan Saleaumua and James Hasty.

Following the success in 1995, though, the Chiefs were never the same. They were, for the most part, in the middle of the league record-wise and their statistics reflected the same. Don’t get me wrong, middle-of-the-pack would be a huge improvement for the Lions, but for most Lions fans, the middle-of-the-pack is about the best they’ve seen.

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Before picking a quarterback and before addressing the defense, I would have addressed the offensive line in the draft. Baylor’s Jason Smith would have been my number one pick were I the Lions general manager. Alas, Detroit will make due with Dominic Raiola, Jeff Backus and Ephraim Salaam.

That said, it’s the job of George Yarno to bring the line together in the wake of comments made this week by former Lions OT Jonathon Scott. Scott called the linemen “chickens with their heads cut off” in an interview with Tyler Dunne of Buffalo Football Report.

Among the coaches I have and will address, Yarno has the least NFL experience. This will be his second season. Yarno was the assistant offensive line coach in Tampa Bay last season. The Buccaneers allowed 32 sacks last season. In comparison, Detroit allowed 52 sacks.

But while this is only Yarno’s second season in the NFL, he has 18 years of offensive line-coaching experi

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