Assessing Job Security for Every Member of Detroit Lions Coaching Staff

The Detroit Lions are a chaotic mess from top to bottom.

They're dealing with a lack of talent due to injury and bad depth, plus an absence of leadership with undisciplined mistake-filled football. All these factors have resulted in a disappointing 4-10 Lions record.

Every position throughout the franchise deserves blame, and it begins with the coaching staff. Issues have surfaced within the Lions organization since training camp, and the coaches have done little to fix the issues.

With everyone under heavy scrutiny, one can't help but wonder who will return next season. Each coach is in question of their abilities to lead the Detroit Lions. Here's an assessment of each coach's job security with the Lions.

1. Offensive Coordinator Scott Linehan

Coming into the season, Detroit's offense was expected to be the consistent unit for the team. After lighting up opponents last year, the offense has taken a significant step back, and offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is a big reason why.

During the first several weeks, Linehan failed to adjust against Cover 2 looks from opponents. Defenses attempted to take away receiver Calvin Johnson and the big play downfield with two deep safeties. Linehan never adjusted and failed to utilize his most explosive weapon, resulting in only one touchdown in the first eight weeks for Johnson.

Megatron is on pace to shatter Jerry Rice's single-season record in yards and also has a career high in catches with 106. But his scoring has dropped vastly with only five this season.

It's easy to blame the high number of dropped passes or the Titus Young meltdown. But Linehan's poor performance this year has been the bigger story.

Unfortunately, it's unlikely Linehan will be out the door anytime soon. This offseason, it was made clear the Lions' front office wanted to keep these three coaches together to establish a foundation. With that dream in mind, each coach signed a contract extension this offseason. The Lions would be in a better position replacing Linehan, but one shouldn't expect that move anytime soon.

2. Defensive Coordinator Gunther Cunningham

The most comfortable seat of all three coaches would be defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham.

Even with the many holes on defense, the Lions have been much better than expected and have outperformed their high-powered offense. They won't "wow" you statistically and are still undisciplined, but the defense has been the Lions' strong suit this season.

Cunningham has lost many players to injury, especially in the secondary. Even before the injury bug hit, the defensive roster was not impressive. With players limping in and out of the rotation, Detroit's defense has gotten worse. The Lions will also have free agent issues as more than half of them are on defense.

The Lions defense's most successful game was against Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles. Detroit finally had a healthy safety in Louis Delmas, allowing Cunningham and the Lions to blitz and gamble. The Lions forced three turnovers, three sacks and picked up a 26-23 victory.

This isn't a way of saying the Lions defense is legit. But given how bad their depth chart was, they played better than you expected, ultimately buying Cunningham more time. 

3. Head Coach Jim Schwartz

Head coach Jim Schwartz has lost control of his own team.

Since the Titus Young scuffle this summer, there has been a negative domino effect with the Lions. Players were getting arrested at an alarming rate, and Schwartz just stood by.

The Lions have lost six straight, and Schwartz hasn't done much to weather the storm. He continues his politically correct talk by stating the Arizona Cardinals loss was his fault, but we continue to search for some sort of change on the field. So far, it hasn't happened.

Schwartz has been disappointing with the Lions' regression this season. However, if you're looking to see him walk out the door, keep waiting.

Schwartz also signed a contract extension this offseason, but the length of his contract is yet to be known. With that deal in place, it's clear the Lions want Schwartz to be a part of their future plans. 

The Ford family is very loyal and patient enough to deal with Schwartz' struggle for now. It may be two different positions of power, but think of how long Detroit screamed "Fire Millen" until that actually happened.

Coming off of a playoff appearance last season and a contract extension, Schwartz has bought himself some more time. Expect his seat to be hot however come 2013. He needs to set a serious example with his team or changes will be made.

Follow @IAmEricVincent