Should Detroit Lions Already Be Looking to Make Coaching, Front Office Changes?

Teryl Austin can chill.

The Detroit Lions defensive coordinator is probably safe from the rising Twitter chants to clean house.

"

@Lions need to #FireMayhew #FireCaldwell #FireLombardi and #PromoteAustin before Miami snatches him up after this season

— LionsFanFromNY (@LionsFanFromNY) October 7, 2015"

Frustration over the offense is expected and welcomed for a team that carries the worst talent-to-production ratio in the league.* The defense has done everything it can only to watch the other side have wins punched from its grasp.

Austin's unit has started to lock into place, allowing the fifth-lowest rushing average (3.6 YPC the fourth-most turnovers (nine). The loss of Tyrunn Walker complicates his job, but the eventual return of DeAndre Levy more than makes up for it.

"

LB DeAndre Levy was a full participant in #Lions practice today. I expect him to play Sunday.

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) October 7, 2015"

No such star is coming to save offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi, head coach Jim Caldwell or general manager Martin Mayhew. Their futures lie in their own hands, although at least one's fate already seems sealed.

No Love for Lombardi

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

The #FireLombardi movement didn't pick up much steam this offseason. Another offseason to fine-tune his system with the same skill personnel meant big things were on the horizon.

Then Week 1 saw the offense go cold in the second half. Whatever adjustments San Diego made weren't countered, and the Lions had no answer to the Chargers' 33-point explosion.

Sadly, that was the unit's best performance. It hasn't been close, regardless of what Caldwell would have you believe:

"

Caldwell said his team is close to turning the corner: "You can't see it but we can."

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) October 1, 2015"

Detroit has 73 fewer rushing yards than New England, but the Patriots have played one less game. Oh, and the Pats still have 95 more passing yards and almost twice as many points.

That's not acceptable for an offense stocked with such an incredible array of talent.

Lombardi's attack has become so easy to read that Golden Tate shared a story on Detroit Sports 105.1 (local radio station) explaining that multiple opponents knew the plays ahead of time and told him so. And while Jon Gruden was calling out runs on Monday Night Football, Lombardi was getting lambasted by other national media members online:

"

Let's face it. Joe Lombardi would have screwed up the goal line sequence anyway.

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) October 6, 2015"

The Dolphins already fired their head coach. It's not too early to look at a poor start, especially on the heels of last season's 20.1 points per game, and make a move. That's why the other two below have to be discussed here as well.

Caldwell isn't Helping His Cause

The answer isn't so clear when it comes to Caldwell.

After starting out 6-3 in 2013, the Lions crumbled under then-head coach Jim Schwartz, falling to 7-9 by season's end. Caldwell's calm demeanor came through and was a breath of sanity for a franchise sorely lacking it.

That steely reserve received some of the credit for Detroit's three consecutive come-from-behind wins. How many teams would remain calm down, 21-0, in London?

Yet that bland blade cuts both ways as Caldwell's lack of emotion is now a target for critics:

"

Jim Caldwell's personality has rubbed off on this team. No real emotion, urgency, or fight. Happened in Indy too.

— Mike Loyko (@NEPD_Loyko) October 6, 2015"

All sideline memes aside, his chief sin this season has been his reluctance to interfere with the offense. Caldwell has a front-row seat to the devastation but hasn't made any changes significant enough to affect the current product.

"

From the DET beat side, re: Lions' predictable offense: "When Riddick's in there, it's a pass, When Tate's not, it's a run. That's about it"

— SI NFL (@si_nfl) October 6, 2015"

Caldwell could say that any seismic shifts at this point could only make things more complicated, especially on a short work week (team played Monday).

However, he is aware that tweaking the offensive philosophy to fit his talent—like allowing a heavily armed quarterback to let it fly—can lead to big wins. It's how he earned that second Super Bowl ring with the Ravens in 2012 as offensive coordinator.

The season is still too young to definitively make a call on Caldwell right now. If the team at least improves, or if he reins in Lombardi, he'll probably get one more season to work it all out. 

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Mayhew will Manage to be Fine

So long as Detroit steers clear of a record only Matt Millen could love, Martin Mayhew will be fine. Mainly because this team isn't devoid of talent.

The backfield is dangerous, the wide receivers are top-notch and the defense has playmakers at every level. What's more, this roster has some depth too, with Manny Ramirez and Travis Lewis playing well lately.

But there are two issues that should weigh into any job security conversation.

First, Mayhew is the one who hired Schwartz and Caldwell. While both enjoyed some early success, the lack of consistency is obvious, making the results sporadic.

"

If Mayhew wants to make a case for sticking around, firing Caldwell early and installing TA might be the only way... https://t.co/1ChyQrPx7k

— Ty Schalter (@tyschalter) October 6, 2015"

Then there's the player acquisition aspect.

Mayhew knew he needed to fix the offensive line after it allowed 45 sacks last season. He also—and I'm operating under an assumption here—knew that Lombardi preferred zone-blocking plays.

So why didn't he draft and sign guys over the past two offseasons who could effectively execute that system?

That might not be enough rub to erase Mayhew's name from his office door. Guard Larry Warford told the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett half a year ago that the team would take better advantage of its talent and that offensive line coach Jeremiah Washburn wants to switch to a more power-based scheme. What happened to those ideas is unknown.

Of course, the Ford family could be spared from making any decisions should Detroit party like its 1995 and Wayne Fontes is holding down the scene. Then again, maybe my hair will grow back and I could reverse all of the terrible decisions made in my 20s.

Alas, much like football, life doesn't work that way. And neither do the Lions.

*Said statistic does not exist, but it doesn't take much imagination to see I'm right.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.