Jim Schwartz: Lions’ coach doesn’t want to talk job status

To say that Detroit Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz is on the hot seat would be a massive understatement. His seat isn’t hot, it’s on fire.

Schwartz’s Lions had the NFC North division handed to them on a silver platter. Aaron Rodgers, arguably the best player in football, went down in Week 9 with a collarbone injury. The Bears lost Jay Cutler to an injury. The Vikings? Well, they haven’t been all that good this season.

If there was a season Detroit could finally shed the stigma of being a losing team, it would have been 2013. The Lions had every chance to win the division, but they blew it.

Detroit had a solid grasp on the division in Week 10 after beating Chicago, but the Lions proceeded to melt down in typical Lions fashion. They have lost four of their last five, and no longer control their playoff destiny. This weekend alone, the Lions went from first place in the NFC North, to third. If either Green Bay or Chicago wins next weekend, the Lions will be eliminated.

That’s a travesty, and Schwartz deserves a lot of the blame. Many fans are calling for Schwartz to be fired this offseason, and for good reason. Unsurprisingly though, Schwartz doesn’t want to talk about his job status just yet. Here’s how he responded to questions about his future with Detroit, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com

“You know what, I understand you guys have a job to do and it’s stuff that you guys want to talk about and stuff like that and that’s fine,” Schwartz said. “But I don’t think it does any good for me or for our team to let that be the focus, for us to continue commenting on that. So I think I just respectfully decline to keep going in the same place with those.

The Lions been undisciplined during his reign and have lacked poise. Schwartz’s teams have been known for playing down to their opponents, turning the ball over and overall, not living up to their immense potential.

With just one playoff game under his belt—a blowout in New Orleans—it seems as if Schwartz’s fifth season should end up being his last.