Jim Caldwell has the right philosophy, but is he the right coach?

Much like the man himself, it's kind hard to get excited about the hire of Jim Caldwell as the new coach of the Detroit Lions.

In one respect, he's absolutely dead on on what the Lions need to do to become a contender. Stop turning the ball over, play disciplined football, and coach Mathew Stafford up within the confines of an innovative offense.

When Martin Mahew mentioned that Mathew Stafford needed to spend more time on film this offseason, I don't think this is quite what he had in mind.

I have little doubt about Caldwell as a leader of men and all that crap. After all, he has successfully managed a talented team that he inherited all the way to the Super Bowl.

But in another respect, the hire of Caldwell scares me more than seeing Scott Mitchell leaving the restroom at a Golden Coral. 

Scott Mitchell

Sure Caldwell's hires of Joe Lombardi and Tyrell Austin as his offensive and defensive coordinators scream potential, but nobody on this staff has any real experience as a play caller.

And while Jim Caldwell himself has not ruled out calling the offensive plays, lets face it, his track record as a play caller is not very good.

So where does that leave the 2014 Lions?

Wayne Fontz: The cocaine wasn't his...It was his son's.

We essentially have an experienced coach who promises to cut down on penalties and turnovers (and I believe him), with two coordinators who may or may not be over-matched when it comes to their new-found play calling duties.

Granted, I love the potential reward, but is this a franchise that really needs to take a risk on up and coming coordinators?

The Lions are a talented but undisciplined team. They don't need innovation from their coordinators. They need a winning structure within their offensive and defensive systems that they can simply plug their talent into. 

Instead, the Lions are gambling on two unproven coordinators like a college team that is trying to make up for a deficiency in talent with a gimmicky system, and that is NOT where the Lions are at right now.

Hell, even a re-tread play caller like Norv Turner could win with this team...Let's just hope that Caldwell and company can figure this out while the opportunity to win is still there. 

Lust for Lions: Ezekiel "Ziggy Pop" Ansah emerges as a potential elite defensive end

After starting less than half of a season in college at BYU, the Lions drafted Ezekiel Ansah on potential after a strong week of practice and his dominant performance at the Senior Bowl.

Don't let Ezekiel Ansah's looks fool you...dude's a beast on the field.

So far, he's shown enough to earn the label as Detroit's new "Ziggy Pop."

Lust for Lions: Ezekiel Ansah, Detroit's new "Ziggy Pop!"

-A half sack in his first game?
Not bad.

-A sack and a forced fumble called back due to an unrelated penalty in his second game? 
That was bad luck.

-Seven tackles, two sacks and a tackle for a loss in his third game? 
Bad ass!

-Disappearing from the stat line in games four through eleven?
That was just bad.

-Four sacks in games eleven and twelve?
Now that was badly needed.

While he doesn't have much in the way of formal football training or coaching, what Ziggy Ansah does have is size, speed and an incredible knack for finding the football.

And after twelve regular season games, it looks like it's safe to say that Detroit has found a keeper with the #8 overall pick of the 2013 draft, which is big news for the Lions as they try to sure up their defense for 2014 through the draft.

The Lions, like any team, could still use another pass rusher. Fortunately, Ansah's development as an elite pass rusher can free up their first round pick to address other pressing needs, such as a lock down corner.

Not only would someone like Michigan State's Darqueze Dennard improve the Lions pass coverage, but he's someone who's demonstrated the ability to blitz from the slot, which is a skill-set that Detroit has sorely lacked. 

And if Ansah is the answer at defensive end that can afford them that luxury, the Lions just might be able to add a little more pop to their defense.