The Carolina Panthers have themselves an interesting candidate in Jim Caldwell, another man who was somewhat questionably let go from his last head-coaching post. After all, he’s only one of two men alive that have ever led the Detroit Lions to three winning seasons over a four-year span.
Before his stint with the Lions, Caldwell spent three campaigns leading the Indianapolis Colts. He began with a bang, taking them all the way to a 14-2 record and a Super Bowl appearance in just his first year.
Caldwell followed up the AFC championship run with a 10-6 trip to the postseason, though was ultimately bounced in the Wild Card round by the New York Jets. His final stand with the Colts was as tumultuous as one could imagine, as that was the year the team lost Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning and was left with virtually nothing under center. It almost seemed unfair at the time to let Caldwell go after saddling him with with the likes of Curtis Painter, Dan Orlovsky and a 39-year-old Kerry Collins.
Although brief, Caldwell has an excellent track record of maintaining a sustainable franchise. He’s pieced together five winning seasons over his seven years as a head coach, including a relatively impressive 36-28 overall mark for Detroit.
Should Caldwell land the job in Carolina, it would meet the requirements for a proven leader with offensive ties.
