Lions' Teryl Austin, Jim Bob Cooter deflect talk of head coaching jobs
Allen Park -- Teryl Austin has been a hot coaching candidate the past two offseasons, and if the Detroit Lions' defense continues to improve down the stretch, the 51-year-old defensive coordinator figures to be in consideration for vacancies again this year.
And despite a recent rough patch on the other side of the ball, offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is developing a reputation as one of the league's bright, young coaching stars. His work with quarterback Matthew Stafford can't be ignored, and if Detroit wins the division and manages to win a playoff game, it will only increase Cooter's profile, as well.
But with five games to go and plenty of work to be done to claim the NFC North, neither Austin nor Cooter are interested in discussing future job prospects.
"I’m way out of the world of worrying about that stuff," Cooter said. "We’ve got a big game this week and I know there’s more to come. I’m locked in on that and that’s all I need to worry about and all I’m going to worry about."
Austin, who has drawn interest for nearly a dozen openings the past two years, struck a similar tone.
"I know you have to ask the question, but I’m not even worried about that right now," he said. "The best thing I can do is worry about our team and what we’re going to do. I think all that other stuff means nothing."
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Coach Jim Caldwell is eager to see his assistants succeed, but talk of the future job prospects is limited to the offseason. He wants his staff focused on the task at hand.
"Teryl Austin and I may have some discussion about things when he’s in the head coaching sort of interview process, that’s not now and I’m not discussing them now," Caldwell said. "We’re not in that mode right now, we’re talking football today, presently."
Caldwell did say Austin should already be a head coach and expects him to get one of those jobs soon.
"It’s flattering, but like I said, there’s nothing I can do about whether I should’ve been or whether I could’ve been," Austin said. "If it ever comes, it comes. If it doesn’t, I know I’ll do a good job wherever I am, doing whatever I’m doing."