| Detroit Free Press
Debating what to look for in Detroit Lions next head coach
The guys discuss the Lions’ loss to the Packers, what to look for in next head coach, Matthew Stafford’s future and more, Dec. 14, 2020.
Dave Birkett, Carlos Monarrez and Shawn Windsor, Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Lions are expected to interview a wide range of candidates for both their head coach and general manager jobs. They began GM interviews in early December, and are expected to continue talking to candidates for both positions into early 2021. As part of an ongoing series, here is a look at one known candidate on the Lions’ list:
OTHER INTERNAL CANDIDATES:
Rob Lohman
Current role: Detroit Lions director of pro scouting.
Background: Lohman, in his 14th season with the Lions, has a wide range of experience as both a pro and college scout. He spent seven years as an area scout and the Lions’ college scouting coordinator before transitioning to the pro side in 2014. As director of pro scouting, Lohman oversees all aspects of advanced scouting and pro player evaluations and supervises the Lions’ pro scouting staff. Prior to joining the Lions, he spent six years with the Houston Texans, where he saw that organization in its infancy and worked primarily as a regional scout.
When interviewed: Week of Dec. 7.
THE JOB AHEAD: Major roster decisions await next Lions GM
Why he makes sense: Lohman has a keen enough eye for talent that he was able to rise up the Lions’ scouting ranks under three different general managers. He was a key member of the college scouting department that helped rebuild the Lions after their 0-16 season, and has extensive experience both as a road scout and managing the office dynamics that are an overlooked part of the GM job. Currently, he is part of the Lions’ de facto general manager group that has been making roster decisions since Bob Quinn’s dismissal last month.
[ How Chris Spielman’s TV career prepared him for new role in Lions front office ]
Why he doesn’t: As with fellow internal candidates Kyle O’Brien and Lance Newmark, Lohman has the optics of an in-house promotion working against him after the organization promised an extensive and wide-ranging GM search. He’s proven himself enough as an evaluator, and has the requisite experience, to do any front office job in the NFL. But to finally become a GM, he likely will have to jump to another team.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.