NFL News: Detroit Lions Fire Offensive Coordinator Joe Lombardi, Jim Bob Cooter Assumes Role
The Detroit Lions have fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and have replaced him with quarterbacks coach Jim Bob Cooter. Also let go by the Detroit franchise were lines coaches Jeremiah Washburn and Terry Heffernan.
Josh Katzenstein confirmed the changes in the Lions' staff on Twitter.
“We don’t have a lot of time,” head coach Jim Caldwell told The Detroit News about the coaching staff change. “We’re running out of time.”
The 44-year-old Lombardi was the Atlanta Falcons defensive assistant in 2006, New Orleans Saints offensive assistant and quarterbacks coach from 2007 to 2003 before landing with Detroit in 2014.
Lombardi will be replaced by Cooter, 31, who has already been in the league as part of the coaching staff for various teams since 2009. He worked as an offensive assistant with the Indianapolis Colts from 2009 to 2011 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012 and Denver Broncos in 2013.
The Lions are off to a poor start in the 2015 regular season going 1-6 in their first seven games. Detroit began the year on a five-game losing skid, with losses to the San Diego Chargers (33-28), Minnesota Vikings (26-16), Denver Broncos (24-12), Seattle Seahawks (13-10) and Arizona Cardinals (42-17).
Detroit won their first game against the Chicago Bears (37-34) in Week 6 but returned to the loss column with a defeat to the Vikings (28-19) in their last game.
The Lions are currently 29th in the league in points per game (19.9).
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