Caldwell call Lions’ media room the ‘dungeon of doom’

  • By Carlos Monarrez Detroit Free Press
  • Tuesday, November 3, 2015 4:42pm
  • SportsSports

Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell, coming off one of his worst losses and with questions swirling about his job security, had one of his most animated and enthusiastic news conferences Tuesday, accusing reporters of being negative and calling them the “dungeon of doom.”

The Lions are 1-7 as they head into the bye week. Sometimes, that’s a perfect recipe for a struggling NFL team to fire its head coach. Caldwell said he had not spoken with team owner Martha Ford after Sunday’s 45-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in London.

“I did not, but the dialogue with ownership with us is open,” he said. “It happens often and so it’s not unusual.”

When he was asked if he planned to speak with Ford, Caldwell smiled.

“I know you guys are very, very intelligent people,” Caldwell told reporters. “If you see me standing up here, that usually will tell you something, if somebody else is up here at some point in time — so the questions that you have are a waste of time. OK? So I’m doing my job, focusing in on what we have to get done, and we have a lot of work to do, believe me.”

When Caldwell was asked about his message to the fans, he chose to take the rosiest view of the Lions’ long-suffering fan base, which has seen only one playoff win since 1957.

“One of the things, I think, is that No. 1, we have the right kind of people,” he said. “No. 2, I don’t think there’s any question about it; it’s an extremely loyal fan base that has been right there with us the entire time, doing a tremendous job of giving us the home-field advantage, encouraging us. It’s one of the things I noticed when I first came here.

“This fan base is alive, it’s passionate, it’s loyal and we love it that way. The thing we have to do is we have to give them something to cheer about. That’s our job, and I think our guys are certainly willing to do that.”

With the season teetering on the edge of disaster, many fans have been very vocal on social media about their displeasure with Caldwell and the team brass. Caldwell was asked about how he deals with the possible snowball effect of negativity, but he cut off the reporter before he could finish his question.

“Well, let me interrupt you one second,” he said. “Negativity has always been here from you all’s standpoint. From the media, I think, that’s always been part of this. It’s the first thing I think you notice here. I think I called it the ‘Dungeon of Doom’ when I walk into that room sometimes. So that hasn’t changed, it’s a matter that our guys play better and we’ve got to get them to play better.

“The other thing is, criticism doesn’t bother us, you know, and it particularly doesn’t bother me. If you disagree with me, don’t like what we do, I’m not one that feels like you’re persecuting me as a result of it. You’ve got your opinion, I’ve got mine. I have my expertise in my areas, you have yours, right?

“But I think the discussion is healthy and it’s good. I think you stir up the fan base because they have an interest in it, they have passion for it, which is good. The negativity part of it, we control that atmosphere. If we allow it in, that’s our problem. That’s our problem and we have to make certain we control it. That’s my job.”

Last year, amid the Lions’ 11-5 season, Caldwell also crossed swords with some reporters and called the media the “Legion of Doom,” playing off of the “Legion of Doom” nickname of the Seattle Seahawks’ secondary.

One reporter told Caldwell the negativity was a result of the team’s poor record.

“In some ways, I understand that,” Caldwell said. “But that’s certainly very, very noticeable. I’ve been at a few places, I’ve been around a little bit in my life, and that jumps out at you twofold. But that’s not an issue with me because of the fact that our job is, regardless of what the ethos is, our job is to win games, which we have not been doing to this point consistently enough. That’s why we’re looking forward and that’s why we’re looking for an opportunity to make certain we get better this week and forge ahead next.”

One reporter asked Caldwell if the Detroit media were the most negative he has been around.

“There’s no question,” he said. “It’s a fact. But not every single person. I’m not trying to cover the entire group with that phrase because that’d be unfair, but I’m just talking about overall.”

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