In Detroit, John Niyo writes Lions GM Bob Quinn "has to know" the decision whether or not to retain coach Jim Caldwell is his "chance to prove himself, doing something he has never done before in a place it’s arguably never been done well." If he is "about to fire the first Lions’ head coach to boast a winning record in nearly a half-century, as many around the league expect, the standards officially will have changed" for the team. It certainly would "up the ante for Quinn, whose own five-year deal is tied directly to whoever is coaching this team next season." Quinn "better have a good" candidate to replace Caldwell -- "a great one, really -- if he's ready to pull the plug" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/27).
MISSING HOLIDAY SPIRIT? In Cincinnati, Paul Dehner Jr. noted empty lots "surrounded" Paul Brown Stadium during pregame tailgate time for Lions-Bengals Sunday. Banks of empty seats "covered the upper decks of Paul Brown Stadium." Tickets could be "acquired on StubHub for $9 pregame, one quarter of the cheapest face value." This after "hundreds upon hundreds of tickets were given away over the previous weeks." The tickets distributed total "ended up at 47,792." That is the "smallest crowd" at the stadium since Christmas Eve of '11. In reality, the "total number of butts in the cold seats probably hovered" around 70% of that, a "decent portion wearing light blue" in support of the opposing Lions (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 12/26).
RAIDERS AND THE LOST MARK: NBC Sports Bay Area's Greg Papa noted Raiders' TV and radio ratings this season have "bottomed out" during the franchise's 6-9 season, and there is a "media apathy with this football team that I didn’t expect." He noted there is a tarp on the upper sections of Oakland Coliseum, and with the team heading to Las Vegas, Papa asked, "How are they going to do this for 2018, and more than likely 2019?. Because in 2017, the Bay Area basically said, ‘We’re jumping on the Niners’ bandwagon.’” NBC Sports Bay Area’s Scott Bair said Raiders Owner Mark Davis wants the "generational Raiders fans ... to stick with them when he goes to Las Vegas." Bair: "He wants that Southwest flight to be sold out every single week, and I don't think that is a guarantee by any stretch." NBC Sports Bay Area’s Kelli Johnson: “I don’t blame the fans that feel like they have been betrayed. It’s a lot easier not to go to games and to do something else when they’re losing or they’re struggling” (“The Happy Hour,” NBC Sports Bay Area, 12/26).
