DETROIT, Mich. — With his job in jeopardy, Jim Schwartz is standing by his accomplishments as head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Addressing the media Monday – just hours after his team was eliminated from playoff contention with a 23-20 overtime loss to the New York Giants – Schwartz repeatedly refuted reporters’ questions labeled the 2013 season as a failure.
The Lions led the NFC North division as recently as December 15, but have lost five of their last six games to keep them out of the NFL postseason for the 12th time in 13 years.
“I have a hard time going down to our locker room and our players and calling them – calling us – a failure,” Schwartz said Monday. “It’s not what I believe.”
“We haven’t accomplished what we wanted to accomplish. I think I’ll just leave it at that.”
Schwartz took over in 2009, in the aftermath of the franchise’s 0-16 season – the only such year in NFL history. The Lions went 8-24 in Schwartz’s first two season before making the playoffs in 2011 with a 10-6 record. They lost to the New Orleans Saints in an NFC Wild Card game.
Schwartz signed a contract extension through 2015 in June of 2012 – and Detroit is 11-20 since.
He was asked Monday about what his record says about his tenure with the Lions.
“That’s not for me to decide,” Schwartz said. “Everyone else can write it.
“I know where we were when I took over and I know where we are right now.”
Detroit wraps up the 2013 season on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.
