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The Detroit Lions are in the market for a new head coach. They should have some quality candidates because of some of the pieces in place, including quarterback Matthew Stafford, cornerback Darius Slay and safety Glover Quin. But what about the job-seekers themselves? Here’s a chance to learn about them as we profile candidates in a coaching dossier. We continue with a defensive coach who had a lot of success his first year as a coordinator – Carolina defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Name: Steve Wilks Age: 48 Alma mater: Appalachian State  Previous experience: Assistant head coach and defensive coordinator, Carolina Panthers (2017-Present); assistant head coach and defensive backs coach, Carolina Panthers (2015-16); Defensive backs coach, Carolina Panthers (2012-14); defensive backs coach, San Diego Chargers (2009-11); defensive backs coach, Chicago Bears (2006-08); secondary coach, University of Washington (2005); defensive backs coach, Notre Dame (2004); defensive backs coach, Bowling Green (2003); defensive coordinator, East Tennessee State (2002); defensive backs coach, Appalachian State (2001); defensive backs coach, Illinois State (2000); head coach, Savannah State (1999); defensive coordinator, Savannah State (1997-98); defensive coordinator, Johnson C. Smith (1995-96); defensive back/wide receiver as a player, Charlotte Rage (1993).
Connection to Bob Quinn, the Lions or Michigan: There do not appear to be any. He had one season coaching in the general area at Bowling Green – just south of Toledo – in 2003. Strengths: He has a bunch of experience in a lot of different defenses and systems, which can be attractive because it means he should be able to adapt to anything. He also has some experience as an assistant head coach, so he has a bit more understanding of the duties a head coach has to do. He has coordinator experience in the NFL with Carolina and in college at multiple stops. While it wasn’t a long stint as a head coach, he has run a program for a year – granted it was a Division II school. As a coordinator last year, he was particularly strong against the run, allowing 88.1 yards per game (third in the league). He also had an aggressive defense, ranking third in sacks (50) and sack percentage (9.1). That’s critical considering one of Detroit’s biggest issues was its pass rush. He also has shown he can be good in player development, particularly with Josh Norman. Norman told colleague David Newton that Wilks helped cultivate the player he is on the field – an attitude that turned him into a shutdown corner. This year, he showed the ability to completely revamp a defense and make it more aggressive, which can be attractive to Quinn because it shows that adaptability again. Concerns: There shouldn’t be many other than the obvious: He hasn’t been a head coach before so it’s tough to know how he would truly handle being a head coach. Only one year as an NFL coordinator is mildly concerning, too, but he did a really strong job in Carolina. His pass defense was average and his team had one of the lowest interception rates in the league (1.8 percent) – but as mentioned above, he’d be taking over a defense with the NFL’s interception co-leader in Slay and another ball-hawk in Quin. On paper, at least, he looks like he is a good NFL head coaching candidate.
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