My intitial reaction to the Lions hiring of Jim Schwartz as head coach?
Based on what I know, he was the best available candidate.
The Lions certainly could have done worse. What I like best about Schwartz is that he is the opposite of Rod Marinelli. Everybody works hard in the NFL. That's a given. Schwartz will try to outsmart the opposition rather than constantly attempting to drill a hole through solid rock with the same dull instrument.
Schwartz has been a coordinator for eight years. He understands the cat and mouse aspect of adjustments in the NFL - both in-game and week-to-week. I'd be surprised if he isn't much better at looking at the entire forest instead of just the one try in front of him than his predecessor. Marinelli's downfall was never being able to adjust on the fly.
We'll also know more about Schwartz sooner instead of later based on how he puts together his coaching staff. It will put his organizational skills to the test immediately.
I do think the Lions did a much better job this time not rushing to judgment on a head coaching candidate. The Lions search was much more extensive than it was during the Matt Millen era - a sign the organization may have learned from some of its past mistakes.
What I didn't like is that the search was only limited to NFL assistants. Under current circumstances, the Lions weren't going to land Bill Cowher or Mike Shanahan, but there were other former NFL head coaches they could have at least interviewed and considered.
The rookie general manager, rookie head coach situation is less than ideal. Schwartz will have to mature quickly into his role. But at least the pedigree is there.