Bevell named offensive co-ordinator
After a year away from the game, Darrell Bevell was named the new offensive coordinator of the Detroit Lions on Wednesday.
The 49-year-old Bevell, who was let go after seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks a year ago, replaces Jim Bob Cooter.
The Lions are hoping Bevell can bring balance to the Detroit offence, something general manager Bob Quinn said head coach Matt Patricia would be looking for in a candidate. “I think we want a balanced attack, like we talked about before,” Quinn said after Cooter was let go.
“We want to be able to run the ball, we want to be able to use our quarterback, because he has a ton of talent. So, we want to be diverse. We’re not going to sit there and be in four wide receivers, shot gun every play, and throw it 45 times. That’s not good for anybody. On the other hand, we’re not going to be three tight ends and run the ball 40 times.” Bevell, who worked with LaSalle tight end Luke Willson in Seattle, helped the Seahawks reach the playoffs five times in his seven seasons, and make two Super Bowl appearances. Prior to working in Seattle, the former University of Wisconsin quarterback was the Minnesota Vikings’ offensive co-ordinator for five seasons. He also spent six seasons coaching with the Green Bay Packers prior to that. “They have to adapt,” Quinn said of what he wanted in a new offensive co-ordinator. “We need to do a better job of going into each week looking at the opponent and saying, ‘How are we going to beat this team?’ If they have a great run defence and a poor pass defence, maybe we throw it 45 times.
“So, we want someone who thinks that way, who thinks, ‘Hey, I have an offence, but my offence is adaptable. I can change from week-to-week.’ ”