10 thoughts to end the week as Lions set to face Cowboys

Dan Campbell and Robert Saleh were hired less than a week apart in 2021. Four seasons later, Campbell has the Lions contending for a Super Bowl and Saleh is out of the job. (Getty Images)

Allen Park — Here are 10 thoughts to end the week as the Detroit Lions get set to head to Dallas to battle the Cowboys.

Setting a standard

Earlier this week, the New York Jets fired Robert Saleh. It’s always jarring to see a head coach let go this early in the season, but the move also felt inevitable with how every sideline interaction was being dissected by the local and national media the past few weeks.

Saleh, a successful defensive coordinator before joining the Jets, maintained his reputation on that side of the ball, leading one of the league’s best units throughout his tenure. But he was never able to find the right offensive mix, particularly at the quarterback position, to elevate the franchise to contending status.

I don’t cover the Jets, and don’t want to give the impression I know the inner workings of the franchise, but the perception is Saleh was dealt a bad hand by the organization’s decision-makers, starting with the selection of Zach Wilson with the No. 2 pick of the 2021, followed by a trade for Aaron Rodgers.

Maybe things would have worked out differently if Rodgers hadn't torn his Achilles in the opening quarter of his Jets debut last season, but, again, the perception is the veteran QB was given too much say with the personnel and coaching staff upon his arrival, including the bringing in of failed Broncos coach Nathaniel Hackett as the team’s offensive coordinator.

The whole thing leads to inevitable comparisons to the trajectory of the Lions organization, where interviewed Saleh before Dan Campbell was named coach. From a personality standpoint, there are a lot of similarities between the two.

But the differences start with how the Lions conduct business, particularly from a roster-construction perspective. The coach and GM are in lockstep with decisions, importantly without owner interference. And when the Lions brought in a veteran quarterback via trade, similar to the Rodgers acquisition, they encouraged Jared Goff to take ownership constructively, not one that created perceptions the power structure was compromised.

After decades of getting it wrong, the Lions are shockingly among the models of a successfully run NFL franchise. The Jets, meanwhile, will spin the coaching roulette wheel again this offseason. And barring interim coach Jeff Ulbrich righting the ship, the team's playoff drought will extend to 14 seasons.

No job too big

With what they’ve accomplished the past two seasons, the Lions might as well be the Ghostbusters given how frequently they’ve been exorcising the franchise’s demons.