Real question for Jim Caldwell: Does he get a new contract?

The Lions have confirmed that head coach Jim Caldwell will be back next season, and that’s no surprise: Playoff teams rarely fire their head coaches, and when they do it’s usually a team that has fallen short of expectations (like in John Fox’s last year with the Broncos, when a Super Bowl contender lost its first playoff game), not a team that has exceeded expectations like this year’s Lions.

What the Lions haven’t said, however, is what the status of Caldwell’s contract is.

Caldwell is wrapping up his third season on a four-year deal he signed in 2014. If the Lions announce this offseason that they’ve signed him to a long-term contract extension, then case closed: Caldwell is the Lions’ guy, and G.M. Bob Quinn believes the right coach is in place for the long run.

But if the Lions either make Caldwell coach next year in the final year of his contract (which is rare in the NFL) or give him only a token one-year extension, that’s a sure sign that Caldwell is coaching for his job in 2017. Only a long-term extension can give Caldwell any real job security beyond next season.

Of course, Caldwell and his team have the opportunity to make all this moot in the coming weeks: If the Lions get to the Super Bowl, they’d certainly extend Caldwell in the offseason. If the Lions lose in Seattle on Saturday, Caldwell will still coach the team in 2017, but he may be out of work a year from now.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/01/04/real-question-for-jim-caldwell-does-he-get-a-new-contract/

Medium lays off a third of its staff as it searches for a new business model

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Robin Williams rejected for Harry Potter role

Robin Williams really wanted to join ‘Harry Potter’.

But thanks to a ‘Brits Only’ rule, the iconic American comedian was turned down.

Robin WIlliams in Good WIll Hunting - Credit: Miramax Films

Robin WIlliams in Good WIll Hunting – Credit: Miramax Films

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During an interview with The Huffington Post, ‘Harry Potter’ casting director Janet Hirshenson revealed that the legendary actor and comedian was refused a role due to his nationality.

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Sylvester Stallone is climbing back into the director’s chair to tell the true story of an American hero — quadruple amputee Travis Mills — in “Tough as They Come.”