In the revolving door of firings in the NFL on this "Black Monday," the Detroit Lions have fired embattled coach Jim Schwartz after another disappointing year left the promising team on the outside looking in on the playoffs.
Schwartz, who finished his fifth season with the team with a 14-13 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, led the team to six wins in its first nine games this season before the wheels fell off and the Lions dropped six of their last seven games to fall to 7-9 and miss the playoffs for the second straight year.
Schwartz said after the team's latest loss that he would have liked to return to the Lions sideline in 2014, but wasn't sure what to expect.
"I know the way this business is, we all do, but we can't worry about decisions that we don't make," Schwartz said after Sunday's loss, according to ESPN. "We've got to try our very best week in and week out and if we do, we can accept any decision that is made."
Schwartz took over for Detroit following the 2008 season when the team set an unwelcome NFL record by going 0-16, but despite making the playoffs once the Lions finished four out of their five seasons under Schwartz with a losing record. The Lions went 4-12 in 2012 and 7-9 this season after posting a 10-6 record in 2011 and making it to the playoffs.
The team finished second in the NFC North in 2011 while earning their first winning season since 2000 and first playoff appearance since 1999, but lost to the New Orleans Saints in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Schwartz stressed on Sunday that he would like to come back.
"I'd certainly like to be back," he told ESPN. "I feel like we have unfinished business here. We've come a long way in these years but we still have ground that we can make, and I'm anxious to have a chance to be able to do that."
Detroit went 4-4 to start 2012 before losing eight games in a row to close out the season but seemed to shake it off this year when it went 6-3 through the first nine games but once again floundered midway through the season in losing six of its final seven games.
Schwartz, 47, seemed to yell at the fans at Ford Field during the team's overtime loss to the New York Giants in Week 16, perhaps a sign that he reached his breaking point due to mounting frustration.
Schwartz was 29-51 as the Lions coach, but his days in Detroit are over.
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