It’s amazing how circular things can be sometimes.
Even before Jim Bob Cooter was playing a combination of linebacker, defensive end and quarterback for Lincoln County High School in Fayetteville, Tennessee, former Lions offensive coordinator Tom Moore was developing the foundation of the scheme Cooter would utilize in Detroit two decades later.
While he hasn’t had anywhere near the success of Moore’s high-scoring teams, the 32-year-old Cooter has emerged as one of the NFL’s rising coaching stars, playing a key role with the 6-4 Lions, who sit in first place of the NFC North heading into a Thanksgiving showdown with the Minnesota Vikings.