Lions offensive coordinator’s body of work is referenced in HBO’s « Baller’s, » including team’s porous run game.
Well, sort of.
On “Ballers,” which stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a former NFL player turned financial manager, Cooter was referenced as a potential head coach for the Miami Dolphins.
In the scene, Dolphins general manager Larry Siefert (portrayed by Dule Hill) discusses coaching candidates with another member of the team’s front office. Siefert wants Cooter, ahead of more experienced options, such as Tom Coughlin and Lovie Smith.
“Coughlin and Smith have had success in schemes similar to ours, but I believe it’s Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter that’s the future leader of this team,” Siefert said in the scene. “If Stafford hadn’t gotten hurt, the Lions would have made some noise in the playoffs.”
The other member of the team’s front office counters with Detroit’s struggles to run the ball under Cooter, referencing the Lions’ real-life 30th-ranked ground game in 2016.
“It’s a passing league,” Seifert retorts. “A high-flying offense is what it takes to compete with the Pats. We’ve got the pieces. Now we just need the right man to put them together.”
Cooter caught wind of the scene on Monday, noting his friends found it amusing.
“It was surprising,” Cooter said. “So, if something comes out of nowhere like that, take it in stride. My buddies are giving me a hard time about it, but that’s OK.”
Appropriately, the next question Cooter was asked was about the team’s struggles to run the ball in the season opener.
Back to reality.
