The Lions parted ways with defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson a day after the season ended last year. While the same fate could befall offensive coordinator Mike Martz this year — Lions coach Rod Marinelli didn't want to discuss any potential coaching changes after practice Friday — Martz remains a strong candidate for a head-coaching job elsewhere.

The Lions have underperformed offensively this year, and though Martz deserves at least some of the blame for that, he still is recognized as one of the game's top tacticians. His playcalling can be maddening at times — eight rushes against Arizona, seven at Minnesota and nine last week in San Diego — but his overall body of work remains strong. He won a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator in St. Louis, and some will chalk his lack of success as a Lion up to being handicapped by a bad organization.

Martz has hurdles to overcome for sure. His abrasive personality led to a sour end with the Rams. But he could emerge as a viable candidate to replace Bobby Petrino in Atlanta and for potential openings in Baltimore, San Francisco and with the New York Giants. In all of those situations, he'd have a young quarterback to work with or a high first-round pick to mold as his own.

Martz declined to discuss his future two weeks ago. "That's something I don't want to get into," he said. And a person close to him told me yesterday that Martz has no intention of stepping down at season's end. With one year left on his contract, it's certainly possible he remains a Lion, though a mutual parting of ways — especially if Martz returns to the head-coaching ranks — would seem to benefit all.

One another coaching note to watch. According to the Jackson (Tenn.) Sun, Lions receivers coach Kippy Brown is believed to be a leading candidate to replace David Cutcliffe as University of Tennessee offensive coordinator. The move would make sense for Brown, a Tennessee native who previously coached receivers at the school and could be out of a job in Detroit if Martz does indeed leave at the end of the year.