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Ngata trade hit Twitter before Lions told Jim Caldwell

NFL coaches often thrive on the vacuum of secrecy they can create between themselves and the media.

But Lions coach Jim Caldwell needed a Twitter account to find out about a pretty significant roster move his team made this offseason.

"We literally finalized the (Haloti Ngata) trade with Baltimore; Martin Mayhew and I are on the phone in my office," president Tom Lewand recently told The Detroit News. "We hadn't even told Jim yet, and we're on the phone to (vice chairman) Bill Ford Jr., letting him know that the trade was finalized. And it pops up on Twitter as we're telling the owner we had just finalized it. We hadn't even told the head coach yet."

While this isn't unusual anymore, it's funny to think about Caldwell in the moments leading up to his realization that his team just landed Ngata in a trade with the Ravens. There's a chance any one of his children could have known first if they were following the right people on Twitter.

But it also underscores the disconnect that some front offices have with their coaching staffs.

It makes the power play like Chip Kelly just made in Philadelphia completely understandable. How frustrating might it be for certain coaches to find out about such a major roster move that way?

Could you imagine Bill Belichick walking in to 1 Patriot Place to hear Robert Kraft tell him about the Darrelle Revis signing?

The latest Around The NFL Podcast welcomes back Colleen Wolfe to the show and breaks down team needs heading into the draft. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL NOW.

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