Matt Millen: He's BAAAAAAACK (or maybe never left) !!!!!!!

[Starman]

http://communities.canada.com/windsorstar/blogs/duffersdabbles/archive/2008/12/08/is-millen-still-calling-the-shots-for-the-lions.aspx

Who is running the Detroit Lions? Rod Marinelli? Martin Mayhew? The Ford family?

How about Matt Millen?

Wait a minute - didn’t he get fired?

Maybe he did and maybe he didn’t, depending upon who you are willing to believe. Two different National Football League sources - one of them close to the Fords - insist that the Millen firing earlier this season was just a ploy to appease angry fans of the 0-13 Lions and that Millen is still calling the shots and on the club’s payroll as a consultant. One NFL scout acknowledged that this rumour is making the rounds through the league and that while he couldn’t absolutely confirm it, it wouldn’t be shocking news to many in the football world. "It wouldn’t surprise me at all," he said. Added another NFL personnel type: "Whoever is calling the shots, they’re doing a terrible job at it."

 

[Claws for Concern]

Vikings fans are happy Millen's still tinkering with the Lions after yesterday's victory.

 

[ScribePharisee]

The Fords can't pay anyone else to do this work until the bailout checks start flowing from D.C.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Beat me to this, Starman.

I also saw one of the local writers posing a possibility that the Lions would keep Mayhew as GM and not fire Marinelli, even if he goes 0-16.

Edit to include link:
It was mentioned in a chat transcript that one of the beat writers, Tom Kowalski, had last week.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2008/12/lunch_with_killer_vikings_at_l.html

 

[PopeDirkBenedict]

Why stop at 0-16 when you can hit 0-32?

 

[Starman]

Beat me to this, Starman.

I also saw one of the local writers posing a possibility that the Lions would keep Mayhew as GM and not fire Marinelli, even if he goes 0-16.

Edit to include link:
It was mentioned in a chat transcript that one of the beat writers, Tom Kowalski, had last week.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2008/12/lunch_with_killer_vikings_at_l.html

Every single person in the entire organization, from the GM to the towel boy, must be terminated, along with every single last player they can possibly release under minimum salary-cap restrictions.

They need to flatten the franchise like no other pro sports franchise has ever been flattened before.

 

[mustangj17]

Beat me to this, Starman.

I also saw one of the local writers posing a possibility that the Lions would keep Mayhew as GM and not fire Marinelli, even if he goes 0-16.

Edit to include link:
It was mentioned in a chat transcript that one of the beat writers, Tom Kowalski, had last week.

http://www.mlive.com/lions/index.ssf/2008/12/lunch_with_killer_vikings_at_l.html

If Marinelli keeps his job, 8 games will be blacked out. They fundamentally the second-worst team I have ever seen play 2002 Lions, still worse.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

Detroit needs a bailout!!

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

Oh I agree, they need a 100 percent fresh start (well, ok, Jason Hanson can stay since he has made 25 percent of the Lions' big plays this).

But would it surprise you at all if the WCF didn't make changes?

 

[Starman]

If Marinelli keeps his job, 8 games will be blacked out. They fundamentally the second-worst team I have ever seen play 2002 Lions, still worse.

If the current coaching staff comes back, they won't draw 25,000 a game next season (including sellouts when the Bears and Packers visit, meaning the rest of the games will be drawing 10-15,000).

Oh I agree, they need a 100 percent fresh start (well, ok, Jason Hanson can stay since he has made 25 percent of the Lions' big plays this).

But would it surprise you at all if the WCF didn't make changes?

No, it wouldn't surprise me at all.

 

[NDub]

My father apologizes every Sunday for raising me as a Lions fan.

I refuse to ever give the Ford's a dollar of my own money until that old ****er croaks. I will never buy a ticket, a t-shirt, a Ford vehicle or anything Lions- or Ford-related ever again. I hope every day that WCF Sr. doesn't cling to life like Al Davis has the past 10 years.

A tad cruel? Yes. Probably over-the-top because it's only sport? Uh huh. But I don't care anymore. I'm so ****ing frustrated by this franchise.

There are two players on that team that should be on the 2009 roster - Calvin Johnson and Jason Hanson. Every one else needs to ****ing go. This team, this coaching staff, this front office, this ownership need to disappear.

And if these Millen rumors are true, I hope Roger Goodell comes down hard on the franchise - like forcibly removes him from the position and threatens further action if **** isn't fixed.

 

[KevinmH9]

Well, it seems as though the Lions will get the first pick in the draft in 2009. Maybe the Lions will decide to take another WR. ::)

 

[mustangj17]

It doesn't even matter. Team is ****ed.

 

[Hammer Pants]

Well, it seems as though the Lions will get the first pick in the draft in 2009. Maybe the Lions will decide to take another WR. ::)

Maybe that's why Crabtree said he'll return to Lubbock.

 

[Starman]

It doesn't even matter. Team is ****ed.

It doesn't have to be that way. It's not hard to have a competitive (if not contending, if not championship) team.

I mean, Christ. Bidwill is doing it. Modell did it. Georgia Frontiere did it. The Irsays did it. The Browns in Cincy did it for a couple years here and there. The Rooneys, who sucked dong for 35 years, finally figured out how to do it, and have been doing it for 35 since.

The solution isn't that hard:

1) Fire everybody

2) Hire somebody who knows what he's doing, and don't **** with him

3) Sign the checks

That pretty much covers it.

 

[ScribePharisee]

It doesn't even matter. Team is ****ed.

It doesn't have to be that way. It's not hard to have a competitive (if not contending, if not championship) team.

I mean, Christ. Bidwill is doing it. Modell did it. Georgia Frontiere did it. The Irsays did it. The Browns in Cincy did it for a couple years here and there. The Rooneys, who sucked dong for 35 years, finally figured out how to do it, and have been doing it for 35 since.

The solution isn't that hard:

1) Fire everybody

2) Hire somebody who knows what he's doing, and don't **** with him

3) Sign the checks

That pretty much covers it.

Jerry Jones is trying not to be competitive. I mean, he spends the money but he makes stupid decisions.

 

[slappy4428]

Yeah, but he makes the decisions. The Fords actually hire people to do it wrong -- over and over and over again

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I have a buddy whose cousin is a ball boy/towel boy for the Lions. The cousin says the locker room is so acidic it's like nothing he's ever seen.

He's shocked an a full scale brawl hasn't broken out among players.

Each week is worse than the last he says.

The bickering is out of control.

 

[Starman]

I have a buddy whose cousin is a ball boy/towel boy for the Lions. The cousin says the locker room is so acidic it's like nothing he's ever seen.

He's shocked an a full scale brawl hasn't broken out among players.

Each week is worse than the last he says.

The bickering is out of control.

Good. About 43 people on that roster and 19 on the coaching staff need to be savagely beaten.

 

[Hank_Scorpio]

If they hit each other like they do opposing teams, no one will be hurt.