Why the lion's stink > William Clay Ford SR

[big3]

from profootballtalk.com

BILL FORD JR. CAN'T GET TO MILLEN

We've gathered some more information regarding rumors making their way around the league that Lions CEO Matt Millen will soon get the boot, and we're hearing that, although Bill Ford Jr. is putting out the word that he doesn't care for Millen and would like to get rid of him, Ford Jr.'s father "loves" Millen and will not get rid of him this season.

As one source told us, William Clay Ford Sr. possibly would make a change in the offseason if the Lions were to go 0-16. But Ford Sr. won't bow to pressure from anyone to get rid of Millen during the season -- especially not from Ford Sr.'s son, who apparently has no influence in the matter, or in any other significant issue relating to the team.

As we see it, it's a Gladiator-style conflict, with the Emperor preferring his general to his son. The perception is that Ford Sr. and Ford Jr. have a strained relationship, and that Millen has forged a strong bond with the dad.

And one thing to keep in mind here is that the Lions are William Clay Ford Sr.'s baby. Regarded as a black sheep of sorts within the Ford family, the son of Edsel Ford got his own thing going many years back when he bought the Lions. Thus, the Lions likely have become part of Ford Sr.'s identity, and it's anticipated that he will not cede any authority over the team to his son while Ford Sr. is alive and competent.

But an increasing number of folks are convinced that Ford Jr.'s first order of business, if his 81-year-old father were to no longer be in charge of the team, would be to dump Millen. So the thinking is that Ford Jr. is doing the next best thing -- undermining Millen by creating the impression that he's a dead man walking.

Meanwhile, we continue to hear that Millen's poor tenure has been influenced by decisions made by Ford Sr., and that Millen has refused to throw Ford Sr. under the minivan by pointing to the owner as, for example, the guy who insisted on drafting Joey Harrington, hiring Marty Morningsomething, and hiring Steve Mariucci. The belief is that, out of either a sense of duty or affection for the old man (or both), Millen has accepted the blame for the moves in stride.

If true, it makes the decision of Ford Sr. to keep Millen even more understandable. But, as we explain in our most recent PFT Ten-Pack, it also reinforces the conclusion that the chronic crappiness of the team traces directly to the extended tenure of Ford Sr. as the owner of the team.

 

[YERCELL]

That's nice that those two are loyal to each other or whatnot, but apparently that's not winning them any football games. If Ford Sr. is really behind a lot of these moves, it'd be interesting to see what Millen would do on his own.

 

[Greg C.]

I'm not sure about the Morningwheg or Mariucci hires, but it was well-known at the time that Millen wanted to draft Quentin Jammer instead of Joey Harrington. I don't think any of these decisions get at the heart of what's wrong with the Lions, though. Harrington was the logical choice at the time, and it's not like Quentin Jammer has been setting the world on fire over there in San Diego. As far as I can tell, he's okay, but nothing special. And it's hard to dispute the Mariucci hire when he was the most sought-after NFL coach at the time.

As for Morningwheg, yeah, that was a questionable hire right from the beginning. But the real problem is that Millen isn't drafting well, period, and most of his free agent signings have been poor. He never should've been put in charge of an NFL franchise. He was completely lacking in front office experience.

 

[big3]

exactly greg, his drafts are what has killed us. free agent pick ups weren't much better. joey harrington bust, charles rogers bust, mike williams would be gone if we could afford the cap hit, kevin Jones underachiever, roy williams injury prone. Then look at this years free agent pick ups. bashir gone, bradford gone, Harris gone. There's a ton more but those were supposed to be impact players for us that never panned out. Our number 2 receiver right now played safety last year. (mike furry). pretty sad when we had 3 years of first round receivers. It's going to take a long time to get this franchise back on their feet. It will be an embarrassment like professional sports has never seen.

 

[PackerLegend]

whens the last time the Lions had a winning season? not rubbing it in just wondering.

 

[porky88]

Millen needs to go and the Lions need to start from scratch. They'll be bad for a long time because of Millen and his picks but if they get the right guy in their they can become a winning team and a contender. Ron Wolf quickly turned around Green Bay so it can happen. Just keep dreaming of the future if your a Lion fan.

 

[YERCELL]

You can say what you want about his WR picks, but those players were supposed to be impact players in the NFL. Obviously they are supposed to determine who's going to be for real and who's not, but if the Lions weren't bad, someone else would've taken these players in similar spots IMO.

 

[YERCELL]

P.S. He's still an idiot.

 

[bavpb]

whens the last time the Lions had a winning season? not rubbing it in just wondering.

It was back in 2000 when they had a 9-7 season. source