Lombardi: Millen Had Help Losing in Detroit
NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 01.21.2009/5:12PM
I was in a dinner party at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis one night that included Mike Lombardi, and it was impressive how much he knew about sports – not just football, but athletes and management of all sports.
Football is Lombardi’s primary area of expertise. He spent 20 seasons in the NFL with five teams and now writes columns for the National Football Post.
In his Diner Morning News column on the National Football Post Wednesday, Lombardi’s take on former Lions president Matt Millen and the current direction of the franchise is sure to rile most Lions fans for one reason: Lombardi doesn’t put all the blame for failure on Millen.
Here is what Lombardi wrote in his column Wednesday on Millen and Lions assistants searching for jobs:
“If I was an assistant in Detroit, I would not expect to get rehired. It’s hard for new head coach Jim Schwartz to retain a group of coaches that was responsible for being a part of a 0-16 season. They might be outstanding coaches, but there has to be a freshnes on the staff and in the building.
“I know Matt Millen gets all the blame for the failure, but trust me, he had help. This is not the lone gunman theory. He had help, and even though they retained most of the front office, the Lions need to make other changes.
“If they’re listening, the first change I would suggest is to return to their uniforms from the 1960’s. There is no need to keep their current uniforms as a reminder of the 0-16 disaster.”
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Gunther Lions’ New Defensive Coordinator
NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 01.21.2009/8:26AM
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The Lions, once rebuffed by the Kansas City Chiefs in their request to interview Gunther Cunningham, have hired Cunningham as defensive coordinator.
Cunningham’s hiring is the first significant addition to head coach Jim Schwartz’s coaching staff. The hiring was announced Wednesday. Schwartz is at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.
The Lions’ request to interview Cunningham was denied by the Chiefs, who ultimately relented.
Cunningham has a long history as an assistant and head coach. He was KC’s defensive coordinator the last four years and was head coach in 1999 and 2000.
Among Cunningham’s other NFL stops was three seasons with the Tennessee Titans, where he worked with Schwartz as assistant head coach and coached linebackers on Jeff Fisher’s staff.
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