Bad Wings Should be Lions’ Turnaround Model
Open Mike | by Mike O'Hara | 06.15.2009/7:21AM
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There is one sure way to mention the Lions and Red Wings in the same sentence without generating belly laughs and outright scorn. Single out the best and worst of their respective leagues, and the Red Wings and Lions are at the top of the discussion.
The Red Wings are the NHL’s elite franchise – even after losing the Stanley Cup Finals with a 2-1 loss to Pittsburgh in Game 7 on Friday night. The Penguins have the Cup, and they deserve it, but the Red Wings remain hockey’s royal franchise – with star power and longevity.
And the Lions are at the top of the discussion for pro football’s worst franchise. They took a decade of losing to the extreme last season by becoming the first franchise to go 0-16 in a season. The Lions have been as bad and uncompetitive as the Red Wings have been dominant.
The question now is whether the Lions can emulate the Red Wings and become a power in their league. The short answer is no, but that is too simple. The way the NFL is set up, no team will equal the Red Wings’ record of 18 straight playoff appearances.
It took an entire league to keep the Red Wings from making the playoffs for 19 straight years. A lockout cancelled the 2004-05 season. It was one season when every franchise was the Red Wings’ equal. Nobody played.
The Lions of 2008 were in a class by themselves. Everyone beat them.
The issue now is whether their new management team – GM Martin Mayhew, President Tom Lewand and head coach Jim Schwartz – can pull this franchise out of rut the size of the Grand Canyon.
In comparing franchises, the building point for the Lions should be the Red Wings’ 1965-66 season. The Red Wings lost in the Cup Finals, and started the worst period in franchise history. They went through a 20-year period of bad management, bad ownership, bad coaching, bad playing and bad records. In the next 20 season, the Red Wings missed the playoffs 16 times. That’s hard to do in hockey, with a format that allows almost half the teams to qualify for the postseason.
It all changed after the 1985-86 season, when the Wings finished with 40 points, won only 17 of 80 games, and fired two head coaches – Harry Neale, who started the season, and defenseman Brad Park, who was promoted – or sentenced, really – to replace him for the last 45 games.
Enter Jacques Demers for three seasons, and the Red Wings turned the corner. With three playoff appearances and two division titles in Demers’ four years as head coach.
With GM Jimmy Devaellano leading a brilliant scouting staff, the talent began to flow for the Red Wings. What they didn’t get in the draft, they signed in free agency, off the waiver wire or acquired in trades.
The baton was passed from Devellano to Ken Holland, and the talent pipeline has continued to flow. There is no reason to think the Red Wings won’t be favored to win the Cup again next season. They always find a way to tweak and refresh the roster.
Forgotten now is their 20-year run of futility.
Every winning franchise has strong leadership at the top. The Red Wings get resources and drive from their owner, Mike Ilitch. William Clay Ford has not been in Ilitch’s category as an owner.
Mayhew, Lewand and Schwartz are the key figures in building the franchise after eight dismal years led by Matt Millen and a string of coaches who couldn’t win – Marty Mornhinweg, Steve Mariucci, Dick Jauron (five games as an interim coach) and Rod Marinelli.
All were strapped by a lack of talent and lack of consistently good play at quarterback, the key position that gives a franchise performance and leadership.
The Red Wings have had performance and leadership from their two captains – Steve Yzerman and Nicklas Lidstrom. They’ve had other stars in their championship – Brendan Shanahan, Sergei Fedorov, Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg – and support players who were winners, such as Kris Draper. And in their championship seasons, the goalies rose to the occasion.
The Lions do not have enough star power – yet. Wide receiver Calvin Johnson is their one elite player. Nobody has emerged on defense as a stud player who can dominate, and no team wins the Super Bowl without at least one great defender.
Matthew Stafford, the Lions’ top draft pick, has the ability to be a consistent winner. He has a strong arm and a quick release. And he has leadership skills. He can stop the revolving door at the quarterback position.
Mayhew has been methodical and focused in building the roster. He stuck to the board in this year’s draft and never got caught up in emotion in making picks. That’s one reason tight end Brandon Pettigrew was taken with the second pick on the first round.
The fans howled for defense, but Pettigrew clearly was the best player on the board at the time. And for a young quarterback, a quality tight end is a great insurance policy. He’ll make Stafford better in a hurry.
Kevin Smith is a young, determined runner. The offensive line is better than most people think.
Mayhew patched some holes on defense by adding veteran linebackers Larry Foote and Julian Peterson. Two new defensive backs, Phillip Buchanon and Anthony Henry, are upgrades over the faded veterans signed last year – Dwight Smith and Brian Kelly.
As important as anything is the recognition in the Lions’ front office that there is no shortcut, no magical signing, that will turn the franchise around. It is a slow, methodical process.
The goal for any franchise should be to achieve the Red Wings’ consistent excellence.
But for the Lions, the realistic model should be how they started to end 20 seasons of losing.
Comments [2] |
Here we go…2001 all over again. Rookie GM, Rookie HC. At that time, I emailed Wojo (who by the way heartily concurred):
Zero experience + Zero experience = DISASTER.
One would THINK Big Willy would’ve learned his lesson first time around. Evidently not. It’s further proof this team is going nowhere until Big Willy gives lets Bill Jr. take over.
Posted by Steve on 06/20/09 at 04:13 AM ET
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Hopefully the Lions can model the Wings and turn things around this year. We will see after this season if the Lions can hold a core group of players to build around. I’m impressed with the draft this year, as long as they don’t throw Stafford to the dogs too early I think he’ll be legit, but I can see the pressure for him to play too early will stunt his growth just like every 1st rd qb before him.
Posted by mfg on 06/15/09 at 07:03 PM ET