Ford Speaks on Millen, Mayhew, Lewand, Team
Open Mike | by Mike O'Hara | 06.25.2009/6:25AM
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The questions finally have been answered concerning who actually has called the shots in the firings and hirings of the Lions’ top management over the last nine months.
William Clay Ford, owner of the franchise since 1964, told reporters on Wednesday that he made the decisions.
In a 20-minute interview in his office at the Lions’ Allen Park headquarters late Wednesday afternoon, Ford was forthcoming on all key issues put to him by three beat writers.
Chief among them:
Ford fired president Matt Millen because it finally became clear that the Lions were not going to win after seven seasons and three games of his tenure as president.
Rod Marinelli might not have been ready to be a head coach, even though Ford greatly admires him.
Ford consulted with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell before on two hires to permanent positions – General Manager Martin Mayhew and President Tom Lewand.
Millen is being paid for the remaining two years of his contract, which reportedly calls for $12 million.
And Ford shares the frustration of fans over the team’s winless history, bottoming out with a 0-16 record in 2009.
The Detroit News and Detroit Free Press ran transcripts of the interview.
My take on Ford’s comments is that he is in charge of key decisions. He gave Millen more authority than any Lions GM/President had ever had, and it didn’t work out. There was a constant firing of coaches, coordinators and player turnover.
Ford does not meddle in personnel decisions, but after firing Millen on Sept. 24, he took a strong hand in reshaping the front office.
Here are the highlights of the Ford interview, with my take on some issues:
Millen’s contract: Millen has been negotiating a payoff settlement with Ford’s attorneys since he was fired on Sept. 24. In the last few weeks, Millen has been hired by ESPN and the NFL Network.
In a conference-call interview after the NFL Network hiring, Millen said the situation was “ongoing.” Ford said it was settled a couple of weeks ago, that it was “amicable” and that he and Millen are “friends.”
Actually, any discrepancy or misunderstanding seems pretty simple. When Millen said “ongoing,” he no doubt meant that he is on a payment schedule, as opposed to getting a lump sum. Also, there is probably an offset – meaning any money he earns will be deducted from what he is owed by the Lions.
Steve Mariucci paid the balance of the $11.5 million owed him over a two—year period when he was fired with five games left in the 2005 season.
Ford-Millen relationship: “We’re still friends, and I’m glad he’s got the job he’s getting.”
The reason for firing Millen – a day after Ford’s son, Bill Jr., said he would fire Millen if he had the authority: “You can answer the question as well as I can. Everything. It just wasn’t going right.”
My take: Millen’s reign started bad and ended worse. The Lions lost their first 12 games in 2001 and all 16 in 2008. The Lions were 0-3 when Millen was fired. Nobody could have blamed Ford if he fired Millen at any point – even after the first year.
On keeping Mayhew as GM and Lewand as president: “I’ve always liked Martin. He’s been a little bit in the background and never really had an opportunity to shine. (Mayhew was Millen’s assistant for six years).
“And when those positions came open, I thought, well, we’ve got a guy right here who’s eminently qualified. And he’s risen right to it—handled it without missing a beat. He’s been terrific.
“And the same with Tom. He’s a terrific organizer and manager and does all the things you’d like to have him to do. They do it without any fuss or pretense. They just get the job done. Their attitude is kind of the same thing I’d like the players to get – ‘We’re here to do a job and we’ll do it.’”
Ford said he looked at other candidates but decided to keep Mayhew and Lewand.
On hiring Jim Schwartz as head coach: Ford said he had final say on hiring Schwartz, but there was agreement between him, Mayhew and Lewand.
On fan reaction to losing, and five home games last year that did not sell out: “People were getting fed up, and I don’t blame them a bit. We didn’t put up much of a show for them. And God knows what’s gonna happen this year, more than anyone else does. But I think we’ll give an honest day’s effort and I think that’s all they want. Of course they want us to win, and so do I, more than anything, but I think if they realize we’re going down with our guns blazing, I think that’ll be a very positive thing to have happen. And it did not happen last year.”
Bottom line: Will all of this lead to winning? Nobody knows, but nobody ever knows.
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