Hot Topics: Hiring Schwartz, Draft, QBs
Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 01.15.2009/3:50PM
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Burning questions from the Lions’ hiring Jim Schwartz as head coach, the timing of the hiring and the assistants, the impact on the Lions having the first pick in the April draft, and other issues facing the winless Lions:
Q. Is Schwartz the right choice?
A. “He’s a good choice, but only time will tell if he’s the right choice. Of the two legitimate contenders – Leslie Frazier of the Vikings and Schwartz – the Lions could have picked either one.
“The plus for Schwartz is that he has nine seasons as defensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans – a quality team and defense, under a quality head coach, Jeff Fisher. He comes from a stable team, and that should help.”
Q. You campaigned for Marty Schottenheimer, whose most recent job was with San Diego. Did the Lions make a mistake by not going for him or another established head coach?
A. “Of all the so-called retreads, Schottenheimer and Dan Reeves were the only two I would have gone after. Both can win in a hurry. Even Mike Shanahan, recently fired in Denver, needs time. Forget the others – such as Jim Fassel and Dennis Green. They’ve had their day.
“And forget Bill Cowher, too. He kept saying he wasn’t going to coach this year, and he’ll probably sit out 2010, too. It would have been a waste of time to pursue him.
“If the Lions were going for an assistant, someone like Schwartz and Frazier were good choices.”
Q. What impression did Schwartz make in his interview with the Lions, and in his press conference?
A. “Football insiders have said for the last few years that he’s smart – he’s a thinking-man’s coach, good on his feet. And that came across. From what I’ve heard from inside the organization, Schwartz connected with people. He was inspiring, and when he departed, there were some who wondered if their best candidate might be walking out the door.”
Q. Schwartz has a background in scouting. Is that important?
A. “It isn’t a deal-maker, but it’s important. Scouts look at players without the same passion and urgency that coaches do. Scouts look at a player for what he can do in the long run. Coaches want to know if they can win that week.
“There has been a disconnect between the personnel department and the coaching staff. It’s important that Schwartz bridges the gap. Around the league, there is respect for the Lions scouting department, led by Scott McEwen, the director of college scouting, and Sheldon White, the head of pro scouting.
“As the new GM, Martin Mayhew is strengthening the relationship between the coaches and scouts. There should be a better flow of information.”
Q. Is the timing of hiring Schwartz important?
A. “Doing it Thursday was important because it lets Schwartz go to the Senior Bowl next week knowing he’ll be scouting players for the Lions, and also interviewing candidates for his staff of assistants.”
Q. More than half of Rod Marinelli’s old staff remains under contract. What does that mean?
A. “That gives the staff some continuity, although how much continuity a coach wants from a 0-16 team is debatable. There are two young assistants Schwartz should look at long and hard – Sam Gash (running backs) and Shawn Jefferson (receivers). They have a good future in the NFL, and it should be in Detroit.
“There are other good coaches on the staff, but they might not all fit what Schwartz wants to do.”
Q. The Lions run a 4-3 defense, the same as the Titans. Does that help the transition?
A. “Yes. However, by size alone, the Lions’ linebackers and defensive ends are better suited physically to playing a 3-4. I doubt that Schwartz would switch.”
Q. The Lions have the first pick in the draft, plus No. 20 on the first round from a trade with Dallas. What should they do with the first pick?
A. “Trade down, if they can, but not out of the top five or six. It’s doubtful if they’ll be able to trade down though, because of the money involved in signing the first pick overall.
“There’s too much risk in drafting any of the quarterbacks first overall – Matt Stafford of Georgia, or Mark Sanchez of Southern Cal. Sam Bradford of Oklahoma was rated higher than both of them, but he’s staying in school.
“The Lions learned a lesson in 2002 about what it means to draft a lesser quarterback high – Joey Harrington, third overall – and force him into a position. It didn’t work, and the Lions wasted time and money on it.”
Q. Doesn’t having Stafford and Sanchez in the draft help the Lions?
A. “Yes. They might get one of them with their second pick on the first round, or they might get one of the other quarterbacks later in the draft.
“Sanchez, in particular, will move up in the pecking order. After Stafford and Sanchez are off the board, there’ll be different opinions on the second tier of candidates. There will be a quarterback available later who can develop, with less pressure.
“The Lions need to build their team, then get the quarterback – unless there is a legitimate franchise passer in this draft. And there isn’t.”
Q. Will Schwartz win right away?
A. “No, but I guarantee one thing. The Lions will be better than last year. They won’t be 0-16. Bet on it.”
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Matt Millen: I’d have fired me.
Burning Questions | by Mike O'Hara | 01.3.2009/4:01PM
Matt Millen answered questions from Dan Patrick on NBC Saturday afternoon:
On what it was like to be fired and watch the Lions go 0-16:
“It was brutal. Obviously, knowing everybody up there, knowing and understanding the details, watching it unfold, it was probably harder watching it from home than it was when you’re up there.
At least when you’re up there, you have some interaction. At home, you’re just sitting there—your wife (Patricia) just keeps beating on you. So it’s tough.”
How responsible Millen was for the Lions’ record:
“Oh, completely responsible. When you’re head of football operations, you throw it back on me. You can say something about coaching, say something about the players, but inevitably, I’m responsible for them so I’m completely responsible for it in my mind.
Whether he was qualified to be a team president when he was hired out of the television booth:
“In some areas yes, in some areas no. Certainly from a football standpoint, and Xs and Os, that’s something you study for a long time. There’s a whole other side to that job that you have to learn. Frankly, I didn’t understand it going in and had to learn it.”
On the lack of consistency, including changing coaches:
“You change coaches, obviously you’re not having success. Any organization that’s going to have a winning record, it all comes back to not only stability but consistency. You have to have consistency in philosophy. You have to have consistency with scheme and that type of thing. When changing things over and over, that’s tough to do.”
On being successful in the rest of his life, but not with the Lions:
“If you’re just going to say ‘that’s the stiff that used to be in Detroit, they lost all those games, it’s got to be on him’—I’d say I was in Detroit, you have to blame me. There’s a lot more to it than that. I could give you excuses. I could give you reasons. To me, that’s just an excuse after the fact. You take the hit and move on. And how they look at me, I know what I am. You can say whatever you want about me.”
On if he would have fired himself:
“I would have, actually. Probably not this year—until after the season. I think when you start having changeover in an organization, it filters down into the locker room. That’s tough to do. I thought that was a tough position for Rod Marinelli to be in. Rod’s a stud. Rod’s an outstanding football coach.”
On whether the Lions are close to winning:
“A lot closer than people think. Right now, it’s easy to sit around and say, ‘The Lions, they stink,’ and kick them when they’re down. Is there enough talent up there in Detroit? Absolutely. They’ve got one of the top receivers in the league in Calvin Johnson. They’ve got a top running back (Kevin Smith). There are some pieces in the offensive line. They need some help (on defense).”
Contact Mike O’Hara at mikeoharasports.com
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