He says he's not quitting until he "gets the job done".

I'd say he's pretty much done that.

Of course he'll be here. He'll be sporting his new 5 year extension too.

Ford isn't going to fire him because he knows that's what the fans want. He's too fucking stubborn to fire him - in his warped mind he thinks that would be giving in and not being powerful.

So what we need to do is show our support of Millen. I say we have a "We Love Millen Parade."

i want millen here for the same reason i wish joey was still starting here.

did you know millen is a member of mensa? that hes won at virtually every level and at everything hes done. he even has a gorgeous wife.

thats what makes this so fantastic. hes a born winner that becomes a world class loser when he gets to the lions. i love it.

unfortunately he'll be here.

I'm changing my vote, I think he'll still be here.

I heard someone make a good point last night on local radio, Ford won't pull him off the competition committee, and Millen just accepted a 3-year term.

The Ford's probably approved him accepting that position, which would lead one to assume that they have no thoughts of firing him.

The answer to SHOULD he be here is obvious. The answer to WILL he be here, sadly, is also obvious though it is the opposite.

i think he's here unless we completely bomb the whole year (and end up with a top 3 pick). Then Ford might can him in responce to the embharassment.

The best thing about Millen is that after drafting Backus and Riola in his first year, he's drafted no OL in the first 5 rounds. How can you ignore the core of any good team for so long?

the best part of matt millen is that hes not even avg at one facet of gming.

drafting... even if you cut him slack on joey (ford's pick) and rogers (injuries ruined may have ruined what might have been a great career), he still has done a shitty job.

his signings have sucked. he cant even sign someone to a decent contract either, he always overpays.

his cap management has sucked.

hes fired how many coaches now?

honestly, can you come up with one strength he has as a gm?

drafting... even if you cut him slack on joey (ford's pick) and rogers (injuries, drugs and poor character may have ruined what might have been a great career), he still has done a shitty job.

Kowalski


Millen's not going anywhere, not now

There continues to be speculation that Matt Millen will soon be fired as the Lions' president, but I just don't see it happening anytime soon.

The problem is that people are trying to tie together a few facts -- Ford Jr. leaving as the company's CEO and Millen's lousy record -- and coming up with the scenario that Ford Jr. will ultimately take over. As I've said before, that couldn't be more wrong.

First, Ford Jr. is still plenty busy at the car company and the family business will continue to be his first priority for many years to come. Second, Ford Jr. has almost no influence on his father, who is the only one calling the shots.

Third, it's clear that any turnaround wasn't going to happen overnight and, despite the horrible start, Ford Sr. isn't about to give up on Marinelli and Martz and the gang and that means he's also not giving up on Millen.

You can make all the arguments you want about how Millen doesn't deserve to be in the job and must be fired and that's fine. But the reality is that, right now, the guy who is making those decisions isn't going to bail on the new regime.

Also, it makes no sense to fire Millen now because there are very few personnel decisions to be made at this point in the season. It would only serve to disrupt the organization and Ford's not about to do that. He hates firing a head coach during the season and only does it when he feels it's absolutely necessary so I think it's way off-base to believe he'd dump the head of the organization in that situation.

Much of this speculation is coming from league sources who are incredulous that a guy with such a poor track record in the draft and free agency and a 21-64 overall record continues to keep his job. They can't believe he hasn't been fired so they keep assuming that it's got to happen at some point soon. But I just don't see it happening.

i dont see any reason to fire millen right now.

if the fords let him hire another coach, i think he's gotta have atleast a 2 year pass.

and despite 0-5, there has been positives. i think our offensive system is solid, and i like marinelli. if we had the players to plug into the system, we'd be fine.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061119/NEWS99/311190001/1089/COL08


DREW SHARP: What a joke: Millen needs to go

November 19, 2006

BY DREW SHARP
FREE PRESS COLUMNIST

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- It's approaching the point where it's impossible for even the stubbornly delusional William Clay Ford Sr. to ignore. It's time for an organizational intervention.

Do whatever it takes! Lure the man into an empty room with a glass of warm milk and a plate of cookies and don't let him leave until he signs off on the Matt Millen presidential execution orders.

The lone remaining shred of future promise -- and, trust me, it's microscopic -- is the NFL mission statement of even the mangiest dog one day earning his flea collar. But when you can't beat a team that's already quit on the season, you shouldn't collect a paycheck without a police investigation on larceny charges.

In Millen's case, there's obviously no honor among thieves.

The only success that Mr. 23-67 has attained consistently in six years is finding further depths to fall just when you think he finally secured the basement.

I don't care if that's a broken record. Too bad!

I don't care that it's an insult to those with a limitless capacity for blind devotion. Wake up and smell the inevitably of a possible No. 1 pick overall wasted for the sake of superficial public popularity.

The Lions couldn't beat a team that had lost eight straight games, one in which the players publicly blasted one another and one that is probably looking for another head coach upon season's end.

The most telling insult of Arizona's 17-10 yawner over the Lions was that despite the internal craziness and perpetual underachieving, the Cardinals nonetheless drafted far better the last few years than the Lions.

When they used top three draft picks on receivers, they become stars as opposed to unemployed malcontents. And when the chance for a potential difference maker at quarterback falls into their lap, at least the Cardinals seized the opportunity.

The Cardinals are putrid, but at least you see a glimmer of offensive hope in Matt Leinart and receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

But all you see with the Lions under Millen's stewardship is that boat with the one oar constantly steering the craft in a circle.

And the victim here is the newest patient in the asylum -- Rod Marinelli.

The worse the effort, the more discouraged everyone becomes and the message of sustained discipline and work ethic that Marinelli consistently has drilled in this players' minds loses resonance.

Marinelli kept his head high above the madness after another loss, but even he must grow tired espousing the same mantra of working harder after another effort in which the Lions looked disinterested in working at all.

But this is what occurs when incompetence runs unchecked. A potentially good head coach gets lost in all the confusion.

And it only gets worse for them because Joey Harrington returns to Ford Field on Thursday with something he never enjoyed during his momentary sentence in purgatory -- a three-game winning streak.

The issue isn't whether or not they should have taken Leinart with the ninth selection over Ernie Sims, a heat-seeking battering ram who certainly filled one of the many immediate needs on this roster.

The crime is that they never reacted to the surprising yet ultimately accurate pre-draft buzz of Leinart slipping to the back end of the top 10 of the first round. The good front offices are responsive. They're flexible. They don't just assume that others unearthed a flaw. They take a look at it for themselves.

But Leinart said the Lions never spoke with him. That was probably the happiest non-call anyone ever didn't receive.

You know he's destined for greatness because of that. And when they're fitting him for that garish yellow Hall of Fame sport jacket in another 15 years or so, perhaps he'll ask Millen to make his introductory speech since without Matt, none of this would have been possible.

At least he found good rookie quarterbacks for other teams.

Mike Martz didn't impress any potential future suitors with his pathetic exhibition. They couldn't push it into the end zone after a defensive pass interference call in the end zone gave them first-and-goal at the 1-yard line.

They promptly lost three yards on first down, four yards on second down and eight yards on third down.

It's not all Jon Kitna's fault. He is what he is, but as it was stated in this column a couple of weeks ago, his limited skill is nonetheless wasted on a team that still hasn't figured out what it wants.

It's Mr. 23-67's fault.

There's even White House contemplation about incorporating the Lions in its efforts to halt the president's bleeding popularity numbers, employing an "At least he's not Millen" promotional strategy.

At some point, the elder Ford has to get the joke, doesn't he?

It's about time for my annual "tank the rest of the season" rant.

We're currently tied for worst in the league.
Every victory now just hurts our draft position.

I say lose the rest of the games, further destroying Millen's record, and either set the stage extremely well for the next GM or give him the ultimate test. He's blown the #2 pick and the #3 pick in seasons past. Let's see how bad he can screw up the #1 pick - just for the heck of it.

By the way, I'm actually feeling decent about this past year's draft. He picked our top 2 tacklers this season. As criticized as it was, it may have been his 2nd best draft of his career (I think 2004 has to be his best, producing Roy, KJ, Lehman, K Smith, A Lewis and K Butler).

draft thread? what do we do if we get the #1? the OT from wisco? trade down? right now it looks like a qb, a rb, and wr are the top candidates for the #1. my money says even millen doesnt have the balls to draft one of those again.

I would avoid RB, WR and QB in the first round. A new QB still doesn't have the tools to succeed here yet. We don't need a RB, and a WR needs to be addressed later in the draft. OL, CB and DE would be my priorities.

Unfortunately it's too early to talk about this really. Who thought Mario Williams would be the top pick at this time lastt year?

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any past mocks (besides the ones right before the draft), but I would bet you any money that Lienart was the consensus #1 at this time last year and that Williams was around the 10th pick on most boards too.

draft thread? what do we do if we get the #1? the OT from wisco? trade down? right now it looks like a qb, a rb, and wr are the top candidates for the #1. my money says even millen doesnt have the balls to draft one of those again.

From September...

http://wtfdetroit.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7090

LOL@Terry Foster basing his entire column/premise on internet message boards.

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061126/SPORTS08/611260340/1004/SPORTS


Millen may be on his way out

Rumors of Matt Millen's firing are boiling now.

The Internet is so hot with Millen dismissal stories they are hard to ignore. But with the way he's run this team, it is completely understandable why these rumors won't go away.

The story goes something like this. The Fords were angry over another embarrassing Thanksgiving loss. Last year they acted immediately after Thanksgiving and fired coach Steven Mariucci. Now their target might be Millen.

The stories say they are negotiating a buyout with Millen and they hope to have an announcement on Monday or Tuesday. The reason we are not hearing anything sooner is because they did not want to overshadow the Michigan High School Athletic Association football finals played Friday and Saturday at Ford Field.

I believe there is something to it. I do believe the Fords spoke over Thanksgiving dinner and had a state of the Lions talk.

It is difficult to sugarcoat what has happened. You look at the botched first-round draft picks, the 21-68 record and the threat of losing the Thanksgiving Day game to another team and you see why the Fords might be on edge.

The Lions are going through their worst stretch in franchise history. It is even worse than when Darryl Rogers uttered, "What's a guy got to do to get fired around here?"

Their six-year record is the worst in the NFL and they still have never played in a Super Bowl.

Let's take an educated guess here. The Fords have spoken about the state of the Lions in the past few days. And if they are contemplating whether to keep or dropkick Millen, let me give them a gentle nudge.

This is not a case of whether you should fire Millen. You have to. You have no choice.

You are losing your fan base slowly, but surely. It might not reflect in season-ticket sales or television ratings. But people used to renew season tickets because they were encouraged or wanted to see Barry Sanders run. Now many feel like fools because they renew and can't give solid reasons why they should come back.

But they are coming back, reluctantly.

The fans are trying to plan another revolt. It will probably fail because it is difficult to get Lions fans to agree on one plan. But they did pull off the "orange out" last season and a few hundred of them successfully pulled off the Millen Man March.

The plan did not shake the Fords to action, but it showed there is unrest in this town. Some folks want to walk out with four minutes remaining in the second quarter of the last game of the season. Some want another march. Others have made up T-shirts that say "Sack Millen" that are likely to start showing up at Ford Field.

I feared their passion for this team was severely damaged when the Fords refused to fire Millen last season and then the team got off to this horrendous 2-9 start. They appeared apathetic during the Tigers' playoff run. But their anger appears to be back.

I write about these rumors because my email has been flooded with Lions fans that are hopeful the Millen era is over. They believe this is too good to be true. And I am sure a bunch of them went to bed Saturday night with their fingers crossed and a rabbit's foot under their pillow hoping for this move.

Now one of three things is going to happen.

1. The Lions retain Millen. The rumors go away and they continue losing. Head coach Rod Marinelli and his staff would have two years to bail Millen out or lose their jobs.

2. The Lions fire Millen and hand over control to CEO Tom Lewand and Bill Ford Jr. They already have a game plan in place. If this one happens, they will either stick with Rod Marinelli and his coaches for a couple more seasons to see if they can straighten things out. Or they will turn to Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron and hand over the coaching spot to him and his new staff. I also hear former coach Gary Moeller could be in the mix.

The Lions liked Moeller and some in the front office were angry when Millen didn't retain him. I've spoken to Moeller a couple of times and he maintains the Lions did not have to be blown up after a 9-7 injury-plagued season in 1999.

He believes he could have rebuilt on the fly with a couple of 8-8 or 7-9 seasons and then take off from there.

3. The entire organization is blown up. That includes Millen and Lewand, the coaching staff and the front office. It would mean starting from scratch and turning the Lions into the oldest expansion team in NFL history.

If that happens, it is my understanding the NFL would give the Fords help in trying to rebuild. The league at the very least would help the franchise find the right man to take over. He would not be a former commentator or ex-jock. He'd be a person who helped build a successful franchise somewhere else or was the right-hand man who helped build a team.

I like a lot of the people in the Lions' front office, but choice three seems like the best alternative.

The new person would get carte blanche over the organization. Hed be able to hire and fire anyone he wants, and that includes Marinelli.

The old Lions way did not work. And the new Lions way certainly is not working. Perhaps it is time to try another way.

I've spoken to a few people around the league off the record about Millen. Do you know what the best thing they say about him is?

He is a heck of a guy. People like him.

That's not good enough. These people are starving for a winning team. They deserve it.

The only thing they had to look forward to this season was opening day and booing Miami Dolphins quarterback Joey Harrington. Both turned into disasters.

Harrington, the guy everybody blamed for the Lions' woes, trotted out of Ford Field with a blueberry cobbler and a 27-10 Thanksgiving Day victory.

Here is a sobering statistic for you. Since Millen took over, the Lions are 18-37 in games Harrington has started. They are 5-31 in games he did not.

Does that hit home?

My NFL people are right. Millen is a great guy. He is funny and engaging and tells great stories. You'd love to swap stories over a beer or dinner. You'd love to listen to him on television or even sit next to him during a game.

You just don't want him running your NFL franchise.

I don't know if these rumors are true. I simply pray they are.

Correction. Internet message board.

Terry Foster rolls hard?

Terry Foster rolls hard?

Evidence to come as things shake out this week. He has visited.

From KFFL:

Lions | Millen has rough lunch break during labor meeting
Sun, 10 Dec 2006 13:07:04 -0800

Jay Glazer, of FOXSports.com, reports Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen had a rough lunch break during this week's NFL labor meeting. Millen took a seat at an empty table and for about 20 minutes, not a single person sat with him. Almost every other table at the meeting was filled. "It was pretty rough. Finally after about 20-25 minutes someone went over and talked to him. He was by himself the whole time and the rest of us were eating with others," said one team's vice president.

Haha. They probably feared he'd offer them Mike Williams for a #1 pick.

You've heard losing is contagious? I guess GM's and VP's, etc believe it.

What a chode. He needs to just leave the game in any aspect for 10 years.

Here is a sobering statistic for you. Since Millen took over, the Lions are 18-37 in games Harrington has started. They are 5-31 in games he did not.



SOMEBODY GETS IT.

So that means 23-68 with Millen. The team would have to go undefeated for the next 3 seasons just to get him around .500 for his career here.

i think they have 70 losses now.

And he's back for sure.

http://media.scout.com/Media/NFL/52_MattMillenPC.JPG

Where would the Lions be without his smiling face?

I wouldnt mind having the Floyd Reese from the Titans. Im from TN and he did a good job with the Titans.

He's on the radio right now talking about the Lions' team needs, lol.

He was also giving John Elway advice over the airwaves the other day. SMH

Guy could actually know what he's talking about and still not be taken seriously.

Just like bukdow.

http://www.onionsportsnetwork.com/articles/sight-of-matt-millen-on-tv-simply-too-much-for-nat,26356/

May this thread die a painful death