Yesterday William Clay Ford Jr., the son of the owner of the Detroit Lions, stated the obvious: The fans are right when they chant "Fire Millen." But in calling for the firing of Matt Millen, the Lions' general manager, Ford Jr. forgot to say the other obvious thing: "It's my dad's fault that Millen is running the team into the ground, and my dad should go, too."
Mitch Albom writes:
Who hired Millen? Who chose him with no experience? Who gave him a fat contract? Who renewed that contract? William Clay Ford Sr. Which means you start there. After all, if your little boy walks into a crowded room and belches, it's an embarrassment to him. If he does over and over, it's on you.Ford Jr. was certainly correct to call out Millen yesterday, but if he really wants to speak the truth, he'll call out his father.
Sure, Millen has the NFL's worst record during his seven-year-plus tenure. Sure, his early teams went three years without winning a road game (0-24). Sure, even Millen himself has referred to his record as "beyond awful."
But Ford Sr. keeps him.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-23-2008 @ 9:16AM
gary said...
the Ford family should just sell the team.
More thoughts
http://egrupes.com/blogs/index.php/2008/09/23/saying-the-obvious-bill-jr-to-bill-sr-fi
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9-24-2008 @ 1:11PM
James! said...
Hell, they should give it away...
9-23-2008 @ 10:53AM
Phil said...
When, AND ONLY WHEN, season ticket sales and stadium revenues begin to decline will Ford get rid of Millen.
This team has always been an investment and a "dig me" thing for Ford. Follow the money with this jerk!
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9-24-2008 @ 8:25AM
Rodney said...
Phil is right. The fans continue to go to the games despite the fact that the Lions stink, Millen is incompetent, and the coaches and players really don't care. No one is holding them accountable. If Millen's performance as GM is acceptable to the organization, so much so that he is the 2nd highest paid GM in the NFL, then why would the players care to work any harder? Losing is OK... in fact it is rewarded with a big fat contract extension for the GM.
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3-11-2009 @ 7:39PM
gregory said...
God, I wish Ilitch would buy the team from Ford....
I remember as a kid (1970) getting sick to my stomach and throwing up the day the Lions lost to the Cowboys 5-0 in the playoffs. That was the best Lions team in my memory, AND IT WAS THIRTY-SEVEN G*DDAM YEARS AGO. And, oh yeah -- they still didn't win.
I've kept all my hometown teams throughout all the years since I left Michigan in 1984, never wavering (even through the horrible Tigers years) in my support for each of them. But I think this year may have finally done it -- I just don't give a shi* about the Lions anymore. I don't care who they draft, I don't care what offseason moves they make, I don't care anything about them, unless the news is that Ford has finally sold out.
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