William Clay Ford Speaks, but Still Clueless

Posted Jun 24, 2009 11:12PM By JJ Cooper (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Lions

Detroit Lions owner William Clay Ford admits that maybe in hindsight hiring Matt Millen as general manager wasn't the best call he's ever made.

"He really didn't have much experience as far as being a general manager goes. He knows the game, obviously, and knew talent. Maybe he was a little precipitous on some of his judgments -- I'm second-guessing him -- but it didn't work out. He understood completely. There was no bitterness or rancor on his part. He said, 'No, I can see why you're doing it and I don't blame you.'

Who cares if Millen blames Ford for his firing? With any other team, Millen would have been canned years before. But here's another sign of why the Lions are who they are. When asked if he stuck with Millen for too long, Ford didn't focus on the fact that he gave Millen seven years despite a 31-84 record--he thinks that the question was only whether to fire him three games into the 2008 season was too soon.

"Well, maybe. I think circumstances and timing were important. You don't want to jump ship after two games or one game. When the fans were really getting fed up, it's like 'OK, it's time to make a move.' I thought about it obviously. The timing just worked out the way it did.''

Ford tries to reassure Lions fans by saying that unlike previous hires, he picked coach Jim Schwartz all on his own, but considering Ford's track record, that seems like a kiss of death.

But if he does end up having to eventually fire Schwarz, he's sure to do it in a way that makes sure they can stay friends.

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

6-25-2009 @ 12:29AM

bears0492 said...

Rod Marinelli is a saint

I'm so glad Chicago got him to be their D Line coach

6-25-2009 @ 8:18AM

Roby said...

A saint? I'm sure Rod has been called many things, but a saint ain't one of them. As a long time Lions fan, I'm glad he went to the "Windy City," too. Oh, by the way, did he bring his "rock" with him?

6-25-2009 @ 11:48AM

He might not have been ready for a head coaching job, but he's one of the best D Line coaches the NFL has ever seen. Just ask Warren Sapp, Simeon Rice, etc etc

6-25-2009 @ 1:10PM

thetrutheh said...

did not know that ford sr hand picked schwartz. not what we wanted to hear. we laughed when we saw how millen took being fired. millen raked the lions for 5 million a year. who would not be ok with being paid that kind of money to make a team worse than it was before you were hired.

6-25-2009 @ 1:12PM

our only question is why is william clay ford sr even given attention. what a disaster.

6-25-2009 @ 1:33PM

Baczik said...

Mr. Ford...PULEEEZE I will happily make your franchise a laughingstock for a mere 100k annually. You save millions, I have fun, It's a win win, and I couldn't have been any worse. Admit it. I made this offer several times over Millen's carrer. Tell the people the truth. He had photos.