Jay

January 15th, 2009 at 3:53 PM ^

I'm cautiously optimistic with this hire. Jim Schwartz was the best possible coach that this pathetic franchise could have realistically landed. Now, Mr. Mayhew, draft Andre Smith!!!

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 578

Brodie

January 15th, 2009 at 3:54 PM ^

The Lions, for making a competent hire, have earned my interest. If they can make proper personal decisions, I may return as an actual fan.

Joined: 11/19/2008

MGoPoints: 10713

wolverine1987

January 15th, 2009 at 4:03 PM ^

Seems like a good hire, but, because it's the Lions, I can only assume that it's not. And he was a DF for nine years, and usually the good HC candidates get plucked out quicker than that so...

Joined: 07/07/2008

MGoPoints: 18065

4godkingandwol…

January 15th, 2009 at 4:35 PM ^

... We said it was good when we hired Ross. We said it was a good move to hire Mariucci, we were excited to bring in Mike Martz. I just don't drink the kool aid anymore. I'll wait until they win a playoff game before I believe that there has been a real turnaround.

Joined: 08/06/2008

MGoPoints: 31340

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 15th, 2009 at 6:17 PM ^

Poor guy. Through absolutely no fault of his own, his three-year tenure will be considered as big a failure as the three coaches before him. At least Mayhew didn't go the nepotism route and hire Bowles. Edit - let me at least give credit to the Lions org. for being pretty thorough. They interviewed a lot of folks. Can't really say that about the last few hires.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 41586

Calvin

January 15th, 2009 at 6:29 PM ^

through no fault of his own? his coaching was terrible. the guy was not fit to be a head coach. i question his ability to be a coordinator. he made so many terrible decisions. his undying commitment to stale ideas being the biggest of them all. he's the one that decided to bring all of the tampa retreads.

Joined: 12/15/2008

MGoPoints: 506

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 15th, 2009 at 10:22 PM ^

Yup. Look who's in charge of this sorry-ass bunch. As long as management is the way it is, especially at the top where a senile old geezer tries to make all the decisions himself and cowers from the press, Vince Lombardi himself couldn't get this team to .500, let alone win a playoff game. Unless Mayhew is some kind of miracle worker and can tell the big boss to eff off when it comes to making decisions about the team, Schwartz is doomed. Unlikely, since Mayhew learned the trade under The Worst GM In The History Of Sports. Schwartz is probably a very smart coach and good guy who will be handed a bucketload of ass that passes for "talent" around these parts and will eke out 14-16 wins in three seasons before being fired in favor of yet another poor sacrificial lamb of a coach who will be the next guy never to have a head coaching job in the NFL again. Just like with the Blackhaks, the only way this turns out different is if Old Man Ford kicks the bucket before then, or is persuaded to give up all control of the team and never set foot in Ford Field again.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 41586

Calvin

January 15th, 2009 at 10:36 PM ^

While I absolutely agree about the head of the organization, it is widely accepted that Ford mainly stays out of the way to let his guys do their business. I would say that goes to show how bad Millen really was. I can't sit here and think we made the right decision, but I at least feel a little better that some very good names(like Bill Polian) have spoke out highly in favor of Martin Mayhew. If we look back at Millen, what were his mistakes? Personnel evaluation, including head coach. Now I already feel they did a decent job in the coaching search, and they did pick the guy I thought to be the best candidate. Mayhew also is already doing things that Millen never did. Millen was said to never have spent the time on the job that he was supposed to. He was always gone. Mayhew has already been running around scouting more than Millen has in 8 years. Now I'm not convinced we'll turn it around. I just think at least worse decisions could be made. Where as in the past, the worse decisions were the ones made by Millen. As long as Ford can stay out of the way, which he has in the past(supposedly). We have an outside chance.

Joined: 12/15/2008

MGoPoints: 506

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

January 15th, 2009 at 10:52 PM ^

Well, according to the article in the News, WCF sat in on the second interviews with Schwartz and Todd Bowles. There's also the rumor that Millen and his guys wanted to draft Quentin Jammer and WCF stepped in and told them they were taking Harrington. Ford would never have fired Millen, either, if his son hadn't publicly humiliated him into doing so. Not to absolve Millen by the way. But Ford's fingerprints are all over this crime scene of a football team. Ford was the one who refused to bother interviewing any GM candidates and simply promoted from within. It was comfortable. It was easy. And it rewarded the guys who had a big hand in going 0-16. I mean, why bother improving if the worst possible results mean you get to keep your job? It's like if a co-pilot who took off 16 times and crashed 16 times was promoted to pilot. Like I said - credit to Mayhew and the org. for doing their due diligence in the coaching search. That's something Millen didn't do. So Mayhew is better than Millen already, but then again I'm a better basketball player than my seven-year old cousin - doesn't mean I'm ready for the big time. I think they got a pretty decent candidate, but his job will essentially be to polish a turd. I have no faith that Mayhew knows how to draft players, and I have no faith that WCF will let him do so even if he does. So, yeah, Schwartz. I mean, I'm happy the Lions didn't hire Bowles, cause the guy's never even been a coordinator and we saw how that ended up. We don't need the GM running around hiring ex-teammates. That's how Ford operates: comfortable and easy. So that was the right call. It'll work great until Ford orders them to take Stafford, because quarterbacks sell tickets, and he gets sacked 60 times.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 41586

Calvin

January 15th, 2009 at 11:07 PM ^

Yeah actually the one thing I was afraid of was what you mentioned exactly, which is the Harrington incident(another reason I'm super happy Bradford stayed in school). For the most part besides that though I was under the impression he didn't force picks. I also heard though that Millen was pretty ignorant in his picks and decisions, and that personnel including Mayhew constantly disagreed with him. They were ignored though. I've heard of several picks that would have been infinitely better than what Millen decided to do. So purely for hopes sake I will not say that Mayhew had a huge hand in the 0-16 team. One other thing I'm hoping is that by the plan Mayhew and Lewand brought to Ford, part of it was politely stay the fuck out of our business if you trust me. I'm sure you heard the part about "The Plan" and how it was described that we must start in the trenches. So perhaps Mayhew knows the affect Ford has and is trying to keep him out of forcing decisions. Remember Mayhew is doing everything opposite of Millen. This is all hope of course because well, theres not a whole lot else to do. I can't seem to stop focusing on the team, so I can only just hope the right decisions are being made.

Joined: 12/15/2008

MGoPoints: 506