Matt Millen is gone. Done. Fired. Ziggied. Finished.
The Lions, apparently, have taken the first steps in the Eno Plan, seen here on Monday. They fired president Matt Millen late last night.
That's just the beginning, though. Or at least, it should be just the beginning.
There's lots more work to do, but none of it -- NONE of it -- could take place unless Millen was removed. Well, he's gone now, so let's get to work.
Do You Believe In Now?
NOW the Lions need to start a search, and an earnest search, for a new football czar. NOW they need to start their scavenger hunt, sending corporate raiders into the offices of the Patriots, Cowboys, Colts, and the like. NOW they have to place phone calls for potential new head coaches, assuring them that the Wicked Witch Is Dead, and it's safe to come to Oz, er, Detroit. NOW they must totally re-evaluate the rest of the organization, from the scouting department on down.
The Lions must Believe In Now.
A pro football team, more than any other team sport franchise, can operate during the regular season without a GM, per se. Unlike baseball, basketball, and hockey, an NFL team's roster is pretty much set once the bell rings in September. Few moves are made, beyond signing a free agent or two due to injury. So the Lions must think NOW, but not in the sense that they need to fill Millen's seat immediately. The NOW part refers to the search and the change in philosophy.
So what of Rod Marinelli?
Well, he's a lame duck, lamer than lame. Lamer than Gary Moeller was, lamer than Dick Jauron was. Marinelli might as well follow right behind Millen, packing boxes in hand, because there is no scenario at all in which Marinelli keeps his job under a new administration. None. Bet the farm, the kids, the family dog. Marinelli is going to be the ex-coach of the Lions. It's only a matter of when, not if.
But no sense, really, in changing head coaches now. Not until you get the new czar in place. As I said Monday, now is the time to think rationally. I called for Marinelli's firing as part of the Eno Plan, and I did indeed suggest that it happen before the next Lions game, on October 5 against the Bears in Detroit. But that was under the assumption that the Lions wouldn't fire Millen; I thought that canning the coach would be the first step taken, with the Millen axing coming soon after the season ended.
The Lions, frankly, surprised me with this move -- and why didn't I insert the word "pleasantly" in there?
But allow me one more word of cynicism.
The good news, of course, is that the Lions removed Millen, whose 31-84 record during his tenure was beyond bad. It was beyond even embarrassing. It was, truthfully, disgraceful. But I must ask: what was the final straw?
Was it simply the public words of frustration uttered by vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. on Monday?
Well, geez -- if THAT'S all it took, then why didn't Junior say something before? WAY before? There's been plenty of evidence that suggests Junior has been mystified by Millen for quite some time. So I'm a little ticked that it took a public calling out of his father by Junior to get this done -- especially when it should have been said years ago. But that's all water under the bridge, I suppose.
So the Eno Plan is off to a good start. Millen is gone, Marinelli is soon to be, one would think, and now the franchise's enema can begin.
Those who have made the honorable mistake of being a regular visitor to OOB know that I was one of the last holdouts when it came to Millen. I jumped off the wagon seconds before the last wheel came off. When the Lions signed Millen to a fat contract extension in 2005, I defended the move. My reasoning was: well, who are you going to get at this point? The Lions were four years into the Millen Era in the summer of '05, and it just seemed, to me, the wrong time to change direction. I thought that the time lost on a rebuild would be greater than the time it was going to take to correct the problem from within the organization. I still stand by that opinion, by the way.
It wasn't until sometime in 2006 when I, too, became too mystified to continue defending the man. Millen had no idea, but I was probably one of his last remaining supporters when I saw the light. Hey -- I never said I was a fast learner.
So where do the Lions go from here? Well, you already know what I think they should do. As for what they WILL do, here's my guess.
Tom Lewand, the team's executive V.P., COO, and salary cap guru, is likely to be in charge on an interim basis, with any personnel decisions being made by assistant GM Martin Mayhew. But it's all temporary. Such an arrangement will only last until the end of the season. After that, we might be in for one of the most fun and eventful off-seasons in Lions history.
I suppose it's possible that the Lions will find their Jack McCloskey anytime between now and January, especially if it's someone who's currently not affiliated with any other NFL team. You never know how these searches will turn out, once they begin. Someone could fall into their laps rather quickly.
We're only a third of the way there, folks. The GM is gone, but so must be the coach and the scouting department. But I have a feeling that the first domino has just been knocked over, and for that all Lions fans should be thankful. May as well break out the turkey and the dressing and the cranberry sauce -- we just had Thanksgiving in September.
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