(Photo by Tom Pidgeon/Getty Images)
“For the guys who stuck through it, for the fans who stuck through it, I can’t tell you how great that makes you feel. For those who walked away, I couldn’t blame them. It really wasn’t much fun to watch.”
“By and large, you pay attention to [fan criticism]. If there’s a noticeable decline in attendance and the comments are not favorable, you pay attention to it. As I’ve said, the fans are the ones we want to please out here.”
Well, this is pretty straightforward stuff, right? Perhaps. Ford here feels like:
A) He has let the fans down, and for all the loyalty they have shown the team, he wants to turn this thing around and start winning again. He is grateful for those who have stuck with the team through both hard times for the Lions and Detroit itself.
B) It’s time to pay attention to fan criticism and act accordingly… but only now, because there’s been a noticeable decline in attendance. Maybe if he comes out and addresses the masses, then he can cure what ills the fanbase, like the Hand of God (of Ticket and Merchandise Sales).
C) The fans don’t seem to like him too much. Why is that? Oh well, the ones still hanging around make him feel warm and squishy inside, and that’s all that really matters.
Ford on Why Things are Different Now
“Well, this is going to sound a little egotistical, and maybe it is, but because [hiring GM Martin Mayhew, President Tom Lewand, and Head Coach Jim Schwartz] was solely my decision.”
“It wasn’t … not bicker, but arguments that [Ford and Matt Millen] might have had in the past — if that’s the right word. Maybe it’s a little strong, but it was a difference of opinion that we’d had in the past.”
“Everything’s different, including our front office personnel here[...] The head coach is different. The whole thing’s just a new setup.”
Ok, then. If you’re like me, the part about him making decisions on his own is frightening. The man has owned the club since 1964, so you mean to tell me he’s never made a decision in 45 years, and now that he is, things are going to get better?
Enough poisoning the well, try to figure out if Ford:
A) Is really serious about this, and his hiring decisions are now solely his own, which could make a huge difference, because he wasn’t really high on hiring Rod Marinelli or Steve Mariucci… or even Millen himself.
B) Is throwing Millen under the bus, by effectively deeming him not only responsible for the Lions’ recent shortcomings, but also a tyrant who made his own decisions without consultation. And he didn’t want to hire him, some serpent’s tongue in his ear told him to. Not a terrible stretch, but it sure sounds like deflection of blame.
C) Thinks that even though he hired Millen, the guys he hired after Millen, who worked under Millen, will be better than Millen, because he picked them all by himself. That’s why, when Commissioner Goodell called and asked if he wanted help restructuring, providing a list of available football execs, Ford’s response was, “no thanks, I’ve already got my guys.”
Ford on Accountability
“If Jim Schwartz doesn’t work out, you can blame me 100 percent. I just have confidence in him.”
“Starting with Jim and on out, as far as my livelihood goes, I’m going to shoulder the responsibility for any mistakes we made. I don’t mean every play or stuff like that, but if things go sour and the fans turn against us, I’ve got nobody to blame but me, and I’m aware of that. That’s a nice challenge to have. I’m going to try to keep them happy in bad times.”
You know what Ford’s saying here, but is he thinking:
A) After Millen painted himself as a scapegoat in the media, the fans need someone to be accountable for their franchise, and I’ll step up and be that guy, so if the team flops this time, they know just who to point to. If they have to deal with a bad football team, they should at least know whose fault it is.
B) The fans are looking for someone to blame? Millen’s acting like a scapegoat? Fine, might as well say it’s my fault. What are they going to do, anyway? It’s not like they can force me to sell the team. Sure, I’m accountable for the team that I own and can do whatever I want with, wonderful.
C) Maybe if I say I’m accountable “from here on out,” I can get people to forget the fact that I’m also accountable for the last 45 years I’ve owned the team, too.
Now, let's check your results.
If you said mostly A’s, you think Ford is a sincere old man, who has been misguided in the past, but is making a real effort to right the wrongs now, because that’s what good, loyal Lions fans deserve.
If you said mostly B’s, you think Ford is effectively a sinspawn, brought to this earth for the sole purpose of running car companies and NFL franchises into the ground, embarrassing the state of Michigan in both cases.
If you said mostly C’s, you don’t really think Ford is a bad guy, he’s just not a good owner, and doesn’t quite know what to do with his team. To the extent that he thinks, he thinks he’s doing right by the fans, but it could also be that he is just spouting off with no idea what he’s actually talking about.
If you think all the answers have a little truth to them, then you think Ford is a guy who sincerely wants the Lions to win, but also… and perhaps even more so… sincerely wants to sell tickets and make money off his franchise. And he has absolutely no clue at all how to address either issue.
And you’re probably right.
Dean Holden is the "Voice of the Lions" on NFLTouchdown.com. Check it out for in-depth analysis on the Lions and all 31 other NFL teams.
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