After seven years of awful draft picks, idiotic free agent signings, moronic interviews, and terrible football, Fox News has reported that Lions GM Matt Millen and the franchise have parted ways. Sources have not identified if owner William Ford had released Millen of his duties, or if Millen in fact stepped down, but either way let the party begin in Detroit!
O Matt, how we will not miss you. Since taking over in 2001, you have turned this organization into the doormat of the NFL, and as much as I and thousands of other fans want to put the total blame on you, we will take it easy because the players and coaches you have implemented in this system are absolutely awful.
Only you, Matt, would take a second string veteran in Jon Kitna and make him the franchise quarterback. Only you would bring back half of the past-their-prime Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and only you, Matt, would draft 3 wideouts in 4 years. I forgot to mention one thing: everytime we release a player, he usually comes back and beats us; Joey Harrington in Miami, J.T. O'Sullivan last weekend, and Kevin Jones, coming up next.
The mighty Lions are 31 and 84 since Millen took the helm in 2001, for all of you math junkies out there, that's 53 games below .500. We have lost nine games or more in every season that you have been in charge. In your first three years, we had gone 0-24 on the road. Since 2001 the Lions are 8-50 on the road.
Even Millen himself admitted this team was beyond terrible. But what did Bill Ford do about it? Nothing, he let cocky Mr. Millen continue to lead the Lions toward becoming the joke of the National Football League.
Let's take a look at the man who considers himself Mr. Football and examine some of the draft choices he's responsible for.
How about the second overall pick in 2003, Charles Rogers?
Rogers, who has already bounced out of the league, had a great start in his rookie season: one game later he was done for the year. Currently, Rogers is probably soliciting sex back in East Lansing, where he came from.
You must be wondering "who did Millen pass on to take Rogers"? Andre Johnson, Terrence Newman, Marcus Trufant, Troy Polamalu, Dallas Clark, Larry Johnson, and Nick Barnett, to name a few. Millen then went on to take Boss Bailey in the second round, passing on Ken Hamlin, Anquan Boldin and Osi Umenyiora.
Don't even get me started on drafting Joey "Ball Game" Harrington at number 2. Joey was the bomb in college, but he obviously never matured into the elite quarterback that many thought he'd be. Many argued on Broadway Joey's behalf that the real problem was the Lions' offensive line (yes, they are terrible, by the way), but Joey's track record reads "unsuccessful" everywhere he's been.
Oh by the way, we passed on Dwight Freeney, Quentin Jammer, Roy Williams (S) Big Al Haynesworth, Jeremy Shockey, Ed Reed, Lito Sheppard and Brian Westbrook.
And yes, Millen succeeded with the pick of Calvin Johnson...but that was an obvious one.
On behalf of all Lions fans...
Good riddance, Matt Millen.
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