William Clay Ford Sr Speaks! Reveals Nothing!

William Clay Ford Sr. gave a rare 20 minute interview with reporters yesterday following the Lions mini-camp practice yesterday in Allen Park.

For those who were hoping for him to accept blame or take responsibility for his lousy tenure as an owner, please be aware that he does neither.

Let's tackle the most important issue first.  His thoughts on Matt Millen.

He still likes the guy...and all he had to say regarding the last eight years, when asked to boil down the reasons why it didn't work out: 

"He didn't really have much experience as far as being a general manger. He knows the game. He knew talent. Maybe he was a little precipitous about some of his judgments, I'm second-guessing him. 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.'"

Why on earth would you hire a person with not much experience (RE: NONE) as a general manager to run a team?  How come no one asks that question?

On his feelings about the fans: 

"It wasn't fun for me. I feel so sorry for the fans in Detroit. I mean, I give them full marks for showing up. We didn't perform the way we should've performed or the way we could've. I felt worse for them than I did for myself. I thought it was horrible every time we'd lose.

"But the guys who stuck through it, I can't tell you how great that makes you feel. And for the ones that walked away, I couldn't blame them. It wasn't much fun to watch. It was pretty boring because you could about guess the outcome."

We're still waiting for some sort of success Mr. Ford.  Ten playoff appearances with only one win to show for them just sucks.

But rest assure Lions fans, last years fall in attendance and the TV blackouts did catch Mr. Ford's attention.  When asked if the blackouts and fall off in attendance send a message, Mr. Ford responded, "Yes, people were getting fed up. And I don't blame them a bit. We didn't put up much of a show for them. And God knows what's gonna happen this year, more than anyone else does.

"But I think we'll give an honest day's effort and I think that's all they want. Of course they want us to win, and so do I, more than anything, but I think if they realize we're going down with our guns blazing, I think that'll be a very positive thing to have happen. And it did not happen last year."

In case people think anything here has been taken out of context, here is the full interview on the Detroit News website.

Both Millen and Mr. Ford have made lame attempts to try and explain away the deconstruction of an NFL franchise.

Matt Millen may have been the architect of last years 0-16 team, but let's give credit where credit is due.  The master of deconstruction is Mr. Ford.  He bough the team in 1964, a mere seven years after their last NFL Championship...and did nothing since then. 

I will give him credit for one thing, if it is indeed true.  He will not pressure Jim Schwartz into playing Matt Stafford until he's ready.  Schwartz was Ford's call, not Mayhew's or Lewand's. 

I still think the best thing William Clay Ford, Sr. can do for the Detroit Lions is to sell the team to an owner that will keep the Lions in Detroit.  For most of Ford's ownership of the Lions, they have been the doormat of the NFL. 

While he does say he wants a championship, the proof is in the pudding.  What has he really done to prove that he does indeed want a Super Bowl trophy?