Lions Owner & Chair Martha Ford on Thursday "announced some of the biggest changes the organization has seen in years," firing President Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew, according to Monarrez & Walsh of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Lions VP/Pro Personnel Sheldon White will be interim GM, while Senior VP/Administration & CFO Allison Maki will become interim COO. Ford said that "no changes have been made to the coaching staff." She added that a national search would "begin immediately for the 'best leadership' to manage the team." A source said that Sheila Ford Hamp -- the second-oldest of the four Ford children, all of whom have had the title of vice chair of the team -- "has taken a prominent role within the organization." The source said that Martha Ford and her children "decided that Hamp would take the new role." Bill Ford Jr. "would have accepted a prominent role, but the family decided otherwise" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/6). Martha Ford at a press conference yesterday said, "I want to assure our fans we intend to identify and hire the best leadership in order to produce a consistently winning football team. Our fans deserve a winning football team and we will do everything possible to make it a reality. I also want to make clear we have no intention of giving up on the season. We expect our team to compete, improve and win." In Michigan, Paula Pasche notes Ford's press conference, which was "not attended by any of her children, was brief." She "took no questions" from the media (OAKLAND PRESS, 11/6).
GETTING UNDER THE HOOD: In Detroit, Bill Shea noted Maki's promotion comes "less than six months after being promoted to CFO." As interim COO, Maki reports to Martha Ford and takes functional day-to-day control of the team’s entire business operation." There are "several women in senior financial roles in the NFL, but Maki is now the only woman running a team’s business operations." With Lewand gone, the team "does not have a president or CEO." White also "reports directly to Ford, and has control of the football portion of the organization." An immediate question is "who will manage the Lions player payroll under the NFL’s salary cap," a task formerly "handled in Detroit by Lewand." It is "unclear if it will be Maki or someone else." The Lions "face serious questions financially because of their enormous commitments" to QB Matthew Stafford and WR Calvin Johnson (CRAINSDETROIT.com, 11/5). Also in Detroit, Carlos Monarrez notes White has a "deep history with the Lions that led him to become the No. 2 personnel executive behind Mayhew." He played CB for the team from '90-92 and "has been with the team’s scouting or front-office staff for 19 years" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/6).
BAD VIBRATIONS: In Detroit, John Niyo writes Mayhew and Lewand "were a team from the start" and were "tied to each other." But they were "tied to the Lions past, too, which was a truth they couldn’t ignore then," and "certainly one they can’t now." If nothing else, this "was an acknowledgement" that Martha Ford's late husband, William Clay Ford Sr., "erred in entrusting this team to a regime that had already failed." The most recent Lions loss -- a 45-10 "embarrassment in London, with Ford and a large party of family and friends in attendance -- might have been the last straw." Lewand’s dismissal is "another sign of the changes -- and changing attitudes -- at the top." Lewand, who "spearheaded the construction of Ford Field, among other successes, was like a son to the late Lions owner, who stuck by him through his struggles with alcoholism" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/6). Also in Detroit, Shawn Windsor writes under the header, "Firing Smug GM Can't Disguise Lions' Ugh" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/6). ESPN's Phil Savage said this "rattles the cages of people all the way through to the bottom of the organization" ("NFL Insiders," ESPN, 11/5).
STARTING FRESH: In Detroit, Bob Wojnowski in a front-page piece writes Martha Ford "did what had to be done, what her husband always was reluctant to do, what Lions fans long have craved." She "pushed the plunger and blew it up, a dramatic, watershed move in the history of a forlorn franchise." It is "only a start, with many critical moves ahead, so Lions fans might want to temper their buoyant emotions." But "nothing could change until this happened." Patience and loyalty were Ford Sr.’s "virtue and curse, and if Martha Ford truly is different, it was imperative she showed it quickly" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/6). ESPN's Adam Schefter said the Lions are "making a systematic shift within the organization, a clean break." He said Martha Ford is "taking matters into her own hands." Schefter: "This is 90-year-old Martha Ford's message saying, 'I am tired of the losing and we are going to do things differently.'" Schefter said the changes have "stunned people around the NFL" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 11/5). The DETROIT NEWS' Lynn Henning writes Martha Ford "appears to have processed a simple truth that for 52 years eluded other family members." The Lions have "failed because never during the Fords' ownership have they had a skilled front office." She "may in fact understand how close she now is to making the Lions elite," and "they can be." They "lack for nothing, and never have under the Fords' ownership, nothing material or financial, anyway." All they have "lacked is a general" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/6).
RULING WITH AN IRON FIST: USA TODAY's Jarrett Bell writes Martha Ford "means business." Now there is an "even clearer message about her expectations for the Lions, who haven't won a playoff game" since '91 (USA TODAY, 11/6). YAHOO SPORTS' Dan Wetzel wrote she is "not interested in being a figurehead," as this is "an activist move." Wetzel: "A woman's touch is proving to be an iron fist." This "signifies the possibility of a new day in Detroit" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/5). ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein writes Martha Ford made the kind of "bold, decisive moves her husband never would." This is "at least a sign the Lions under the 90-year-old Ford and her four children, whom she said she consults with on decisions, are going to be comfortable enough to make the moves she deems necessary" (ESPN.com, 11/6). But Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw said the firings come at a "very odd time." Cowlishaw: "The Lions seldom seem to be an organization that looks like it knows what it's doing." ESPN's Pablo Torre: "While I admit that it is weird timing and no billion-dollar operation should really be surprising people in this way, I don't know when else there was going to be a change" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 11/5). But ESPN's Michael Wilbon said the Lions "do this every few years since like 1960." Wilbon: "I understand why they did it, but until you hire people to change it and actually change it, it doesn't mean anything" ("PTI," ESPN, 11/5).
FAMILY MATTERS: In Detroit, Josh Katzenstein writes under the header, "Lions' New Boss Must Have Proven Record." The front-office dismissals give the Lions a "head start on other teams" that might pursue GMs. Katzenstein: "The downside? If the Lions hire someone who currently works for a winning organization, which probably would be the best idea, they'll likely have to wait until January to begin." In the end, the Lions "should hire one boss." The title "doesn't matter, but having one person in charge will send a clear message the primary goal is to win" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/6). Also in Detroit, Mitch Albom writes the personnel moves "left a lot of fans wondering who's in charge, what's next and why now?" And as long as the Fords are "running this team, is anything really going to change?" Albom: "If all of this sounds like chairs shifting in 'Game of Thrones,' no surprise. This is what happens when a team is a car company asset. It has been run like a subsidiary, and has been managed like a subsidiary." This "may be how you do things in corporate America," but it is "not how teams win in the NFL" (DETROIT NEWS, 11/6). The DETROIT FREE PRESS' Jeff Seidel writes under the header, "I Don't Trust Fords To Make Next Lions Hire." Everything "hinges on whom the Ford family hires to run this team." Most NFL owners "don’t get this right, not over the long term." The future of the Lions, "perhaps for the next generation, will hinge on this hire." Seidel: "Simply hoping that Martha Ford gets it right won’t cut it" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 11/6).
