Lions Want To Keep Lewand, Mayhew Regardless Of Potential Hire
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Ford Sr. Plans To Hire Someone To
Upgrade Lions Football Operations |
Ahead of yesterday's Saints-Lions game, which the Lions lost 42-7 to fall to 0-15 for the season, Lions Owner William Clay Ford Sr. said that he will "hire another person to upgrade the team's football operations, but it might not be a general manager with total control over all personnel decisions," according to Tom Kowalski of MLIVE.com. Ford added that regardless of whom he hires, he wants Lions Exec VP & COO Tom Lewand and GM Martin Mayhew to play "significant roles in the front office, possibly in the positions they currently hold." Ford: "I don't want to delineate positions to exactly where 'This is you' and 'This is me.' I want to leave some latitude. When we get a good person, I want Martin in on that, I want his opinion." Ford indicated that it would be a "three-man panel interviewing candidates," referring to himself, Lewand and Mayhew. Ford said of the possibility of Lions Vice Chair Bill Ford Jr. being involved in the interview process, "I don't know, I think he's got a plate-full right now. It depends on what his availability is." Asked about the possibility of hiring a GM with total authority, Ford said, "Let's see who's available and what experience they have and see if they fit in any of our slots." But Ford said that he "doesn't believe there is one 'football genius' out there who can come in and make all the right decisions independently." Ford: "No. If there is, I haven't met him yet." Ford added that if the Lions "decide to go with a general manager who holds total authority over all football decisions, Mayhew will be among the candidates," and that even if Mayhew does not get the job, he "still wants Mayhew to stay with the organization" (MLIVE.com, 12/21).
HE SAID WHAT? In Detroit, Mitch Albom writes Ford "actually said he wanted his two-headed front-office team to RETURN next year." Albom: "It's beyond belief, isn't it?" The Lions need a "total makeover" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/22). SI.com's Peter King writes, "Now I like Lewand, and I think Mayhew is one of the sharpest young guys in football. But how do you tell your fan base everything's fine in your front office when you've won one of your last 23 games? ... How do you not fire everyone and start over?" (SI.com, 12/22). In Detroit, Michael Rosenberg writes fans "will revolt, and they should" following Ford's decision to retain Lewand and Mayhew. Rosenberg: "What a joke. If William Clay Ford Sr. keeps them both, I don't know if the Lions will sell out a single game next year" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/22). In Grand Rapids, Brian VanOchten writes Ford "proved -- once and for all -- he cares nothing about winning." VanOchten: "If he cared, just a little, or if he had paid attention even for a moment this season, he'd realize there is no possible option but to push the reset button, ridding the front office of all personnel associated with this perennial loser. The situation is hopeless" (GRAND RAPIDS PRESS, 12/22). In Detroit, Bob Wojnowski, following yesterday's loss, writes, "No one should feel sorry for the Lions either, not anymore, not after this pathetic capitulation. This team is getting all the scorn it deserves, with even more coming if [Ford] sticks to his plan to keep his front office mostly intact" (DETROIT NEWS, 12/22).
FORD JR. MOVES ON: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Daniel Kaplan reports Ford Jr. “has stepped aside from the NFL’s labor negotiating committee just four months after his appointment to the group to focus more fully on the crisis” facing Ford Motor Co. and the auto industry. When Ford Jr. in August “was named to the post on the critical committee, his expertise negotiating with the UAW union was hailed as giving the league greater labor insights at a time when the NFL is at loggerheads with its players.” Ford Jr. has been replaced on the committee by Chargers President & CEO Dean Spanos (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/22 issue).
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