The Detroit Lions just gave their fans the worst gift imaginable—aa lump of coal with a pencil stuck behind his ear and a general manager who has taken this once proud, mediocre organization and driven it into the dirt.
I hope you enjoy the holidays, Lions fans, and don’t forget to put down a deposit for 2020 season tickets!
Lions owner Martha Firestone Ford and her daughter Sheila Ford Hamp have decided to bring back general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia for the 2020 season. Because this is the lion’s way. This is the Ford way. Embracing loyalty. Rewarding mediocrity. Seeing progress where there is none. And making Lions fans suffer.
“(Changing coaches) would have been the popular choice, the popular decision, and we knew that,” Ford Hamp told a small group of reporters Tuesday. “But as I say, we’re doing what is right for the organization.”
[ Forget it: Matthew Stafford goes on injured reserve ]
What’s right for the organization? I have no idea what world she lives in. This decision is disappointing to many and mind-boggling to others.
But it shouldn’t be surprising. You could see this coming on Sunday when Patricia had a 15-minute lovefest with the Fords during a pregame chitchat.
You want to know the worst part? It has long-term consequences. The Lions, who have lost 10 of their past 11, including seven straight, should have a high pick in the 2020 NFL draft. But do you want Quinn to make that call? What gives you any hope that he can make the right decision on draft night? His track record?
“We expect to be a playoff contender (in 2020), and those are our expectations, which we’ve expressed to both Bob and Matt,” Ford said Tuesday.
I understand the concept here. I understand why you would give a new coach three seasons to implement his system. But this is Year 4 for Quinn. And this organization is going backward.
Then, I looked up some of Quinn’s statements after Caldwell’s firing. “I think we have enough players to contend. The question is, do we have enough players to get over the top?” Quinn said. “Thirty percent of our team is going to be different, so my job is to make sure that new 30 percent is better.”
Yeah, I don’t think he’s done that, either.
Remember in the good old days, when nine wins weren’t good enough? Patricia has a 9-20-1 record during his illustrious Lions career. Silly me. I thought Quinn meant that nine wins in one season wasn’t good enough.
I didn’t realize that if you spread it over two years, you get to come back.
I just don’t understand it. Why do the Fords think Quinn is one of the 32 best options on the entire planet to be the GM? Can you tell me why Patricia is one of the 32 best options to have as a head coach? What have you seen in the past two years? Just because these guys once sat close to Bill Belichick?
Yes, the Lions led in a bunch of games, which is what the NFL is supposed to look like. Perhaps this was stunning to the Ford family. Perhaps they viewed it as a sign of progress. But this league is built on parity. It’s coaching and leadership that take you over the top.
