Notes on a trip to the NFL Scouting Combine.This may come as a shock, but Matt Millen is not particularly well respected in NFL circles.
In Indianapolis for the Combine this week, I've heard a whole lot of people laughing at the expense of Millen, the Lions' president. I've heard a couple of reporters talking about how clueless Millen sounded when he talked to the media. I've heard an agent say the Lions need to be told how to orchestrate trades. I've heard a personnel guy make the requisite joke about how Millen is sure to take a first-round wide receiver. And so on.
It feels a little cruel to pick on Millen at this point, given that he's been picked on plenty while leading the Lions to a 31-81 record in seven years at the helm. Of course, it's nowhere near as cruel as what Millen as inflicted upon Lions fans.
Ultimately, however, Millen is getting the last laugh. Lions owner William Clay Ford has all but declared him president of the team for life, making him more secure in his job than any of the people joking about him are in theirs.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
2-23-2008 @ 11:21AM
Steve said...
The lions would have been much better in recent years without Millen...he is a over paid joke of a president of the Lions
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2-23-2008 @ 11:34AM
brian said...
if i was a draftee , i would stay away from the lions altogether....every pick they have made the past few years are a flop.....you cant utilize your talent when they dont address the main needs...a receiver doesnt have a chance with no line to give a chance to throw the ball, no running game no defense..except for bly...they need to change their name..the lions have their den , in the basement of the nfl , and they will not change for at least the next five years i thnk
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2-23-2008 @ 11:54AM
tobrien28 said...
I thank God often for the Giants as well. They are well run and very classy. Sometimes I think Millen and Ford are just out to give everyone in Detroit heart attacks. They fail even at that because "Cardiac Kids" need to be good enough to be in the game at the end.
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2-23-2008 @ 12:12PM
Gerry said...
If you wonder why Detroit is in its death throes, look at the management skill demonstrated by William Clay Ford. This is the same company that bet its future on SUVs when it knew the gas suppies would be dwindling and that prices would escalate to the point of the absurd. Nice going, Bill!!! I'm sure Matt and Bill will lead the Lions where Bill has led Ford Motor Company!
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2-23-2008 @ 12:50PM
matt_millen said...
joke will be on you all. i don't know how you can laugh at such a prestigious and successful organization. we only lost to the super bowl champion NY giants by 6 points last year and with my draft picks we will easily score 7 more points a game. so if we lost by 6 last year and add 7 points this year we will win the super bowl.
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2-23-2008 @ 1:21PM
boycott_the_lions said...
It is the same thing every year for the Lion's organization. They win a few games to give stupid people hope, then, they take as much money as they can from said stupid people. That's it. That's all. And they make hundreds of millions of dollars every year doing it. So until people realize what's going on, it's always going to be the same.
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2-23-2008 @ 2:13PM
nickstoli said...
It's not just that he makes bad 1st round picks. Heck, everybody does. It's that he makes bad EVERY ROUND picks.
A lot of GMs blow their first round picks but make up for it with a good later round pick.
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2-23-2008 @ 2:27PM
Tim McCoy said...
Matt: The Lions are neither prestigious and certinly not a successful organization. Losing to the Giants by only 6 points does not make you a contender for the super bowl. I am 56 years old and still a Lion Fan but never will I be a Matt Millen supporter. Mr. Ford Please sell the team to someone who knows football and fire Matt Millen before you sell the team. Give the Fans as well as the Team a chance at the Super bowl
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2-23-2008 @ 8:12PM
al coholic said...
Dear Tim McCoy...When you get a chance google the word sarcasm. Then come back and reread "Matt Millen's" post and your reply.
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2-23-2008 @ 8:17PM
Jamie Ross said...
William Clay Ford is a disgrace as an owner and should sell the team immediately!! He regularly hires losers, and Millen is the biggest loser of all! Who the heck hires a sports announcer to run a Football Team!?! Please sell!! PLEASE!! I BEG YOU!!
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2-24-2008 @ 10:26AM
john said...
ok so the Lions draft in the top 10 every year for life!!
1 joke=Millen
2 joke=Ford
I thank God every day for the Giant organization I have truly loved and admired for over 45 years.
I truly sympathize with every Lions fan out there.
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2-25-2008 @ 9:02AM
Mike Martz said...
I like Matt, I really do, but it comes down to a few things, in my judgement.
One, you have to be willing to take responsibility for failures. Matt, while he is a wonderful person, has a bit of a challenging time doing that, and that's ok as long as you come to grips with it.
Two, I like wide receivers, but you don't pick guys because they wear gloves, you know what I mean? Calvin is a good player, will be a good player in this league, at some point. I liked Mike Furrey, a good ballplayer, excellent skills.
Thirdly, you'll have to ask them, they fired me.
All good things,
Mike Martz
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2-25-2008 @ 9:56AM
Mike Martz said...
I just wanted to add that Matt is a good friend, and I hope he doesn't take this the wrong way because I say it with the best of intentions, but he has a really unimpressive mind.
That doesn't take away from some of the good things he does, and while I'm not sure of what they might be in a football sense, he is good with kids.
All the best,
Mike Martz
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2-25-2008 @ 8:03PM
Mouse21 said...
Gerry, Detroit is in it's death throes because of THREE auto companies and a horrid state government. William Clay Ford does not, and has NEVER worked for FoMoCo. The Lions sucking, and Ford sucking, are UNRELATED. WCF did not have the ability to work for Ford, so he was given a plaything, the Lie-downs. Common, but wrong belief. The GM's calling out Millen and the Lions is great. Take it from a SE Michigan lifer, I hate them, except for their comedic value, which is high.
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3-01-2008 @ 1:50PM
duane said...
WHY DO YOU LION FANS PUT UP WITH MILLAN AND FORD. GIVE YOUR MONEY TO CHARITY AND PUT IT TO GOOD USE. FORD IS TOO HARD HEADED TO LISTEN TO YOU. JUST LIKE HIS FATHER WITH THE CAR COMPANY. IF YOU WANT FOOTBALL YOU COULD GO TO CLEVELAND. IT MAY NOT BE A WHOLE LOT BETTER BUT YOU COULD FEEL GOOD THAT FORD WILL NOT BE STEALING FROM YOU. I AM SURE HE LAUGHS AT YOU FOLKS ALL THE WAY TO THE BANK....AND HES RAISING THE TICKET PRICES.NO WONDER THE STATE IS IN SUCH BAD SHAPE. WAKE UP.
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3-03-2008 @ 11:56AM
llee said...
MILLEN MIGHT BE THE BUTT OF JOKES AT THE COMBINE BUT TO DETROIT LION FANS WE AREN'T LAUGHING. MOST LION FANS WISHED THAT MIKE ILICH WOULD BUY THE LIONS, HE OWNS THE RED WINGS AND THE TIGERS. AND IS DEDICATED TO WINNING UNLIKE THE FORD FAMILY.
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