Jim Schwartz hired as Lions head coach

Tampa Bay fired Jon Gruden today.....I wonder if he had been available 2 days ago if the Lions would have pursued him?

I was thinking the same thing Dre but decided Gruden is too smart to have come here.

I am OK w/ the Schwartz hire. He was one of the most qualified candidates amongst the names being thrown about the league for the various HC openings i.e. Spagnuolo, Rivera, Mangini, Frazier, Bowles etc.. There isn't a clear winner among them.

Cowher refused a better position w/ the Jets, as he was not ready to start coaching again. Shanahan was not coming here as no established coach wants a complete re-build w/o personnel power.

Additionally the Lions biggest problem is lack of talent. This is in Maywand's hands. Since the ownership is not going to change all we can do from a fan perspective is to hope this upcoming draft will be approached differently. Everyone is saying the right things about the philosophy going forward, I'll wait till the draft to pass judgment.

Mayhew and Lewand at least communicate. Can they over come Ford ? Don't know.
Boss Ross tried to bring some Defensive intensity to the Lions but had to walk away before he could finish. If Schwartz is half the man Ross was he'll make some improvments before walking.
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Al Davis has lost more NFL pedigree than Ford could every imagine.

In golf, that would be too much LOFT (lack of ___-ing talent).

lol

PF needs a rolling dirt cloud smilie...ya know...like in old time comics with feet, fists and cuss words poking out of it

It's easy to figure out the future. Just look at the last 50 years. Schwartz will fail within 2-3 years and the fans will be bashing his coaching style. Lousy players will continue to be drafted and Lewand will have his contract renewed. The interesting part is when Mayhew is thrown under the bus after successive years of failure. Also, Ford Field will continue to enjoy higher than league average attendance.

I doubt a coach with any head coaching experience would even come to Detroit. They know what a bad gig it is. Deep down, most quality people want SOME accountability from the people above and below them. In Detroit, there is none of that.

Yup, I agree.

I would also hate to be a first round draft pick for this team. What star collegiate player would want to come to what is probably the most poorly managed franchise in professional sports?

Let's give them until the third game of the 09 season.
Millen is gone. Enjoy.

You may be waiting a while.Their only playoff win during Ford's ownership of the team occurred in 1991, twenty-seven years after he became owner. If that pattern continues, they are due for another playoff win in 2018.

yep.... but i'm not going to get sucked in by a 6-2 start or because there in a really easy conference and back into the playoffs with an 8-8 record.

As a New England Pats fan, I can say it's more Bill Belichick then anything or anyone in that organization that brings the success.

1. Gruden was purchased from The Oakland Raiders for 8 million...
and 2 first AND 2 second round picks. (geeeeezzzeee)

2. By trading away all those picks, Gruden's job becomes very difficult.

3. The Owner of Tampa Bay Fires both Gruden and his boss, the GM.

4. The buy out to rid the franchise of these two is 25 million. (yikes)

5. They were fired for not making the playoffs.
which they lost the last week of the season.

to The Oakland Raiders

I love Al Davis...He's devious :icon_evil:

Gruden was fired for more than not making the playoffs:

1) Relationship w/ the Glazer family was strained.
2) Majority of his players did not back him when questioned by the owners.
3) Failure to develop a QB in his tenure and pinning bad performances on injuries.

In short, this firing appeared rash, but was supposedly building over some time.

Oh you're right on. But playoff victories this season woulda swept that under the rug.