Millen gone, but Lions' woes remain
The Bears are headed to Detroit with the intent of burying the Lions on Sunday, but this matchup offers the chance for all Bears fans to appreciate two virtues often forgotten in today's pro sports landscape: loyalty and fairness.
Matt Millen didn't have a day of front-office experience when he was tossed the keys to the franchise by Lions owner William Clay Ford in 2001. The Lions thought outside the box and naturally stuck by Millen when the team got off to an 0-12 start that first season.
After five years and a 16-48 record, the Lions recognized that Millen was still navigating the learning curve and locked him up with a five-year extension. When a radio station sponsored a "Millen Man March" a couple of years back to protest the lack of improvement, the team held firm.
The Millen era finally had its plug pulled last week. The Lions' return on their devotion was a 31-84 record, certainly a contender for the worst seven-year run in NFL history.
Millen just didn't leave the cupboard bare in Detroit, he ransacked the house like the Grinch who stole Christmas. To start this season, the Lions fell behind both Atlanta and Green Bay 21-0 in the first quarter. They were slightly better in Week 3 at San Francisco, staying within 21-3 at halftime. According to the Detroit Free Press, 30 of Millen's 62 draft picks are out of the league.
Is there a lesson to be learned here? No, this is more an example of why the Lions have won just a single playoff game since 1957 and an illustration of why loyalty is not popular in the NFL. Now here's a closer look at the Lions:
Problem 1, defense: Through three games, Detroit's defense has allowed 37.7 points and 430.3 yards per game, while managing 1 takeaway and 3 sacks. Also of note, none of the three quarterbacks the Lions have faced (Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers and J.T. O'Sullivan) had started an NFL game before this season, but that doesn't necessarily make them less dangerous than Kyle Orton.
Problem 2, running game: Of the four running backs on Detroit's roster, three are rookies and the other is Bengals castoff Rudi Johnson. Yes, that's the guy who's luggage was allegedly swiped by Tatum Bell, the player he was brought in to replace.
Third-round draft pick Kevin Smith from Central Florida was benched early in the San Francisco game. Johnson, who ran for at least 1,300 yards in Cincinnati from 2004-06, stepped in and garnered 83 yards. Overall, the Lions have been outgained on the ground 623-227, which can happen when a team falls behind 21-0 every week.
Second thoughts: Why are the Lions so ill-equipped at running back? One reason is they gave up on Kevin Jones after he suffered a torn ACL last season. Jones is now healthy and filling in for the Bears.
Third-year coach Rod Marinelli was asked this week if he wishes he could have a do-over on Jones. The response isn't worth printing because Marinelli is a lackluster quote.
Repeat the question: Actually, Marinelli did have a colorful moment this week. Asked about the perception that he's a lame-duck coach without Millen around, Marinelli requested a definition of the term "lame duck." For the record, Marinelli and Lovie Smith coached together in Tampa Bay and are close friends.
Strategy session: Offensive coordinator Jim Colletto didn't give away any trade secrets when he suggested more passing may be in store for the Lions. They do still have the four wide receivers who gave opponents problems last season - Calvin Johnson, Roy Williams, Mike Furrey and Shaun McDonald.
"We can't play the run-run-pass, run-run-pass," Colletto said in The Detroit News. "We're not gonna do that. ... We've got to manufacture more points faster."
Lions milestones: It's not all bad news in Detroit. Kicker Jason Hanson needs just 19 more points to pass Jan Stenerud for ninth place on the NFL's all-time scoring list. Go ahead and feel some relief for left tackle Jeff Backus, who started every single stinking game of the Millen era.
Don't forget: The Bears lost twice to the Lions last season, while Detroit set an NFL record by scoring 34 fourth-quarter points in the game at Ford Field.
Life in slow Layne: Detroit News columnist Bob Wojnowski explained the "Curse of Bobby Layne" this week. Layne led the Lions to their third NFL championship in six years in 1957, then was traded to Pittsburgh the following season.
Following the trade, a frustrated Layne allegedly muttered that the Lions would not win for 50 years. There is no actual record of him making such a comment, but why spoil a good story?
Wojnowski reports that Layne was traded on Oct. 6, 1958, which means the curse expires Monday. The Bears might be catching the Lions at exactly the right time.
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