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Do not really like the guy but I do like this article..
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...-ford-matthew-stafford-jim-caldwell/73793128/
The Lions' 42-17 embarrassment against the Cardinals must elicit a strong response from the Fords.
Can't blame the NFL for this loss.
Well, maybe you could, because the league keeps scheduling games for the Lions.
An early season of lows reached deeper depths Sunday. The Lions committed the cardinal sin against the Arizona Cardinals.
They quit.
They bailed on their season, their coaches and their fans. And when Jim Caldwell yanked an absolutely atrocious Matthew Stafford for backup Dan Orlovsky in the third quarter after the Cardinals scored 35 unanswered points, it was a feeble attempt at demanding accountability. But it was too little, too late. This team, this season already was beyond resuscitation.
This time, it's the Lions who should apologize.
Many wondered why the Fords remained publicly silent last week in the immediate aftermath of the officiating debacle at the end of the controversial Monday night loss at Seattle. Shouldn't owner Martha Ford or vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. have openly conveyed their rage at the league? If nothing else, it would have pacified a fan base seeking solace in the ridiculous notion that the Lions were somehow victims of a league conspiracy against them.
But Sunday's 42-17 loss at Ford Field reaffirmed that they're really their own worst enemy.
Losses happen. But the Fords can't tolerate the mental laziness exhibited on the field as the Lions gave up the ball four times on their first six possessions. They played like a team that already had accepted the futility of their task with no victories and 12 games remaining entering Sunday.
This goes beyond perhaps having the wrong quarterback, the wrong coach or the wrong offensive coordinator. This is about the Ford family long cultivating an organizational culture predicated on rewarding sycophants spouting the company line, knowing that a gullible public happily would lap up the bilge and keep Ford Field filled.
There needs to be a thorough sweep through every crevice of this franchise. Broom the whole bunch of 'em. Start fresh.
But that would require the Fords finally ignoring loyalty as a job-performance criteria.
Sunday's embarrassment never was more vividly articulated than just before halftime when Arizona defensive back Tyrann Mathieu raised his hands, prompting the crowd to boo even louder. And those who wasted an absolutely beautiful fall afternoon to watch this garbage happily obliged.
The Lions' first drive served as a microcosm for the entire season. Arizona jumped offside on the first play, giving the Lions a first down and 5 yards. A perfect start for an offense struggling. How hard could it be to gain 5 yards?
But they gained only 3 yards on the next two plays. And on third down, they were forced to burn a time-out because there was a miscommunication — or perhaps it was simply confusion — with the wrong players on the field.
Three plays into the game and they needed to take a time-out?
But it gets better. After the stoppage, Stafford overthrew tight end Tim Wright for the first turnover.
This 0-5 start is worse than 0-16 in 2008. That was a bad team with little talent. This is a bad team that thinks it's better than it is. But it's too easy simply blaming the coach or finally giving up on Stafford.
Sunday's ugliness becomes a referendum on ownership's willingness to finally change how it has conducted every aspect of team business for the past 40-plus years. If watching these highly paid players surrender with no fight doesn't elicit a strong reaction from the Fords, then it's finally time for these fans to return the favor and quit on the Lions.
http://www.freep.com/story/sports/c...-ford-matthew-stafford-jim-caldwell/73793128/
The Lions' 42-17 embarrassment against the Cardinals must elicit a strong response from the Fords.
Can't blame the NFL for this loss.
Well, maybe you could, because the league keeps scheduling games for the Lions.
An early season of lows reached deeper depths Sunday. The Lions committed the cardinal sin against the Arizona Cardinals.
They quit.
They bailed on their season, their coaches and their fans. And when Jim Caldwell yanked an absolutely atrocious Matthew Stafford for backup Dan Orlovsky in the third quarter after the Cardinals scored 35 unanswered points, it was a feeble attempt at demanding accountability. But it was too little, too late. This team, this season already was beyond resuscitation.
This time, it's the Lions who should apologize.
Many wondered why the Fords remained publicly silent last week in the immediate aftermath of the officiating debacle at the end of the controversial Monday night loss at Seattle. Shouldn't owner Martha Ford or vice chairman Bill Ford Jr. have openly conveyed their rage at the league? If nothing else, it would have pacified a fan base seeking solace in the ridiculous notion that the Lions were somehow victims of a league conspiracy against them.
But Sunday's 42-17 loss at Ford Field reaffirmed that they're really their own worst enemy.
Losses happen. But the Fords can't tolerate the mental laziness exhibited on the field as the Lions gave up the ball four times on their first six possessions. They played like a team that already had accepted the futility of their task with no victories and 12 games remaining entering Sunday.
This goes beyond perhaps having the wrong quarterback, the wrong coach or the wrong offensive coordinator. This is about the Ford family long cultivating an organizational culture predicated on rewarding sycophants spouting the company line, knowing that a gullible public happily would lap up the bilge and keep Ford Field filled.
There needs to be a thorough sweep through every crevice of this franchise. Broom the whole bunch of 'em. Start fresh.
But that would require the Fords finally ignoring loyalty as a job-performance criteria.
Sunday's embarrassment never was more vividly articulated than just before halftime when Arizona defensive back Tyrann Mathieu raised his hands, prompting the crowd to boo even louder. And those who wasted an absolutely beautiful fall afternoon to watch this garbage happily obliged.
The Lions' first drive served as a microcosm for the entire season. Arizona jumped offside on the first play, giving the Lions a first down and 5 yards. A perfect start for an offense struggling. How hard could it be to gain 5 yards?
But they gained only 3 yards on the next two plays. And on third down, they were forced to burn a time-out because there was a miscommunication — or perhaps it was simply confusion — with the wrong players on the field.
Three plays into the game and they needed to take a time-out?
But it gets better. After the stoppage, Stafford overthrew tight end Tim Wright for the first turnover.
This 0-5 start is worse than 0-16 in 2008. That was a bad team with little talent. This is a bad team that thinks it's better than it is. But it's too easy simply blaming the coach or finally giving up on Stafford.
Sunday's ugliness becomes a referendum on ownership's willingness to finally change how it has conducted every aspect of team business for the past 40-plus years. If watching these highly paid players surrender with no fight doesn't elicit a strong reaction from the Fords, then it's finally time for these fans to return the favor and quit on the Lions.
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