- The Lions held a press conference with Martin Mayhew and Tom Lewand yesterday, allowing the media to talk with them for the first time since their promotions. A full transcript of the presser can be found here.
- There were many interesting things mentioned in the press conference, but I don't really have time to get to all of them since I'll be out of town today. One thing I will mention is that Martin Mayhew will have the final say on football-related decisions and Lewand will deal with the franchise as a whole. I don't think everyone was completely sure of what their roles would be when they were promoted, but that should clear things up.
- Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo is interviewing with the Browns tomorrow and the Jets on Thursday. That leaves only Friday open for the Lions to interview him, but they are already scheduled to meet with Redskins secondary coach Jerry Gray on that day. If I were the Lions, I would reschedule the interview with Gray, as there is a small window of opportunity with Spagnuolo. Gray's team is done for the season, so he should have time to meet with the Lions at a later date.
- Roger Goodell, the NFL's commissioner, did a live chat with fans yesterday afternoon and was asked about the Lions. Goodell was asked to share his thoughts on the Lions and discuss what can be done to help them. This was his answer:
I speak to owners and teams on a regular basis, including Mr. Ford and the Lions. They are looking at every aspect of their organization to produce a winning team that the Detroit Lions fans would be proud of. They are as disappointed as anyone in this past season.
Goodell basically dodged the questions completely and said nothing of value. I didn't expect him to say much, as he can't just bash William Clay Ford or anything like that. Unsurprisingly, he did talk about how even the league's worst teams can get turned around in only one season. He cited the Dolphins, Falcons, and Ravens, which is a valid point. However, what he failed to mention is that the Lions aren't making the drastic changes necessary to get things turned around.
This season proved that a 1-15 team can go and win their division the following year, as the Miami Dolphins did. The Falcons and the Ravens are two other examples of teams that turned it around in one year and made the playoffs. Seven out of the 12 playoff teams were not in the playoffs last year.
- The 1976 Buccaneers, who went 0-14, understand what the Lions are going through right now.
- The Bears seem very interested in hiring Rod Marinelli, which makes sense since Lovie Smith is Chicago's head coach.
- The 49ers fired Mike Martz after only one season in San Francisco.
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