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On Friday new Lions team president Rod Wood assuaged fears and affirmed that the team would indeed hire an advisor to aid them in their search for a new general manager to run the Detroit Lions front office, a position currently held by interim GM Sheldon White. Wednesday, Wood's promise took shape as the Lions brought former NFL GM Ernie Accorsi aboard as a consultant in conducting their search for a future front office star.
The #Lions have selected former Colts/Browns/Giants GM Ernie Accorsi to help consult in their search for a permanent GM.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) November 25, 2015
Ernie Accorsi's first general manager position was with the Baltimore Colts in the early 80s, where he had previously served as assistant general manger. Following his time there, he was the executive vice president and general manager of the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1992, and he was with the New York Giants following the Browns until his retirement. He was largely responsible for constructing the Giants roster that won two Super Bowls, in part thanks to his work conducting the trade that brought Eli Manning to New York.
Since his retirement, Accorsi has been involved in multiple consulting jobs for hiring front office talent around the NFL. He was a consultant with the Carolina Panthers for two years and helped them discover their current GM Dave Gettleman, and he was with the Bears in 2014 to help in their search to net them Ryan Pace.
Ernie Accorsi spoke with the Detroit Free Press earlier in November on what the Lions could do in their front office search. In light of these events, it's certainly worth another read.
Rod Wood also made a few other statements of note on Wednesday. He told reporters that the coach would be entirely up to the new general manager. What this means for Jim Caldwell is unclear at the moment despite his two game win streak. Rod Wood also told the press that a general manager/coach is not being considered at this time, and that interim general manager Sheldon White is indeed being considered as a candidate.