My thoughts on the Lions' recent management shake-up

In the end, it's all about results

Many, including myself, have defended Martin Mayhew for a long time. He was a master manipulator when it came to trades. He flipped Roy Williams for a first-round draft pick, for christ's sake. His draft record wasn't perfect, but after an abysmal 2011 class, it appeared that he learned from his mistakes and gave Detroit the pieces that were necessary to build a playoff contender. But it didn't happen.

We blamed the coaches, and maybe there was some truth to it. Regardless, these were the coaching staffs that Mayhew signed off on. At some point you have to look at the results. The Lions reached the playoffs twice since Mayhew's hiring, but could not earn their first playoff win since 1991. Each offseason following their playoff berth turned out to be a disaster. That is completely unacceptable. Time to move on.

Losing Tom Lewand means just as much as losing Mayhew

Mayhew wasn't the only big name to get let go as a result of a massive house-cleaning within the Lions organization. I think it needs to be said that firing Lewand is just as big of a decision as firing Mayhew. It's been well documented that Lewand was basically "The Money Guy," while Mayhew was "The Football Guy."

I doubt it's as simple as one guy making all of the business transactions, while the other guy decides who he wants to draft, sign and cut. But what I do know is that this GM/President duo was a disaster. How many NFL teams split these duties in half? There were too many pieces involved that needed to be on the same page and there was too much disconnect between management and the coaching staff. The Lions need a more simplistic approach: One GM that makes all of the final decisions in regards to managing the players and the money.

Jim Caldwell isn't gone... yet

I'm sure some fans are livid that Jim Caldwell hasn't been fired with the rest of his former colleagues. He will finish the season as the Detroit Lions' head coach and I'm completely fine with that. Who are you going to hire in his place for now? The only guy that might deserve a shot is Teryl Austin, and he hasn't exactly built off of the success from last year's dominant defense. Regressing after losing some of your key players on defense is one thing, but going from third in Defensive DVOA to 30th is utterly ridiculous.

Hiring a new GM means that they will bring in their own staff. No one is safe. Don't expect to see Jim Caldwell back next year.

Sheldon White will have an eight-week interview

After the fallout of the management shake-up, Martha Ford held a press conference and named Sheldon White the interim GM. However, the Lions cannot settle like they did when promoting Mayhew following Matt Millen's dismissal. They need to make it clear to White that this is temporary and merely an eight-week interview until the season ends. After that, you need a comprehensive search outside of the organization. Interview as many qualified candidates as you can and find the best match. Plain and simple.