Should the Detroit Lions fire Matt Millen?

[Lefty48197]

I think the Lions fired the wrong guy. Fired head coach Steve Mariucci had already proved that he could coach a playoff team. He had two successful seasons with the 49ers, and then after they went through a two year re-building, they had 2 more successful seasons under Mariucci. He proved he could win with a team with a lot of talent, and he has proved that he can lose with a team without much talent.
It's been Millen's job to improve the talent for the last five years, and he's done a pretty bad job, specifically with the offense.
One year, the Lions had the #2 pick in the draft, the next year they had the #3 pick in the draft, and both have been busts. Neither of the three wide receivers the team has drafted in the first round for the last three years has contributed much of anything.
It's the GM's job to draft people of character, people with NFL talent...
Millen failed.

A movement is now building among Detroit Lion fans who are demanding that the team fire team President and General Manager, Matt Millen.

The fans' ire boiled over at the Lions' last home game, when fans began holding up handmade "Fire Millen" signs, and the crowd started chanting "Fire Millen" in response. Stadium security kept confiscating the signs, drawing boos from the crowd. One fan even got chased across several sections by security, holding up his "fire Millen" sign all the way, before he was tackled by stadium security.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051205/SPORTS01/512050360/1049

Here's a couple of photos of the now famous Lion fan:




Notice how those around him seem to agree with the "Fire Millen" sentiment.

The team management tried to claim that they didn't mind the wording of the sign, it was just the fact that the guy was running around holding it aloft. They feared for his safety...
...so they had a 260 pound security guard tackle him on the concrete steps, so he wouldn't get hurt.

http://scoreboards.aol.com/football/nfl/team/det/12498/team_news.aspx

"The problem is not with the messages, it's when those messages start to go around the stadium with somebody running with them through the stands. That potentially creates an unsafe environment for our guests," she said. "Our No. 1 goal is to create a safe environment and a fan-friendly experience for our guests, and that priority is at risk when we have an incident such as the one we did on Sunday.

"That illustrated why this policy is in place, because he could've tripped and hurt himself on concrete steps, or fell on a kid or an elderly person, or made the situation escalate in another way."

Here's a link to the video of the guy running around with the sign. Again, please note the reaction of the fans around him. All paying customers of the Detroit Lions...

Click the "hear what the fan has to say" link:

Note that he shows cuts and scrapes on his legs from when he was tackled on the concrete steps by the guys who were trying to keep him from falling and hurting himself on the concrete steps...

http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/5468060/detail.html#

These guys agree with the sentiment:




Lion fans in other locations are also part of the movement:




At a recent Michigan State Spartan basketball game, fans cheered when Steve Mariucci appeared on the video-tron, then held up their own "Fire Millen" signs, and started the obligatory chant:

http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/story.jsp?id=2005121022030001987200&dt=20051210220300&w=APO&coview=

Tossing their rivalry aside, I've heard that Michigan Wolverine fans reacted the same at their recent home game.

Detroit Red Wings fans even got in on the action while watching a road game in Washington DC.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/09/AR2005120902072.html

Detroit Piston fans echoed the sentiment at one of their road games in Atlanta recently:
http://www.firemillen.net/

One of the local sports talk stations is sponsoring a protest march outside Ford Field before the last home game this Sunday. Fans are encouraged to wear orange clothing as a silent protest against the miserable franchise. (Orange is the team color of the visiting Cincinnati Bengals, who incidentally went from the worst team in the league a few years ago, to a legitimate playoff team this year). Downtown Detroit might be a very fun place to be this Sunday...

[Robeson]

1. Quick answer: Does a bear shit in the woods?

[Broken_Hero]

2. Maybe...

I would definately do something, damn the Lions have been abysmal...for a long time, time to shake things up!

[KitchenWitch]

3. Mooch got fucked, fire Millen

[Cush]

4. yes

[democracyindanger]

5. Millen sucks, but Mooch is a fraud.

Mooch didn't get screwed, he got what he deserved. He was brought in to develop young talent, but did nothing. He wasn't even interested in demanding Mike Williams show up to practices and team events on time. The young QB he was supposed to groom was hung out to dry, as Mooch waited for his 35-y-o Prince Charming to heal up. And when Garcia was finally in the lineup, the results were no better, and arguably worse. Let's not even talk about the non-use of Kevin Jones.

Of course MSU, Michigan and Red Wings fans are rooting for Mariucci. And if Millen got fired and Mariucci stayed, they'd be rooting for Millen. Same way they were calling for Harrington's head until Garcia got the start--then they started chanting for Harrington. Fickle, fickle, fickle.

I'm not defending Millen. Plenty of reason to call for his head. But to do that, it isn't necessary to raise Mooch on a pedestal. Mooch is a bum, either too stubborn or too clueless to adapt to the NFL, and too much of a coward to lead a team.

It's not a coincidence that a lot of the same complaints that chased him out of SF are the ones that got him the boot in Detroit.

[kanrok]

6. NOOOOOOOOO!!!

Keep him! As a Bear fan, I can't think of a better choice for Lions GM than Millen.