Millen Strikes Again

Super Bowl XLIV is now set, Colts vs. Saints. This is the fourth Super Bowl in Colts history and the first in Saints history. As I sat there watching the Saints celebrate their first ever Super Bowl birth, I couldn’t help but wonder if that could have been the Lions celebrating. How is that possible? Let’s take a look back a few years.

Back in 2006 the Lions were looking for yet another head coach to lead this franchise. At the same time the Saints were too. Millen decided to hire Rod Marinelli, a defensive line coach from Tampa Bay. The Saints went with Sean Payton, a highly touted offensive coordinator from Dallas. Well, history shows that the Saints got it right and Millen and the Lions got it way wrong again (i.e. 0-16).

Here’s a closer look at the mistake. The Saints hired Payton and it lead to wholesale changes in the organization. In 2006 alone they went out and acquired quality players. They signed Drew Brees, LB Scott Fujita, drafted Reggie Bush (2nd ovr), & Marques Colston (7th rd). These signings led to Coach Payton being named the 2006 coach of the year with a 10-6 season. But they didn’t stop there, they continued to build. In the next 2 years they drafted players like WR Robert Meachem, OT Jermon Bushrod, DT Sedrick Ellis, and CB Tracy Porter. They also signed and traded for TE Jeremy Shockey, LB Jonathan Vilma, and FS Darren Sharper. All these are players we could have used.

In that same time span of 2006-2008 Rod Marinelli did the exact opposite of what Coach Payton did. Marinelli went out and tried to sign every former and washed up Buccaneer he could find and the Lion’s roster got worse as the years went on. The only player worth noting under Marinelli is WR Calvin Johnson, who still has not met his potential. Marinelli led this team to the NFL’s first ever 0-16 season. Never had this franchise fallen so far down.

Looking back, you can see that Coach Payton was the wiser choice. It wasn’t just because of the record, but it’s because Payton had more respect around the league to get the players he got. Payton coached under Bill Parcells in Dallas and earned respect from everyone. Coach Marinelli, yes he coached under Tony Dungy, but he had never even been a coordinator in this league.

So as you’re watching this year’s Super Bowl on February 7th, think about how this could’ve been the Lions you’re watching and not the Saints.

Draft Changes

There are 82 days before the 2010 NFL Draft. There’s a twist in this year’s draft that we all need to pay attention to, however. The 2010 draft will have a new format. The first round of the draft will take place in primetime on Thursday, April 22 at 7 pm. Followed by the second and third round on Friday at 6:30 pm. And the draft will finish off with the fourth thru seventh rounds on Saturday morning at 10.
Martin Mayhew, the Detroit Lions General Manager, believes that this format change could lead to many draft day trades. “I think they will be longer days. I think the teams that have the benefit of picking first the next morning will be in a good situation. You look at your board, you start to ask yourself how important Player A is, if you could just get Player A. ... I think you’ll see a lot of trading of those rounds,’’ Lions general manager Martin Mayhew said.

Martin Mayhew might be on to something. This draft is top heavy, which means that many of the outstanding players at most positions will probably go within the first two rounds. Most believe that 11 to 13 defensive linemen could go in the first round alone. If you are a team like the Lions who need defensive help, you just might think about trading a pick or a veteran player to get a player in a position you need if you don’t see one worth taking on your draft board.

Having an entire day before the second round, will lead to many GM’s or player personal persons picking up the phones to other GM’s and talking trade. Pay attention to this development.