How the Lions Turned it Around

The hottest team in the NFL this season is one of the most unlikely teams. The Detroit Lions are 4-0 and counting the end of last year, on a 8 game winning streak. Yes the Lions. The same team that went win less in 2008 is one of the best teams in the NFL and possibly playoff bound. But how did they get here. How did they go from 0-16 to 4-0? How did they go from a team that players loved to play against, to a team nobody wants to see on their schedule?

To start, let's take a look at how this mess started.

....

In 2001 the Lions were coming off a 9 win season and 8 the year before. They hired Matt Millen out of the FOX Broadcasting booth to be their President of Football Operations (and GM) to replace longtime GM Chuck Schmitt who had resigned. Millen had no previous experience in an NFL front office to speak of, but was a former NFL LB and was very insightful as a color analyst. In Millen's first season in charge the Lions only won 2 games and it continued to get worse. The Lions record with Millen at the helm was 31-81 and they lost lost at least 9 games each year. In 2007 it looked like times where changing. Mike Martz in his second season as Offensive Coordinator had the offense running on all cylinders. They started the season with a 6-2 record. However the second half of the season was the exact opposite, finishing with a 7-9 and missing out on the playoffs. Then in the off season Martz rubbed the Lions the wrong way and he left. In 2008 the wheels fell off and they didn't win a single game. After years of bad de
cisions and fans support at an all time low, Matt Millen was fired.

But why was Millen fired. Let's take a look at some of the decisions that Millen made.

Draft Woes

The NFL Draft is where most NFL teams build the foundation to their success. It started out good for Millen. Jeff Backus and Dominic Raiola where his first two picks under his watch. Both developed into starters and are still fixtures on the o-line. But after that there hasn't been much success. Millen was also known for some odd decisions on draft day. For three straight years he drafted a WR in the first round, while there were obvious holes elsewhere. Charles Rodgers, Mike Williams, and Roy Williams were all considered busts. RB Kevin Jones looked like he could be good, but injuries cost him his career. In Millen's 8 drafts, only 7 players are still on the Lions team (Backus, Raiola, Calvin Johnson, Cliff Avril, Drew Stanton, Gosder Cherilus, and Andre Fluellen) and only Calvin Johnson is considered a Pro Bowl caliber player.

Roster Moves

During the Millen years he was unable to make any big roster moves that could upgrade their roster. DE Dwayne White, OT George Foster, G Damien Woody, CB Dre Bly, and RB Tatum Bell where their big time additions. Bly was considered to be a shut down corner, but his play regressed over the years. Damien Woody was alright, but was a much better player when he went to the New York Jets. Walker, Foster, and Bell are all out of the league. Another one of Millen's brilliant move was trading Shaun Rodgers for Leigh Bodden. Bodden had one good year in Cleveland as a man to man cover guy while Rodgers had shown the ability to be a dominant DT. Bodden struggled in the Lions cover 2 zone scheme and was let go after a year.

Inappropriate Remarks

After a game against the Kansas City Chiefs during an heated exchange with former Lion WR Johnny Morton, Millen called Morton a faggot. That is not something an NFL Executive should be doing.

Shortly into the 2008 season the Millen era was finally over. Millen had alway

s had the backing of owner William Clay Ford, but William Clay's son Bill finally convinced his dad to let Millen go. Overall, when Millen was fired the Detroit Lions only had one good player on the entire roster and a team that was on a 17 game losing streak. It's safe to say that the Lions organization was in shambles.

....

With Millen now out of the picture, Lions fans were all a buzz about who was going to take over. The Lions shocked everybody and promoted Martin Mayhew from within the organization. Mayhew worked as an intern for Millen during his tenure with the Lions. It wasn't hard to blame Lions fans who weren't too thrilled. However Mayhew is the main person responsible for turning the Lions around. The Lions shocked everybody and promoted Martin Mayhew from

Best Player Available

With the roster devoid of any elite talent (besides Johnson) Mayhew made it a point to add the best players he could in the draft. This meant taking the best value at each pick no matter what. In his first draft as the GM Mayhew hit a home run. He got a new franchise QB in Matt Stafford, a impact safety in Louis Delmas, a run stuffing DT in Sammie Lee Hill and versatile LB in DeAndre Levy. The next year he took DT Ndamukong Suh who in two years has turned into one of the best DTs in the league. He also added big play threat Jahvid Best at RB. In 2011 instead of going after a need position he took Nick Fairley at #13 (despite having Suh, Hill, and Corey Williams at DT) who was considered to be a top 5 pick. Also adding WR Titus Young and RB Mikel Leshoure on offense makes the offense even more explosive. Now solely because of the draft, the Lions had a set of young impact players.

Deal Making
One of the first things that Mayhew did when he took over was trading WR Roy Williams to the Dallas Cowboys for a 1st an a 3rd round pick. This all for a player that had one good year. This move gave birth to the saying, "You got Mayhew'd!" Mayhew also worked out deals for other quality veterans. Corey Williams who was a Pro Bowl 4-3 DT was struggling in Cleveland's 3-4. Detroit sent a 5th and 7th round picks to the Browns for Williams. All Williams has done is along with Suh given the Lions one of the best DT tandems in the league. Mayhew also sent Ernie Sims (who wasn't a fit in the Lions new defensive scheme and struggled mightily) for pass catching TE Tony Scheffler who wasn't welcome in Denver anymore. Now QB Matt Stafford has two good TEs at his disposal. Cornerback was a weakness, so Mayhew went out and got Chris Houston from the Falcons for a 5th and 7th round pick. But what really shows how good of a deal maker Mayhew is the deal he got for QB Kevin O'Connell to the New York Jets. Basically Mayhew claimed O'Connell off of waivers for practically nothing and then was able to trade him to the Jets for a 7th round pick. Mayhew basically got a draft pick for nothing. That's pretty spectacular.

Free Agency
In previous years, no quality free agent would even consider signing with the Lions. But under Mayhew and HC Jim Schwartz the Lions were now a team that were getting quality players. Kyle Vanden Bosch, Justin Durant, Stephen Tulloch, Eric Wright, Nate Burleson, and Rob Sims are all players that they have signed under Mayhew. Vanden Bosch has done wonders for this defense. He has provide veteran guidance to their young D-line and given the whole defense a tough identity. Wright gave the Lions another good cornerback opposite of Chris Houston, while Durant and Tulloch have solidified a weak linebacking group. While Burleson has taken some pressure off of Calvin Johnson.

....

Detroit hasn't made the playoffs since the 1995 season. This could be the year they make it back. But this year the fans have hope. No longer are the laughing stock of the NFL. Opposing QBs dread playing against this defense. Matt Stafford when healthy might be one of the best young QBs in the league. The future is bright in Detroit. And the bandwagon is starting to get full.