As Krista Jahnke of the Detroit Free Press astutely observes, the Detroit Lions seem to be prepared to order chicken salad, on rye. Untoasted. With a side of potato salad. And a cup of tea.
Yes, as Jahnke points out, the Lions plan to pull a Costanza — to do the opposite of everything they did while Matt Millen was the CEO.
“OK, so you know how not to evaluate talent, how not to draft, how not to prepare for games, and how not to win them,” Jahnke writes. “What do you know about doing things right?”
Well, that remains to be seen.
Her column provides a perfect opening for some observations we’ve wanted to make ever since listening to audio of Tuesday’s press conference, in which new president Tom Lewand and new G.M. Martin Mayhew met with the media.
Mayhew pointed out that the team is going to be more secretive about what they do. In the same session, of course, he disclosed that the franchise will devote more time to the psychological testing of players.
Look, Martin, if you want to keep your plans quiet, don’t hold press conferences. And if you must hold a press conference, find a way to say things without saying anything about what you’re actually up to.
For all those folks out there who presume that we simply hate the Lions and that we want to criticize them at every turn, consider this. If the Lions have a reputation in league for not compiling as much information as they can about a player’s psychological makeup, telling the world that they plan to change their ways automatically sacrifices one of the key strategic benefits of truly changing those practices.
Fast forward to late April. Round three of the draft is ending. The team that picks behind the Lions at the top of round four has targeted a specific player. The team in question also has reason to believe that the Lions might draft the player.
But there’s another more physically gifted player, who fits one of the Lions’ (many) needs, but who has some psychological red flags. Since the other team knows that the Lions haven’t spent much time or money on psychological evaluation, the other team takes a calculated risk, and doesn’t try to trade up in order to nab the other player, confident that the Lions will draft the guy with the red flags about which the Lions presumably aren’t aware.
Now that Mayhew has made it known that the Lions are re-committed to psychological testing, the team in our example would be more inclined to move in front of the Lions and get the player without the red flags.
The Tuesday press conference also included some superficially entertaining lines from Lewand, who unwittingly demonstrated that he really isn’t a “football guy.”
While explaining the flexibility that coaches must have when entering an organization where things already are being done a certain way, Lewand said that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin arrived in Pittsburgh not from Minnesota, but from Tampa.
Lewand also remarked at one point that the Steelers allowed “Greg Lloyd” to sign with Miami.
And, most amusingly, Lewand said that the Falcons’ only significant free-agent acquisition this year was “Michael Bennett.”
Yeah, the Lions should never have press conferences.
Moving forward, it remains to be seen whether the Lions’ commitment to “doing the opposite” will result in a different fate for the franchise. In Mayhew’s mind, it might be as simple as picking Andre Johnson instead of Charles Rogers.
But those decisions aren’t made in hindsight. The challenge is to pick Peyton Manning over Ryan Leaf without knowing which one will become Peyton Manning, and which one will become Ryan Leaf.
For the Lions, the stakes haven’t been this high in 29 years. Despite eight years of crappy performances, the Lions haven’t “earned” the No. 1 overall pick since 1980.
Mayhew has it now. What he does with it — and what the player ultimately becomes — remains to be seen.
LIONS PLANNING TO "DO THE OPPOSITE"?
Posted by Mike Florio on January 1, 2009, 1:02 PM EDT
24 Responses to “LIONS PLANNING TO "DO THE OPPOSITE"?”
Sort of like how Florio does the opposite of every responsible
journalist ?
HAPPY NEW YEAR MIKEY !!!
So they’ll draft a CB in the 1st round for three straight years?
No, salmon is the opposite of tuna ’cause they swim upstream!
We will lose at least 10 games next year.
John Kitna
trade the pick to get more , stock pile picks, who is worth that 1 anyway ? they may be stuck with it, if they are then you cant go wrong on offensive lineman.
They started too early on this new years resolution by promoting two people that should have been fired.
Soooo…basically you just proved that you hate Detroit and will criticize the organzation at every turn despite your attempt to say you will not. Good stuff Florio.
Somehow I think they’ll screw up doing the opposite.
And Barry Sanders quit the team. Never forget, the quitter that is BarrySanders took his marbles and went home.
It’s the Hall of Fame, not the Hall of Spectacular Quitters, which is what BarrySanders is.
Walter Payton had his moves, played on bad teams, was a far greater bad-ass and his bust in Canton should be nowhere near BarrySanders, the quitter.
Top 5 picks are a detriment now, until some sort of rookie salary cap is in place, they should trade down just like every high pick team should aspire to do.
What coach in his right mind would take orders from this jackass? Yep, that Michael Bennett signing really turned Atlanta around!! What a f’ing moron!
apeck says: “Soooo…basically you just proved that you hate Detroit and will criticize the organzation at every turn despite your attempt to say you will not. Good stuff Florio. ”
Oh, toughen up, sister.
As a loyal resident of the mitten state, I find the fact that PFT even continues to offer updates on this trainwreck of an organization generous.
I find many other sports news outfits basically ignoring the Lions as reporting on the team begins to feel like practicing wrestling moves on the retarded kid.
“The Opposite” one of my favorite episodes
“My name is George….I’m unemployed & live with my parents”
CLASSIC!!
Happy New Year everybody!
“…I’m unemployed and I live with my parents!”
C’mon Florio i’m disappointed. No Seinfeld clip of Costanza? Doing the opposite worked out pretty well for him.
Trade down and get more picks or a good player…Go Lions(Stuff your sorrys in a sack Mr.)
michael bennett
thats funny.
such a perfect example of what is wrong with the Lions (yes i know, there are so many characteristics of losing associated with them you can pick any one of many)
id want those 2 buffoons running my draft for the next 5 years, he says sarcastically
if mayhew does well at all, lewand will be there forever. cause the old man likes him.
Liking the Lions or not..they have to earn their respect of the league by action not words.. it’s all talk.. just like them getting a hell of a deal for Roy Williams.. i see a lot of under the radar work.. after having Millen they should know what NOT to do.. it’s a no brainer.. we’ll see at the draft and who they hire as head coach and assistant GM.. I hope everyone underestimates them.. if they get the draft and hires right… you’ll see a turn around .. not Falcons or Dolphins like but it will happen… the roar will be restored…
Lewand is just a bean counter, and admitted he doesn’t now anything about football, and I give the guy credit for saying that. Millen’s biggest fault running this team was his loyalty to players he drafted who are holding the team down, Backus, Redding, Riaola, and when they were here Harrington, Williams, and Rogers. Roy is showing Dallas the same things I noticed here poor concentration,how many times did he run the wrong pass pattern resulting in an interception, it started in his rookie season , and amazingly he’s still doing it.
“the roar will be restored…”
Great, then we will see them and the Bengals in the Super Bowl. Now that would be opposite.
I wonder what the fans in Detroit will do when old man Ford finally kicks the bucket? His final burial place should be kept private as there will be a line around the cemetery of fans waiting to piss on his grave…..
Hey teddybayer,
Don’t ever disrespect Barry Sanders again. He was tired of losing and the lions wouldn’t let him go nor give him a supporting cast to win with. Wouldn’t you quite your job if you got your ass kicked every day??? Best running back ever….period! Keep your ignorant comments to yourself….Jackass!
Hey bgman,
I don’t mean to dog on you bro, but do you watch any NFL drafts at all? They haven’t drafted a CB in the first round the past three years. If you’re going to make fun of the lions then at least do it correctly. Gosder Cherilus ’08, Calvin Johnson ’07, and Ernie Sims ’06.