The 2020 Detroit Lions

**401don** · November-28-20, 04:44 PM

Originally Posted by EastsideAl

'Tis done:

Detroit Lions Fire Coach Matt Patricia GM Bob Quinn
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...a-gm-bob-quinn

Harbaugh should be available by Monday.

**Smirnoff** · November-28-20, 05:03 PM

Anyone know if Matt Patricia's pencil is Ok?

**Danny** · November-28-20, 06:28 PM

Yes Yes Yes.....

Thank You Sheila Ford!!! Thank you so much

Now please get rid of Stafford.

**Danny** · November-28-20, 07:11 PM

Lions may get Harbaugh the pro head coaching job. Let's see.

**Ray1936** · November-28-20, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by Danny

Lions may get Harbaugh the pro head coaching job. Let's see.

Sorry, the Lions will never make a correct decision. Whether it who owns the Lions, Who coaches the Lions, or what play for first and ten. Just sayin'.

**royce** · November-28-20, 07:14 PM

Exactly, Danny [[regarding Stafford not Harbaugh). The move is necessary but don't think firing Quinn and Patricia is going to turn the fortunes of the Lions around any time soon. One thing that people need to remember is that the general manager and coach do not take the field. Players should want to play their best for themselves, not for the fans, the coaches, or the organization. Now, the quality of talent of the players put on the field does fall on the general manager and to a certain extent the coach.

Indeed, for far too often, the players brought in or drafted by the Lions, never rise above average. Stafford is by far the best quarterback the Lions have ever had, but is that really an accomplishment compared to the talent of a Tom Brady or Aaron Rodgers? When drafted what did Matthew Stafford have under his belt that made him so desirable by the Lions? Did he win the SEC championship? Did he win the National Championship? I know the top players aren't always available given draft picks, but was Stafford really the best the Lions could get from the players entering the draft that year?

There are always questions to ask in hindsight regarding the Detroit Lions. New ownership might be needed as many have suggested. All we can do is hope for the best. Go Lions.

**softailrider** · November-28-20, 10:37 PM

Right or wrong she held a gun to those guys heads with that win now edict. If she hadn’t, Okudah probably wouldn’t have been chosen with that number 3 pick. Wide outs are running right by him, I don’t think he has enough speed to last in the bigs. Quinn made some good draft picks, I don’t think Okudah is one that he’s proud of.

**Danny** · November-29-20, 06:46 AM

List of Lions Head coaches that can't secure a simple playoff win and get fired!!!

1. Bobby Ross
2. Marty Mornhinweg
3. Steve Marrucci
4. Rod Marinelli
5. Jim Schwartz
6. Jim Caldwell
7. Matt Patricia

That's seven Detroit Lions head coaches who got fired in less than 5 years.

Horrible isn't it. The Bobby Layne Curse is working.

Harbaugh its you're turn. Can you give it shot?

**Danny** · November-29-20, 06:56 AM

Hey Matty Patty, The Wolverines has a head coaching job if you want it?

**ABetterDetroit** · November-29-20, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by softailrider

Right or wrong she held a gun to those guys heads with that win now edict. If she hadn’t, Okudah probably wouldn’t have been chosen with that number 3 pick. Wide outs are running right by him, I don’t think he has enough speed to last in the bigs. Quinn made some good draft picks, I don’t think Okudah is one that he’s proud of.

I am not saying it was a good pick, just that the jury is still out on his talent. It is very difficult to evaluate a DB when the pass rush is as God awful as the lions have this season.

**garyalex** · November-29-20, 01:48 PM

I have to wonder why any high-quality player or coach would want to join this franchise? All those coaching changes in such a short time. I don't doubt for a moment that this team wants very badly to win and be competitive. But you can only do so much with what you've got. In the case of the Lions that's not much. It's been so long since the Lions 1957 championship that being an NFL bottom of the barrel team feels permanent, even though it actually isn't.

**softailrider** · November-30-20, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by garyalex

I have to wonder why any high-quality player or coach would want to join this franchise? All those coaching changes in such a short time. I don't doubt for a moment that this team wants very badly to win and be competitive. But you can only do so much with what you've got. In the case of the Lions that's not much. It's been so long since the Lions 1957 championship that being an NFL bottom of the barrel team feels permanent, even though it actually isn't.

Unfortunately, all of the above strikes me as very true. Money is the answer to that question posed in your first sentence. The Fords are like American royalty, the Lions are very profitable and while the head coach, general manager job of the Lions isn't as prestigious as some other teams in the league, there is only 32 of those jobs available in the world. And the pay scale is very good.

**mjb3** · November-30-20, 10:19 AM

The Lions are the perpetual laughing stock of NFL. It was same with Ford, the widow, and now the kids seem to think they know what they are doing. I hope sometime in next 10 yrs the team will be sold[[ 4 kids - that's a lot of estate tax even for a Ford) to a real owner who demands excellence[[not loyalty). Sad thing is all of Ford's contemporaries[[ Penske, Taubman, etc) are too old or passed to take this on. Gilbert now is stroking out so he may not be option. An out of town buyer will probably come in I just hope they don't move the team[[ Detroit is still a top 12 media market, despite population loss of city of D).

**slick** · November-30-20, 11:28 AM

[QUOTE=Danny;603259]There is no hope for the Detroit Lions Franchise! Bobby Layne make sure he put a curse the team so they never go the Super Bowl until after 50 years.

Bobby must have meant Championship, Super bowl was not played till the 60's

**ABetterDetroit** · November-30-20, 12:40 PM

Originally Posted by garyalex

I have to wonder why any high-quality player or coach would want to join this franchise? All those coaching changes in such a short time. I don't doubt for a moment that this team wants very badly to win and be competitive. But you can only do so much with what you've got. In the case of the Lions that's not much. It's been so long since the Lions 1957 championship that being an NFL bottom of the barrel team feels permanent, even though it actually isn't.

Why would you want a GM/HC who doesn’t think they can build a team and compete here? I would think the first criteria in a candidate would be that they have the confidence to win anywhere. If they don’t they won’t win in this league. Proud franchises get driven to the basement just like the lions if the football managers are not among the best.

**401don** · November-30-20, 01:00 PM

Originally Posted by ABetterDetroit

Why would you want a GM/HC who doesn’t think they can build a team and compete here? I would think the first criteria in a candidate would be that they have the confidence to win anywhere. If they don’t they won’t win in this league. Proud franchises get driven to the basement just like the lions if the football managers are not among the best.

You're right. With the short careers of most position players, lack of guaranteed contracts, free agency, unbalanced schedules, etc. you can turn around an NFL team much faster than other sports. Just look at the Bills & Browns, both 8-3.
The question is who can be trusted to go out and get the right gm? There are executive search firms that headhunt gm's just like they do in private business but the owner has to have an idea what traits they are looking for. Also will Ford rely on Ron Wood, team president, who is a business affairs guy, or on some of the vp's, who have much more say in football operations, to help with the process?

**Hypestyles** · November-30-20, 09:20 PM

well... I hope that the coronavirus will be marginalized by the time of next year's season. I suspect that ticket prices won't be going down, though. They might even spike.
Hopefully they'll have really good food concessions there, to keep folks feeling well fed, at least, even if they aren't consistently entertained [[by a win).

**Danny** · December-01-20, 07:45 AM

Originally Posted by Hypestyles

well... I hope that the coronavirus will be marginalized by the time of next year's season. I suspect that ticket prices won't be going down, though. They might even spike.
Hopefully they'll have really good food concessions there, to keep folks feeling well fed, at least, even if they aren't consistently entertained [[by a win).

While still being the same ole' Lions. Losing games since 1958.

The Curse of Bobby Layne continues oh well!

**garyalex** · December-01-20, 11:03 AM

"Why would you want a GM/HC who doesn’t think they can build a team and compete here?" I wouldn't. But all those years of losing make it hard to attract real talent - the kind of talent that could make a difference.

**sirrealone** · December-02-20, 08:52 AM

Originally Posted by garyalex

But all those years of losing make it hard to attract real talent - the kind of talent that could make a difference.

That's true to a certain extent. But it can be managed. It's why it's so important for a team like the Lions to get foundational players in the draft. You get a couple of elite players on either side of the ball as well as a solid core of players, and a free agent can easily see where they'll slide in and take things to the next level. But, with all the misses Quinn had in the draft, that never materialized, so with that plus Patricia's reputation, Quinn's phone calls probably never got returned by more than a few player's agents.

**Hermod** · December-03-20, 06:48 AM

Lions

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**UrbanViews** · December-04-20, 10:06 AM

I hate to drop this info without sharing my source but unfortunately, I can not. For what it is worth though, I have a very reliable source that has shared with me that Sheila Ford Hamp is going to sell the Detroit Lions. Talks have ramped back up, and the name is not all that surprising if you have been following the team the last couple years, but, it appears Jeff Bezos may be in line to buy the team. I'm not saying its a done deal, only what my trusted source has told me.

**jiminnm** · December-04-20, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by UrbanViews

I hate to drop this info without sharing my source but unfortunately, I can not. For what it is worth though, I have a very reliable source that has shared with me that Sheila Ford Hamp is going to sell the Detroit Lions. Talks have ramped back up, and the name is not all that surprising if you have been following the team the last couple years, but, it appears Jeff Bezos may be in line to buy the team. I'm not saying its a done deal, only what my trusted source has told me.

Forbes recently estimated that the Lions were worth $2.1 billion, with only the Bills and the Bengals worth less. I have no idea what the tax basis of the Lions would be.

I suspect that the Fords may be concerned about taxes on a future sale after Martha dies. Biden has proposed eliminating the stepped up basis on inheritance. Under current law, someone inheriting an asset gets a tax basis on the value on the decedent's date of death. Under Biden's proposal, someone inheriting that asset would get the same tax basis as the decedent. I expect that would produce a sizeable gain on a future sale, but I do not know how the Lions' ownership is structured and can't begin to estimate it.

**401don** · December-04-20, 12:51 PM

Originally Posted by jiminnm

Forbes recently estimated that the Lions were worth $2.1 billion, with only the Bills and the Bengals worth less. I have no idea what the tax basis of the Lions would be.

I suspect that the Fords may be concerned about taxes on a future sale after Martha dies. Biden has proposed eliminating the stepped up basis on inheritance. Under current law, someone inheriting an asset gets a tax basis on the value on the decedent's date of death. Under Biden's proposal, someone inheriting that asset would get the same tax basis as the decedent. I expect that would produce a sizeable gain on a future sale, but I do not know how the Lions' ownership is structured and can't begin to estimate it.

While I agree the Lions are near the bottom of the list, Forbes is not known to be very accurate. It's all about supply and demand. NFL teams are often bid on by outside billionaires who want in the club and local ownership isn't always a priority for the league. Would Ford take less to keep ownership local? Also, legalized sports betting is expected to take off soon and no league has more to gain from that than the NFL. Ford Field management is part of the deal also. Hard to estimate what that is worth but the stadium definitely seems to be underutilized.

**softailrider** · December-04-20, 03:43 PM

Originally Posted by UrbanViews

I hate to drop this info without sharing my source but unfortunately, I can not. For what it is worth though, I have a very reliable source that has shared with me that Sheila Ford Hamp is going to sell the Detroit Lions. Talks have ramped back up, and the name is not all that surprising if you have been following the team the last couple years, but, it appears Jeff Bezos may be in line to buy the team. I'm not saying its a done deal, only what my trusted source has told me.

That is totally shocking to me, the team seemed like it was Mr. Fords pride and joy. That family is part of the elite 32, there are only 32 NFL team owners in the world. Also, there’s the fact that the Lions are a cash cow - almost like a license to print money, fans or no fans. And this is taking into account that the value of the NFL teams was higher a few years ago.