Matt Millen's apology to Lions fans may be the best move he's ever made
'It was a little bit of a tactical error on my part,' Millen said. 'I had this fleeting dream that I thought maybe I could run a team.'
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Matt Millen, the general manger of the Detroit Lions from 2001-2008, had no clue how to run a professional franchise. And that's not coming from me, it's coming directly from Millen.
At this point, Millen's failures are well known -- so well known that Millen publicly acknowledged them on Sunday. Millen, who works as an analyst for Fox, was calling the Buccaneers-Colts game on Sunday when he offered an apology to Lions fans.
"It was a little bit of a tactical error on my part. I had this fleeting dream that I thought maybe I could run a team," Millen jokingly said. "Sorry Detroit, it didn't quite work out."
"It didn't quite work out," is just a bit of an understatement.
While Millen served as the GM, the Lions went 31-84. In the middle of the 2008 season, he was canned. The Lions didn't win a single game in 2008, finishing with an 0-16 record.
While overseeing the draft, Millen didn't leave the roster in good shape. I won't list all of the notable busts, but Millen did spend first-round picks on players like Joey Harrington, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams. Two years ago, Millen revealed to USA Today that he wanted to take DeMarcus Ware instead of Williams, but he -- in his own words -- "capitulated."
In the years after Millen left town, the Lions suffered 2-14 and 6-10 seasons before finally booking a spot in the playoffs in 2011. However, the 2011 and 2014 seasons are the only winning seasons the Lions have enjoyed since 2001.
Now, the Lions are in the process of finding another general manager, as Martin Mayhew, who worked with Millen, was fired earlier this season.
