Out like a Lion
More Lions: Why Matt Millen should resign
When the decision to fire Detroit Lions coach Steve Mariucci finally came, it was both swift and complete – two things that never described his former team during his tenure.
The Lions went about business as usual after Thursday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, a season low point that led to president and CEO Matt Millen's weekend of contemplation, capped by a green light from the Ford family to make whatever moves he felt necessary to get the team in order. That translated to Monday morning, when, according to two sources in the franchise, Millen's decision to fire Mariucci came so suddenly, several assistant coaches had to be pulled out of their positional meetings to be told the news. It was then that Mariucci addressed his coaches in an emotional meeting, punctuated by the coach choking up and expressing disappointment about not being able to continue.
Millen named defensive coordinator Dick Jauron the team's interim coach and also shook up the remaining staff, firing offensive line coach Pat Morris and tight ends coach Andy Sugarman – two men he was very critical of behind closed doors. Millen also promoted quarterbacks coach Greg Olson to offensive coordinator and essentially demoted Ted Tollner from that same position.
They were sweeping but predictable moves – ones that could be seen coming over a month ago, when gossip in league circles insisted that Millen had begun to doubt Mariucci, his offensive scheme and his lack of a firm hand with his players. And it seemed sure to happen after the nationally televised loss to the Falcons, in which Mariucci's team appeared to quit.
But several team sources indicated the coaching staff believed Mariucci was safe for at least another week after he survived Friday. They believed it right until Monday morning, when they were summoned to a meeting with Mariucci and told he had been fired only minutes earlier by Millen. Oddly, they weren't informed of Jauron taking over the team, and as late as 3 p.m. Monday, still had no idea who the next coach would be. Indeed, many staffers tuned into Millen's press conference without knowing his plans or reasoning.
As Millen spoke Monday, he expounded on the difficulty of firing "a friend," but refused to expound on a future coaching search. There was no fist pounding on the podium, and no fiery we're-going-to-get-it-right speech – the hallmark of his press conference when he fired Marty Mornhinweg almost three years ago. Instead, he merely hinted at his motivations, saying "there's never one reason" for a firing. But from what team sources indicated, there was a laundry list of things Millen was contemplating, including three key issues:
Wins. Even if the team is 4-7 and the longest of long shots for a playoff berth, Millen is still hell-bent on seeing some success realized from this season. That's why the firing took place now rather than after the season. Millen's thinking is that the Lions have enough talent to be successful, but there was a mental and schematic quagmire the Lions couldn't escape with Mariucci in place. And while Millen may not feel he's close to the firing line – one team source said he's not acting as if he is – Millen has to know a meltdown could have far-reaching consequences.
Young stars. Team sources indicated that of all the things that have bothered Millen the most this season, the floundering development – and discipline – of some of the younger players has given him the most pause. Guys like Kevin Jones, Roy Williams and Mike Williams have all had mediocre seasons, but part of that, in Millen's mind, stemmed from Mariucci's juggling at quarterback and an offensive mindset that didn't seem capable of adjustment or innovation.
The locker room. There was some disagreement on Monday from within the organization as to whether Mariucci had actually lost the respect of his players. One team source said "the response had stagnated" in respect to Mariucci's coaching, while another source insisted the balance of the team still believed in him. Whatever the case, Millen clearly wasn't sold on Mariucci's ability to demand accountability from the players – something he questioned all the way back to the summer, when several players missed portions of the offseason workouts in Detroit.
Now Jauron takes over, but only after Millen strongly pointed out there were no guarantees beyond this season, and that he would be complying with the NFL's initiative on interviewing minority candidates. That doesn't mean Jauron isn't at the top of the coaching list. There is a belief that Millen is actually very high on Jauron, but doesn't want to draw the league's ire by appearing to have already settled on his next head coach.
If Jauron isn't the answer, the pool of candidates could include some of the league's high-profile assistant coaches (Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak and Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera), possible retreads (Mike Martz and Brian Billick) and former Los Angeles Raiders coach Art Shell.
