Why did you fire Millen? Was it difficult for you?
“Matt’s a friend of mine and always will be. He has a lot of wonderful qualities. It didn’t work out, and we parted ways, and it’s history.â€
What spurred it? Why then?
“You can answer the question probably as well as I can. Everything. It just wasn’t going right.â€
Your son, vice chairman William Clay Ford Jr., had said publicly he would fire Millen if he could. Did you know he would say that?
“I didn’t know he was going to say it. He was just saying really what we’d talked about. He might have done it long before I did.â€
Were you mad?
“No. He just said what was on his mind. I wasn’t surprised by it, because I’d heard it.â€
Did that lead to finally firing Millen?
“Well, it was a combination of so many things. I don’t think that was really a factor, because we’d discussed it at length prior to that. That didn’t really influence me.â€
You had talked a couple of days before?
“Oh, yeah. And really, even before that. Maybe a couple of months or six weeks or something like that.â€
Or three years?
“Or maybe.†(laughs)
Why didn’t it work with Millen?
“Again, tough one to answer. He didn’t really have much experience as far as being a general manager goes. He knows the game, obviously. Knew talent. Maybe he was a little precipitous about some of his judgments. I’m second-guessing him.
“But it didn’t work out, and he understood completely. There was no bitterness or rancor on his part. He said, ‘No, I can understand why you’re doing it, and I don’t blame you.’ â€
Did you support him for too long?
“Well, maybe. But I think circumstances, timing, were important. You don’t want to jump ship after two games or one game or anything like that. When the fans were really getting fed up, you think, ‘OK, time to make a move.’ Thought about it, obviously. But the timing just worked out the way it did.â€
You reportedly haven’t paid Millen since firing him. Is that true?
“We’re all square with the board. I talked to him on the phone a couple of weeks ago, and everything’s fine. We’re still friends, and I’m glad he’s got the job that he’s getting.â€
Millen said last week the situation is ongoing.
“It’s settled.â€
Was it settled recently?
“Fairly. Yeah, a couple of weeks.â€
How?
“It was really handled by his lawyer and mine. It never got to arbitration or anything like that, and I’m glad it (didn't), because as I say, we’re friends, and I don’t want to be on the other side of quarreling with a friend over ‘you said this’ or ‘I said this.’ So it worked out very peacefully. It worked out fine.â€
Did he once say if you wanted him to leave, he would resign?
“Yeah, he did say that. We’ve never -- I don’t know if fought’s the right word -- but totally disagreed on anything. It all worked out. That’s about all I could really tell you, and amicably. So that’s about it.â€
Why did you stay with Lewand and Mayhew?
“Well, I’ve always liked Martin. He’s been a little bit in the background and has never really had an opportunity to shine. When those positions came open, I thought, ‘Well, we’ve got a guy right here who is eminently qualified,’ and he’s risen right to it and handled it without missing a beat and has been terrific, and the same with Tom.
“He is a terrific organizer and manager and does all the things you would like to have him do. And they do it without any fuss or pretense about it. They just get the job done. And their attitude is kind of the same thing I’d like the players to get. We’re here to do a job and we’ll do it, and that’s it. I’m very happy with the whole front-office setup.â€
Why stick with two people who were part of the previous regime and not look at other people?
“I did look at some other people, and I said, ‘We’ve got it right here.’ Really. End of search. Really, it kind of played itself when I looked at their backgrounds and what they had done and what they had brought to the party so far. They’ve been terrific.â€
Any serious thoughts about going elsewhere, hiring someone like Scott Pioli?
“We looked at all of those. I talked to a lot of people, including the commissioner. I got a lot of input. I was happy with really what we had.â€
Did you call Roger Goodell?
“Strangely enough, he called me. We had three or four conversations after that.â€
What did he say? Did he ask if you needed help or advice?
“Yes. He offered any help that he could. He was great about it. I said, ‘Well, I could use all the help I can get. I’m certainly not going to turn my back on you or anybody.’ Then he mentioned a few names, and I investigated those. He couldn’t have been nicer about it or really more helpful.â€
Did you investigate his suggestions for front-office executives?
“I did check into it, and nothing against any of his suggestions, but I felt I had the right combination here. So why go through the agony of bringing somebody totally new in that to learn what everything was about here? As long as it was in place, I didn’t have any problem with it.â€
What did Lewand and Mayhew do to impress you and make you feel so comfortable with them?
“I really don’t know how to answer that because there are so many different answers I could give. I’ll try to be specific by being vague. I like their judgment. I liked the thought processes they were going through to reach their conclusions. They don’t get an idea and then jump off a cliff. It’s all very well thought out, and it’s not just thought out for the day. They think about it for a long time, weigh all the other possibilities and then make their decision. It’s not a snap judgment on anybody’s part, and I think that’s important. Very important.â€
What was the NFL’s first 0-16 season like for you?
“It wasn’t very much fun. I feel so sorry for the fans in Detroit. I mean, I give them full marks for being loyal and showing up. We didn’t perform the way we should have performed or the way we could have performed. I really have felt worse for them than I did for myself. I thought it was horrible.
“Every time, we’d lose, I’d go, ‘Oh, geez.’ But for the fans who stuck through it, I can’t tell you how great that makes you feel. And those that walked away, I couldn’t blame them. It really wasn’t much fun to watch. It was pretty boring to watch, because you could always guess the outcome.â€
You sold out every home game after moving to Ford Field in 2002 until last year, when you failed to sell out five games. Did the empty seats send a message?
“Sure. People were getting fed up, and as I said, I didn’t blame them a bit. We didn’t put on much of a show for them.
“God knows what’s going to happen this year. I don’t any more than anybody else does. But I think at least we’ll give them a honest day’s effort.
“Of course, they want us to win, and so do I more than anything, but I think if they realize that we’re going down with our guns blazing, I think that will be a very positive thing to have happen, and that did not happen last year.â€
What did you think of Rod Marinelli?
“Rod’s a great guy. He’s a wonderful coach. I liked him. I don’t want to say anything against him. I’m not sure he was quite ready to be a head coach.
“Lord knows he had enough experience and had been around a lot of successful guys. But when it doesn’t work out, it’s easy to point fingers, and I’m sure not going to blame Rod for anything. We’re all in it together.â€
You’ve been through so many coaches and approaches. Why do you think this might be the right direction now?
“This is going to sound a little egotistical, maybe it is. Because this was solely my decision, and rather than being influenced by a lot of other thoughts and people that … I respected their opinions, but they were not exactly the same as mine, which is fine, but they influenced the decisions that were finally made.
“If Jim Schwartz doesn’t work out, you can blame me 100%. I just have confidence in him.â€
You made the decision on Schwartz? He was your guy?
“Yeah. Now, I don’t mean to sound like I was too dictatorial about it. I got other people’s opinions on other people that we’d interviewed, and we all agreed, so that made it a shoo-in.
“It wasn’t … well, not bickering. But it wasn’t the arguments that we may have had in the past. If that’s the right word, maybe a little strong. The difference of opinion we had in the past.
“This was 100% from everybody. And long before I’d given my opinion, I asked them their thoughts, and I happened to agree with all of them. Anybody who agrees with you is a genius.†(laughs)
You were determined not to let that happen again?
“I suppose in the back of my mind, yeah, because we’d gone wrong in the past and some of the hirings and the firings, I wasn’t too crazy about. So, yeah.â€
So if Lewand and Mayhew had said they wanted someone else, you would have overruled them?
“Well, we would have had a long conversation about, ‘OK, why do you want so-and-so, and what’s the matter with Schwartz?’ â€
The hirings of Mariucci and Marinelli were more contentious?
“I guess you could say that, yeah. I didn’t know their backgrounds particularly, and again, I relied on Matt and others for what their opinions were. The decision wasn’t mine. I’m not saying I was against it.â€
How do you like your new quarterback?
“Which one’s the new one?†(laughs)
Stafford.
“He’s an impressive kid. Very. And again, he’s a lot like Jim Schwartz is. He’s multidimensional. Yeah, he’s dedicated to football, but he’s interested in a million other things, too. But when he takes command out there, he takes command. And that’s terrific.â€
Did you meet with him before the draft?
“Oh, I was very impressed with him. Very impressed with him. He just comes across as a straight shooter. There’s no BS about him. He’ll tell you what he thinks, and whatever you ask him, he’ll give you an honest answer. So I liked him.â€
Have you ever ordered a coach to play a quarterback?
“No. I do not -- contrary to public opinion -- interfere with the football side of it. I mean, if so-and-so plays lousy, I’ll said I think he’s a bum. (laughs)
“But no, I’ve never said, ‘Play this guy or play that guy or don’t play him.’ These guys know more about the game than I do by 10 miles. I’m not going to try to second-guess them.â€
How personally do you take criticism from the fans?
“Well, I mean, not that the yelling at the stadium does much for you. You get a couple of drunks, and they can lead anything. But by and large, you pay attention to it.
“I mean, if there’s a noticeable decline in attendance and the comments are not favorable, you pay attention to it. As I say, the fans are really the people we want to please out here.
“Especially now with Detroit and the shape it’s in, we’ve got to try twice as hard to give them their money’s worth. Money’s tough to come by for all of them. I understand that. But the least we can do is put on a good performance for them, and I think we will. I certainly hope we will.â€
Do you worry about your legacy? How badly to you want a championship?
“I want it. I can promise you that. Starting with Jim and on out as far as my livelihood goes, I’m going to shoulder the responsibility for any mistakes we’ve made.
“I don’t mean every play or stuff like that, but if things go sour and the fans turn against us, I’ll have nobody to blame but me. And I’m aware of that. But that’s a nice challenge to have, to try to keep them happy in bad times.â€
