By MIKE ECKERT
meckert@record-eagle.com
October 02, 2008 12:00 am The Detroit Lions haven't played an NFL game in nearly two weeks, but have already tallied two significant victories since a 31-13 drubbing in San Francisco. First, Matt Millen was relieved of his duties as team president. Owner William Clay Ford finally decided that 84 losses in 115 tries was enough to end the darkest era in Lions history. Apparently in Ford's book, it was okay to go three years without a road win, it was okay for a president to publicly question his players' integrity, and it was even okay to come into this year with a 31-81 record. But once he reached that 84-loss benchmark, that was all Ford could handle. Then Tuesday, news came from Oakland that Raiders head coach Lane Kiffin was fired, without pay. Congratulations, Lions fans. There's an organization out there that's run worse than your team. Think about that for a second. As Detroit celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, only 29 of those campaigns have produced a winning record. After Ford bought the team in 1964, the Lions have just three division titles, one playoff win and nothing close to a Super Bowl contender. But, it's no Oakland. The firing of Kiffin came as no surprise. It was rumored all off-season that owner Al Davis was going to fire the 33-year-old after just one season. And a 23-8 win over Kansas City likely spared him from getting the inevitable axe two weeks ago. What was surprising about Tuesday's firing was how Davis handled the press conference. For more than 90 minutes, Davis sat in front of reporters and blasted Kiffin as a "liar" and a "con." Classy. At least when the Lions have fired personnel -- and there have been plenty of those -- it was done so in a professional manner. Davis got what he wanted when he showed Kiffin the door. Why kick him through it? Kiffin, who was the youngest NFL coach when hired, was the eighth Raiders coach in 20 years. Only Jon Gruden lasted more than two seasons, and only Gruden -- who was "traded" to Tampa Bay -- survived a firing from Davis. Mike Shanahan, fired. Same fate for Joe Bugel, Mike White, Bill Callahan and Norv Turner. Art Shell, he's been fired by Davis twice in the last 20 years. True, the Lions have gone through coaches recently, but not at this rate. When you change leadership that often, it's hard to have success. And since 2004, the Raiders are 16-52. Detroit is 21-46. Clearly, Oakland has become a franchise with no class, no direction, and no chance of winning in the near future. And it's unfortunate, considering the Raiders used to be a successful organization. Sure, the Raiders own three Super Bowl titles, but those days are long passed. And right now, I doubt any Lions fan would trade their Honolulu Blue for Oakland Black. Now, if the Lions could just figure out how to earn one of these "victories" on the field.
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Mike Eckert