Michael Rosenberg of the Detroit Free Press has written a really nice article about the decades of struggle the Chicago Blackhawks went through under late owner Bill Wirtz, and their resurgence fostered by his son Rocky. Guess which Detroit-area franchise he drew a parallel to? Of course, he compared them to the Lions, where, in the eyes of the fans, aging owner William Clay Ford is already the Bad Cop to his son Bill Ford, Jr.
Of course, we have very little real understanding of where the lines of power are drawn in the Lions' boardroom, how tight of a hold Ford Sr. still has on his franchise, how much of a say Junior has in the operations, or what level of interest he has in taking over the franchise and throwing himself into its revitalization. From an outsider's view, William Clay Ford meets all the critera for a good owner: he runs his organization with class, he fearlessly reinvests in his own franchise, built a new stadium with his own money, hires football men to run his football, and gives them all the time and resources they need to succeed. The only problem is, he's hired lousy football men.
Discuss it here, in The Den!
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