Discuss Detroit » Archives - Beginning January 2006 » What do they have in common: Matt Millen - Mark Fields ? « Previous Next »
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Darwinism
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Username: Darwinism

Post Number: 340
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.215.30.34
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 10:16 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

As we know, the Lions organization had been put in the hands of Matt Millen.

As we can also tell from recent developments of Ford Motor Co., the North American division turn-around action plans had been put in the hands of Mark Fields.

Share your thoughts on William Clay Ford's ability to pick exceptional individuals for the tasks. Hits or Misses ?
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Czar
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Username: Czar

Post Number: 2866
Registered: 11-2003
Posted From: 129.137.201.12
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 10:23 am:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The Fords should stick to the knitting and sell the Lions. Try and rescue your bread and butter company first.
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Darwinism
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Username: Darwinism

Post Number: 341
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.215.30.34
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 12:32 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Short resume of Matt Millen:

Millen grew up in the Allentown, Pennsylvania suburbs and attended Whitehall High School. He was an All-American linebacker at Penn State and was drafted in the second round of the 1980 NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. He played 12 years in the NFL, with the Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, and Washington Redskins. Millen is noted for having won a Super Bowl (two with the Raiders - one in Oakland and one in Los Angeles) with every team he played for, and was selected to play in the pro bowl in 1988.

Following his playing career, Millen worked as a color commentator for CBS TV (often teaming with Sean McDonough), Fox (often teaming with Dick Stockton) and Monday Night Football (alongside Howard David) on CBS Radio.

In 2001, the Detroit Lions hired Millen to rebuild the franchise (although they were coming off what would be their last winning season in 2000). Millen has made many moves, including the drafting of quarterback Joey Harrington in 2002; wide recievers Charles Rogers in 2003, Roy Williams in 2004, and Mike Williams in 2005; running back Kevin Jones in 2004; and the hiring of head coaches Marty Mornhinweg (who went 5-27 in two years), Steve Mariucci (who was fired after two and a half seasons on November 30, 2005), Dick Jauron (interim head coach, now hired as head coach with the Buffalo Bills), and Rod Marinelli (from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The Detroit Lions are 21-59 with Millen as CEO, currently the worst 5-year record in the NFL (It should be noted that the Houston Texans have fewer wins during that period, but the team did not begin play until 2002). Though he is widely regarded as incompetent by fans and the media, he received a 5-year contract extension at the start of the 2005 season.

On December 6, 2005 Detroit sports talk radio station WDFN "The Fan" anounced the Angry Fan March (also known as the "Millen Man March") in protest to Millen maintaining his job. On December 9, 2005 The Lions Fanatics.com also announced an "orange out". This involved fans showing up at Ford Field clad in Orange, the color of their next opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals.

============================== ====================
Short resume of Mark Fields:

Mark Fields is Executive Vice President, Ford Motor Company; President, The Americas and an executive of the Ford Motor Company. As head of the Americas division, Fields was tapped to develop Ford's "Way Forward" plan, an effort to repair the ailing automaker. He reports to Jim Padilla, the Company’s president and chief operating officer.

Fields was born in Brooklyn, New York, and holds an economic degree from Rutgers University and worked for IBM prior to attaining an MBA at Harvard Graduate School of Business. He was recruited by Ford in 1989 and moved up the ranks, becoming the youngest person (at 38) ever to run a major Japanese company when Ford placed him in charge of Mazda Motor Corporation in 1998. In 2002, Fields became chairman of the Premier Automotive Group, Ford's luxury unit which includes Aston Martin, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo Cars. He returned to the United States to head the Americas division of the company in 2005.
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Jiminnm
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Username: Jiminnm

Post Number: 281
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 69.241.164.222
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 2:07 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

William Clay Ford (not junior) is now director emeritus of the Ford board, with no voting rights. Junior is a director.

Ford's (Sr.) record of picking leadership for the Detroit Lions has been, and continues to be, dismal. They have had little success during his 40+ years of ownership. I'll let someone with more inside knowledge of his day-to-day involvement determine if that same taint is on FoMoCo management.
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Merchantgander
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Username: Merchantgander

Post Number: 1497
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 150.198.164.127
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 3:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

This might be the stupidest thing that I have ever read on this site. One is sport franchise used for entertainment the other is a billion dollar corp. When the Lions lose 25,000 to 30,000 people don’t get laid off affecting even more lives. Darwinism you are a dumb ass.
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Ilovedetroit
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Username: Ilovedetroit

Post Number: 2011
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 63.149.5.130
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 3:37 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mark Field's has bad hair...does he use AquaNet hairspray?
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Matt_the_deuce
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Username: Matt_the_deuce

Post Number: 455
Registered: 10-2003
Posted From: 69.14.248.252
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 3:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Mark Fields has had a winning record everywhere he has been.

Matt Millen has had a....
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Quinn
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Username: Quinn

Post Number: 656
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 64.139.64.80
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 3:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I don't understand why Mark Fields, who didn't do squat for P.A.G., gets promoted. It's like a good old boys club. And yes ILD his hair is bad...it's gone from a "signature" look to a bad cliche.

I heard mark last week on NPR and he sounded "alright." Craig Fahle was interviewing him...I do think he's too marketing oriented...when asked how the new tri-flex engine will help with Ford's share of the truck market, he sounded like he was reading from a brochure "It will make Ford #1 in emerging technologies for trucks," "Ford will be the leader in innovation," "Ford trucks are the best in the world." Yip yada yip yip. I wanted to say "Ya what the f&ck is a tri-flex engine and how does it work?

Sorry about my rant...I don't know who millen is. I agree with merchant on one thing...what do the two have to do with one another?
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Darwinism
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Username: Darwinism

Post Number: 344
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.215.30.34
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 3:45 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Merchantgander: WTF are you licking ? Leadership and personnel is leadership and personnel. At the end of the day, it is still leadership and personnel - no matter what sector you are in; sports franchise, automobile, real estate, technology, education, whatever. Your fucking comment is the stupidest thing I have ever come across on the Internet since the days of BBS, Merchantgander - you dumb ass. If you do not know about something, don't bark around like a sick bitch.

The two individuals are not connected by their job responsibilities. And this ain't an I.Q. test. The common denominator is the boss at the helm. The question posted is ..... is William Clay Ford picking the right person to lead each initiative - football franchise under Matt Millen and Ford North American operations under Mark Fields. Jiminnm provided a good insight in his/her opinion.
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Merchantgander
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Username: Merchantgander

Post Number: 1500
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 150.198.164.127
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 4:24 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sorry you are wrong again dumbass, their boss is not the same person please learn what Jr. and Sr. stand for, totally different skill sets needed to run these organizations. There is a limit on stupid ass post that I can take; you are at 344 you clueless fuck. Just because your user name implies intelligence doesn't make you intelligent. Please remove your head from your ass and join the real world it isn't that bad of place to live.
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Darwinism
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Username: Darwinism

Post Number: 347
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.215.30.34
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 4:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Merchantgander: Tell you what. I have read Jiminnm's post and I DO KNOW William Clay Ford Sr. vs. the son William Clay Ford Jr. Too bad I had to be the one to burst your fucked-up pea-brain attitude, but somebody has to do it. Go read up on the organizational structure of Ford Motor Co. and the Detroit Lions. It is pretty clear that both Sr. and Jr. played a role in bringing in leadership and personnel. Don't make assumptions about other people's level intelligence, if you can't even gauge your own, shit for face. There is no necessity for your participation in this thread. Take your pimpled ass to some other threads.
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Merchantgander
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Username: Merchantgander

Post Number: 1502
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 150.198.164.127
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 4:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I can tell by the forum participation in this thread and by everyone opinion that has posted on here that they agree with me. I don't have to make assumption about your level of intelligence because it is obvious you skipped that level in the evolutionary chain. You should be happy that I posted on this thread and made it somewhat interesting the activity should pick up now.
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Ilovedetroit
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Username: Ilovedetroit

Post Number: 2012
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 63.149.5.130
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 5:28 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I am just glad that I am not the only one who argues with Merchant.
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Quinn
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Username: Quinn

Post Number: 657
Registered: 01-2005
Posted From: 64.139.64.80
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 6:05 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I love this...only on DetroitYes can a thread get so heated over such a random, inconsequential subject. FLAME ON!
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Northend
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Username: Northend

Post Number: 675
Registered: 10-2005
Posted From: 69.212.62.92
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 6:20 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Don't judge a man by his mullet!

you guys are sooooo...like...ummmm...like.. .ummm... you know like ummm... judgmental and all!!

OK, Chad, Josh, and Becky, ummmm...like you guys wanna go to the mall, these people are ummm...soooo retarded!!
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Sharmaal
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Username: Sharmaal

Post Number: 617
Registered: 09-2004
Posted From: 136.2.1.103
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 6:58 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Darwinism - You are off base completely. Just because members from the same family are at the heads of the organizations don't mean much.

Merchant - I gotcha homie
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Sharmaal
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Username: Sharmaal

Post Number: 618
Registered: 09-2004
Posted From: 136.2.1.103
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 7:02 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ok, as far as the "old boys club" comments. I'd like to say a few things. It seems to me that Fields is not part of the club, thus why he was brought in from overseas. Bill picked someone that didn't come up in Dearborn, which is Fields (South America, Japan, Europe). Second, I the thought was that PAG was on the right track, thus they pulled him off it. Last year PAG had a loss of 300 some million I believe (check me on that) this year a profit of 90 million. All PAG units (except for Jaguar) made money.
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Darwinism
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Username: Darwinism

Post Number: 350
Registered: 06-2005
Posted From: 69.209.187.90
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 7:04 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Sharmaal: I can respect your opinion. Do you support Jr.'s personnel picks then ? Or do you feel that both dad and son are doing a bad job bringing in the wrong people ? Please elaborate.
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Sharmaal
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Username: Sharmaal

Post Number: 619
Registered: 09-2004
Posted From: 69.14.76.187
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 8:50 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I support the new personnel at FoMoCo. I think many of these folks have come from outside of the Dearborn sphere of influence (which is a good move).

Anne Stevens Joined Ford in the early 90's. But she started handling duties abroad in 95, which lasted until 2003. Sort of like Fields in that they were given room and weren't corrupted by the Dearborn Culture.

Many of the top designers at FoMoCo are not born and bred Ford people. Some have been poached from Chrysler(the 300 guy recently). Many more have come from the PAG group (which for the most part mean that they are prolly European and not entrenched in Ford Culture). Also a good move.

About the Designer stuff, someone else might know more about this than me.
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Jiminnm
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Username: Jiminnm

Post Number: 282
Registered: 02-2005
Posted From: 69.241.164.222
Posted on Tuesday, January 24, 2006 - 10:47 pm:   Edit PostDelete Post   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Having been through this process elsewhere in the past, I think it can be difficult for top management from outside the corporate culture to change the rest of the organization. It sometimes takes some measures that would otherwise be considered brutal in an environment like Ford (significant staff reduction and replacement, firing and releases where that's not the norm, imposition of another culture). If management has the stomach for the ensuing criticism and gnashing of corporate teeth (and the Board stays out of the day to day), it might work.

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