First impressions of Bob Quinn
By Mike Payton
The Detroit Lions new GM Bob Quinn just introduced himself to the Detroit Lions nation and there were quite a few impressions to take away. Here’s what caught my eye the most.
No Nonsense
What struck me immediately is that Quinn appears to be a no nonsense guy. Not in the sense that Quinn will rule the Lions with an iron fist like he’s Dr. Claw from Inspector Gadget. What I mean is the guy is a straight shooter. He’s gonna let you know the decision he made and why he made that decision and how you’re going to benefit from that decision. Coming out of the Mayhew era that was shrouded in mystery and lack of trust, it’s nice to know there’s a guy here now that will tell it like it is.
No Force
A noteworthy quote for me to hear was “I’m not going to force a player on a coaching staff.” I’m looking in your direction again Martin Mayhew. As we all know now, Mayhew infamously forced Titus Young down the throat of the Lions despite the scouting staff and just about everyone in the building be so firmly against it. Quinn coming out and saying that his goal is to find the right players for the coach and his scheme and his plans to work diligently with the scouting department shows that you may not have to worry all that much about Quinn during draft and free agency time. Of course this all has yet to be seen, he could wind up being a total mad man for all we know.
No Promises
I tweeted this earlier and I got a favorable response that made me happy to see.
Also, I'm not sure how it sits with most Lions fans, but I absolutely love that this guy didn't come out here and promise anything.
— Mike Payton (@POD_Payton) January 11, 2016
This is a big deal to me. Frankly I’ve grown tired of the new coach pr new personnel member coming on stage and patronizing the fans by saying “we plan on winning and winning now” or “we want to bring championship football to Detroit.” Just shut up and fix the team. All the promising ever does is create plenty of room for disappointment.
No Caldwell?
We still really don’t know for sure which direction Quinn plans to go with Jim Caldwell, and we likely won’t for a few more days. the good news is pretty much every team in the NFL is in a holding pattern with the Lions.
Generally not a lot of patience from fanbases in coaching searches... but with NFL owners on way to Houston for meetings, things on hold
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) January 11, 2016
Quinn says he hasn’t had the chance to sit down with Caldwell yet, but looks forward to getting to know him. I won’t mince words here, everything I got from Quinn on Monday equaled at least to me that Caldwell is as good as gone. Just basing this theory off the way that Quinn talked about coaching options as if he had some names in mind already. We shall see soon enough what the real plan is.
No Idea
Having said all of that, I still find myself coming away from this press conference with more questions than answers. It’s going to be some time before we can truly gauge what kind of general manager Bob Quinn is going to be. We can get a better idea during cuts and going into free agency and the draft. But true success can’t be measured for another couple of years. Based solely off first impressions, the Lions made the right move here.