Good start but Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp needs to know when to stop

It’s nothing personal, just business

Once Sheila has completed agonizing over her list of candidates who can hopefully raise the Detroit Lions out of the NFL sewers and hires that person she believes will do the job, then she needs to do something the Ford family should have done decades ago; trust the hire and let them do their job.

For years anyone given the opportunity to run this franchise had William Clay Ford Sr. in their ears strongly suggesting what he thought their strategy should be.

Once Mr. Ford passed away and Martha Firestone Ford took over, she became a little more hands-off. However, it was her influence that kept Bob Quinn from making a head coaching change sooner. Not that things would have worked out any better than what we saw.

But the point is simple; if Sheila hires someone she absolutely believes will turn this franchise around, she has to allow them to follow their plan, not hers.

In other words, Sheila, once you make that hiring, you need to let them do their thing.

I do tend to think that there is a good chance she will allow them to do their job without interference. But we will find out for sure if Matthew Stafford’s future is indeed decided by the Lions’ next general manager or head coach.

I don’t say that from the standpoint that I’m hoping Stafford will be traded. But whoever is hired to do this job will have a full-fledged rebuild on their hands. It would not be farfetched to believe they will want to purge many veterans for the sake of the rebuilding process.

A blueprint that, not surprisingly, may include trading Matthew Stafford.

We all get that Matthew Stafford will be considered one of the Detroit Lions all-time great quarterbacks, but sometimes the path to building a winner means making tough decisions.

It’s like the mafia; nothing personal, it’s just business.

If Sheila hires the right general manager, she needs to be willing to support their plan and allow them to crack as many eggs as needed to turn this organization into a real winner.

I don’t get the impression that Sheila Ford Hamp is looking for the spotlight ala Jerry Jones, therefore all she needs to do is find the right person to be Detroit’s general manager. If she successfully completes that mission and just allows them to do their thing, then the Lions may finally accomplish all of the things the Ford family’s meddling has prevented up until now.