Matt Millen Quotes (76 Quotes)

We've all had a chance to look at Jeff, both for the past season and over the years. We know what kind of competitor he is. Jeff's somebody we knew we had to evaluate, and we have gotten all of our work done on him.

Ultimately, ... I'm at the top of the organization.

We'll try to get this thing done. Deals are done when deals are done. I wouldn't be afraid of a tag at all.

The process was really thorough. We took our time. It was important for me to get the right fit for our football team.

Sorry, Marty, but the world changed since we last addressed your job security. Our top candidate all along just came free, and we feel compelled to act.

We've got to get that thing as strong as possible. We could do a lot of different things. Now, all the stars have to line up. Let's be clear It's for a backup guy.

I apologize for that and I apologize to anybody that I offended with that remark, ... It's something that happened out of reaction. That's just not right. Again, I apologize for the whole thing and it was wrong on my part. It won't happen again and that's it.

The opportunity sits before us and, you know what, the timing couldn't be better, ... We're going to take up that challenge. I think the whole city would be behind it. We're going to celebrate the fact that we're from Detroit. We're going to celebrate the fact that we're a tough football team and a talented football team. And we're going to take the challenge.

Honest to goodness, he looks to me like an old-time head coach. If he would have just had the whistle hanging out the other day. ... There's a picture in my mind on the sidelines of Paul Brown, and it was him.

We'd like to get some younger guys under contract.

Right now, where Mike McMahon will be is ahead of Joey Harrington, ... That's just obvious. He's going to know the system better. He's going to know the offense in and out. There's no way that Harrington can just drop right in there. Mike will have to be the guy, and it'll be a good competition. I think he's up to it. In fact, I know he is.

It's the same as it always is. Every year, the draft has kind of its own little personality and what it becomes. And this one has its own unique one. It's strong in some areas and deficient in others. And we're (the Lions) strong in some areas and deficie

I don't know what the time frame is. I'd like it for it to be sooner. I want to get him in a good place.

They'll do the work. That's not the problem. The problem is learning to be consistent in the work, day in and day out at a high level. They won't be alone.

It's a high pick, which means you're going to have an impact player. Or you're going to have an opportunity to turn it into something more. We have a lot of holes to fill. So we have some decisions to make. But we're not different from any other team that lost last year.

It's nice to have the full support of the Detroit community. Seeing my name on all of those banners and signs at games gives me a warm feeling inside, the feeling you get when you sense that you're minutes away from being canned. It's a good thing I just read my name on those signs and nothing else.

We have a great opportunity ahead of us, ... and the timing is right.

Sometimes Rod says some things, and I start laughing, because it's stuff that has been said a thousand times through my past. It came out of the mouths of different people, but it becomes what you are. So when I hear him, I get a kick out of it.

I think when you think of certain teams, they take on the personality of their city. I think this is a tough city. I think this is a smart city that knows football. It's a straightforward city. I think that's what we have to be.

What Leadership After that game, everything's a desperate need.

The thing to remember with these three is they're still a work in progress. They each have their faults they need to work on. The good news is, they all possess unique abilities that can separate them just on God-given talent alone.

It's the same thing I talked about six years ago when I got here the attitude. Well, we're finally getting to it.

Whatever we do at that pick, it's not going to be a reflection on who you don't take. It's where we're at and how do we get better now I always laugh when I see it written like team bypassed so and so. Well, that's easy to say in hindsight. But what it means is we chose so and so, because at that time, that's where we were at. OK

There's a whole rebuilding of an attitude and approach that we need.

We want the right people, the ones who love to play football. I want a guy who, if I punch him in the mouth, doesn't stand there and say, Why did you punch me' I want the guy who punches me back first, and then asks me why I did it.

Some of you may ask 'Why now Why not at the end of the season' ... To me it's simple. We have five games left. We have five games to develop our younger players. We have five games to prove we are what we think we are. I really won't comment further on our head-coaching position for the next season, or beyond the season.

I was angry after that game - it was disturbing to watch - and I did not want to make a decision based on anger. We wanted to take our time, go through it logically, think everything through.

We need to play better on a lot of fronts, ... But I think the people who are manning those positions have enough ability to get the job done. We didn't get the job done. So, we did a poor job all the way around. We did a poor job on the field. We did a poor job in the classroom. I did a poor job upstairs.

That goes without saying. It's easy to say 'The honeymoon is over,' but I never viewed it as a honeymoon being over. It's just time to graduate. Now, it's like we're finally on the clock.

There'll be some guys who fight it, that's inevitable. But I really believe the majority of our guys are looking forward to this. A player who'll get a coach who works them hard, when they start to see that the guy will make them better, they'll do it. That is almost universal.

He sat there with me. He saw my teeth clinch. And he saw my blood pressure go through the roof.

The Lions have no interest in trading for Terrell Owens or dealing any of their receivers, president Matt Millen said Sunday. I like what we have right now, ... After having no receivers, it's nice to have some options.

Roy can be as good as anybody in the league. Charles has as much downfield ability as whatever is out there. He's not up there with Randy because he's not as fast. But he's pretty fast. And Mike is a huge man who runs well who doesn't know what he's doing.

That's what our game is. Our game's not get it done in three years.' Our game is right now. Our game is an immediate game. We go into each quarter, and you've got to win each play to win each quarter. You've got to win each quarter to win the game.

The main criteria this time is, I had to get somebody who's on the same page.

It takes more than just ability to play. You've got to have the whole package. You have to be right mentally and have to be prepared physically. Do I believe if he does those things he can play at a good level Absolutely, I still believe it.

We've got a long way to go. But I thought they took a good first step. It was a nice introduction for everybody, for the players to the staff, and for the staff to the players.

If someone really wants him, we'll get it done. And there are teams that want him. There's a lot of stuff involved - the draft is involved, the compensation, all of that stuff.

It hurts, ... It really does. We've not won here for a long, long time. . . . If anything, you're more resolute and determined. You're just downright ticked off to get this done.

I wouldn't be afraid of a tag at all.

Back in the '60s to the '70s, the NFL was 'The Man League,' and the AFL was 'The Fluff League,' ... Go ahead, wear those white shoes and high white socks and throw it around. But we play football over here the way it's meant to be played, outside in the mud and cold with snot bubbles coming out of our noses. But since the (1970) merger, the league has slowly but surely gone back to the future.

I want to move forward pretty quick, yet I want to make sure we get the right guy for this job. I know what we need, we know what we're looking for, and we know those qualities exist out there. We have to find the right guy with the right qualities for this football team.

I want the guy to play, and I want him to perform at a high level, and I need his mind to be right and all those things on one hand. On the other hand, we have to be accountable for what we do.

What stands in our way is the here-we-go-again attitude that starts in the city, in the streets and carries over into our locker-room, ... We can't escape it unless we win. And even when we do win, people will say, 'Give them time, they'll screw it up,' so we've got to win a lot.

At times, good people suffer a cruel fate, ... and this is one of them. . . . It's not a happy day. Steve is as good a person as I've been around. He's a close friend of mine, and it bothers me.

Honestly, this may have been the most disappointing season I have ever been associated with, just in terms of football. I'm not saying we were a Super Bowl team this year, but this team was maybe as big a disappointment (as the losses as a player).

I believed that this was a roster that was capable of making a playoff run, and I still believe that.

There's nothing you can do about it. He's not the first guy who didn't work out, and he won't be the last. You just try to make the best of it.

You can tell people the truth and everyone thinks you're lying, and you can lie and everyone thinks you're telling the truth.

I need to be more cognizant of the type of guy we're getting. If anything, the coach has made that abundantly clear to me. ... I need to pay attention to that and get the right type of person because there are times when I haven't done that.