OT: A football life - Matt Millen

[cstjohn17]

NFL Films is just incredible, love everything they do. The Matt Millen episode was great, I hope he never becomes the Patriots GM but he does love football, highly entertaining.

 

[Krugman]

Yes,I liked it also,funny part when he hits that guy after a game,later finds its the Pats GM.

 

[signbabybrady]

As usual another great episode.

Can't beleive he passed up on D-Ware to select one of three WRs he would draft in the first round in consecutive years.

But really was some interesting insight to the way draft decisions are made and the pressures from others in the orginization makes me think of the feud between Kraft and Parcells over T Glenn and Tony Brackens. Parcells wanted Brackens and Kraft wanted Glenn and Perkins had to make the decision on whether to listen to his boss or his football coach. Makes me wonder who wanted the WRs that made Millen change his mind?

 

[chasa]

A football life: "How to ruin a franchise, and bankrupt a city"

 

[RayClay]

Yes,I liked it also,funny part when he hits that guy after a game,later finds its the Pats GM.

He knew, believe me.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

He knew, believe me.

And good for him! (Millen, that is)

 

[signbabybrady]

He knew, believe me.

I don't believe you.

 

[RayClay]

And good for him! (Millen, that is)

F him. He was a brain damaged player and GM. The Patriots we now enjoy had a tough road, but they did love the team and they did fight.

I really prefer the old Patriots fans to the luxury box front runners we have now and that 3 game run of grudge matches on the road was frankly more satisfying, though less polished, than anything since.

 

[RayClay]

I don't believe you.

Howie Long from Charlestown was with him and had been mouthing off about the team that just kicked his ass.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

F him.

I mean good for him for smacking Pat Sullivan. (And I say that as someone who's been a Pats fan since 1976). Everything else, sure, F him.

 

[SaintsFan67]

A football life: "How to ruin a franchise, and bankrupt a city"

Personal take here: If any one in the Armed Services did their job like Millen did his GMing in Detroit, they wouldn't be fired, they'd have been shot.

I can't listen to him as a color analyst because a voice* in the back of my head says, "If he's so wise about football, how can he be sooooo bad at a job where he had total football control?" It poisons his credibility to me.

*Not the only stray voice in there, to be sure. Legion, for we are many.

 

[ahmed]

Caught the last 10 mins or so and from what I gathered... he was too nice to go with his decisions and preferred to please others even if he did not agree with them... Disaster quality for a leader

 

[RayClay]

I mean good for him for smacking Pat Sullivan. (And I say that as someone who's been a Pats fan since 1976). Everything else, sure, F him.

He deserved it (but I'll love him forever for it). I'm a fan since 1961 and believe me the Patriots had some good teams along the way and got disrespected by everyone including the refs. I don't care if Pat had a few ****tails and Billy didn't have the money, they cared about bringing and keeping a team here.

People think some billionaire was ready to buy and maintain a team here in 1959, but that's a fantasy. We used to have Giants games only on TV years after we had the team and no one would have ever maintained a team here without a stadium either.

So, I loved seeing them fight to keep the team, even if they weren't polished billionaire's. You want to congratulate a professional player who hits a civilian in the head with a helmet, that's up to you. He's probably go to jail now. Millen's such a meathead he doesn't even realize he wasn't the one being razzed, it was Long.

 

[captain stone]

Why the heck should Matt Millen have his own "A Football Life" special anyway?

 

[AQPE]

As usual another great episode.

Can't beleive he passed up on D-Ware to select one of three WRs he would draft in the first round in consecutive years.

But really was some interesting insight to the way draft decisions are made and the pressures from others in the orginization makes me think of the feud between Kraft and Parcells over T Glenn and Tony Brackens. Parcells wanted Brackens and Kraft wanted Glenn and Perkins had to make the decision on whether to listen to his boss or his football coach. Makes me wonder who wanted the WRs that made Millen change his mind?

I know it is not actually in line with your point, you are only citing this as a Pats-related example to make your real point about how the draft rooms are likely very crazy scenes, but for whatever reason this particular event with Kraft and Parcells always irks me, because so often it is not remembered accurately, usually by the Francesas and Shaughnessys of the world who haven't gotten over their boner for Groin Fat Man and delusions about Kraft. So please bear with me as I attempt to defend one of the best owners in sports and almost certainly the best owner in Boston sports history (not that that's actually saying much).

I consider Will Mcdonough's accounts on this to be definitive. One was written the day before, another the day after this draft, and the final account was written a few weeks after Parcells charade with the Pats and Jets was finally settled. Keep in mind that Will and Parcells had the same agent at that time, so I tend to give his reporting on this a lot of credibility.

McDonough reported that the day before the draft the Pats were projecting to pick Cedric Jones (a DE). When Jones went to the Giants 2 or 3 picks prior to the Pats, Parcells wanted Duane Clemons (a LB/DE), not Brackens. Grier, Armey, and others in the draft room wanted Glenn. Kraft sided with the rest of the organization and against Parcells and they picked Glenn. It is unlikely that Parcells would have taken Brackens, he didn't fit the Al Groh scheme they ran on defense at that point. Clemons was basically redundant with McGinest who was a top-end 1st round pick heading into his 3rd year at thst time. Jones wouldn't have been redundant with McGinest, so its likely he would have been the pick had the Giants not taken him. Both Jones and Clemons were nonentities throughout the careers. Glenn was a significant player for the Pats in their run to the Super Bowl. One final factor for Kraft in all this was - as reported by McDonough Parcells had asked Kraft to be let go from his contract 3 months earlier and when Kraft refused to allow it, Parcells told him that year would be his last in New England. I've always suspected that Kraft knew even then that something was up between Parcells and the Jets, and given Parcells subsequent subterfuge (**cough** Curtis Martin **cough** Johnny Parker **cough**) if my (unsubstantiated) speculation is correct, there was plenty of reason to not side with Groin Fat Man on that one. So, for a lot of reasons, Kraft - in his 3rd year as owner - made the absolute right choice in this case.

=====

As for Matt Millen, I think it is really not complicated. He had no clue how to scout or evaluate talent. Of all his picks, not just the three WR busts, Millen's anti-acumen was proven almost without exception. I think his only good acquisition was a kicker. It certainly wasn't a coach, a QB, an OL, DL, LB, or DB. He was an ex-player plucked from the broadcast booth and hired to run a team with zero experience in coaching, scouting, or managing. He had no business in that job and spent years proving exactly that.

Millen total lack of judgment extends to the Pat Sullivan situation. I'm old enough to remember all the ragtime that Howie Long used to spew about the Sullivans, for no evident reason than for Howie to feather his own nest with Al Davis. Pat Sullivan demeaned himself by giving Howie the time of day, but I can see how hard it must have been to hold back on trash talking some ahole who's been crapping on his Dad for 3 years. I never bought Millen's excuse about not knowing who Sullivan was, I think the players are very aware of who the GMs are in the league (especially someone as interested as Millen has proven subsequently to be in milking every opportunity he could in the NFL). It was a thug move, fitting for the Sandusky-trained (just sayin' ...) jackass that is Matt Millen.

OK, I feel better now, thanks. Please carry on

 

[RayClay]

I know it is not actually in line with your point, you are only citing this as a Pats-related example to make your real point about how the draft rooms are likely very crazy scenes, but for whatever reason this particular event with Kraft and Parcells always irks me, because so often it is not remembered accurately, usually by the Francesas and Shaughnessys of the world who haven't gotten over their boner for Groin Fat Man and delusions about Kraft. So please bear with me as I attempt to defend one of the best owners in sports and almost certainly the best owner in Boston sports history (not that that's actually saying much).

I consider Will Mcdonough's accounts on this to be definitive. One was written the day before, another the day after this draft, and the final account was written a few weeks after Parcells charade with the Pats and Jets was finally settled. Keep in mind that Will and Parcells had the same agent at that time, so I tend to give his reporting on this a lot of credibility.

McDonough reported that the day before the draft the Pats were projecting to pick Cedric Jones (a DE). When Jones went to the Giants 2 or 3 picks prior to the Pats, Parcells wanted Duane Clemons (a LB/DE), not Brackens. Grier, Armey, and others in the draft room wanted Glenn. Kraft sided with the rest of the organization and against Parcells and they picked Glenn. It is unlikely that Parcells would have taken Brackens, he didn't fit the Al Groh scheme they ran on defense at that point. Clemons was basically redundant with McGinest who was a top-end 1st round pick heading into his 3rd year at thst time. Jones wouldn't have been redundant with McGinest, so its likely he would have been the pick had the Giants not taken him. Both Jones and Clemons were nonentities throughout the careers. Glenn was a significant player for the Pats in their run to the Super Bowl. One final factor for Kraft in all this was - as reported by McDonough Parcells had asked Kraft to be let go from his contract 3 months earlier and when Kraft refused to allow it, Parcells told him that year would be his last in New England. I've always suspected that Kraft knew even then that something was up between Parcells and the Jets, and given Parcells subsequent subterfuge (**cough** Curtis Martin **cough** Johnny Parker **cough**) if my (unsubstantiated) speculation is correct, there was plenty of reason to not side with Groin Fat Man on that one. So, for a lot of reasons, Kraft - in his 3rd year as owner - made the absolute right choice in this case.

=====

As for Matt Millen, I think it is really not complicated. He had no clue how to scout or evaluate talent. Of all his picks, not just the three WR busts, Millen's anti-acumen was proven almost without exception. I think his only good acquisition was a kicker. It certainly wasn't a coach, a QB, an OL, DL, LB, or DB. He was an ex-player plucked from the broadcast booth and hired to run a team with zero experience in coaching, scouting, or managing. He had no business in that job and spent years proving exactly that.

Millen total lack of judgment extends to the Pat Sullivan situation. I'm old enough to remember all the ragtime that Howie Long used to spew about the Sullivans, for no evident reason than for Howie to feather his own nest with Al Davis. Pat Sullivan demeaned himself by giving Howie the time of day, but I can see how hard it must have been to hold back on trash talking some ahole who's been crapping on his Dad for 3 years. I never bought Millen's excuse about not knowing who Sullivan was, I think the players are very aware of who the GMs are in the league (especially someone as interested as Millen has proven subsequently to be in milking every opportunity he could in the NFL). It was a thug move, fitting for the Sandusky-trained (just sayin' ...) jackass that is Matt Millen.

OK, I feel better now, thanks. Please carry on

I always wondered about Parcells "telling" anyone exactly who he's pick. In the first place, why tip it and in the second, you don't know how the cards are played. With a 6th overall, you could make a big trade too.

Here's Parcells revealing he wanted big defense naming three guys.

I always thought, however, the reason he blew his stack was the draft was loaded with top receivers. He could have traded, or waited and still picked up an all pro wideout. In fact this is in WIKI as the year of the receiver. Parcells indicates as much, without mentioning th trade possibility, which I think would have been strong.

"There's three guys we're interested in. Cedric Jones. Duane Clemons. Tony Brackens. We'll have a shot at one of those three."

Within 30 minutes of that conversation, I called Parcells and told him what Kraft said. "That's right," he answered. "One of those defensive linemen. That's where we need the help. We stink on defense."

I then asked him about Terry Glenn, because two people told me that Kraft wanted to draft the Ohio State wide receiver.

"We're not taking a receiver there," said Parcells. "We're going to get the defensive lineman and then get the receiver at the top of the second round. There still will be some good ones left around."

Boston Globe Online / Top Sports Stories of the Year, 1997

This draft is considered one of the best draft classes ever for the position of wide receiver. Keyshawn Johnson, Terry Glenn, Eddie Kennison, Marvin Harrison, Eric Moulds, Bobby Engram, Terrell Owens, Muhsin Muhammad, Amani Toomer, Jermaine Lewis, and Joe Horn have all achieved success in the pros, with all except Kennison, Engram, and Toomer having reached the Pro Bowl at least once, and a total of 26 Pro Bowl appearances for the group.

1996 NFL Draft - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia