Matt Millen Officially Apologizes To Detroit Lions Fans
By Danny Cox
As a season progresses, different things come up and sadly, it took the Detroit Lions far too long to realize how to gel and play through the injuries. Now they're on a hot streak and doing well, but one rookie has had his first season cut far too short. Meanwhile, the fans of the Lions have gotten an apology that has been a long time coming.
Rookie cornerback Alex Carter done for the season
Alex Carter just turned 21 years old last month, but his first season in the NFL is officially over before he even got a chance to play at all. He was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Monday instead of being activated by the Lions after being brought off the designated to return list.
"I understood," Carter said. "Sheldon [White] came to me after practice and was just like, 'We're going to leave you on IR, get ready for next year, stay around the meetings and practice so you can learn and just really be ready to go.'"
Carter was selected in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft and the Lions have had him learning under Rashean Mathis. An ankle injury kept him from playing so far this season and he returned to practice a few weeks ago, but the team decided to rest him until next year.
The Lions chose Carter out of Stanford due to his skills and his size, so they have high hopes for him going forward.
Matt Millen officially apologizes to Lions' fans
Former Lions president and general manager Matt Millen is now a broadcaster who calls NFL games, and he was on the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Indianapolis Colts recently. It was then that he ended up talking about his time in charge of the Lions, and he decided to say something that was long overdue.
"It was a little bit of a tactical error on my part. We had this fleeting dream that I thought maybe I could run a team," Millen said, poking fun at himself. "Sorry Detroit, it didn't quite work out."
Millen ran the Detroit Lions from 2001 to 2008, and it wasn't the most successful time by a long shot. There were even times when chants of "Fire Millen" rang out during games. Let's not forget back in 2005 when the Millen Man March took place, and it was not so surprising considering he ended with a 31-84 record as the Lions' general manager.
Matt Millen was eventually let go after the 2008 season in which the Lions went 0-16, and now, he felt it was time to say he was sorry. Better late than never.
Danny Cox knows a little something about the NFL, whether it means letting you know what penalty will come from the flag just thrown on the field or quickly spouting off who the Chicago Bears drafted in the first round of the 1987 draft (Jim Harbaugh). He plans on bringing you the best news, previews, recaps, and anything else that may come along with the exciting world of the National Football League. Danny is a freelance writer covering all things NFL. His work can be found on Examiner.com.
