PONTIAC, Mich. -- Detroit Lions coach Bobby Ross resigned
Monday, a day after an embarrassing blowout loss to Miami.
Assistant head coach Gary Moeller will take his place and was
given a three-year contract. Detroit is 5-4.
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Mon., Nov. 6
From what I've known about Bobby Ross and his character, his resignation shocks me. It's the complete reverse of what he tries to instill in his players -- toughness, finishing the job, enduring to the end -- when games are tough.
The NFL can be demoralizing; I've been in worse situations than the one in Detroit. But you don't quit. Ross quit on his team. To skip the press conference and not at least talk about why he quit leaves everything up for speculation.
The Lions will try to use this as a positive instead of a negative. New head coach Gary Moeller will bring some enthusiasm, energy and optimism that Ross maybe felt he didn't have anymore. The Lions need some new life and a fresh view on things. I'm sure Moeller will shake things up a little bit.
There's no doubt the Lions still have a chance, and this move may be the spark they need. They are 5-4 and very much in the playoff race. The Lions have been able to win some games without playing their best football. That's what makes Ross' decision even more shocking.
The Lions do have to correct some problems; the offensive line and their passing game must come around, and the running game needs to be more consistent. If they get those problems resolved, the Lions will be able to win some games and have a legitimate shot of getting to the playoffs. |
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"This is all his own doing. I think he felt that he just burned
himself out physically and mentally, that he didn't have any more
to give," owner William Clay Ford said at a Silverdome news
conference. "I think he made the right decision. ... I think it
was a very wise choice."
Ross alluded to the possibility of quitting after the Lions were
defeated 23-8 Sunday by the Miami Dolphins, calling it "one of the
most embarrassing losses I have ever had."
"We showed right from the start of the game that we weren't
ready to play, and ultimately, that is my responsibility. I won't
back down from that," Ross said Sunday. "This loss is going to
very hard for me to digest. I'm going to have to go home and
reflect on some things and talk them over with my wife."
Ross' resignation is the third coaching change in the NFL this
season.
Two weeks ago, Arizona fired Vince Tobin and replaced him with
Dave McGinnis. On Sept. 25, Bruce Coslet resigned in Cincinnati and
was replaced by Dick LeBeau.
Ross has one year remaining on his five-year contract with the
Lions. Vice president Chuck Schmidt said details of the contract
buyout have not been determined.
Schmidt said Ross had thought about resigning before Monday.
"This isn't the only time he felt this way," Schmidt said.
"He doesn't get too high, but he gets down pretty low.
"I can't say I talked him out of it before, but has he thought
about this? Sure."
In his fourth year with the Lions, Ross compiled a 27-30
regular-season record, an 0-2 mark from Detroit playoff appearances
in 1997 and last season. He replaced Wayne Fontes, who was fired in
December 1996.
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Silver & Blues
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With a 27-32 record, including two playoff losses, Bobby Ross becomes the seventh straight Lions coach to exit the Silverdome with a losing record in Detroit, the longest such streak in the NFL. The Lions have not had a coach with a winning record since Joe Schmidt went 43-35-7 from 1967.
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Consec. losing coaches
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Lions
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7
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Bengals
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4
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Browns
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4
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Chargers
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3
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Seahawks
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3
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The 63-year-old Ross, who did not attend the news conference,
submitted a letter of resignation to Ford.
Moeller said Ross "did get burned out to some degree. He's not
hurting mentally in any particular way.
"Sometimes the pressures get a little heavy. By that I don't
mean that he's not a fighter because he is a fighter. ... Did I see
it coming? In some ways, possibly, because you hear a rumor here
and there. It was surprising to me in a way but understandable as
well."
Moeller was fired as Michigan's coach in 1995 days after his
arrest during a disturbance at a Detroit-area restaurant. He served
two seasons as Cincinnati's tight ends coach before being hired in
1997 as the Lions' running backs coach. This year, the 58-year-old
Moeller has served as an assistant head coach and linebackers
coach.
Don Clemons on Tuesday was promoted to linebackers coach, taking over for Moeller in that role.
Clemons, who was the defensive assistant, has been with the Lions for 16 years.
Moeller doesn't plan too many changes right now.
"Today, as we all know we sit there at 5-4. But I think we can
grow as a football team and can be better," he said. "Believe me,
I'm very very grateful to be a head coach again. It's something
that I've wanted to do. I get my opportunity now, so I want to fly
with it."
Fan disappointment with the Lions' sputtering offense was
evident Sunday when the crowd booed third-year quarterback Charlie
Batch even while he was being helped off the turf with a
third-quarter concussion.
Batch, who threw for 95 yards on 8-of-16 passing before being
injured on the last of three consecutive sacks, missed the season
opener with a broken right knee. He has missed parts of his first
two seasons with injuries.
Moeller said the Lions have outstanding fans. "I think we can
get them behind us even more."
Ross has had blowups in the past after especially sloppy
defeats.
"What bothered me is that we never fought back," Ross said
Sunday. "If there is one thing I want to leave with the people of
Detroit, it is that I will always fight back. You want your team to
be a model of yourself, and I've failed at that."
In September, after his team was soundly beaten 31-10 by Tampa
Bay, Ross apologized to Detroit fans.
A year ago at Arizona, Detroit cut the Cardinals' lead to 23-19
with 5:26 left, when Ross opted for a 2-point conversion attempt
that fell short. The Lions later drove to the Arizona 11 in the
final minutes and could have tied the game with a short field goal
if they had kicked the extra point earlier. But forced to go for
the touchdown, the Lions failed.
"I decided to go for two points because I felt we were going to
play it to win it. I thought it through. It wasn't a spontaneous
decision," Ross had said. "I could probably look back on it and
kick myself in the teeth, but I'm not going to do that because I
thought it through."
Although Detroit has struggled, the team is tied for second with
Tampa Bay behind Minnesota in the NFC Central. The Lions got off to
a good start last year, going 6-2 after running back Barry Sanders'
surprise retirement.
But when it comes to playoffs, the record is dismal. Detroit has
lost six straight playoff games since defeating the Dallas Cowboys
in the divisional round of the 1991 season.
Since winning the NFL championship in 1957, the Lions have only
qualified for the playoffs nine times. They went from that 1957
title until 1970 before ever earning another playoff berth.
In all, Detroit is 1-9 in the playoffs since 1957.
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ALSO SEE
Bobby Ross' statement to Lions
VIDEO
  Chris Mortensen joins ESPN's Trey Wingo on SportsCenter to discuss Bobby Ross' resignation. RealVideo: 28.8 The Detroit Lions announce Gary Moeller as their new head coach. RealVideo: 28.8  Lions owner William Clay Ford says Bobby Ross had nothing left to give. wav: 132 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 New coach Gary Moeller on Bobby Ross' commitment to coaching. wav: 106 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Mike Compton was surprised by coach Ross' resignation. wav: 116 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Tracy Scroggins talks about Bobby Ross' ability to reach out to players. wav: 79 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Bobby Ross may have made the best decision by quitting, according to William Clay Ford. wav: 158 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Lions linebacker Stephen Boyd says Bobby Ross seemed burned out on football. wav: 103 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 ESPN's Sean Salisbury is not ready to call Bobby Ross a quitter. wav: 294 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 ESPN's Mike Golic has a bit of a problem with Bobby Ross' decision to resign. wav: 459 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 ESPN.com's John Clayton looks a little deeper into the Detroit Lions coaching situation. wav: 245 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 ESPN NFL analyst Kevin Greene on the impact of Bobby Ross stepping down in Detroit. wav: 515 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 |
