The Lions ranked 9th and have been in the upper half. There is a difference between team success and how the ownership treats the players. WCF was loyal to a fault. He stuck with guys like Matt Millen way too long. He paid him well and was hands off. I read a story about WCF and Reggie Brown. After Brown got injured and couldn't play again, WCF got him into a program with Ford Motor Company and set him up with his own dealerships. Brown had become a successful dealership owner in Texas. I always got the impression that WCF took care of his people but he expected that loyalty back. When Barry Sanders retired early, he wasn't reciprocating the loyalty. That's why WCF went after his signing bonus.