Diner morning news: A difficult goodbye

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

God Bless - and All the Best -

You Better keep writing daily at NFL.com - otherwise we'll all get together and file an injunction that'll make star caps look like fighting a parking ticket ;)

this is terrible news, please at least continue to appear on bill simmon's podcast!

I have never commented on a column before. I guess I never felt I had much to offer in the way of insight or intelligence to many of the conversations. But I wanted to take the time out today to say, Thank You. You have made my reading experience a thoroughly enjoyable one. I often repost the quotes you post for my friends so they too may enjoy the words of wisdom and enlightenment. Please do continue to write, to elucidate, and to explore your craft.

Best wishes,

Antoine

Best of luck, always enjoyed your stuff,especially the Sunday columns.

Mike,

Gotta say...sad to see you go....I enjoyed reading your column every day...even with all the Bellicheck worship...was a lot of fun over the last couple of years...u were a must read every day...

Good luck with everything....stop kissing up to bellicheck...you know hes nothing without Brady...Go Jets...

Good luck out there. Your weekly column will be missed by us around here.

Good luck to you and success at the Network. Keep up the great work and dont change a thing.

I wish you the best, Mike. Thanks for helping me to maintain my passion for football, while my Detroit Lions were systematically squelching it.

Dude, I just hope you still keep your style and insights intact and don't become a drone over there. Your personality and honesty is why we read. Matt Bowen deserves to go with you, btw!

Best of luck to you Mr. Lombardi! I always enjoyed reading your posts but now look forward to seeing you on NFL Network.

Mike,

Thanks for everything. This was the only must read website I check out every day. I have learned a ton over the last few years and really appreciated the time an effort you spent on the columns.

What the hell am I going to do when I open my browser Monday morning???

Best of luck Mike. This is a sad day but I will continue to follow you online. Kepe up the great work!

Thanks for all the great articles Mike--- I've enjoyed them.

Gonna really miss the DMN and everything else you do for the NFP, but at least I'll still get to see you on the Network. Best of luck to you Mike, your presence here will most certainly be missed.

Best of luck, Michael. NFP became my go to source. I'll keep visiting, but I'll be sure to follow you along.

Mike

What a loss! Your column was one of the few that offered some real insight and a willingness to not just repeat superficial story lines. I can only hope your presence on NFL network will raise the level of analysis there and turn that network into something worth watching.

By the way, I'll miss your quotes and lessons on leadership - I have been sharing them with my kids and they love it (or so they say).

Best of luck.

Good Luck Mike. I have always enjoyed your articles even though you are a Vikings and Childress hater. I will miss your articles.

You will be missed! I've enjoyed very much reading your opinions and insights on football.

Leaving the NFP?!?... What an IDIOT!

MIke, I will miss the Stories to share that were always well timed and thoughtful. I can say I never called you an idiot but I enjoyed all of your posts even when we didn't agree on the topic at hand. God Bless you and your family as you continue with the NFL Network. Thanks for the great stories.

Mike, sad to hear that you're leaving, but thanks for all your work for NFP over the years! I'll look forward to reading you on NFL.com and of course listening to you and Simmons hash things out on his podcast! Good luck

At the end of the day, you ultimately have to do what is best for you and the National Football League.

it's a loss for NFP but a big gain for NFL.com... but I bet you miss the freedom and the opportunity to say intelligent things without editorial pressure to make it all "more accessible"...

Good luck.

Great job at the post Mike, good luck in the future, we will miss you!

Thanks for all the great columns.

Well, there goes most reasons to come here....hope they get a decent replacement....

Loved the column, Mike ! Best of luck

Mike, I want to wish you the best in your endeavors at NFL Network and NFL.com. Your Diner, Tavern, and Sunday Morning columns were always must reads for me, and I really appreciated the insight and perspective you brought in covering the NFL. I've learned so much just reading your material. Your Sunday insights, leadership improvement ideas, and short stories of triumph and tragedy truly made me think hard about myself. And while I currently am unable to enjoy the NFL Network (thanks, Cablevision), I will look forward to your writing on NFL.com. All the best, and thanks for the last few years.

Mike, I will definitely miss reading your work on here, not just on the topic of football but on all aspects of leadership as well. The story at the end of the Sunday Post has been one of the best things about my weekend ever since I started reading it. I wish you well working directly for the NFL (and maybe you can teach those dunderheads over there a thing or two)!

Keep the quotes coming and good luck. We'll see you over there.

I think we'll all miss you here. I hope you're not going to retire from doing The BS Report either though!

Bummer. I guess I don't get to read Lombardi anymore. NFL.Com/Network is an insult to any fan that hasn't had a lobotomy recently. They make PFT seem smart and classy. Its not even fun to watch you routinely hand Jamie Dukes his head, because he's too clueless to even know its happening.

Ahhhh, this just sucks.

Mike,

Very sad to hear this, but good luck to you. The Sunday column became a must read after the first time and I will miss it. I liked the dailies a lot, but I looked forward to the Sunday columns as much or more than MMQ or Simmons' columns. You will be missed.

Marston

Mike, You were the reason I started reading NFP. Keep the door open to come back someday. You never know how things will work out. I't won't be the same without you.

Michael...enjoyed reading your posts and will continue enjoying hearing your analysis on NFL Network. Just a suggestion...keep writing down your thoughts as often as you can - even if you only put them as "Notes" on your fb account. Your writing is good, gives you an opportunity for more complete thoughts than you are able to verbalize in reacting to a questions on NFL network (even with those 'productive' production meetings ;o), and reaches people in a different way than the spoken word. Take care & God bless...

This may sound odd, but the columns I liked the most were the clock management critiques. It's an arcane but important subject that gets short shrift from most writers. Taking a second by second look at crucial points of games had to be very time-consuming for you, but I for one appreciated it.

Repeating what others above have stated, "Sunday at the Post" was a must-read for me. I thank you for the "real-life" perspectives you added which went far and above the football talk. Best of luck ! Just one question - now who will antagonize Bowen about "his" Texans ?!?

Michael you did a great job , really injoyed your work ,i will miss your post and '' quotes. . Best of luck . see you on nfl network .

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO ....Say it aint so .

Mike... in a NFLweb filled with a herd of followers ,
YOU BLAZED YOUR OWN PATH.

You will be missed .

How very sad. Who now is going to make me smarter and brighten my day?

I especially will miss your Sunday post both the emotions and the words of wisdom, which often I disseminate in my workplace.

Good luck to you in your ongoing and new endeavors.

This is not the end, it is a beginning.
NFL.com has some great writers(Pat Kirwan and Gil Brandt are always great reads there) anyone having those football minds as peers is part of a great team.

Those guys are such great reads, some people don't do the television as well. The network is constantly looking for young talent, but those veteran front office mavericks have the kind of people skills that should easily translate on camera.


You took some time away from football in the front office, to get closer to football, in how it is discussed and made into a story. That is an example of making opportunity in ways others would see as a setback. The sport has grown because the conversation about football can always absorb more detail and knowledge.

The saying about players and coaches is that players always respect knowledge. Fans are fundamentally the same way. The game itself is such a great story, getting to know great people in all aspects of the football business is another way to make that story better. The NFP is a flagship example of the new era for business as well. Interactive media is the future for management and labor.

Michael Lombardi has made an extravagant menu at the Diner and Tavern. There is more to offer in the sports world when it comes to football talk, at all levels of the game. The other NFP contributors add to the quality and quantity of the conversation.

Thanks greatly for your validation of our value as fans, Mike. That is what gave the NFP its edge, the feedback and passion of the greatest fans of the world's greatest sport, matched with people from the football side of this world who love the sport just as much.

Where do we go now? Matt Bowen is ready to step up and offer more with his recent talks on football schemes and stratagey. The business side is especially important at a time of uncertainty approaching the immediate future, so Andrew Brandt, Jack Betcha, and the Professor are all able to add new insight there.

Perhaps you can find away Mike Leach's service contract clause and add some of his candor? Other guests could include former and present coaches like Bill Cowher, Tony Dungy(both probably have other network agreements) and the famous scowling grimace of 'chucky' from Jon Gruden(again, another network guy).

There's other college names to consider, former coaches from there who have interactive forums for talking football X's and O's. My favorites Chris Brown of Smartfootball.com(now with yahoo and NYT) and Coach Huey, the former SEC treasure. Either of those football minds make for great copy here and can help strengthent he wire ticker and reach more fans.

Both your wire writers can or should have another feature special to run each week. Their use of headlines and perspective gives you the feel that you are talking to another fan in addition being great young professionals.

Again, thanks to the entire NFP family for this site, giving us a place to have our voice heard. Mike and Andrew really have worked magic(mentalism) in reading what the fans want out of the football world.

Sorry to see you go, but you have my best wishes for the future. You definitely raise the standard when you appear on the NFL Network. I hope we see less and less of Jamie Dukes and more of you!

Had to be done. The NFL has the money.

I just googled "NFL Network" and found your picture under "Network Talent".

The Post still has some major writers, it's still bookmarked.

I wish you the best. You're a bright man and we all envy you. Now stop hating on Todd Haley and get over to Arrowheadaddict.com for your Chief News! lol.

Mike,

Farewell,

Makes me want to buy a doll for you and some white roses

Really sorry to see you go from the Post. I'll be looking for you on the NFL channel. Good luck....
Bill, Toronto

After reading 'a difficult goodbye', I had hoped it was a piece on Ronnie James Dio. ;)

This is probably a good choice, rather than continue to be split between the two. The articles here had suffered in recent months. Better to be good at one thing than...

Youll be missed Lombardi and Youl'll be followed to nfl.com. But curiosity - Is there anyone lined up to start writing a daily column focused like yours on NFP? It's one of best things about the site.

Man, that sucks. You and Bowen are the reasons I come to this site. The business side is interesting and all, but it doesn't have a great deal to do with the play, which is what I want to read about.

Good luck at NFL.com, Mike. I hope they find a good replacement for you here.

So long, Mike.

Always enjoyed the daily quotes. Always hated the politics.

But I ALWAYS read your columns, and appreciated your commitment to getting a new column up - early! - practically every day. As Winston Churchill once said, "History is made by those who show up."

You do your job well. I wish you all the best. And you'll be tough to replace at the NFP.