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Marinelli Ouster Had To Happen Sooner Instead Of Later
There should be no surprise it happened this soon, the morning after the Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers to become the first team in NFL history lose all 16 of its regular season games.
Rod Marinelli had to be released as Lions head coach. There was no justification for retaining him.
He inherited a bad team, but it regressed further under his watch. His defensive scheme was stale and out-of-date. He made poor decisions when it came to acquiring player personnel to fit his scheme (all those defensive linemen the Lions drafted and the former Tampa Bay players they acquired).
I know the Lions head coaching position is a difficult one. There is a losing culture there. It hovers over the franchise like an ominous cloud. There were times when Marinelli put up a decent fight to change that culture. Him being so focused on not being distracted worked pretty well the first half of the 2007 season. It’s when the losses mounted that his rhetoric got tired, and it became evident it was just a matter of time before his stint in Detroit would be complete. You can’t preach sound, fundamental football - and have the team perform in a completely opposite manner. In professional football, you can’t talk constantly about how well a team practices when it performs so poorly on game day
Not having experience as a coordinator hurt Marinelli. It didn’t help, either, that his coaching staff wasn’t stellar.
While he was far from the only one at fault for the 0-16 record, Marinelli certainly played a major role in it. I think it would be fair to say that many other head coaches - most of them - would have found a way to win at least one game this season.
Random Thoughts
- Why not Bill Parcells? If the Dolphins kick him loose because of ownership change, the Lions should be interested. Who do you like better hiring the next head coach - Parcells or Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew? Not even close, is it?
- The Lions have to do a lot more than just freeze ticket prices to win back their fans. They need to make a serious splash this off season. Not sure that’s going to happen.
- I still can believe a team with a player as great as Calvin Johnson didn’t win a game. He tied for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions with 12. Amazing under the circumstances.
Rod Marinelli had to be released as Lions head coach. There was no justification for retaining him.
He inherited a bad team, but it regressed further under his watch. His defensive scheme was stale and out-of-date. He made poor decisions when it came to acquiring player personnel to fit his scheme (all those defensive linemen the Lions drafted and the former Tampa Bay players they acquired).
I know the Lions head coaching position is a difficult one. There is a losing culture there. It hovers over the franchise like an ominous cloud. There were times when Marinelli put up a decent fight to change that culture. Him being so focused on not being distracted worked pretty well the first half of the 2007 season. It’s when the losses mounted that his rhetoric got tired, and it became evident it was just a matter of time before his stint in Detroit would be complete. You can’t preach sound, fundamental football - and have the team perform in a completely opposite manner. In professional football, you can’t talk constantly about how well a team practices when it performs so poorly on game day
Not having experience as a coordinator hurt Marinelli. It didn’t help, either, that his coaching staff wasn’t stellar.
While he was far from the only one at fault for the 0-16 record, Marinelli certainly played a major role in it. I think it would be fair to say that many other head coaches - most of them - would have found a way to win at least one game this season.
Random Thoughts
- Why not Bill Parcells? If the Dolphins kick him loose because of ownership change, the Lions should be interested. Who do you like better hiring the next head coach - Parcells or Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew? Not even close, is it?
- The Lions have to do a lot more than just freeze ticket prices to win back their fans. They need to make a serious splash this off season. Not sure that’s going to happen.
- I still can believe a team with a player as great as Calvin Johnson didn’t win a game. He tied for the NFL lead in touchdown receptions with 12. Amazing under the circumstances.
posted by Pat Caputo at
10:33 AM
12 Comments:
Lions will never win with Ford in charge. Silver Spoon runs deep! No passion like the other Detroit owners
I didn't know Johnson had any touchdowns since I only watched a couple minutes of each game ... that was enough, right?
What about Parcells as the President/General Manager/Head Coach: http://rickswritingagain.blogspot.com/2008/12/bill-parcells-is-already-genius-but.html
I agree the boot had to be given to Marinelli today. 0-16. He even probably knew he wouldn't survive that. The immediate promotion of Mayhew to GM. Fine, but I don't think you are off to a great start with Colletto being retained. How do u expect us the fan to gain any hope. O-line coach or not he stunk. in the last 3 years I don't remember the O-line being outstanding. All offensive, Defensive and Special teams persoanl need to have been wakling right behind marinelli. Them retaining Colletto hell I am worried that they will hire a garbage rerun type coach.
Now Parcells becomes available. Ford better be first in line. It won't happen. Ford in my mind is a coward. He sits like a litte mole in his little whole at ford field. U see his face, but his hands are under the table fipping everyone in detroit off. He is a pathetic owner and has know passion for what he is doing. Yeah of course guys like lewand will say nobody wants to win more then ford. Why wouldn't he say that. Ford needs to crawl out and face this city. Face you guys the media so u can give it to him for us fans. cauase u all feel teh same we do. Instead it won't happpen cause he is a coward. A Scrooge!
Unfortunately as fans all we can do is sit and watch it unfold. Is this team beyond fixable? we will find out.
My mind you resign Orlovsky for at least 1 more year. U go him, Culpepper, Stanton 1 more year. U draft that a LT. Move bacus and raiola to guards. Draft that Center out of Cal. Then you spend the rest of the draft and free agency going after nothing but DEFENSE.who knows...
Book,
The Lions are utterly hopeless. They could hire the ghost of Lombardi and Landry and still not win. It is Clay Ford, Sr. and they will not win with him as owner. Having said that, let's draft an offensive tackle, a qb and look at bringing in another proven free-agent qb to battle Culpepper. Cassel and McNabb will be available. The logic is the Lions need instant credibility. A veteran qb will win them 4-5 games. Culpepper can do this if he is healthy (big if). Two solid veteran qb's gets you close to .500. Rookie qb's are a crapshoot. Atlanta and Baltimore both caught lightning in the bottle. A solid offensive lne, a veteran qb and a running back makes your team respectable. Let the rookie qb watch for one season. The Lions need to regain respectibility with their fans and this is the sure way to do it.
Alan
I thought Marinelli clearly deserved to be fired, but really carried himself with class. Where was the Detroit Lions front office, who fired him? They demonstrated the opposite. I really wish the fans had leverage to get Ford to sell the franchise, but I just don't see that happening. It's really too bad Detroit's fans deserve so much better.
Finally some antacid for a three year old stomachache. It took him to get fired after the epitome of ineptitude to answer some questions with some replies that were not filled with doubletalk. He says he built a foundation with some good young talent: since when is a good foundation 2-3 NFL players besides your kickers a good foundation? He sold the snake oil all the way to the end. What fan base would accept a coach whose resume includes coaching the worst defense in the NFL two years straight, lost 23 of 24 after beginning a year 6-2 with 17 of those losses in a row and still saying that he believes in what he did and wouldn't change anything and he hoped to be a head coach again. Add this note: On the day he entered infamy his team set another NFL first-2 100 yard receivers and 2 100 yard RB's on the same team in one game. From the first he was overmatched and it's about time!
Anonymous,
Ford's record is a matter of record. It's difficult to be optimistic about the future based on his track record in the past.
Caputo
Rick,
Johnson is a great player. He deserves to be on a better team. Not sure that will happen, though, unless he leaves the Lions.
Caputo
maddog52,
Colletto was obviously overmatched as a head coach at Purdue and as an offensive coordinator, but it's my understanding he is a terrific offensive line coach. I believe that why he was retained.
Caputo
Alan,
Well, the plan you submit did work well for the Falcons this season. The Falcons were far more advanced than the Lions defensively, though. That's the key, I tnink, shoring up the defense.
Caputo
Steve,
If Marinelli had won, he would have been a hero in this town. People around here respect his kind of work ethic. Unfortunately for him, such losing trumps all.
Caputo
Hollis Keys,
His biggest downfall was preaching fundamentally sound football and not delivering on it.
Caputo
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