Marinelli Fired This Morning

[oregonpackfan]

AP Source: Lions fire Marinelli 1 day after becoming first team in NFL history to go 0-16
sports-nfl-20081229-20081229143500160000101

Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli stands on the sidelines during the fi...
BY LARRY LAGE, AP
1 hour ago
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ALLEN PARK, Mich.(AP) — A person familiar with the decision says the Detroit Lions have fired coach Rod Marinelli.

The firing comes on the morning after the Lions became the first team in NFL history to finish with an 0-16 record.

The person, who said the move was made Monday morning, spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press because an announcement had not been made.

The Lions completed their winless season with a loss to Green Bay on Sunday, pushing aside Tampa Bay's 1976 season of 0-14 as the league's worst.

Marinelli won only one of his last 24 games and was 10-38 in three years after former team president Matt Millen gave the former Buccaneers assistant his first head coaching job.

Copyright 2008 STATS LLC

[swede]

I hear the Lions are going to try a three-headed approach to the head-coaching position:

http://i190.photobucket.com/albums/z236/dsteenswede44/3-stooges-football.jpg

Actually, it rather looks like Childress, Tice, and Wayne Fontes.

[Dabaddestbear]

I think he will be a good DC somewhere. I wouldnt mind the Bears getting him. He just isnt too good as a head coach.

[rbaloha1]

Shucks! Thought we had another Wayne Fontes.

[Patler]

I think he will be a good DC somewhere. I wouldnt mind the Bears getting him. He just isnt too good as a head coach.

I wonder how bad he really is as a head coach. He sure had nothing at all to work with in Detroit, but he seemed to keep them playing hard, at least. He had to go, though. Detroit needs to start fresh, new GM, HC of his choosing and a new staff picked by the new HC.

[ND72]

I think Marinelli would work well as the Packers Defensive Coordinator :D

[Joemailman]

Did they state a reason for why he was fired? Philosophical Differences?

[BallHawk]

"Do you wish your daughter had a father that was employed?"

[Fritz]

I think he will be a good DC somewhere. I wouldnt mind the Bears getting him. He just isnt too good as a head coach.

I wonder how bad he really is as a head coach. He sure had nothing at all to work with in Detroit, but he seemed to keep them playing hard, at least. He had to go, though. Detroit needs to start fresh, new GM, HC of his choosing and a new staff picked by the new HC.

Coupla things. First, in the past year Marinelli did have more say in personnel - he was primarily responsible for bringing guys like Brian Kelly in from Tampa. So his having a lack of talent reflects on him to some extent anyway. The Tampa pipeline was a washout.

Secondly, William Clay Ford has made the interim GM Martin Mayhew the permanent guy, and made the current President, Tom Lewand, the full time, official prez.

So all they'll do is try to find an assistant personnel guy and a new HC.

[mngolf19]

"Do you wish your daughter had a father that was employed?":lol:

If the Vikes lose their DC this year, some are saying he is a top candidate for some open jobs, I wouldn't mind him taking over.

[Joemailman]

Two amazing stats on the Lions:

Including the last 8 games of the 2007 season, the Lions have lost 23 of their last 24 regular season games.

Before going 0-16 in the regular season, the Lions were 4-0 in the pre-season, outscoring their opponents 80-32.

[oregonpackfan]

Two amazing stats on the Lions:

Including the last 8 games of the 2007 season, the Lions have lost 23 of their last 24 regular season games.

Before going 0-16 in the regular season, the Lions were 4-0 in the pre-season, outscoring their opponents 80-32.

I particularly find it amazing how a team that goes 4-0 in preseason goes 0-16 during the regular season! :shock:

[Tony Oday]

I think this is a load of crap. He had an AFL talented team and they never gave up in one game. I watched most of them Via the NFL Ticket Redzone Channel. They may have lost all 16 but it wasnt coaching that did it. I think we need a tough arsed coach like this to whip our D line into shape!

I always ask myself when a coach gets fired, Who could have done better with the talent? Nobody. Hell they ran their starting QB out of town WTF!

[The Leaper]

The ONLY reason the Lions went 0-16 was Matt Millen. The talent level on that team is pathetic...there isn't a coach in the league that could have gotten more than 4 wins out of that roster.

The Lions were at least competitive to the end despite the talent gap...and the players and coaching staff deserves a tip of the cap for that. Compare that to the Browns...there's where you point all the blame at the coaching staff.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Honestly, I don't want the likes of Marinelli or Crennel. I'm not interested in Tampa's cover-2 defense. I want our corners to continue to press. We don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. If we are going to make a change, it's probably going to be something similar to Philly and the Giants--a 4-3 defense with lots of blitzing and press corners. Any young, positional coaches on the Giants or Eagles that look ready to make the jump to DC?

[Bretsky]

Honestly, I don't want the likes of Marinelli or Crennel. I'm not interested in Tampa's cover-2 defense. I want our corners to continue to press. We don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. If we are going to make a change, it's probably going to be something similar to Philly and the Giants--a 4-3 defense with lots of blitzing and press corners. Any young, positional coaches on the Giants or Eagles that look ready to make the jump to DC?


My gut tells me Kampman can play the DE on the 3-4 still. I think Hawk and Barnett and Chillar would be fine. Pickett could play inside. We could get a prototype DE or LB that might excel in that scheme as well.

Actually I'm not sold on the 3-4 or the 4-3; I just want more competency, game planning, and masking of what we are actually doing.

[Partial]

Honestly, I don't want the likes of Marinelli or Crennel. I'm not interested in Tampa's cover-2 defense. I want our corners to continue to press. We don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. If we are going to make a change, it's probably going to be something similar to Philly and the Giants--a 4-3 defense with lots of blitzing and press corners. Any young, positional coaches on the Giants or Eagles that look ready to make the jump to DC?

If Luga is available in the draft does that sway your opinion? He doesn't have a spot currently on the Packers unless they move Barny outside. IMO he's the best defender in the draft.

[KYPack]

Honestly, I don't want the likes of Marinelli or Crennel. I'm not interested in Tampa's cover-2 defense. I want our corners to continue to press. We don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. If we are going to make a change, it's probably going to be something similar to Philly and the Giants--a 4-3 defense with lots of blitzing and press corners. Any young, positional coaches on the Giants or Eagles that look ready to make the jump to DC?

Hold on Harv.

Yer getting it tangled up, here.

Crennel = 3-4 He plays some press behind his 3-4.

Marinelli = Tampa 2. Very little press. Corners up, Safeties over the top.

I totally agree with your last two sentences. We need a D coordinator to come in and take what we have and make several schemes out of our talent. The Bates shell has served it's purpose and outlived it's usefulness.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Honestly, I don't want the likes of Marinelli or Crennel. I'm not interested in Tampa's cover-2 defense. I want our corners to continue to press. We don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. If we are going to make a change, it's probably going to be something similar to Philly and the Giants--a 4-3 defense with lots of blitzing and press corners. Any young, positional coaches on the Giants or Eagles that look ready to make the jump to DC?

Hold on Harv.

Yer getting it tangled up, here.

Crennel = 3-4 He plays some press behind his 3-4.

Marinelli = Tampa 2. Very little press. Corners up, Safeties over the top.

I totally agree with your last two sentences. We need a D coordinator to come in and take what we have and make several schemes out of our talent. The Bates shell has served it's purpose and outlived it's usefulness.

You need to re-read my post. I said I don't want Marinelli OR Crennel. Marinelli because he plays the Tampa 2 and his corners don't press. Crennel because we don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense, IMHO.

[jmbarnes101]

Honestly, I don't want the likes of Marinelli or Crennel. I'm not interested in Tampa's cover-2 defense. I want our corners to continue to press. We don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. If we are going to make a change, it's probably going to be something similar to Philly and the Giants--a 4-3 defense with lots of blitzing and press corners. Any young, positional coaches on the Giants or Eagles that look ready to make the jump to DC?

I agree with this 100% on both your opinion of the cover-2 as well as looking at assistant's. Most people throw out the big names but I'd almost prefer to see an assistant from one of the top consistent D's that use a system like you described above. They'd be hungry and hopefully not full of themselves enough to know that something needed to change. Maybe they'd actually even change the game plan for a given opponent. If we were to hire someone like that though the majority will say he failed, before he even coached a game, because he's not a "name" guy.

[Lurker64]

If Luga is available in the draft does that sway your opinion? He doesn't have a spot currently on the Packers unless they move Barny outside. IMO he's the best defender in the draft.

But, if the Packers were seriously considering switching to a 3-4, though Maualuga is definitely cut out for ILB in the 3-4, the more sensible pick would be to take B.J. Raji who is the rare 3-4 NT that is needed for that scheme. We don't currently have a DT on the roster that can play NT in the 3-4 and it's not as though DT is exactly a strength of the team.

Without the NT to make the 3-4 work, it just doesn't.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Are you convinced Pickett couldn't play 3-4 NT? I think are problem is: 1) Kampman wouldn't really fit and I'm not sure he could be a 3-4 OLB, 2) I'm not sure Barnett fits either, 3) Jenkins fits, but can we trust him. Changing schemes to me, makes two of our better defenders bad fits and requires us to also get at least one more LB. I'm for sticking with the 4-3, shoring up the DL, shifting to a more blitz oriented scheme, and keeping the corners pressing. Any move to a 3-4 would have to come with the next coaching change. Hopefully, that isn't any time soon. (Meaning I hope the team turns things around.)