Marinelli Has Become An Embarrassment

On the same Sunday that the Detroit Lions fell to 0-7 at Ford Field, Head Coach Rod Marinelli's 22nd career loss, Mike Singletary of the San Fransisco 49ers lost in his Head Coaching debut. Instead of breaking out cliches, and sounding like a broken record, Singletary showed fire and emotion after a loss. In Detroit, it was more of the same. "We've gotta watch the tape". "Gotta Coach 'em up". "It's all on me". It's the same thing that's been said since day one of the Marinelli regime, and it has become clear that the Marinelli way isn't the way that will reclaim the glory for the Lions.

Rod Marinelli seems like a good guy. He seems like a quality man, and a good teacher. The only problem is that he's not a successful NFL Head Coach. He may be teaching his team how to play his way, but it's not translating on Sunday. The Lions are 0-7, and they aren't the only winless team. The Bengals are pretty bad too, but they've been hamstrung by injuries. The Lions are just plain bad, and Marinelli is partly right: It is on him. His team is awful. With the exception of Calvin Johnson, there is very little talent on the Lions' roster (Thank You Matt Millen), and Calvin is underutilized. Marinelli hasn't taught his talent anything. The expectation of losing, and the attitude that accepts mediocrity has crept in. That alone is grounds for firing Marinelli.

Marinelli needs to go. This team is doomed as long as he is at the helm, and it really is a shame. Marinelli really does seem to care about the game of football, and I really think that he is a decent human being. He could be an excellent college coach, and he could use that position to build kids into good football players and good men. Marinelli isn't an NFL Head Coach. His team has been horrible, barely competing at all this season and failing to win a single contest at this point, and to make it worse, he shows no fire after his team loses. It seems as though he doesn't care, as if he's predestined to lead a team of failures.

The Lions won't fire Marinelli any time soon. He'll probably finish this season, and some reports say that he'll be the Lions' coach next year. This is unacceptable, and if true, show this organization's total lack of any commitment to excellence. It's time for the Lions to take action, before all the fans abandon this franchise.