Detroit Lions Weblog

Marinelli and the Lions Future

Rod Marinelli is clearly in over his head as the team’s head coach.   The Lions overall general lack of competitiveness, their inability to efficiently develop young talent, and Marinelli’s unwillingness to make the necessary changes to give the team a better chance to win, all will reflect negatively upon his Lions coaching tenure, as it continues to unravel towards it’s close.

Marinelli has been his most stubborn about the team’s younger players “earning” playing time.  In an interview excerpt published by the Detroit News ,Marinelli has this to say about playing the team’s young players:

“The only thing I can tell you is what my approach is on it and what I believe in,” Marinelli said. “I think you can hurt a young player by giving him everything.  I know there are pros and cons to it, but for me, I’ve always had success with young players (by being) really demanding of them, making sure they’re doing things right. And if they’re not starting, I want to see how they’re fighting.”

I realize that Marinelli was quite successful with coaching Tampa’s defensive linemen, and that he also assisted Tampa Head Coach Jon Gruden in an assistant head coaching capacity, in an organization that had a enjoyed a great deal of success.  That in mind,  I still believe that he is behaving dishonestly and irrationally in his handling of the Lions young players.

Marinelli is obviously attempting to extend his Lions coaching career, by any means necessary, to the detriment of the organization.  It is clear that he believes he can somehow win with the band of misfits and cast-offs that the team has accumulated during his brief stay, in spite of the team’s 0-6 start.  He is unwilling to admit that this season is a complete wash-out, much like his Mornihnweg-esque failed coaching tenure.

There will come a time, a crucial crossroads, some may say even a watershed moment, that the Lions front office and Marinelli will reach an impasse over his use of the team’s younger talent.   A brief power play will ensue, one which I am growing increasingly certain Marinelli will not win, despite the captive audience he appears to have with the Ford’s.

I don’t disagree with Marinelli being demanding of young players, in fact, I believe it is the correct approach.  That being said, the pungent internal toxicity of the Lions organization needs to be expunged, and their only hope of doing so is by injecting some fresh blood into the playing mix(i.e. the younger players).

I guess, I am saying that Marinelli needs to be more demanding of players like Gosder Cherilus, Kevin Smith, Andre Fluellen, “Kalimba 2.0″, Jordan Dizon, and Drew Stanton, while they are actually playing!!

As the Lions 0-16, limp-dicked march towards infamy tarries on,  do Lions fans really want to see players like George Foster, Paris Lenon, Dwight Smith, and Brian Kelly steal playing time from players who may actually return to the team next season, after this season’s perennial off-season fumigation?