“Disappointing”: Marinelli says a mouthful

By Os Davis  |   Tuesday, September 26, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Detroit Lions
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Disappointing? Coach Rod Marinelli doesn't know the half of it; then again, he's been a Detroit Lions fan for less than one year.

"Disappointing" was Marinelli's buzzword for the press conference following the Lions' 31-24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Considering that this was a game Detroit needed to win, should have won, could have won ... yes, "disappointing" is apt.

Marinelli ticked the items off his list: Disappointing was Detroit's performance defending third down (the Pack converted 7-of-15); in putting pressure on Brett Favre and not recording a single sack; in tackling in general; in stopping the run. Disappointing, too, were the kicking game and returns from special teams. Marinelli enumerated all of the above within 40 seconds of taking the mic and, man, was he disappointed because "this was a winnable game."

Disappointing? You bet, coach. Is there any bit of optimism in Detroit left?

When this season began (surely a long long time ago already in the minds of Lions backers), the metaphorical sun was beginning to sort of kind of shine through those dark poetic clouds in silver-and-Honolulu blue country. Joey Harrington, a.k.a. The Albatross, was shipped out of town. Mike Martz, producer of The Greatest Show On Turf, was in as offensive coordinator. Even Matt Millen showed he was capable of acting saner than a serial foot fetishist at Versace on draft day, picking up some real talent while resisting Prima Donna wide receivers.

Then there was the new sheriff, Rod Marinelli. Marinelli ... well, he talked tough and inspired some confidence. Marinelli brought a résumé and an attitude from those Tampa Bay Buccaneers contenders, and he spoke often of "Lions Football." If he couldn't exactly define "Lions Football" in an especially coherent fashion, well, action was more greatly desired than words in Detroit, anyway.

In the Lions' opening week 9-6 loss to the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, Marinelli's tough defense wowed the cynics and looked almost as impressive as that of the rival Chicago Bears. Until they played the Bears in Week 2 and showed how a medium-wattage offense could disassemble a suddenly gaunt-looking Detroit D. This week, the offense finally woke up from its slumber to put 24 points on the board while the defense couldn't defend third down, put pressure on Favre, et cetera et cetera ad infinitum.

The fact is that the Lions are 0-3 with two home losses and two losses to divisional rivals. Of course, everyone is aware that the chance of making the playoffs after starting 0-3 is approximately 0.000003 percent since 1990 and usually requires the presence of a voodoo priest.

Historically speaking, in the last six seasons (a.k.a. The Millen Era or The Time Of Great Darkness), the Lions have posted a losing record after three games five times. They've also been 3-3 or worse after six games five times. The sole exception in both cases was the 2004 season, which featured the Cats starting out 4-2 before finishing 6-10.

Disappointing? Not nearly as disappointing as a Lions team that confirms Detroit's worst suspicions with every quarter of play. Despite a new coach, a new gameplan and a new quarterback, right now this looks like the same old underachieving and mismanaged Lions. Three weeks in, and all Detroit fans may be left with is 14 weeks of cruise control football while the Lions struggle to reach an ultimately meaningless 8-8 record. Disappointing, indeed.

Meanwhile, when asked if he expects improvement from his guys, Marinelli replied, "Oh, no question. I'm extremely positive, I really see it all. I was and I still am and I'm just going to keep pounding man. That's me, that's who I am. I love this game and this opportunity and I go right back to work and make sure we see where we need to improve and go from there."

Easy for him to say.

Keep up with Rod Marinelli and his Detroit Lions as they keep plugging away on RealFootball365.com
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About Os Davis

Os Davis has taken a twisted route to get to RealFootball365.com in his nearly 17 years in professional writing, working in any number of capacities in the sportswriting, news reporting and film criticism worlds. In print media, Os has served as editor at a few publications, including Albuquerque's...
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