MVN: Most Valuable Network

Yes, after studying this issue for far too long and after spending way too much time on it, I have concluded that Rod Marinelli is a terrific football coach. HOWEVER, let me clarify:

Ol' Rod is a terrific football man who has worked well in the trenches with his "Men" on the defensive line. He is the classic prototype football coach who eats-breathes-lives football 24/7. He is also loyal and possesses a terrific work ethic and unquestioned integrity. If I were a head football coach, I would want Rod Marinelli on my staff.

HOWEVER (yes, I know, this is my 2nd HOWEVER!), there is a substantial difference between being a football grunt (assistant coach) in the trenches and being a head coach. The football grunt spends all of his time coaching, teaching, and improving a selected portion of the overall program, while the head coach does not spend a lot of time with individual units. Rather, the head coach, while globally responsible for the whole operation, has to delegate to handpicked assistants who are then responsible for the grunt work.

The skills of an assistant coach and a head coach are substantially different. An assistant coach needs coaching, teaching, and football skills, while the head coach needs more people skills, political skills, organizational skills, and the ability to lead the entire organization and not just a few "Men".

Rod, while succeeding in the trenches as an assistant coach, has failed miserably as a head coach for the following reasons:

1) Poor selection of assistant coaches. When you choose your own son-in-law and a guy who likes to be without clothes when going through the drive-thru at Wendy's (By the way, this "Wendy's" issue is not funny - but it is a character flaw that one cannot have in a people business), your judgment on selecting assistant coaches is greatly questioned. Also, we can't hold Rod responsible for the selection of Martz (Millen brought in Martz), but Rod's replacement for Martz, Jim Coletto, has failed as an offensive coordinator (do you remember when Jon Kitna yelled at Coletto on the sidelines during a game?).

2) Inability to move from assistant coach in the trenches to the man in charge of global operations. This happens all of the time in sports, business, and life in general (check out the Peter Principle). The skills that made him a terrific defensive coach are completely different from the skills that are needed to be a successful head coach. Rod does not have the necessary skills, doesn't realize that the skill set is different, or was unable to grasp that he is actually in charge of EVERYTHING and that nobody is supposed to blink until they get permission from him.

Can Rod develop into a successful head coach? I would say no, simply because his mindset is too ingrained in the trenches concept with his "Men". There is no shame in being a terrific assistant coach and not being a good head coach. It happens all of the time to folks around the world in all areas of life.

So, in conclusion, is Rod Marinelli a terrific assistant coach? YES he is and I would want him on my staff if I were a head coach. Is Rod Marinelli a terrific head coach? NO, he is not, as he has not developed, or does not possess, the necessary skills to move from "in the trenches" to manager of the overall operation.

         As an ardent and fervent fan and supporter of the Detroit Lions (I haven't missed a game in-person, on the radio, or on TV in over 40 years!) I am often the only person in the room who believes that the Lions will win every single game. Of course, I've often been the only person who was later proven to be incredibly incorrect!! But, my hope and support for my beloved Lions continues to be strong! After all, there is always tomorrow!!      But, how about today? Can the Lions win against the Titans in the annual Detroit Thanksgiving Classic? Normally, my answer would be a resounding "YES". Unfortunately, even I have to admit that the short and long answer to today's question is a resounding "NO"!!     The Lions, who are, and will continue to be, suffering from the terrible blunders of Matt Millen and the Ford... Read more

The Lions lost their fifth straight game, falling to the Vikings 12-10 on a chip shot field goal with nine seconds left.  Unlike the other four losses, the defense was outstanding.  However, the offense could not get the job done.  Regardless of the poor offensive output, the Lions should have beaten Minnesota.  There were several suspect calls by the officials that cost the Lions the game. On the Vikings game winning drive, they faced a second and twenty and went deep down the right sideline.  Cornerback Leigh Bodden was flagged for pass interference on the play.  Where the pass interference was .... I have no idea.  The result of the crappy call was a 42 yard gain for the Vikings.  Instead of third and twenty, Minnesota had it first and ten at the Lions 26.  Somehow the zebras felt that was pass interference, but kept their flags in their pockets earlier... Read more

The Lions travel to Minnesota as they look to get their first win of the year.  The Lions are 13.5 point underdogs and will be without starting QB Jon Kitna.  Kitna, who was pulled from the game against the Bears, will miss the Vikings game with a back injury.  Dan Orlovsky will get his first start. Kitna reportedly injured his back during the first half against Chicago.  He was pulled at halftime and didn't practice all week.  Kitna visited a back specialist and it is anyone's guess what happened while he was there.  He refused to talk to the media about the injury.  He said he wouldn't be able to answer any questions truthfully.  Who knows what that means?  Is he healthy enough to play and getting benched anyway? At any rate, it is good to see Orlovsky get his first start.  The advantages Kitna has in experience are offset by his lack of arm... Read more

Once again, the Lions got crushed to fall to 0-4 on the season.  This time the pummeling was at the hands of the Chicago Bears.  Just like every other loss, the Lions fell way behind before putting up any points on the scoreboard.  This time the score was 31-0.  While the defense managed to stop the Bears running attack, QB Kyle Orton, yes Kyle Orton, had a career day picking apart the defense.  The final score was 34-7 and the Lions were dominated in ever facet of the game. After the firing of Matt Millen and having the bye week to prepare, you would think the Lions would have come out firing on all cylinders.  If you thought that you were wrong.  Detroit racked up six yards of total offense in the first quarter.  They rallied in the second quarter to gain 66 yards.  That's right ... 72 yards of... Read more

It was really a high point of my vacation.  Walking off the beach at Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, walking past the Cayo Hueso Cafe, a radio playing, and I thought I heard Matt Millen was fired.  Was my sun baked brain playing tricks on me?  Was I hearing things?  The Age of Aquarius played and I wondered if the news was true.  It was.  Matt Millen was fired. The impetus for the firing was Bill Ford Jr., essentially saying he would fire Millen if he could.  After years and years of pathetic performances with Millen in charge.  After three horrible games to start the 2008 season, Ford Jr. finally spoke up.  Then Ford Sr. fired Millen ... finally.  I just wish the old man would have done it after the 2007 season, or the 2006 season, or the 2005 season, or the 2004 season.  But hey, this is the owner who... Read more

The Lions were beaten by the Atlanta Falcons, 34-21, in the season opener.  The Falcons jumped out to a 21-0 lead after their first three possessions and never looked back.  The Lions did cut the Falcons lead to 21-14 at the half to give fans hope, that was quickly dashed. It was a horrible performance across the board, especially on defense.  Falcons RBs Michael Turner and Jerious Norwood ran at will.  Atlanta rushed for 318 yards on 42 carries for a whopping 7.6 yards/carry.  Obviously, the Lions could not stop the Falcons rushing attack.  Falcons rookie QB Matt Ryan only needed to throw the ball 13 times on the day.  The pathetic defense managed one measly sack and wasn't able to force a turnover. The offense didn't do very much but that is the least of the concerns.  I have seen many people pointing the finger at QB Jon Kitna.  Kitna... Read more

The Lions defeated the Browns 26-6 in the Great Lakes Classic to remain undefeated in the preseason.  However, Cleveland was without seven key players for the contest.  The Lions were missing three.  Regardless of who the teams were missing, the Lions took care of business, in dominating fashion. While the Lions will be more committed to running the ball in 2008, they came out passing.  They went shotgun, no huddle, as they wanted to get the starters a little practice in the two minute drill.  The opening drive resulted in a field goal.  Once again, QB Jon Kitna was very effective in limited action. For the first time during the preseason, the running game was able to break a couple of long ones.  Rookie Kevin Smith took it to the end zone from 35 yards out.  Brian Calhoun broke loose for a 40 yard gain.  The rushing attack picked up 129 yards on 30 carries for the game, which the... Read more

Well Lions fans, after two games of the preseason, after two preseason victories, it's time to take a look at where the Lions stand with the regular season quickly approaching.  The Lions defeated the Giants and Bengals in their first two encounters.  While preseason victories are meaningless, we witnessed several good things on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.  Since it is preseason, much of what we see needs to be taken with a grain of salt.  Here is a look at the Lions halfway through the exhibition season. There were a lot of questions regarding the Lions offense with the departure of Mike Martz.  Many thought getting rid of Martz and turning over the reins of the offense to Jim Colletto and Kippy Brown would be a huge mistake.  Many felt the offense would tank without Martz.  Who knows what will happen once the regular season starts?  However, I... Read more

To parrot head coach Rod Marinelli, everything is a process. The process of the off-season is over and training camp opens today at Allen Park. Matt Millen and the franchise have pushed a credo of "Believe in Now", which is what Lion fans have been doing since their last championship in the 1950's. The end result, more often than not, has been disbelief at another campaign without a trip to the Super Bowl. Yet here we are again, the start of camp at Optimism Central. While much of the attitude landscape has changed, the results really have not. With the "win now" mentality in pro sports, how much more time can we expect Marinelli to have to implement his military style philosophy and imprint his character on the players? As long as I have been a staunch fan of the Lions, over 30 years, the "now" is about the... Read more

Image details: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Mini Camp served by picapp.com You can already hear the noise. Another Tampa Bay player? Aren't there any other teams in the NFL to deal with or former players of other clubs? The Lion quarterback situation is hardly ready for much beyond this season. The fact is that a contingency plan must be in place if current back-ups Dan Orlovsky or Drew Stanton aren't NFL-caliber signal callers. There is a lot of pressure in Detroit. After such a long record of futility, the team has  scrambled year after year in an attempt to get back to the playoffs. Orlovsky has played in two games since being taken in the 5th round in 2005 and has had a host of offensive coordinators and coaches. We simply don't know if he's ready. Last season's second round draft choice Drew Stanton was placed on the injured reserve... Read more