Marinelli revamps Detroit
Chris Harry, Sentinel Staff WriterORLANDO SENTINEL
DETROIT -- Go until your heart explodes . . . then give him one more.
That's what Rod Marinelli has asked of every football player he's ever coached.
The kids at his first high school team in San Gabriel, Calif., knew what he wanted. So did the players at Utah State, California, Arizona State, USC and eventually those swarming and ferocious defensive linemen that helped define the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Marinelli's 10 years as an assistant there.
"Rod's deal was pretty simple. If you couldn't help him, he wasn't going to waste his time with you," recalled Bucs defensive end Greg Spires, a six-year starter who ignited a waning career under Marinelli's guidance.
Marinelli's way is rooted in pure hard work with no room for compromise.
So when Marinelli bolted the Bucs to become head coach of the Detroit Lions in January 2006, he took his no-nonsense approach to one of the nonsense franchises in all of sports. At the age of 56, Marinelli put his exploding-heart mantra to test in an ingrained culture of losing.
"It was a little bit of shock," Marinelli said.
After the first offseason minicamp, the NFL Players Association filed a grievance on behalf of the Lions accusing Marinelli and his staff of pushing players too hard.
In other words, how dare a coach come into a dismal situation -- the Lions had strung together a league-worst five straight seasons of 10 or more losses -- and make things uncomfortable.
And how dare he show such progress 18 months later.
When the Bucs (4-2) take on the new-attitude Lions (3-2) today at Ford Field, they'll face a team that is beginning to favor its coach. Oh, the Lions have plenty of faults. Offensively, they rely too much on the passing game and there are holes throughout the defense. Their two losses were by a combined 66 points.
But a year after Marinelli debuted with a 3-13 record, his team already has matched its '06 victories total.
"I have a certain way you have to play football and a certain tempo," Marinelli said. "For me, it comes from the leader; you are the source of energy in terms of what you believe in, and I believe in a certain style. I have become consistent with what I believe in and I'm going to find guys who want to do it."
In other words, "Pound the rock!"
That's the slogan the Bucs recited all the way to a world championship during their 2002 season. It was the brainstorm of Marinelli.
As for the rock the Lions are pounding these days? Toss it into the Detroit River and Windsor would flood.
Which made him exactly what such a sorry franchise was looking for.
"The way this town is, with the Red Wings and the Tigers and Pistons. The work force here goes to sleep, goes to work, no excuses. It's a get-the-job done kind of town" quarterback Jon Kitna said. "That's the kind of coach Marinelli is and the kind of team we have."
Marinelli's old-school manner and sometimes corny tactics have won over the bulk of a skeptical fan base.
"They like him," Detroit News columnist and WDFN talk-show host Bob Wojnowski said of the Lions faithful. "For years and years, the coaches here have either turned into or been portrayed as a bozo. They desperately wanted a guy to come in here, open the windows and broom out the silliness that's been going on for so long."
Like all his other stops, Marinelli got to Detroit and immediately married work ethic to attention to details.
When he first arrived in Tampa with Tony Dungy's staff in 1996, Marinelli announced his goal was for the Bucs defensive line to lead the league in sacks. The unit had totaled 25 the season before.
"I looked around," recalled Brad Culpepper, now retired. "I didn't see Reggie White or John Randall in the room."
Warren Sapp was there, though, and the Bucs had 35 in '96 and 44 in '97 when they reached the playoffs for the first time in 15 years with a defense that ranked No. 3 overall.
Marinelli emphasized repetition and technique to the point of perfection.
When Marinelli's units watched tape to prepare for games, Culpepper said probably 80 percent of the time was spent watching their own, rather than scouting opponents or tendencies.
"He only cared about what he could control," Culpepper said.
That, like everything else about him, hasn't changed.
Marinelli was asked last week about the emotions of playing a game against a handful of former players and coaches with whom he once won a Super Bowl.
"You know me, right? So you could probably already write my answer," Marinelli said. "It's all gray matter. It's about us."
The Lions have become about Marinelli, for sure. He's helped make football matter again in the Motor City.
Rod Marinelli
Ford Field
National Football League Players Association