News about coaching candidates goes here.


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Not that he was an option, but Pete Carroll just agreed to a new contract extension with USC.

My vote is still for Jim Mora Sr.

If we can't win games (which we certainly can't) then I think we should at least have the most entertaining post game coach in the history of the NFL.

I mean really.....we can't even use any really good excuses for our losses. No flamboyant WR troubles, no love boat cruises, not even a lot of significant injuries this season. What gives? I wonder if we can get Bobby Knight to take an NFL job?

Mike Martz.

Wow Steve why am I not surprised that a MSU fan would want a horrible head coach to coach the Lions.

Martz is a very good O coordinator, but he hasnt exactly been great as the head man. I think Martz gets too much credit for the St. Louis SB and Vermiel doesnt get enough.

BTW Millen will not rest his future on a certified nut who doesnt command enough respect.


Art

Double Wow!

Art....was it really necessary to take a shot at a State fan while debating who the next Lions coach should be?

There should at least be a one day ban on State bashing after your football team got outcoached by Callahan.

Seconded. I think Martz will be the next head coach.

At least he won't run on third and seven.

The D is good enough, and the O has some fantastic, but very much underutilized, weapons. Can you imagine the receiving corps under the guidance of Martz and a decent QB?

Maybe trade the draft pick for Brees. SD will dig that.

Martz + Brees + Williams + Williams + Rodgers = playoffs

I dont think Callahan's coaching had as much to do with the outcome as the replay booth did.

I can take shots at MSU all I want. They deserve it for talking like they are better than Michigan. I mean even in Michigan's down years in football, still better than what MSU can do.

Also, did the layoff affect some of you in your thinking and I am not talking in a good way.

Martz would be a mess in Detroit. He would not instill the disciple this teams and if you think our D is good enough, then you really need to stick with what your moniker was best know for and I am not talkign baseball..;)

Our D let teams regularly march down the field for the winning td or FG, whichever the other team needed. Outside of Rogers and Bly (BJ, before Jauron), they were are two best players. The LB corp sucks. Holmes is the only worthy player out of that bunch. The CB suck for the most part. DE sucks. Hall is not that good and neither is Redding or Edwards. Davis is about the worst starting OLB in the game. He cannot tackle.

This team needs a major attitude adjustment and Martz is not the person to give it to them. He is a pansy.


Art

Seconded. I think Martz will be the next head coach.

At least he won't run on third and seven.

The D is good enough, and the O has some fantastic, but very much underutilized, weapons. Can you imagine the receiving corps under the guidance of Martz and a decent QB?

Maybe trade the draft pick for Brees. SD will dig that.

Martz + Brees + Williams + Williams + Rodgers = playoffs

That also = getting beat by 35 in the first round. And I disgree that it means making the playoffs. St.Louis has had far more developed talent and they aren't in the playoffs.

No Martz...cat is not a coach. We need a serious disiplinarian/defensive head coach, and a brilliant young offensive mind for O Coordinator. How about Mike Singletary for head coach? Cam Cameron for O Coordinator?

*cough* Jim Mora Sr. *cough*


Actually, I agree. Martz is a clown. He has always had a sharp running game but is still well known for passing 90% of the time. I'm also tired of hearing about him. He has won NOTHING as a head coach. He took a better team to the Superbowl than Tricky Dick did and he STILL got beat by the upstart Pats. All this talk about his big playbook, the "Q" factor and all the other bullshit he spouts makes me think that he's just a big fruitcake that is masquerading as a head coach.

We'd be better off with Dom Capers. Actually....Dom Capers would probably be a good idea.

I dont think Callahan's coaching had as much to do with the outcome as the replay booth did.

I can take shots at MSU all I want. They deserve it for talking like they are better than Michigan. I mean even in Michigan's down years in football, still better than what MSU can do.

Also, did the layoff affect some of you in your thinking and I am not talking in a good way.

Martz would be a mess in Detroit. He would not instill the disciple this teams and if you think our D is good enough, then you really need to stick with what your moniker was best know for and I am not talkign baseball..;)

Our D let teams regularly march down the field for the winning td or FG, whichever the other team needed. Outside of Rogers and Bly (BJ, before Jauron), they were are two best players. The LB corp sucks. Holmes is the only worthy player out of that bunch. The CB suck for the most part. DE sucks. Hall is not that good and neither is Redding or Edwards. Davis is about the worst starting OLB in the game. He cannot tackle.

This team needs a major attitude adjustment and Martz is not the person to give it to them. He is a pansy.


Art

With a better O, the Lions would not be in the position to let the final drive be a potential winning drive for the other team.

If you want a disciplinarian, then get Jim Fassel. If you want to put people in the seats, score 40 on turf. The Ford family cares about money, not winning! Martz will spark the O, regardless of the outcome.

I said the D was "good enough", not great. Detriot is 21 overall in defense, and 17th in points allowed, but is that because the D sucks, or because it's regularly out on the field due to the O's inability to control the clock? Of course the D is dead at the end of the 4th -- it's been out there 2/3 of the game! Both are not mutually exclusive. The O and the D rely upon each other, and putting points on the board will ultimately help the defense.

Remember, DO NOT USE LOGIC when trying to figure out the Lions. Fords = make money. Millen = stupidity. Martz = next Lions head coach.

John Madden for coach. :D

But seriously I think we should go after Russ Grimm. He would a no-nonsense, blue collar work ethic to our team and I think we are in desperate need of that.

Edit: Actually Mike Singletary wouldn't be a bad idea either.

This is Millens last chance at picking a coach and keeping job.

I cannot see him taking a chance on a coach with a lot of baggage ala Martz or guys who have been more than positions coaches ala Singletary or Grimm.

I can see Millen letting one of the two come and be a coordinator, but not as head coach. I think he goes with a Tim Lewis type. I wouldnt even mind seeing Fassel, his teams didnt quit on him and he had some success with the Giants.

I dont know who is on his gaydar, but I think it will he a DC from one of the top D from the last few years, who is not a WCO type of guy and will pick an Ocoordinator who puts in a system that plays to his strengths, not stubborn and use a crappy conservative type O.


Art

Maybe we can get Herm Edwards, or Al Saunders for KC.

I am going to compile a list of all the candidates that might be considered for the HC job. Not all of these guys will be looked at as HC but some of them would be great as assistant coaches and coordinators.

Mike Martz - Head Coach, St. Louis Rams
Jeff Fisher - Head Coach, Tennessee Titans
Bill Parcells - Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys
Dick Vermeil - Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs
Brian Billick - Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens
Jim Haslett - Head Coach, New Orleans Saints
Herman Edwards - Head Coach, New York Jets

Gary Kubiak – OC, Denver Broncos
Al Saunders - OC, Kansas City Chiefs
Brad Childress - OC, Philadelphia Eagles
Bob Bratkowski - OC, Cincinnati Bengals
Tom Moore - OC, Indianapolis Colts
Jim Fassel - OC, Baltimore Ravens
Cam Cameron - OC, San Diego Chargers

Wade Phillips - DC, San Diego Chargers
Jim Johnson - DC, Philadelphia Eagles
Dick LeBeau - DC, Pittsburgh Steelers
Gregg Williams - DC, Washington Redskins
Donnie Henderson - DC, New York Jets
Tim Lewis - DC, New York Giants
Monte Kiffin - DC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Ron Rivera - DC, Chicago Bears
Eric Mangini - DC, New England Patriots
Ron Meeks - DC, Indianapolis Colts

Russ Grimm - OLine Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers
George Henshaw - Assistant HC, Tenessee Titans
Mike Singletary - LB Coach, San Francisco 49ers
Sean Payton - Passing Game Co., Dallas Cowboys

The guys in bold have my vote of approval. Keep an eye on Eric Mangini, Belichick will probably tell him to stay and wait for a better opportunity but he would be a great addition to the team.

It's good to start seeing Cam Cameron's name from someone else besides myself.

I doubt he leaves his OC job with the Chargers for the OC job with the Lions. He'd have to be the head coach to come here.

I actually hope that U of M is targeting him instead of the Lions.

Also, I can't believe that Bum Phillips' son is on any list of head coaching candidates, but thanks for the list, H1.

p.s. I think Russ Grimm is a boob. If you get a chance, try and find the audio of his "meet the press" press conference from a couple of years ago when he was interviewing for the Bears job that eventually went to Lovie Smith. It's classic. This town would eat Grimm alive, he'd be a bigger joke than Wayne Fontes ever was.

p.s.s. you can take Billick off your list, the Ravens have already announced that he'll be back in '06.

Billick just got an extension, Parcells wouldn't come here before and won't know. Nice list though.

Thanks for the list. Now on to my thoughts.

Mike Martz - Head Coach, St. Louis Rams He is not the type of coach the Lions need. He has too big an ego and while a big ego is not always bad....one as big as his for never winning anything while HC is not warranted.
Jeff Fisher - Head Coach, Tennessee Titans I love Fisher, but I think he needs a year off before he takes over another team. I personally think he is burnt out.
Bill Parcells - Head Coach, Dallas Cowboys Love him and if he was 5 years younger and not under contract, I would throw 7-8 mil a year at him.
Dick Vermeil - Head Coach, Kansas City Chiefs See Parcells
Brian Billick - Head Coach, Baltimore Ravens He will be around for another year with the Ravens, so thankfully we can take him off the list.
Jim Haslett - Head Coach, New Orleans Saints Killer likes him, but I think he needs a year off. he might be too much of a roughneck for this Lions team. Millen doesnt have 3 years to get rid of players who wont play for him.
Herman Edwards - Head Coach, New York Jets I like him and I think Pennington's injuries really hurt him. Is he a WCO? I dont remember.

Gary Kubiak – OC, Denver Broncos Version of WCO. He doesnt call plays for Denver, but is young.
Al Saunders - OC, Kansas City Chiefs I think he is the next Chiefs HC if Vermail goes
Brad Childress - OC, Philadelphia Eagles NC
Bob Bratkowski - OC, Cincinnati Bengals Love their O. Dont know about his style.
Tom Moore - OC, Indianapolis Colts Too old and why would he come back.
Jim Fassel - OC, Baltimore Ravens I wouldnt mind him.
Cam Cameron - OC, San Diego Chargers Marty might not be back? There is a struggle in SD right now.
Wade Phillips - DC, San Diego Chargers No thanks
Jim Johnson - DC, Philadelphia Eagles Lovehis attacking style.
Dick LeBeau - DC, Pittsburgh Steelers NC
Gregg Williams - DC, Washington Redskins Good D coordinator
Donnie Henderson - DC, New York Jets NC
Tim Lewis - DC, New York Giants One of my top 5 choices.
Monte Kiffin - DC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers I doubt he leaves
Ron Rivera - DC, Chicago Bears Where else was he coordinator at...if this was his first year, i will pass.
Eric Mangini - DC, New England Patriots I would rather have Brian
Ron Meeks - DC, Indianapolis Colts I love Dungy and think this guy could be good.

Added Jim Bates DC for GB - Not really thrilled with him, but he will get some press.

Russ Grimm - OLine Coach, Pittsburgh Steelers No thanks. Love him, but I would prefer someone who as at least a coordinator.
George Henshaw - Assistant HC, Tenessee Titans NC
Mike Singletary - LB Coach, San Francisco 49ers See Grimm
Sean Payton - Passing Game Co., Dallas Cowboys He will take over in Dallas once Parcells is done, so I dont see it.


Art

The last thing i need in my football life is the most expensive math teacher in NFL history. Any guy who says hes not sure what happened on defense because he cant watch it is not who i need running this team.

I've seen the dismantle of the Rams after Dick left. I've see dumb answers like above, and even a TIGHTEND REVERSE ON THE GOALLINE.

No thanks i can drink a Slupree fast if i want my head to hurt. If your looking for good coaching options look for stronger resumes.

Jim Fassel - OC, Baltimore Ravens
Monte Kiffin - DC, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Cam Cameron - OC, San Diego Chargers or Marty(who ever isnt there)- Marty wont win to many playoff games but he'll get you there so you can hire some else to close the deal.

just my thoughts

welcome back, BSMN

another Cameron supporter, hmmm

Thank you, Thank You *Taking a Bow*

I don't care who Millen hires....as long as he hires the first guy that walks through the door. And make sure it's a white guy so the organization can get fined again. :pukeright:

Apparently our search for HC is already over. Al Saunders will be our new Head Coach.

According to local news in KC, Al hasn't confirmed anything yet and will wait till Sunday. Also Vermeil will anounce his retirement on Sunday.

Stay tuned for more information.

Alright this is what I know so far:

-Vermeil is all set to retire effective Sunday. His family and friends (including wife and grandkids) were at practice for what is supposedly his last practice with the team.

- According to insiders (in KC), another high ranking coach (Al Saunders) will also be gone and will accept the Lions job on Monday. Saunders couldn't confirm the facts due to the tampering clause and won't be able to comment on it until Monday.

- Half the KC coaching staff will run out of their contracts at the end of the season and Saunders might be looking to bring them along with him.

Keep in mind, this could all change if the NFL feels like the Lions were tampering while a coach was under contract with a different team. I wouldn't rule it out considering our idiot GM.

This is fucking bullshit. I hope the NFL fines the Lions 5 million for ignoring minority hiring rules, 10 million for tampering and 25 million for being stupid.

This smells of Millen this past offseason Saunders was pushing Vermeil and the KC GM Karl Peterson to try to get Harrington. However Millen wouldn't bite so this move gives Matt Millen a coach who loves Joey.

Saunders is a nobody, he sucked as head coach of the Chargers from 87-88, he is not the architect of the Superbowl Rams offense like he takes credit for that was Martz.

If he does bring coaches he better bring Gunther Cunningham he is a no nonsense coach who will not take shit from players and isn't affraid to flick off the refs either.

Very interesting news. I'm sure he's probably good coaching material and the Lions will ruin him in due time.

Here's a bio from the Chiefs' web site.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/coach/al_saunders/

Without an offensive line I want to see him work his KC magic.

He has 4 All pro lineman 2 of which are sure fire HOF players if not the best ever at their positions to go from that to Raiola, Backus Maybe, Koiser and Bultler is a whole new ball game.

If this hire is true I hate it. KC wouldn't even consider hiring Saunders they said the players don't respect him and they organization isn't that fond of him.

This is fucking bullshit. I hope the NFL fines the Lions 5 million for ignoring minority hiring rules, 10 million for tampering and 25 million for being stupid.

I think you're letting them off the hook a little too easily. Double each of those amounts and put Millen in jail for a couple months, or whatever else needs to happen for the Fords to fire him. Actually, make the penalties so bad that the only way the Fords can escape paying them is to sell the team, and then the penalties would be erased for the new ownership (as long as it isn't the Ilitch family).

WE NEED BILLY D! (no, not smooth ice cold Colt 45, rather Mr. Davidson)

Actually the Lions interview Maurice Carthon to be the HC. He is the O-cooridnator of the Browns.


Art

Haven't they interviewed him before?

(and what impresses anyone about the Browns offense? - translation: token interview)

Yeah well none of this stuff is confirmed and I also learned that phone interviews dont count.

I am betting that none of this stuff is true, just whispers and someone decided to run with it.


We will have to wait and see.

Art

ESPN Insider is reporting that Mike Martz was in Detroit on Thursday, for what nobody really knows.

And since he's not currently active with the Rams, if he did meet with Millen, it's legit.






















Just kidding. Thought I'd give Artemis a little Twinkie shit.

Yeah well none of this stuff is confirmed and I also learned that phone interviews dont count.

I am betting that none of this stuff is true, just whispers and someone decided to run with it.


We will have to wait and see.

Art

This one is as good as done. The only way that Saunder is not appointed as our HC is if the league belives that Millen violated the minority hiring rules and the tampering clause. I wouldn't totally rule out that possibilty considering the same GM hired 2 coaches without interviewing anybody. We would be penalized with cash and draft picks if we were violating any rules.

Edit: I should also point out the fact that the Lions cancelled their end of the season press conference, scheduled for (coincentally enough) Monday.

nobody thinks jauron just keeps the job? He did a pretty decent job in Chicago a couple years ago.

Nope. The organization would be nuts to keep him. He had one good year, everything since has been a disaster.

I doubt Jauron will keep his job. Considering the Lions' record during the current interim stint, along with the candidates that will be available, make his return unlikely in my opinion. I like the guy and what he's brought in his couple seasons here, just don't think he'd be the right guy to push the young core to success.

Nope. The organization would be nuts to keep him. He had one good year, everything since has been a disaster.

he doesnt seem like a fag, and i hope whoever gets the job keeps him as d coordinator. our defense was pretty solid at the start of the season, when they had something to play for.

I just want to ask one question with regards to the Lions D scheme....when the game was on the Lion did you expect Jauron's D to do anything but let the other team score?



Art

HAHA I just caught that little bit about Martz. I am pretty sure he will not be the next coach and if bring in Al means Martz wont be coach....I can live with that..:)


Art

I just want to ask one question with regards to the Lions D scheme....when the game was on the Lion did you expect Jauron's D to do anything but let the other team score?



Art

to start the season, the only reason the lions won any games was the defense. we were healthy and playing decent.

How about a Mike Sherman/Brett Favre package?

How about a Mike Sherman/Brett Favre package?

Works for me.

On a related note I have seen a lot of bashing of Martz, Sherman, Tice by Detroit fans not just here however, I think it is funny as hell.

Lions fans bashing coaches who have winning records by almost 20 games over .500 or even .500 in the case of Tice is hillarious.

I mean seriously it would be like Atlanta Hawks fans saying they don't want Prick because he isn't capable of winning it all.

I get not wanting college coaches or unproven assistants because it is a crapshoot. I even get and respect not wanting certain coaches but to bash a coach is retarded given how bad our team is.

If Favre/Sherman really want to stick it to the Pack's management, what's a better way to do it than to go to a division rival, one that, by some accounts at least (not mine), is "ready-made" to be a winner?

Favre is done. I wouldn't want him here at all. He's one of my favorite players, but he really is only an average QB these days. He's better than Joey, but for how long? 1, 2 years maybe? Unless we plan on winning a superbowl in that time span it won't do any good. It would only set us back a couple years.

Plus we'd have to use the WCO again.

I can't believe that I just read that a Lions fan is turning down Brett Favre.

You might be right, but what has the world come to if even Lions fans don't want him?

Personally, I think if you could sign him for 2 years as a FA and not give anything up, you do it.

He would totally change the mindset and professionalism of this franchise, hopefully his tenacity and love for the game would rub off.

If he helped attract some FA's and showed our young players how to win, it might be worth it.

True, his leadership would be the biggest thing. but the way he finished his last game, I don't see how he would play again. It was nearly a perfect ending for him (besides the fact he's not in the playoffs) and the players all said it sounded like a goodbye.

I can't see him sticking it to packer fans by going to a rival.

I don't think Farve would sign with any other team just so he could continue playing.

We can cross Gregg Williams off our list.


Redskins lock up Williams with $8M deal

The hottest name on the coaching carousel is officially off the market.

FOXSports.com has learned that Redskins defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has signed a record-breaking contract for an assistant to prevent him from interviewing for a head coaching post elsewhere. Sources close to Williams said early Tuesday that Williams agreed to a new three-year deal worth nearly $8 million, well above the financial terms for any coordinator in the NFL.

Williams also agreed not to interview for any head coaching openings this off-season but, according to the source, it doesn't preclude him from taking a gig next year. The source also said that the biggest overriding factor was the fact that his family loves living in the Washington, D.C. area and were ecstatic with the new deal.

Williams was a top candidate in Minnesota, St. Louis and Kansas City, although the Chiefs are expected to hire Jets head coach Herm Edwards.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5216800

Looks like Williams will replace Gibbs in the next year or so...that's head coach money right there.

First up, Haslett & Singletary...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2279439


Lions to interview Haslett, Singletary about vacancy

ESPN.com news services

A day after being fired by the Saints, former coach Jim Haslett has scheduled an interview with the Detroit Lions for later this week, ESPN's Ed Werder reports.

The Lions have also contacted Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary about their vacant coaching job.

Asked if he thought he was ready to be an NFL head coach, Singletary said, "Absolutely.''

Singletary, an assistant with the San Francisco 49ers, said Tuesday night the Lions have spoken to him, but an interview has not yet been scheduled.

He also has been mentioned as a potential candidate for the Green Bay Packers' vacant coaching job, but Singletary said the Packers have not contacted him.

Singletary was considered a strong leader in 12 seasons with the Chicago Bears, but lacks some of the coaching experience of other candidates.

This is Singletary's first season as the assistant head coach/linebackers under 49ers coach Mike Nolan. Before that, he spent two years as the Baltimore Ravens' inside linebackers coach. Nolan was defensive coordinator in Baltimore at the time.

Haslett was the 2000 NFL Coach of the Year in his first season after leading the Saints to the only playoff victory in team history. But he never made it back to the postseason, finishing 45-51 in six seasons for the second-most victories in team history behind Jim Mora's 93.

Haslett is expected to be a highly sought candidate in an exploding market. More respected leaguewide than within some quarters of his own organization, he likely will hear from multiple suitors as franchises begin the process of filling vacancies.

Steve Mariucci was dismissed Nov. 28 after 11 games and a 4-7 record. Dick Jauron went 1-4 as Detroit's interim head coach.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Singletary would be good as long as he has the right co-ordinators to support him. Especially a OC that will call the plays for him.

Singletary would be good as long as he has the right co-ordinators to support him. Especially a OC that will call the plays for him.

Mike is my favorite canidate, outside of Tim Lewis. I think the best way to approach this whole coaching situation is to hire 3 head coaches essentially.

What I mean is hire guys like Singletary or Lewis for 4 years 12 million, then grab up two top notch Coordinators with previous head coaching exp to help run things. Perhaps we land guys who end up being the odd men out when the game of coaching musical chairs stops. So guys like Fassel, Butch Davis, Mularkey, Tice, or Jim Bates wuld be perfect canidates. Give both your new OC and DC 3 year 7 million dollar deals. This would give a rookie head coach two rocks to lean on, and help him learn the ropes. Both DC and OC coaches would then be at the top of next years head coach list if they helped change the enviroment here.

I would hate to see us hire a rookie head coach and have him hire an inexpierenced staff.

IMO the best thing would be for the Front office to fill the top 3 coaching spots then let the new HC fill out the rest of the staff with his guys.

If it is at all possible to get Al Saunders, he definitly gets my vote. WHat he did this year in implementing to compeltely opposite styles of run blocking for his two opposite backs. They zone blocked for Priest and ran a more directional system (KJ) for LJ. He loves the vertical game *cough* Charles Rogers *cough*. I am not a Joey Harrington fan but this guy made Trent Green look good.

As for the DC job, obviously Saunders is going to want some say as the HC - but I want someone who is going to have these guys flying around and taking chances.

If it is at all possible to get Al Saunders, he definitly gets my vote. WHat he did this year in implementing to compeltely opposite styles of run blocking for his two opposite backs. They zone blocked for Priest and ran a more directional system (KJ) for LJl.

AC!!! Nice to see you over here...

I like what you are saying and I really agree with you a ton. Saunders schemes were amazing and I think KJ is a better fit at running back that LJ for his system. Plus KC has wanted Harrington and has said that he has something...if they see it and we get this guy at coach...I think he can turn Joey into something servicable

Mike Singletary would be frickin' great! The 85' Bears are my favorite football team of all time! There is no way a boyhood hero of mine would let me down while at the helm of a Detroit Team. Errrrr...rr...Alan Trammell......shit

Seriously, I am pissed that it looks like they won't be looking at Rivera....thought he would be good

Call me crazy, but I would love to see the Lions run Mike Martz's offense. He is a bumbling idiot and I know that will never happen. I guess Saunders' offense is pretty much the same thing, so I'd like that hire. Singletary would be OK with me too, and I agree with Chris. If he got an aggressive OC I think we could be a force.

Anything out side of that, I'm not feeling to much heat from.

What could be ideal is similar to what I said before get a guy like Singletary give him a decent salary maybe even overpay then throw 2-2.5 million per at Martz and make him OC.

It's the best of both worlds, an aggressive OC who doesn't have the ability to blow games with decisions and HC who is well respected from his playing days.

updates:

--Kirk Ferentz has thrown his name into the NFL ring and is interviewing down in Houston.

--Al Saunders is in Minny today for an interview, but Ted Cottrell appears to be the frontrunner there

--Sean Payton is talking to the Saints

more later...

updates:

--Kirk Ferentz has thrown his name into the NFL ring and is interviewing down in Houston.

--Al Saunders is in Minny today for an interview, but Ted Cottrell appears to be the frontrunner there

--Sean Payton is talking to the Saints

more later...

I think that we are third on Saunders list...that is INTERVIEW LIST. Most think there is virtually no shot for him even to make it to Detroit for an interview...

1270 is reporting that Al Saunders is in town and will be interviwing tomorow. Haslett is also in town and interviewing today. Then they are actually going to go to Denver to talk with Kubiak.

With KC going after Herm and Minny not seeming overly interested in Saunders - I hope that means we have a good shot at actually getting him.

Vikings to offer Childress the job per ESPN.

Friday, January 06, 2006

Mort Radio Notes: Iowa's Ferentz may be best fit in Detroit
ESPN's Chris Mortensen joins WXYT-AM every week to talk about the Lions and NFL. This week he says Kirk Ferentz may be the best fit for the Lions, but he may not take any job right now.

Best fit for the Lions? Mort says Kirk Ferentz. There are indicators that he'll listen, but he's held NFL teams at an arm's length. "He'd be one." Maurice Carthon would be great. He's worked for Parcells, Belichick.

Ferentz isn't going to take just any job. He wants the right situation. It'll be either where he gets personnel control, or with someone he trusts in personnel.

It's too early in the process to declare a leading candidate. Mort thinks Russ Grimm would be an intriguing guy, but he's not heard of a leader in the clubhouse.

Mort is surprised that Brad Childress will be named the Vikings head coach so quickly, but with competition for people some teams may get very concerned and hire their first choices.

Thoughts on Gary Kubiak? Mort says he was a hot candidate four or five years ago, but then he cooled off. The knock is that he doesn't interview well. He doesn't "make you tingly when you meet." Mort says that's way overrated. Belichick has no charisma. Kubiak has a great system. He thinks that's a guy he'd take a very hard look at, plus he's a no-nonsense guy.

There isn't a solid four or five leaders league-wide, there are about 20 according to league execs. That's why it's going to take a while for this to all shake out.

It's important that they don't lose out on a guy that they really like, but it's also important that a guy is hired so all the good assitants aren't gone. You have to act fairly quick, but that's why Crennel and Weis weren't hired -- no one wanted to wait until after the Super Bowl. If you sit across from a guy, and you absolutely fall in love -- and he can hire a staff, then you take him.

The Vikings were first, but Mort has no idea who will be the next team to hire someone. He guesses it could be the Texans. They want Ferentz, but Ferentz won't come to the table. They might have a coach by Monday or Tuesday.

The Texans will not change their tune about who they'll take No. 1, even with Vince Young's great game. USC's defense isn't that good. There are a lot of question marks about him. He's not as fast, or as good a thrower as Matt Jones -- who was drafted by Jacksonville as a WR! The stuff you saw against USC never happens in the NFL. He should come out just so he can get to work and refine his skills.

Killer WDFN Notes: Tom's guess -- 1) Haslett, 2) Grimm, 3) Kubiak
During his Friday interview on Sports Radio 1130 Detroit, Tom Kowalski tells Jamie and Brady that he believes Jim Haslett is Millen's top choice right now, followed by Pittsburgh's OL coach Russ Grimm, with Broncos offensive coordinator a close third. Here is more from Killer's discussion.

Who's been in, who's on in the docket? Carthon was in yesterday, Haslett in today, tomorrow Millen flies to Denver to interview Kubiak. Singletary and Grimm are definitely in next week.

Having a coach by the Super Bowl isn't that important to the Lions, despite having the football world KOWALSKI ON WDFN
Listen to Tom Kowalski on Sports Radio 1130 Detroit online live at www.WDFN.com every Monday at 5:35 p.m., Wednesday at 10:35 a.m., and Friday at 8:05 a.m. Call to ask him a question at 248.848.1130.

Interviews are archived weekly on the MLive.com Lions audio page on the lower left-hand side.

here for the game. If Grimm, for instance, is their guy, they won't pass him up if the Steelers are in the Super Bowl. After next week Tom believes they'll have a real good idea of who they want, and that guy's situation. For instance, with Kubiak, they can interview him now, but they have to wait until the Broncos are finished before offering him a job.

Killer doesn't believe Jauron has a shot. If he really wanted the job you think he might've actually followed the plan Millen wanted him to run, playing the young guys. At that point Jauron "cooked his own goose."

Jauron indeed wants to be a head coach again. He felt his best chance to be a head coach was here in Detroit. Jauron hasn't been mentioned anywhere, and neither has Mariucci -- surprisingly.

Brady thinks Grimm is the favorite because of the personal relationship with Millen. Kowalski says they were teammates, but doesn't know how close they are. Grimm is an up-and-coming coaching star. Millen isn't going to make the mistake of not looking at someone. Killer thinks Haslett is the front-runner because of the conversation he had with Millen. Tom says Millen was glowing talking about Haslett. Grimm is probably close behind, and "Kubiak is a close third."

Jamie asks if Childress' hiring will start a domino effect? Tom doesn't know since it happened so fast, and Childress wasn't targeted by anyone else. Some teams may accelerate their process so they don't lose someone if it does speed up. If Haslett takes the Jets job, the Lions may speed up the process. It'll be interesting if the Chiefs get Herm Edwards away from the Jets.

Caller asks why Millen doesn't go after Herm Edwards if the one missing piece is the coach? Kowalski says that's assuming that Edwards is the only good coach out there. With all the talk about Edwards going to KC, Tom is stunned no one is shouting about the tampering. There's some connection that KC and the Jets, plus Herm wants to go to KC.

The Saunders deal is very interesting. His agent was telling people that he'd be introduced as the Lions coach soon, and this isn't doing Saunders any goods. There is no indication so far that the Lions will talk to him. And Tom has been looking.

Caller asks if Millen is the entire search committee? Tom says the process is completely different. Tom believes Tom Lewand and Martin Mayhew are involved, but it'll be Millen's choice. Once the decision is made, Ford Sr. will interview the candidate before signing off. Millen is going to hammer these guys about how they deal with practices, who they hire as assistants. Much more details than he focused on when he hired Morhninweg and Mariucci.

Caller Hipple from MLive's Lions forum asks about Singletary's chances. Tom says many believe this is just a one-time around for him, and he'll be a big candidate next time. Killer doesn't buy that. He thinks it'll be very hard to say no to him because of his passion and knowledge. He may be passed over for lack of experience, but he should be very impressive in the interviews.

Jamie asks why he's such a hot candidate? Kowalski says we'll have to see. It's not just the Lions who like him. Everyone is adding him to their lists.

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Kubiak to interview Saturday
Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak will be interviewed by Matt Millen Saturday in Denver

Jan. 5, Rocky Mountain News: The Broncos have granted four teams permission to interview Kubiak - the Texans, Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and St. Louis Rams - but Kubiak will interview this week with only the Texans and Lions. He will meet with the Texans on Friday and is scheduled to meet with Lions general manager Matt Millen on Saturday.

Both interviews will be in Denver.
...
Kubiak interviewed with the Texans in 2001 and also canceled a scheduled interview with the Lions that same week. The Texans eventually hired Dom Capers and the Lions hired Marty Mornhinweg. In the four years since, Detroit has fired Mornhinweg and Steve Mariucci.

I will seriously think long and hard about turning in my season tickets if they hire Haslett. Does anyone here think he would be a good fit?

Mark my words now, save this post, if they hire Grimm it's going to be a total disaster. The guy is a total boob.

I was thinking just the other day that it was odd that Mooch's name wasn't being mentioned in Green Bay. If they have any hopes of appeasing Favre, that might do it.

Of course, he's still getting paid by the Lions, so there really isn't any hurry for him to come back from his perspective.

Mark my words now, save this post, if they hire Grimm it's going to be a total disaster. The guy is a total boob.

I was thinking just the other day that it was odd that Mooch's name wasn't being mentioned in Green Bay. If they have any hopes of appeasing Favre, that might do it.

Of course, he's still getting paid by the Lions, so there really isn't any hurry for him to come back from his perspective.

Worse than Mike Martz?

Here is who we interviewed so far:

Dick Jauron
Maurice Carthon
Jim Haslett


Still to be interviewed:

Al Saunders: Date not set.
Gary Kubiak: Saturday, in Denver
Mike Singletary: Early next week
Russ Grimm: Early next week

Although I am totally against hiring Grimm, I do have to admit that he has the most appropriate last name for a potential Lions coach out of all the candidates.

I will seriously think long and hard about turning in my season tickets if they hire Haslett. Does anyone here think he would be a good fit?

I'm with you on Haslett, I've been reading all over and listening to radio commentary and what I've got from it is that he's a pseudo hard-ass. He gives the perception that if you do A and B the consequence will be C, but that consequence didn't always happen. The Lions definitely don't need that, I think they need someone that will make everyone accountable and wont hesitate to sit someone that isn't giving it their all, regardless of how much money they are making.

Glenn-

I know you're a Pitt fan, but what makes you think Russ Grimm is a boob?

Personally, I'm a fan of Carthon (anyone from the Parcells, Bellicheck school is a friend of mine) Saunders and Kubiak. (they both have systems that utitlize the offensive talent they have) I think I heard Killer talking about how Kubiak interviews poorly.

I dont think Callahan's coaching had as much to do with the outcome as the replay booth did.

I can take shots at MSU all I want. They deserve it for talking like they are better than Michigan. I mean even in Michigan's down years in football, still better than what MSU can do.

Also, did the layoff affect some of you in your thinking and I am not talking in a good way.

Martz would be a mess in Detroit. He would not instill the disciple this teams and if you think our D is good enough, then you really need to stick with what your moniker was best know for and I am not talkign baseball..;)

Our D let teams regularly march down the field for the winning td or FG, whichever the other team needed. Outside of Rogers and Bly (BJ, before Jauron), they were are two best players. The LB corp sucks. Holmes is the only worthy player out of that bunch. The CB suck for the most part. DE sucks. Hall is not that good and neither is Redding or Edwards. Davis is about the worst starting OLB in the game. He cannot tackle.

This team needs a major attitude adjustment and Martz is not the person to give it to them. He is a pansy.


Art

Seconded.

Especially on the defensive side of the ball. However, I do think we have people that can get things done. Hall is a decent DE, but not alone, they need a top flight guy opposite him to match the pressure that we get in the middle from the Bigs (Daddy and Baby). If that happens, suddenly the opposing QB doesnt have all day and you'd be shocked at how much better our corners would look.

What's so great about Carthon? I know he only had Frye and young WR's, but they were worse than us. I guess he had nothing to work with there.

I like Saunders and Kubiak. Those would be my first choices.

What's so great about Carthon? I know he only had Frye and young WR's, but they were worse than us. I guess he had nothing to work with there.

I like Saunders and Kubiak. Those would be my first choices.

I'm with you on both Saunders and Kubiak, more so with Saunders because I believe he was a HC at some point. Carthon has learned from some of the best and he had Trent Dilfer....TRENT DILFER...looking like a real QB for a good portion of the year, and that's without any receivers worth mentioning. (braylon didn't get play til towards the end)

Does any one know what offense Jim Haslett runs, I dont know much about the Saints. Thanks.

Does any one know what offense Jim Haslett, I dont know much about the Saints. Thanks.

Don't even go there. Are you serious? Haslett is a terrible coach. Any sane coach would yank Aaron Brooks at most at halfway through every season.

We are interviewng him today.

I agree with GD

Grimm is not the right fit. He is Mike Tice without the pencil. Grimm is not the right fit at all plus he is a close friend of Millen. I think if you are going to go in the direction of a trenches/tough minded coach you need to go with a guy who commands respect when you here is name. Especally if you are going for rookie HC.

With Singletary you think HOF tough as nails, with Haslett you think of a hard nose take no shit coach (though I don't like him and don't believe it), Herm Edwards focused on winning, Carthon gritty Parcells like, Tim Lewis top defensive coach with 2 teams, same with Jim Bates.

Like with Kubiak, Martz, and Saunders, Grimm doesn't seem to invoke the respect to run the show.

I think Haslett would be great as our D coordinator, Al Saunders as our O-Coordinator and Kubiak or Mo as our Coach.

I like Mo because of the linkage to Bellichik and Parcells. he had to have learned something from being with them for so many years.

I want the next coach to have passion, but willing to lay the hammer down.


Art

Rob Parker saying his warts are telling him that Russ Grimm is going to be the guy.

I agree with GD

Grimm is not the right fit. He is Mike Tice without the pencil.

That is priceless.

Grimm has got "yes man" written all over him. Especially if he is Millen's bud.

This is going to be a huge mess, the players are going to see right through this boob.

Anybody think that Norv Turner would be a good OC here?

Rob Parker saying his warts are telling him that Russ Grimm is going to be the guy.

The Lions haven't even spoken to Russ Grimm yet, though they've asked permission, so I'm not sure who Rob has that knows this. I really hope they go after someone with more experience dealing with responsibility...IE. ex coaches or coordinators.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Singletary interviewed
The Detroit News reports that not only was Mike Singletary in town yesterday, but he did indeed interview for the job. He is already back in San Francisco.

Jan. 10, Detroit News: On Monday, Millen continued the interview process with other candidates by meeting with San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach Mike Singletary. Singletary returned to San Francisco on Monday night.

TWITKB Notes: Explaining Haslett
On Monday, Tom Kowalski hit the forum to alleviate a few fears and answer questions primarily about Jim Haslett and Russ Grimm. He also hits on a few other candidates.

TomKowalski: fellas ... this is going to be a crazy week ... it's going to be tough to nail down the specifics of when guys are getting interviewed because it hinges on guys like grimm, who have to set up a sked around their work week ... and it goes the other way, too ... tim lewis was going to meet briefly with several teams today, but that's only because he thought the giants would still be playing and he'd still be working ... now look for the lions to schedule something a little longer for later in the week ... also, mike singletary was initially told he'd be interviewing in detroit last week but the kubiak thing pushed him into this week ...

1.9 – rickguy45: Do you still see the Lions hiring a HC within the next couple of weeks?
TomKowalski: Yes

1.9 – CadMonkey: With all the misleading info out there regarding the next HC. Do you still think it's Grimm and Haslett?
TomKowalski: Yes, I still think it's between haslett and grimm -- with lewis and singletary outside shots .. kubiak would be no. 3 but i think it's obvious he's headed to texas ...

1.9 – sheedwd7: You, have you ever stated a preference for Coach?
TomKowalski: No... I said i think millen prefers haslett ... and grimm ... 1 and 1a ...

1.9 – 1LionsFan: You mention previously that Haslett is a leading contender. In this forum he has not been well received. Looking at the Saints performance he doesn't look to appealing. Can you shed some light why he is so highly sought after.
TomKowalski: It's a matter of preference ... why are some teams going after rivera and others aren't? ... it's the same thing with martz ... and every other candidate ... i've said it before -- this board would've been irate at the hiring of bill belichik after his history in cleveland ... it's obvious that some people -- not just the lions -- see something in haslett ... is he the right choice? ... i'll let you know in 12 months ... then again, a strong russ grimm interview could make him the man ...

nomoreboo: Grimm sounds like a good choice. However, if we hire him it will take a while to turn things around I think. I imagine he likes smash mouth football. We don't have the personnel for that though. If it's 4th and an inch, we have to pass because the oline gets no push. That's why Kubiak might make more sense. The Denver offense is a better match for our personnel. Our oline could be decent if they don't have to try and overpower people.
Is it important to Millen to try and win with the personnel we have? Or is he open to blowing it up again?
TomKowalski: He's looking for a coach who can win with what the lions have .. no, he's not willing to blow it up ... millen believes -- correctly so -- that the best coaches can adapt a system to the personnel ...

Tee: I think the Lions need to go to the defensive side of the ball. Look at the coaches in the playoff and a strong majority are on the defensive side. What chance do Singletary and Lewis reall have??? Are Haslett and Grimm that far ahead of those two???
TomKowalski: You're starting with a bad premise .... millen is looking for the best head coach, not the best offensive or defensive coordinator ...

1.9 – MMNYC: If Haslett were hired whom do you think he would bring in as coordinators?
TomKowalski: It depends on who's there...and here's where the delay in hiring could have an affect ... assistants aren't going to be left dangling for very long ... they'll snatch up jobs as they come ... haslett could say Coach A and Coach B would be hired if the lions hire him, but those other coaches have no guarantee that's going to happen ... if they get a decent offer earlier, they'll jump at it ...

1.9 – guitarcrazy: How about Marinelli? What do you think his real chances are? He's so well respected (I live near Tampa in Lakeland) by both the other coaches & players.
TomKowalski: The Lions aren't wasting their time ... if a guy comes in for an interview it's because he has a shot ... that's what i've been saying all along ... i think millen's short list is haslett and/or grimm, but he's going to keep an open mind and go through the entire process ...

1.9 – TPCDBC: Any talk about Monte Kiffin in Allen Park for a possible interview? Also, any word why the Lions didn't interview Ron Rivera last week?
TomKowalski: No, on both

Not that it matters now, but here's a tidbit anyway:


Saban wanted to be a Lion
In today's Detroit News, Lynn Henning says a year before Nick Saban won a national championship with the LSU Tigers he let the Lions know that he wanted to be their head coach.


Jan. 10, Detroit News: But a man who loved the north and his time at Michigan State, in particular, wanted to come home. He wanted to coach the Detroit Lions, which wouldn't have surprised those who understood Saban's next move was destined to be as an NFL head coach.

Saban's availability was communicated to Lions executives when Marty Mornhinweg was fired.

Saban never got a call. Matt Millen craved one man: Steve Mariucci, the same guy Millen fired three years later with two years left on his contract and $10 million due as a lovely parting gift.

Not that it matters now, but here's a tidbit anyway:


Saban wanted to be a Lion
In today's Detroit News, Lynn Henning says a year before Nick Saban won a national championship with the LSU Tigers he let the Lions know that he wanted to be their head coach.


Jan. 10, Detroit News: But a man who loved the north and his time at Michigan State, in particular, wanted to come home. He wanted to coach the Detroit Lions, which wouldn't have surprised those who understood Saban's next move was destined to be as an NFL head coach.

Saban's availability was communicated to Lions executives when Marty Mornhinweg was fired.

Saban never got a call. Matt Millen craved one man: Steve Mariucci, the same guy Millen fired three years later with two years left on his contract and $10 million due as a lovely parting gift.

What's even more insulting is we are now in search of a coach that has the same credentials and coaching style as Nick Saban. Another black mark on Millen.

Does anyone else get the feeling that all these interviews are for show?

I mean the media and public gave Millen hell for not being thorough the last 2 times now all of a sudden he has gone to the opposite extreme. If Grimm who is likely the last interview gets the job doesn't this just make a mockery of all the other interviews?

Plus I keep hearing about how all of the other teams are doing 5-8 hour interviews covering all aspects of what and how each canidate thinks. However Matt Millen is interviewing 2-4 canidates a day for an hpur or two. Believe me when I have done hiring in the past there is no sure fire formula to get the right person but it just doesn't feeling like Millen is serious about anybody but Grimm, which was the same problem with the last two hirings.

I think Dan Rooney should be in charge of hiring our HC. In the past 35 years the Steelers have had two head coaches Cowher and Knoll, and have churned out a good portion of today's HCs from the Steelers' organization and most of the NFL top assistants.

Ferentz now says he's staying at Iowa.

Some of those coaches we were not allowed to interview longer. That's why we are bringing back Tim Lewis now that they are eliminated. I wish they'd interview Kubiak, even though Houston seems to be the front runner. I'd think he'd be a good fit here to help our struggling OL and QB (two things he's excelled at in Denver). What worries me about Grimm is that his power running football won't work here unless he can work miracles with our OL. Also, then what are we going to do with our WR's? Are we actually going to use them?

I'm not sure how many coaches have a legit shot or not, but I don't fault Millen's interview process so far (besides not trying for Kubiak).

Anybody think that Norv Turner would be a good OC here?

I asked this question on Monday on a whim, but I am hearing now that this actually has a chance of happening.

Grimm is not a yes man. I am not saying that he is the best fit, but look at it this way.

With your friends, do they get to talk to you in a different manner than people you dont know? They can tell you honestly what they think and while you might get pissed, you do actually think about what they have to say, unless it is about a girl, then all bets are off.


Art

Grimm to be hired according Michael Smith of ESPN.

He better assemble a top notch staff if this is true. I really hate this move. Although we may play the HOF game if he is elected.

Killer overused pun I'm sure, but if he's hired, things are still going to be looking Grimm in Detroit. :pukeleft: :pale: :pukeright:

This move is going to keep us Lions cynics entertained for the next 3-4 years.

Dust off your Wayne Fontes jokes.

I'm not saying he won't be hired, but I think the Grimm hiring prediction by Smith was made long before they even met for an interview (which is today), and Killer doesn't buy it. I think its on MLive that he questions how Smith gets this "scoop" before Mort, Pasquerelli, etc. etc. etc.

It reeks of a guy taking a guess and then calling it a big scoop if he's lucky enough that his guess turns out right.

I see no reason why Millen would have a pick/favorite/whatever prior to even interviewing the guy. Millen is too smart for that. He's learned that all he needs to do is his homework and prove that he's done it. Then Millen can sell the Lions fan on his pick because he did his "search" for us. Why would he risk more critism by saying Grimm is the guy before interviewing him?

I don't understand why they are not at least talking to Mike Sherman.

He comes from a winning franchise, ran a tight ship, has head coaching experience in the division, and IMO, always had his teams playing at a level that was above their talent level, even through injury.

Shouldn't they at least talk to him?

Thankfully they are not.

It looks like Grimm's to lose.


Art

Remember Barry?

He gave Fontes some good records that didn't reflect Fontes' true abilities.

AND ...

Favre and AGreen gave MSherman the same thing. I don't think Sherman should even be on the radar.

This comes from a pretty good poster over at Scout.com Lions board and one that I agree with 100%. His name is Atticus3.


Art

Let me say one more thing about Grimm.

He is the opposite of Mooch in his approach to the team. He will not put up with wimps or people who do not want to practice hard.


As for all coaches, who they get as their coordinators and coaches go a long way to someone being a good coach. I bet Grimm goes with some young D and O coordinator that have not gotten a shot before, which is fine with me. Having Marty run Mooches system and then Mooch run his system, shows that his system sucks in Detroit.

Nothing could be worse than the last 5 years....even if they dont win, as long as they dont embarass me I can live with it.


Art

Let me say one more thing about Grimm.

He is the opposite of Mooch in his approach to the team. He will not put up with wimps or people who do not want to practice hard.


As for all coaches, who they get as their coordinators and coaches go a long way to someone being a good coach. I bet Grimm goes with some young D and O coordinator that have not gotten a shot before, which is fine with me. Having Marty run Mooches system and then Mooch run his system, shows that his system sucks in Detroit.

Nothing could be worse than the last 5 years....even if they dont win, as long as they dont embarass me I can live with it.


Art

I'll say it again-- DISASTER

A head coach that has never even been a coordinator before and two young coordinators?

If that happens, I want to be the beat writer for the Freep or the News.

Imagine the material to work with there?

On a sidenote, why do you suppose that Favre was such a big Sherman supporter and was so upset when he was let go if Sherman is such a loser?

If they go with Grimm, he'll need two experienced coordinators, preferably at least one of them with head coaching experience, IMO.

Grimm seems like the right kind of leader, but he better have an experienced OC brought in with him. He's going to need help calling plays that fit his style. Only problem is that I'm not sure his style fits our personnel. This OL is not the same as the Steelers. However, the fact that he was able to succeed with both Bettis AND Parker (two very different RB's) makes me think he could also get a lot out of Jones, which isn't like either of those two himself.

yeah because guys like Tollner did a wonderful job as cooridinator?

I like young guys because usually they are willing to be more wide open and have a nice fresh view and they can relate with the Lions, since they are such a young team.

Lions had Jauron and Tollner as coordinators last year? Do you really think the D or O was that frigging good?

Also, you can find 36 year old guys who have done the coordinator in college for 3 or 4 years or you can find a young guy who might only be the RB or QB coach who has lot of input into the game plan.

Diaster for the Lions is having someone who wont make players accountable.

Also by young, I mean under 50 in todays coaching world also, so there are a lot of 40 year olds who would be on my wish list too.

Now if they could get Al Saunders as OC or Martz, I could live with that, but please do not get the old retread coordinators ala Tollner and Jauron.


Art

Tollner is and was a joke, we called that here when the hire was made.

I'm thinking more about Norv Turner-type guys.

p.s. I thought Jauron was a very good D coordinator for us.

BTW, Millen did not want Tollner. Millen wanted to bring in Mike McCarthy as the OC here (who just got hired as the Packers coach). Mooch wanted Tollner so Millen let him have his way (which is also why we had shitty Garcia over Brad Johnson, Warner or someone else). I'm not saying McCarthy would have been great, but clearly not everyone wanted Tollner to begin with. In fact, I was very adimate against him being here. I knew his conservative style was just the same BS Mooch ran.

And I also though Jauron was a good DC for us too. Think about it. We were paper thin at CB and LB after injuries. Even FS was down to a guy I've never heard of after Holt got hurt. Hall and Rogers also missed time. Yet our defense was very good IMO. In a couple games they let us down, but most nights they outplayed the other teams' D, which is all you can ask for. How many games did the other team have better D? The Chicago games, but that's about it. The Steelers and Panthers had better defenses, but we really weren't outplayed on D. The D really just wore down in games that we couldn't control the clock late.

Chris,

Do you think there is any chance that the new HC would want to keep Jauron as DC?

If you guys really think that D was good, then your expectations are worse than I thought.

They were an average group of players. They couldnt stop a team at the end of games to save their lives. that is the difference between a good to great D and an average D, is having the confidence to stop teams when it matters.

Jauron built his whole career on one good year in Chicago. I want someone who is aggressive calling the D. You are going to get burned once in a while, but you are also going to get more turnovers and stop teams more often at the end of games instead of going into the bend dont break, cause at the end of games, it dont work.


Art

Killer WDFN Notes:

Haslett's candidacy in Buffalo could be 'dicey'
Jim Haslett has quickly emerged as an early candidate to replace Mike Mularkey in Buffalo, and this could get dicey for Detroit according to Tom Kowalski on Sports Radio 1130 Detroit. Especially since Russ Grimm has no track record or experience at anything beyond offensive line coach.

First round of interviews end today. With Jim Haslett's name popping up in Buffalo now, it could get dicey for the Lions. If Grimm is the choice, he's only been an OL coach. He's never called plays, never showed organizational skills, he's never led any group other than offensive linemen. And they're a different type of group altogether. He could be dicey. Haslett is safer, but he may not be there.

Does Grimm have a set offensive philosophy? Killer says that's the huge question. The OL coach runs what the head coach wants. You don't know what he'll do on his own, or what defense he favors. Last night they only had a couple of hours with Grimm. They will not have a second contact until the Steelers are eliminated. If the Steelers pull the upset it'll be another week, possibly three if they keep winning, before they can talk to him again.

If you guys really think that D was good, then your expectations are worse than I thought.

They were an average group of players. They couldnt stop a team at the end of games to save their lives. that is the difference between a good to great D and an average D, is having the confidence to stop teams when it matters.

Jauron built his whole career on one good year in Chicago. I want someone who is aggressive calling the D. You are going to get burned once in a while, but you are also going to get more turnovers and stop teams more often at the end of games instead of going into the bend dont break, cause at the end of games, it dont work.

You said it youself right there. The talent level was average to begin with, and then they got decimated by injury.

I thought Jauron helped keep them respectable, at least.

The talent wasn't there to be a dominant defense, no matter who the DC was.

Chris,

Do you think there is any chance that the new HC would want to keep Jauron as DC?

It depends. If it's a retread from another team (IE Haslett, I think he will steal from his old staff if he likes them). A guy like Grimm might keep him because he can't steal from the Steelers staff. I doubt Jauron stays as DC, but you never know.

Art-
They did give up TD's in a couple games, but even good teams do that. Almost every time that happened because the offense sucked and the D never got off the field. I have to say with our injuries, I would expect our D to lose us more than a couple games, that is for sure.

Can't remember where I heard it, but one of the pundits said last night that Haslett is almost a lock in Buffalo.

He's got strong ties to the organization, and he played for them.

GD, forgot to mention this.

Terry Foster said yesterday that he had the chance to talk to an NFL assistant a few months back before the Lions started there HC search. Fos was running down a list of candidates and this asst coach said the last hire the Lions should make is Grimm. He went on to tell Fos that Grimm is a disaster waiting to happen. Thought you should know.

P.S. I didn't like Jauron as DC. They gave up too many big plays when they needed a stop cause Dick was afraid of going aggressive. I hate the bend but don't broke defensive philosophy. Joe Gibbs recently said that it's an outdated philosophy and the aggressive defense is the biggest change he saw coming back to the NFL.

Thanks Geck, it's nice to hear more confirmation of what I think to be true about Grimm.

I've heard him interviewed a few times and he's always come across as a huge meathead.

Then he had that fiasco of a press conference when he interviewed in Chicago a few years back. He actually called the ownership family, the McCaskeys, the wrong name in his press conference. Imagine somebody coming here to interview with the Fords and calling them them by the wrong name.

Here's a little article on him that doesn't really expose too much of his meatheadedness, but you can kind of feel it underlying there.

http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/7000586

Here's another comment on Grimm from a different article.


Angelo chose Smith only after going through the charade of bringing in inexperienced, oafish Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm as the other finalist. (Grimm admitted he was surprised to be considered for any head-coaching job, leading me to believe Angelo just wanted to make Smith look good by comparison.)
http://www.lincolncourier.com/sports/04/01/15/sd.asp

And when Mularkey left Pittsburgh, it was all but assumed that Grimm was going to get his job.


A GRIMM TASK IN THE ‘BURGH

A league source tells us that the Pittsburgh Steelers will name Russ Grimm their new offensive coordinator, as soon as Thursday.

Grimm has served as the team’s offensive line coach since 2001. He previously had not received serious consideration for any head-coaching vacancies until rocketing onto the short list this week in Chitown.

So on the same day that Grimm learned he wouldn’t be the new head coach of the Bears, former offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey’s departure for the top job in Buffalo creates a not-too-shabby consolation prize for Grimm.
But instead the Steelers promoted their Tight Ends coach Ken Whisenhunt.

What do you guys think of Pat Hill as an Offensive Coordinator?

I do agree with the bend don't break defense sucking. Especially with the players we have. Bly, Bailey, Lehman, Rogers, Hall are all good playmakers. We shouldn't be playing that defense. Which makes it all the more admirable that Jauron kept the defense solid. I'd like to see a fresh start though. Get a DC that will use our speed on blitzes and such.

You lost me at Terry Foster.

If you are going to use someone to bolster a claim, can you at least use someone who is credible.

That is like using Killer as a source.


Art

Oh I just want to make it clear Grimm is not my first choice. Not even my second choice, but I would rather him than someone like Martz, unless Martz wants to be OC.


Art

You lost me at Terry Foster.

If you are going to use someone to bolster a claim, can you at least use someone who is credible.

That is like using Killer as a source.


Art

So you're saying the Foster lied and never talked to anyone. He's not being a source he's relaying a conversation he had with someone.

I dont trust anything Foster has to say. He needs STFU. He is a useless talking mouth.


Art

I do agree with the bend don't break defense sucking. Especially with the players we have. Bly, Bailey, Lehman, Rogers, Hall are all good playmakers. We shouldn't be playing that defense. Which makes it all the more admirable that Jauron kept the defense solid. I'd like to see a fresh start though. Get a DC that will use our speed on blitzes and such.
With all the speed that we have drafted on the defensive side, we never actually used it under Jauron. I would like our new DC to use an aggressive scheme that utilizes our speed and emphasizes going after the ball. Like say, Tampa 2.

Foster posts article about Grimm.

http://www.sportsinferno.com/viewheadline.php?Headline=112

By Terry Foster
The Sports Inferno

I finally spoke to my second NFL guy, just to make sure that this negative buzz about Russ Grimm were true.

He is a front office executive with an NFL team and they`ve been conducting a coaching search of their own. He said Grimm did not even make their list. He confirmed what the other NFL assistant told me. Grimm is a wonderful position coach but he is not head coaching material.

"The entire NFL is laughing at the Detroit Lions over this coaching search," he said. "They are looking at a lot of people. But they are looking at the wrong people."

The knock on Grimm seems to be universal. He is clumsy and disorganized. He does not pay attention to detail. He`s been described as Shrek in a coaching shirt.

Grimm is a big, clumsy guy that if you give him one task he will do it well. He played on the Washington Redskins offensive line and was one of the world famous Hogs. I remember him as a player and respected his accomplishments.

He played in Super Bowls and helped anchor one of the best offensive lines in football. I`m told his knowledge of the game is superior. But you can say that about a lot of coaches. Whenever I listen to coach speech they say the same thing about the good to great coaches. He communicates well with players and is well organized.

Grimm does communicate well until he becomes frustrated. He is like any other coach in that he does go off on players. And the Lions need more of that after the Steve Mariucci ice cream breaks the last three seasons. But Grimm goes overboard. And ultimately the league believes he will turn players off rather quickly.

I warned you a few years ago about why Doug Collins would not work out as Pistons coach even as they put together 50-win seasons. People like this burn out too quickly and players tune out even faster.

Grimm was a finalist for the Chicago Bears job that eventually went to Lovie Smith. The Bears really wanted to hire Grimm. But even in their heart of hearts they could not after meeting the man.

He showed up in jeans and a sweat shirt. He fumbled during the interview and it was obvious his organizational skills were lacking. My guess is when he talks to the Lions he will clean his act up and be able to convince the Lions his organizational skills have changed.
The Lions might buy it and hire him.

"The Lions are high on this guy because he is a reflection of Matt Millen," my guy told me. "But he is Matt Millen with less polish."

We keep hearing he is the guy. I am not convinced of that. Yet, he is a serious candidate.

But maybe he is the guy. I heard from one of my moles that if things don`t work out with Grimm that the Lions may take the interim off Dick Jauron`s name and make him permanent head coach. Yikes!

And here is the other dirty secret. This decision is not Millen`s alone. The Lions will parade Millen in front of the media when the decision is made and tell us it was his decision. They will only be giving you a part of the picture. Lions President Tom Lewand and Millen`s right hand man Martin Mahew along with the Fords will be part of the process.

If this does not work out, do not throw all your daggers at Millen. The entire organization must bear the brunt.

I hate to keep beating a dead horse, but if you do not trust your President to make the right move why is he still here?

And getting back to my NFL guy. He said they laughed when Millen got a contract extension. It was good news for their organization.

Let`s hope this Grimm talk is simply a smoke screen to keep us off the trail of the guy they really want to hire. I`ve gotten too many negative vibes about him. Once again they tell me he is a terrific position coach.
But is he head coaching material?

If he is hired as head coach it sounds as if the Lions would in essence have Millen as team president and head coach.
That`s great. We get Shrek I and Shrek II.
That is a game of Double Jeopardy I don`t want to play.

LMAO....do we have to listen to this drivel from Foster. He is horrible. I am not saying Grimm is going to be great, but can anyone find another source than Foster to confirm any of this. If not, then i will disregard and think that Grimm cannot be any worse than Marty or Mooch was.

Who he hires as coordinators is more important to me than he himself is. Mooch hired horrible coordinators, stop with the Jauron love. He wasnt that good. The one good year Bears had was predicated on luck, which ran out the following year.


Art

LMAO....do we have to listen to this drivel from Foster. He is horrible. I am not saying Grimm is going to be great, but can anyone find another source than Foster to confirm any of this. If not, then i will disregard and think that Grimm cannot be any worse than Marty or Mooch was.

Who he hires as coordinators is more important to me than he himself is. Mooch hired horrible coordinators, stop with the Jauron love. He wasnt that good. The one good year Bears had was predicated on luck, which ran out the following year.


Art

Try sounding more mature when you post. Your drivel is annoying. These are conversations he had, first hand accounts. Just because you don't like Foster doesn't mean he's making things up. Grow up.

Fuck off and suck a dick. How is that for immature.

How do you know they were first hand? Where you there. Were you a fly on the wall? If not then how do you know he is not making shit up. I mean I have never heard of a writer having their own agenda.


Telling someone to grow up on a message board and this one in particular...LMAO.


Art

Fuck off and suck a dick. How is that for immature.

How do you know they were first hand? Where you there. Were you a fly on the wall? If not then how do you know he is not making shit up. I mean I have never heard of a writer having their own agenda.


Telling someone to grow up on a message board and this one in particular...LMAO.


Art

The fact that you believe that Foster is creating not one but two conversations up tells me you are a paranoid schizophrenic.

As I said earlier, dust off your Wayne Fontes jokes.

They're about to come in really handy again.

Rod Marinelli will be in town for a second interview on Tuesday

The much-respected defensive line coach, widely considered one of the best mentors in the NFL at his position, will huddle on Monday with team officials.

Marinelli has also emerged as one of the finalists for the Detroit Lions' head coach vacancy, league and Bucs team sources told ESPN's Chirs Mortensen on Sunday.

Marinelli is scheduled for a second interview with Detroit, likely on Tuesday — the day after his interview with the Raiders.

I would much rather have Marinelli than Grimm or Haslett.

http://abcnews.go.com/Sports/ESPNSports/story?id=1507888

Ok had to make sure Rod wasn't another meat head...


http://www.sptimes.com/News/webspecials/nflpreview01/bucs2001/Marinelli_Rod.jpg


Looks like he can yell too! (I think he's yelling?)

http://www.buccaneers.com/media/photos/misc/MARINELLI05_02_03_1_P_t.jpg

well, the steelers win means we can't interview Grimm again for a while. I'm not sure what Millen is going to do about that.

Hopefully this will make us choose someone other than Grimm. (I never said I wanted him, just I thought we could have done worse).

I would prefer someone who was a coordinator at some point, and I think offense, but I am worried about Al that he is not hardass enough for this team.

Just get a coach already so we can find out what direction the team is going.


Art

Why not talk to Jim Fassel?

He has been mentioned on other boards and I aint got no problem with him. I think he did a fine job in NY.


Art

Why not talk to Jim Fassel?

If were gonna talk about retreads I rather look at an Art Shell or Ray Rhodes. Fassel had a problem getting his players to respect him.

Got to add one more name to the list of available candidates.

Jim Bates.


New coach McCarthy needs new defensive coordinator

After being bypassed for the Packers' head coaching job, Green Bay defensive coordinator Jim Bates will not return to the team in 2006.

Bates, who interviewed for the job last week, and the team announced Monday that he was leaving by "mutual agreement" rather than remain as the coordinator for first-year coach Mike McCarthy. Bates and McCarthy spoke over the weekend about the possibility of Bates staying on the staff, but subsequently agreed to part ways.

Said Bates, one of seven candidates interviewed as the possible successor to Mike Sherman, and who was said to have been very disappointed when he didn't land it: "I felt like it was best for Mike."

Bates, 59, was 3-4 as interim coach of the Miami Dolphins in 2004 after Dave Wannstedt resigned. He joined Sherman's staff in Green Bay in 2005 and, despite a rash of injuries, enacted significant changes and progress.

A unit that statistically ranked 25th in total defense in 2004 finished No. 7 this season. Green Bay led the league in defense against the pass and, under Bates' stewardship, reduced its points surrendered by 5.0 per game. Some veteran Packers players solidly supported Bates' candidacy to replace Sherman, and at one point in the search process he was regarded as the frontrunner.

On the day he was introduced as Sherman's successor, McCarthy suggested that Bates might remain with the team. Bates was not among the coaches dismissed last week as McCarthy began to assemble his own staff.

"It's my job as head coach to find the best person who fits in the coaching staff," McCarthy told The Associated Press. "I was hopeful it would work [with Bates] but it's not there. It's not a negative -- it's two people being mature about the situation."

It is not known where McCarthy will turn for a defensive coordinator. On Sunday, he hired Atlanta Falcons offensive line coach Jeff Jagodzinski as offensive coordinator.

Bates has not been interviewed for any other current head coach openings. If Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron is hired to coach the St. Louis Rams, there is a chance that Bates and recently dismissed Packers offensive line coach Larry Beightol could be a part of his staff.

A 15-year NFL veteran, Bates has served on staffs in Cleveland (1991-93, 1995), Atlanta (1994), Dallas (1996-99) and Miami (2000-2004), in addition to working in Green Bay. He has an extensive college background and also worked in the USFL, including a stint as head coach of the San Antonio Gunslingers.

No offense to him, but he is almost 60 and the only 60 year old I want coming to detroit is Parcells.


Art

Marinelli's name suddenly making headlines at ESPN as a "Lions finalist".

At this point, I'll take the guy.

I see Norv Turner signed on as OC for the Niners, so he's off the radar as our OC.

If Millen is really waiting for Grimm, if the Steelers keep winning, he's (Millen) really putting himself behind the 8-ball.

By the time Grimm gets around to hiring a staff, who is going to be left?

Is there any doubt whatsoever that the Lions are going to comepletely fuck this up?

Grimm = monstrous mistake, which of course means he's the perfect candidate for the Lions HC job.

Mangini (Pats DC) just signed with the Jets to be the new HC.

That leaves us with Haslett (Bills?), Grimm (in playoffs still, so no interviews), Saunders, Kubiak (Texans?, and still in playoffs), Singeltary, and Marinelli.

Update from John Clayton:


posted: Monday, January 16, 2006

Former Vikings coach Mike Tice was the runner-up, so to speak, to Eric Mangini to coach the Jets. But Tice wowed Jets officials in the presentation he made Monday. Tice brought in a detailed plan of turning New York around, and the suggestions were interesting enough that the team kept copies. Mangini had the edge, though, because owner Woody Johnson has been enamored with Bill Belichick disciples. Plus, Mangini, who spent this season as the Patriots' defensive coordinator, is a close friend of Jets assistant general manager Mike Tannenbaum.
Heimerdinger to land on his feet: Mangini's hiring should set the stage for Mike Heimerdinger's departure to the Broncos as their offensive coordinator. That job will open in Denver once Gary Kubiak leaves for the Houston Texans as their next coach. Heimerdinger was a candidate for the Jets' head coaching job. Mangini is expected to consider Saints offensive coordinator Mike Sheppard for the offensive coordinator's job and Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Ryan for the same post in New York.

Rams close to picking new coach: Along with having Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron in for a second interview in Los Angeles, the Rams are also scheduling the same for Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera. The Rams want to talk to Rivera about what he would do with the offensive staff. Rivera might have been able to produce Norv Turner as his offensive coach, but Turner accepted that job with the 49ers on Monday night.

Bates won't be out of work for long: Jim Bates' departure as Packers defensive coordinator shouldn't come as a surprise. He had seven offers from teams last season to be a coordinator but he picked the Packers in order to work with Mike Sherman. A lot of people thought he would replace Mike Sherman if Sherman were ever fired, and he believed he would be the head coach when Sherman left. General manager Ted Thompson picked Mike McCarthy and the two couldn't work out their differences. Don't be surprised to see Bates surface in St. Louis with Cam Cameron if Cameron gets that job. Bates will have other offers, too. He left the Dolphins after being the interim coach there when Dave Wannstedt quit. Nick Saban wanted to keep Bates, but he departed -- as he did in Green Bay -- under similar circumstances.

Bills busy with interviews: Lions interim coach Dick Jauron heads to Buffalo on Tuesday and former Packers head coach Mike Sherman visits the Bills on Wednesday. They are two of the first interviews to replace Mike Mularkey. Jauron has an edge. Like Marv Levy, who is now running the Bills for owner Ralph Wilson, Jauron has an Ivy League education. Plus, he's been a successful head coach. Jauron finished second to Mularkey for the Bills job two years ago so Wilson likes him. Sherman would be a good fit because he will interview well with Levy and Wilson. Vikings defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell is also expected to get an interview.

Saints ready to make a call? The Saints should decide by Wednesday at the earliest who they want their next head coach to be. Cowboys offensive coordinator Sean Payton and former Packers coach Mike Sherman have a slight edge over other candidates. Former Rams coach Mike Martz is also in the mix along with Maurice Carthon, offensive coordinator of the Browns. Jets defensive coordinator Donnie Henderson also interviewed for the job. The Saints did a good job of putting together a good list of candidates, which is much stronger than anyone thought it would be. They have two former head coaches with winning records and several bright, young assistants. It is GM Mickey Loomis' decision to make, and he isn't supposed to be restricted financially when he makes it.

Haslett the guy for Lions? Former Saints coach Jim Haslett has a great chance at getting the Lions job. The final three is expected to be Haslett, Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm and Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli. Grimm can't be signed until after the Steelers finish their playoff run, and that could kill his bid for the job. The Steelers are playing in the AFC title game and won't become available until next week at the earliest. Expect Haslett to have a second interview this week with the Ford family, which could lead to an offer.

Hard to picture Colts without Dungy: Indianapolis coach Tony Dungy all but assured he would be back next season. Despite the recent suicide of his son James, Dungy said he will spend a couple days with family, which will be tough considering the circumstances of his son's passing. "I'm pretty sure I'll be back," Dungy said. "When you lose, you are not sure you are going to be asked back." The Colts can't function without Dungy. He'll be back.

Grimm appears out of running
Tuesday, January 17, 2006

Highlights of the current buzz around the NFL concerning the head coaching vacancies and how it affects the Detroit Lions and their search for a new head coach:

Jim Haslett and Rod Marinelli are both expected to have second interviews with the Lions this week at the team's Allen Park practice facility. There could also be a third finalist for the job, possibly Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, but that has not been confirmed.

One of the candidates could fly into to Detroit as early as tonight.

There could be some urgency to the situation because Haslett, the former New Orleans Saints head coach, and Marinelli, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive line/assistant head coach, are both high on the candidates list of other teams. Haslett is being heavily courted by the Buffalo Bills, while the Oakland Raiders are interested in Marinelli.

One of the candidates who was believed to be high on Detroit's list, Pittsburgh Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm, no longer appears to be in the running for the job.

"We are still in the mode where we will not confirm or deny any reports regarding our head coaching position," said Lions senior vice president of communications Bill Keenist.

While the Lions are determined to be diligent in their search for a new head coach, they don't want any needless delays. There are still a half-dozen openings for head coaches in the league, but the last head coach hired will have the smallest pool of quality assistants to choose from for his staff.

In addition to Haslett, Marinelli, Grimm and Carthon, the Lions had initial interviews with Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, New York Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis, Lions interim coach Dick Jauron, Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Al Saunders, and San Francisco 49ers linebackers/assistant head coach Mike Singletary.

-- Tom Kowalski

Hopefully the public opinion against Grimm steered them away from him for good.

^Killer said we'll know this week whether it's Grimm. Millen is expected to make a decision near the end of the week. If he doesn't, then clearly he's waiting on Grimm to be available (ie out of the playoffs).

My dream senario would be Kubiak as HC, and Marinelly as HC. I also wouldn't mind Haslett and Marinelli, provided Haslett doesn't run the same BS offense Mooch did.

More notes:
Monday, January 16, 2006


Tampa Trib: Marinelli defensive coordinator?
In a Tampa Tribune story about the Rams' interest in hiring Bucs defensive line coach Rod Marinelli as their defensive coordinator they speculates that the Lions may also want him as their defensive coordinator. (Keep that word "speculates" in mind.)


Jan. 17, Tampa Tribune: Word out of St. Louis, where the Rams have narrowed their list of head coaching candidates to three, is that the Marinelli soon may become a candidate to take over as defensive coordinator.

A call to Marinelli, 56, will likely go out if Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Scott Linehan is named the Rams' coach, an NFL source said. The Detroit Lions also may be prepping to make such a call to Marinelli.

The Lions interviewed Marinelli for their head coach's job last week. During that interview Marinelli was told the Lions intended to speak with him again, probably late this week.

But with Detroit reportedly leaning toward hiring Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm, speculation has grown that the Lions may now be interested in making Marinelli their defensive coordinator.

Last week Marinelli told the Tampa Tribune:

Jan. 12, Tampa Tribune: "I thought it went well," said Marinelli, whose contract with Tampa Bay is up. "I was glad I was given the opportunity to state what I believe in."
...
If a head coaching job doesn't come to fruition, Marinelli could become a defensive coordinator. His most likely destination is Chicago, where he would be reunited with Bears coach and good friend Lovie Smith, the former Tampa Bay linebackers coach.
...
"We'll see what happens and how it all works out," Marinelli said. "I'm just being patient."


The story link is no longer available, but the story was online on Jan. 12

Kubiak's supposedly a lock in Houston, they're just not announcing it until after Denver's out of the playoffs.

I wouldn't mind Singletary as our DC with Haslett as the HC.

After going through that crazy season with the Saints and their makeshift
training facilities while having no home all season, I think he deserves a
shot here in Detroit. He's loud and not afraid to get in players faces.

With Singletary beside him, I don't think that any ego's will survive
in that scenario. Whoever we get, I want them to be assholes or scary.

I wouldn't mind Singletary as our DC with Haslett as the HC.

After going through that crazy season with the Saints and their makeshift
training facilities while having no home all season, I think he deserves a
shot here in Detroit. He's loud and not afraid to get in players faces.

With Singletary beside him, I don't think that any ego's will survive
in that scenario. Whoever we get, I want them to be assholes or scary.

I agree. I wouldn't mind Singletary or Marinelli as the DC...Haslett as the HC...but I've GOT to know we have a solid X/O guy calling the offense plays...someone that isn't predictable...I think the new o-line coach has to have some experience in that as well.

Grimm and Marinelli have never even been offensive or defensive coordinators - just position coaches. Millen can't afford a learn on the job guy.

Its probably Haslett.

Grimm and Marinelli have never even been offensive or defensive coordinators - just position coaches. Millen can't afford a learn on the job guy.

Its probably Haslett.

I truly hope they don't choose one of the inexperienced guys for the HC...I wouldn't mind one as moving up to a coordinator...especially if these guys are as "bright" as advertised.

Also, Bates from GB is out as DC..I think he'd be awesome for us. GB's D really got better as the year progressed, especially on the run. They just didnt have the secondary talent and the depth for it to really show.

Right now there is no excuse for the Lions not to get it right.

As the game of musical coaching chairs is losing teams but not canidates.

I mean the Jets, Vikings, GB, and Saints have all filled their openings with guys who weren't on the Lions radar.

The Texans are likley going with Kubiak, Raiders will go with an Al Davis kiss ass, the Bills will go with an old school Marv Levy disciple.

That leaves the Lions and Rams competing for the rest of the canidates.

Detroit stands to make out if they play their cards right. They should not rush into a decision. This could be the ideal situation, because they could really stand to make out if they play their cards right. If Millen really gets it he will hire a first class coaching staff. If he goes with an offensive minded coach he should grap up a top defensive coach like Jim Bates who missed outon a HC job. If he hires a defensive mind he should hire a great offense coach like Mularkey, Martz or Saunders. to be OC.

Right now there is no excuse for the Lions not to get it right.

As the game of musical coaching chairs is losing teams but not canidates.

I mean the Jets, Vikings, GB, and Saints have all filled their openings with guys who weren't on the Lions radar.

The Texans are likley going with Kubiak, Raiders will go with an Al Davis kiss ass, the Bills will go with an old school Marv Levy disciple.

That leaves the Lions and Rams competing for the rest of the canidates.

Detroit stands to make out if they play their cards right. They should not rush into a decision. This could be the ideal situation, because they could really stand to make out if they play their cards right. If Millen really gets it he will hire a first class coaching staff. If he goes with an offensive minded coach he should grap up a top defensive coach like Jim Bates who missed outon a HC job. If he hires a defensive mind he should hire a great offense coach like Mularkey, Martz or Saunders. to be OC.

Great post, JS. LMAO at the shot at Al Davis.

I'd like to see Marinelli as a DC here. He would have been a DC a long time ago but Tampa made him assistant head coach so that other teams could not interview him as a DC (wouldn't be a promotion). They also blocked Dungy from taking him to Indi, and kept him under Kiffen because he was so valuable to them.

I'm not sure if they'd let him go to be a DC, but I think eventually he has to know that he needs to be a DC for a while if he wants to be a HC. He might beg them to let him go.

I'd like to see Marinelli as a DC here. He would have been a DC a long time ago but Tampa made him assistant head coach so that other teams could not interview him as a DC (wouldn't be a promotion). They also blocked Dungy from taking him to Indi, and kept him under Kiffen because he was so valuable to them.

I'm not sure if they'd let him go to be a DC, but I think eventually he has to know that he needs to be a DC for a while if he wants to be a HC. He might beg them to let him go.

Correct me if I am wrong, but all assistant coaches are lumped together in the same category? What I mean is an OL line coach and OC are viewed the same, even though the OL coach reports to the OC. So in order to talk to a assistant without beng denied permission it must be for a HC job, otherwise you need consent.

Sounds like Marinelli is likely to be the HC.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2297266


Rod Marinelli was nearing an agreement with the Detroit Lions on Wednesday night to become their new head coach, a source told ESPN's Chris Mortensen.

The Lions and Marinelli were finalizing contact details Wednesday evening, with a formal announcement expected as early as Thursday.

Marinelli spent the past 10 seasons in Tampa Bay as defensive line coach. His unit helped establish an NFL record with 69 straight games with at least one sack from 1999 to 2003. He had the title of assistant head coach added in 2002.

He has not been a head coach at any level but attracted interest from at least one other team with an opening this offseason. The Oakland Raiders interviewed Marinelli on Monday and then he traveled to suburban Detroit for a second interview with Lions president Matt Millen.

Former New Orleans Saints coach Jim Haslett said he was scheduled to travel from his home in Louisiana to Michigan on Wednesday night for a second interview. But on Wednesday evening, he told the AP he had not heard from the Lions about his travel arrangements or his prospects for the job.

Unlike Millen's first two coaching searches, he took his time and interviewed several candidates. Millen hired Marty Mornhinweg quickly in 2001, hoping Cleveland wouldn't hire him. Two years later, Millen hired Steve Mariucci with such haste that he was fined $200,000 by the NFL because he didn't follow the league's minority interview policy.

With Millen's players and coaches, the Lions are an NFL-worst 21-59 over the past five seasons -- since the former linebacker and TV analyst became an NFL executive for the first time.

Dick Jauron, who took over when Mariucci was fired in November, was one of many candidates Millen interviewed during a two-week process. Among the coaches Millen also interviewed were: Pittsburgh offensive line coach Russ Grimm, Denver offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, Cleveland offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon, Giants defensive coordinator Tim Lewis and San Francisco assistant head coach Mike Singletary.

Marinelli's coaching career began in 1973 as an assistant at Rosemead (Calif.) High School. He was an assistant at Utah State from 1973-82 before moving on to California for nine seasons, Arizona State for three seasons and Southern California for one season.

He went to Tampa Bay in 1996 and was the defensive line coach for six seasons. The past four seasons, he also had the title of assistant head coach.

It's Official. Marinelli hired.

Mortensen: Marinelli hired by Lions
Rod Marinelli is the coach, according to Chris Mortensen on Sports Center. Here is the transcript of the report.


Dan Patrick: We have some breaking news in regards to a couple of coaching vacancies. Let's go to Chris Mortensen joining us via the phone. Mort let's start with the Detroit Lions. Do they have a head coach?

Chris Mortensen: They have their man. His name is Rod Marinelli. Longtime, highly regarded assistant coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Technically, their assistant head coach, defensive line coach extraordinaire. They have offered him the job, he's accepted. They are working on finalizing the contract. So Rod Marinelli should be introduced in the next 24 hours as the Lions head coach.

Rod Marinelli
Title: Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach
NFL Experience: 10
Years with Buccaneers: 10


Rod Marinelli returns for his 10th season as Tampa Bay’s assistant head coach/defensive line coach. One of the game’s most innovative instructors on the finer points of technique, leverage and balance, Marinelli has been the premier defensive line coach in the NFL for nearly a decade. The Buccaneers defensive line has consistently been one of the most respected units in the NFL as perennial All-Pros, DT Warren Sapp and DE Simeon Rice, became two of the most dominating pass rushers in the modern era under Marinelli.

Marinelli, who has coached on the collegiate and pro level for the last 29 seasons, has directed one of the most productive defensive lines in the NFL. Tampa Bay has racked up 236 sacks over the last six NFL seasons (1999-2004) and Marinelli’s unit helped set an NFL record as the Buccaneers defense posted a sack in 69 consecutive games from 1999-2003. During Marinelli’s nine-year tenure in Tampa Bay, a Buccaneer defensive lineman has ranked in the top 15 in sacks in the NFL on seven occasions and in the top 10 five times.

Marinelli’s line was again up to the task last season, pacing a defense that finished fifth in the NFL in total defense and first in pass defense. The Buccaneers 2004 season sack total of 45 ranked tied for second in the NFL and was the second highest total in team history behind the 55 sacks recorded by the Buccaneers defense in 2000. Most impressively, the Buccaneers led the NFL in sacks per pass play, recording one sack every 10.7 pass plays in 2004. The dominance of Marinelli’s defensive line is illustrated by the fact that the top six sack totals in Buccaneers history have all occurred during his tenure.

In Marinelli’s nine years on the job, the Buccaneers have recorded 380 sacks, with 303.5 coming courtesy of his defensive line. The following is a breakdown of total sacks and sacks by the defensive line the past nine seasons.

The 303.5 sacks registered by Marinelli’s line rank first in the NFL among all defensive lines the past nine seasons (1996-2004). Additionally, the Bucs defensive front four have ranked in the top five in the NFL in sacks in six of the nine seasons under Marinelli.

DE Simeon Rice led the Buccaneers in sacks for the fourth consecutive season in 2004, totaling 12 sacks to rank tied for fifth in the NFL. Since joining forces with Marinelli in 2001, Rice has been arguably the most dominating pass rusher in the NFL. Rice’s 42.5 sacks the past three seasons (2002-2004) are tops in the NFL, while also leading all active players with 30 career multi-sack games, with 15 coming as a member of the Bucs. This past season, he became only the 22nd player in NFL history to reach the 100-sack plateau and his 105 career sacks rank second among active players. Rice’s 53.5 sacks under the direction of Marinelli already rank third on the Bucs all-time sack list.

While Rice may be considered by most to be Marinelli’s star pupil, DE Greg Spires was no less impressive in 2004 as he had his greatest season as a professional and received strong Pro Bowl consideration. Starting opposite of Rice on the left side for 13 games and at DT for three games, Spires recorded a career-high 86 tackles to lead all Bucs defensive linemen while chipping in a career-high eight sacks to rank second on the team.

The Bucs 2004 sack total is all the more impressive considering the team’s best inside pass rusher, DT Anthony McFarland, missed half of the season because of a triceps injury. Starting in the first eight games before being sidelined, McFarland totaled three sacks and 28 tackles. In his place, the trio of Spires, DE/DT Dewayne White and DT Chidi Ahanotu provided a persistent pass rush throughout the season. In his second season, White started three games at LDE in addition to his role at DT, recording a career-high six sacks to rank third on the team while adding 29 tackles. Additionally, White tied a team record by posting at least 0.5 a sack in six consecutive games in 2004. Ahanotu returned for his second stint with the Bucs in November to appear in eight games with five starts, finishing with 3.5 sacks. Rounding out the Buccaneers defensive line in 2004 was fourth-year veteran DT Chartric Darby, who started all 16 games and notched 56 tackles and one fumble recovery.

The 2003 season saw the Bucs total 36 sacks to rank tied for 13th in the NFL as the defensive line corralled opposing quarterbacks for 31 of those sacks. Rice earned his third career and second consecutive Pro Bowl selection while totaling 15 sacks to rank tied for second in the NFL. His 15 sacks were the third-most sacks in a single season in Bucs history and the third highest single-season total in his career. Rice’s four-sack effort in Week 6 at Washington earned him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors while also tying the franchise single-game sack record.

As one of the game’s all-time great DTs, Warren Sapp anchored the interior of Marinelli’s defensive line for the final time in 2003. Marinelli was instrumental in the development of Sapp, who set a Bucs single-season mark with 16.5 sacks in 2000. Sapp earned his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl nomination in 2003 and along with LB Derrick Brooks, broke Hall of Famer Lee Roy Selmon’s team record for total appearances and consecutive appearances. His five sacks ranked second on the team, marking the eighth consecutive year under Marinelli that Sapp either led or ranked second on the team in sacks. In fact, Sapp averaged 9.3 sacks per season during his eight seasons under Marinelli and his 74 sacks ranks tied for fifth in the NFL during that time and second among DTs. McFarland manned the other DT position for Marinelli in 2003, starting all 16 games for the second time in his career. McFarland recorded his first career INT in 2003 and also chipped in 54 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one fumble recovery and three passes defensed.

Rice and Sapp were vital in the Bucs success in 2002 as both garnered AP All-Pro first-team honors. Marinelli was part of his first Super Bowl title as his dominating front four helped to secure the Buccaneers first-ever championship in Super Bowl XXXVII. The Bucs defense posted 43 sacks in 2002, tied for sixth in the NFL, with the defensive line responsible for 36 of the sacks. The line’s strong 2002 campaign culminated with an unparalleled performance in the Super Bowl as Raiders QB Rich Gannon was pressured into throwing a record five interceptions. The defensive line finished the Super Bowl with five sacks, four passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Under Marinelli, Rice had arguably his most productive season as a professional as he was named to his second Pro Bowl and first as a Buccaneer in 2002. He finished the season first in the NFC and second in the NFL with 15.5 sacks. Rice also set a NFL single-season record by posting two or more sacks in five consecutive games and finished 2002 with a team-leading six forced fumbles. Rice led all defensive linemen with 11 passes defensed and ranked second with 75 tackles. In Super Bowl XXXVII, Rice notched two sacks and five tackles while also dropping Rich Gannon behind the line of scrimmage to thwart a Raiders two-point conversion attempt. Sapp was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl in 2002 (tying the club record for total appearances and consecutive appearances) while starting all 16 games. Sapp finished with 7.5 sacks, good for second on the team and tied for first in the NFC among DTs. Sapp was first among defensive linemen with 78 tackles, while also notching a career-high two INTs, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and three passes defensed. One of the game’s top instructors, Marinelli weathered the loss of talented DT Anthony McFarland by filling his spot with a duo of then second-year players in Ellis Wyms (5.5 sacks) and Darby (1.5 sacks).

In 2001, his unit was spearheaded by the efforts of Rice, who had signed with the Buccaneers in the offseason. Despite the transition into a new defense, Rice led the team with 11.0 sacks in 2001. The Buccaneers’ defensive line continued to wreak havoc in opposing backfields during the 2000 season, yet another nod to Marinelli. His troops finished tied for second in the NFL after racking up a single-season record 55 sacks, 45.5 of which came courtesy of the team’s front four. Sapp posted 16.5 sacks in 2000, breaking Lee Roy Selmon’s single season mark of 13 established in 1978. Sapp added a career-high 76 tackles, easing the transition for second-year McFarland, who posted 6.5 sacks. Marinelli also oversaw the development of DE Marcus Jones, who ripped through opposing defensive lines to record a career-high 13 sacks.

Sapp collected a then career-high 12.5 sacks in 1999, earning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors from the Associated Press and his third Pro Bowl berth. He became the first Buccaneer since Selmon (1979) to win the AP honor. But Sapp’s linemates also turned in outstanding seasons. DT Brad Culpepper paced the line with 72 tackles and added six sacks, while first-year starter Steve White emerged as a force during Tampa Bay’s playoff run. And Jones, who moved from tackle to end, collected 36 tackles and seven sacks after posting just 32 stops and one sack in his three previous seasons. Marinelli also saw flashes of brilliance from rookie McFarland, the Buccaneers’ first-round pick.

In 1998, Marinelli’s unit collected 37 sacks and ranked eighth in the league against the run. In 1997, Tampa Bay’s defensive line racked up a club single-season record 44 sacks. That season, Sapp emerged as a bonafide star as the Buccaneers made their first playoff appearance in 15 years.

A veteran of 20 seasons as a college assistant coach, Marinelli came to Tampa Bay after spending the 1995 season as the defensive line coach at Southern Cal under John Robinson. From 1992-94, Marinelli was the assistant head coach/defensive line coach for head coach Bruce Snyder at Arizona State. In 1993, three of his starting linemen earned All-Pac- 10 honors. Shante Carver was an All-America pick and was also a finalist for the Outland and Lombardi trophies before being selected in the first round of the draft by the Dallas Cowboys.

From 1983-1991, Marinelli coached the defensive line at California, adding assistant head coach to his title for his final two Golden Bear seasons. Snyder became the school’s head coach in 1987 and retained Marinelli. While at California, Marinelli coached several future NFLers including Ahanotu, Rhett Hall and Natu Tuatagaloa.

Marinelli’s first coaching job came in 1976 from Snyder, who was then the head coach at Utah State. From 1976-81, Marinelli oversaw the Aggies’ defensive line before becoming USU’s offensive line/special teams coach for the 1982 campaign. In six seasons as the defensive line coach for Utah State, three of his players (Rulon Jones, Mike Perko, Shawn Miller) won conference Defensive Player of the Year honors. Marinelli began his coaching career at his alma mater, Rosemead High School in San Gabriel Valley, California, from 1973-75.

Marinelli played offensive and defensive tackle at Utah in 1968 before serving a one-year stint in Vietnam. He returned from the service and attended California Lutheran from 1970-72, earning NAIA All-America honors as an offensive tackle in ‘72. Marinelli earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education and a minor in history from CLC.

Marinelli joined several other Buccaneers coaches to host the High School Coaching Academy during the 2004 offseason in conjunction with the National Football Foundation. The academy is a one day, hands-on clinic designed to elevate the quality of football coaching at the high school level. During the 2002 season, Marinelli lent his coaching knowledge to “NFL 101,” a program that educates women on the terminology, formations, strategy and basics of football.

Born in Rosemead, California, Rod and his wife, Barbara, reside in Tampa. The family includes daughters Chris and Gina. Chris is married to Joe Barry, Tampa Bay’s linebackers coach. Marinelli also has two granddaughters and two grandsons.

MARINELLI AT A GLANCE

# 1968…University of Utah, player
# 1970-72…California Lutheran, player
# 1973-75…Rosemead (Cal.) High School, Assistant Coach
# 1976-81…Utah State, Defensive Line Coach
# 1982…Utah State, Offensive Line/Special Teams Coach
# 1983-89…University of California-Berkeley, Defensive Line Coach
# 1990-91…University of California-Berkeley, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
# 1992-94…Arizona State, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line
# 1995…Southern Cal, Defensive Line Coach
# 1996-01…Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Defensive Line Coach
# 2002-05…Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Line Coach

ESPN's bottom line is reporting we just hired Rod Marinelli

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Alr19SgTsbFH3qCVpFtqoLFDubYF?slug=ap-lions-marinelli&prov=ap&type=lgns

Yup...we've got a 30 yr defensive line coach....They must have seen something special to pass up on a coach with 6 yrs HC experience and coordinator experience. In the end, it's all about who he gets as the OC and DC.

More people mad at Millen

Matt Millen didn't win friends the way he hired Rod Marinelli, the assistant head coach of the Bucs. He didn't call any of the other candidates involved in the process after making the hire. Former Saints coach Jim Haslett had been waiting by his phone Wednesday because Millen told him he would fly to Detroit on Wednesday to meet William Clay Ford. Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm, one of the early leaders for the job, never heard he was out of the running. Neither did interim coach Dick Jauron. Basically, Marinelli met with Ford and earned Ford's blessing to get a deal done. Millen also didn't announce the finalists to the media as he said he would.

Marinelli had to be in Fantasyland on Wednesday. Since coming to the NFL in 1996 after a stint as defensive line coach for USC, Marinelli has been considered one of the best pure coaches in the business. He's been masterful on the defensive line for the Bucs. He's been a prime candidate for defensive coordinator jobs but has been refused the chance to interview for those jobs because he's been under contract. Marinelli let his contract run out and won the lottery by getting a head coaching job.

More people mad at Millen

Matt Millen didn't win friends the way he hired Rod Marinelli, the assistant head coach of the Bucs. He didn't call any of the other candidates involved in the process after making the hire. Former Saints coach Jim Haslett had been waiting by his phone Wednesday because Millen told him he would fly to Detroit on Wednesday to meet William Clay Ford. Steelers offensive line coach Russ Grimm, one of the early leaders for the job, never heard he was out of the running. Neither did interim coach Dick Jauron. Basically, Marinelli met with Ford and earned Ford's blessing to get a deal done. Millen also didn't announce the finalists to the media as he said he would.

Marinelli had to be in Fantasyland on Wednesday. Since coming to the NFL in 1996 after a stint as defensive line coach for USC, Marinelli has been considered one of the best pure coaches in the business. He's been masterful on the defensive line for the Bucs. He's been a prime candidate for defensive coordinator jobs but has been refused the chance to interview for those jobs because he's been under contract. Marinelli let his contract run out and won the lottery by getting a head coaching job.


How the fuck does millen have a job...honestly.....thats bad business...and it makes him and the organization look like shit... Remember there were problems when we hired Mooch too. I cant take this dude anymore.

Is this a good hire? , I haven't a clue and neither does anyone else. I hope no one here says that they either like or dislike this guy, nobody knows anything about him.

Gets a few great write ups and accolades but has never been a head coach anywhere on any level.

My bet ...The guy is probably brilliant....he will be old, gray and burned out by the 36 month of coaching here. his family should take a good look at him now cause he's about to look like an 80 year old in a few years.

Way to go Millen you dick head..now get out of here.

Now will Millen resign? That's not "re-sign" that is RESIGN!

It will be interesting to see who the OC and DC will be.

I wonder if Singletary would come as DC? Most likely Marinelli has a DC in mind already, maybe even someone from the TB organization.

Singletary would need permission from SF as it is not a step up, which hopefully the NFL does away with the bullshit AHC title.

Marnelli would have been a DC 3 years ago if not for TB not letting him go interview. If Kiffin had ever left TB for a HC job, Marnelli would have replaced him. This year was the first year that Marelli could go after a better job then DL coach with TB.

Why are people mad at Millen? Because he didnt contact people when the contract was ongoing? I mean seriously what would have happened had they not worked the contract out, but before hand they told Haslett thanks but no thanks.

Also it was reported that Grimm did know he was not a finalist.

Herm Edwards and Andy Reid were nothing more than position coaches before becoming a HC and I think they both have been pretty damn good.

From all reports this guys is a leader and one who does tolerate waving at the guy with the ball instead of tackling.

Why would you want a retread or an OC who was passed over for the last 10 years for a HC job.

Personally I wanted the Panthers DC as our coach. My Michigan blood runs deep..:) Well maybe he can be the next HC at UM.


Art

Andy Reid was 15 years younger when he was hired.

Edwards is not a good coach but he was 11 years younger.

I hope I'm wrong but I'm willing to bet anybody that I'm right based on past Lions coaching history.

Andy Reid was 15 years younger when he was hired.

Edwards is not a good coach but he was 11 years younger.

I hope I'm wrong but I'm willing to bet anybody that I'm right based on past Lions coaching history.

How is Herm Edwards not a good coach? He wins games with a geriatric runningback and QB with a noodle for an arm. Not exactly bad.

Like I said, I have no problem with the hire as long as he gets the right OC to help him. I don't trust him calling plays, but I think he's the type of leader we need. He just better get a OC with experience.

Someone correct me if this assumption is wrong:

But don't most NFL coaches let an offensive coordinator call the plays on offense, and let a defensive coordinator call the plays on defense, during the games?

If that assumption is correct, then isn't the coach's job mainly to be hire good coordinators, let them do their jobs, be the team leader, run practices, be the disciplinarian, crack skulls, set the tone/attitude of the team, be the face-man, etc. etc. etc.

If that assumption is correct, then I like this hiring. As someone else stated, the difference between Bobby Ross and this guy appear to be that this guy is not only a disciplinarian, but has a passion for the game that the Lions are currently lacking.

I think almost all, if not all DC call the defensive sets. It might be %100 of them but I'm not sure.

Some HC will call offensive plays though, especially if they are former OC themselves. Guys like Mooch will call the plays (he did the first year and a half here), while other's may only have "input" on them to the OC. I'm not sure how many HC vs OC call plays, but I suspect every OC is "involved" in the playcalling. At the same time it could be that most HC simply get the call from the OC and they approve it.

Some OC's call the plays but run them through the HC first, who has the chance to change them if he chooses, often using a large and colorful laminated card.

Some OC's call the plays but run them through the HC first, who has the chance to change them if he chooses, often using a large and colorful laminated card.

Like this one:

http://media.scout.com/Media/NFL/52_SteveMariucci_lookson.JPG

BTW, is the guy behind Mooch mocking him with that stance or sucking up to him (or doing something else)?

Some OC's call the plays but run them through the HC first, who has the chance to change them if he chooses, often using a large and colorful laminated card.

Like this one:

http://media.scout.com/Media/NFL/52_SteveMariucci_lookson.JPG


Now that's what I'm talkin 'bout.

BTW, what do you think of the chances of Al Saunders coming here to be OC? Would he do it? He really like Detroit. It doesn't look like KC will have him back, so he has to work somewhere. He would have full control of the offense with Marinelli being a defensive guy. He was also the guy that thought he could make Joey's career in KC (they reportedly wanted him there). Maybe he's just the guy to get the most out of our offense.

Some OC's call the plays but run them through the HC first, who has the chance to change them if he chooses, often using a large and colorful laminated card.

Like this one:

http://media.scout.com/Media/NFL/52_SteveMariucci_lookson.JPG

BTW, is the guy behind Mooch mocking him with that stance or sucking up to him (or doing something else)?

Umm, that's a Denny's menu there. Maybe that was the problem?

"Joey" We're going with Moons over my Hammy on the next one.

LMAO @ Gecko (or with him that is).

So I'm right, then? The majority of HC's let the OC run the offense during games and the DC run the defense during games, and they supervise, with a few exceptions - and many of those exceptions - like Mooch - end up giving up their playcalling duties to an OC in the long run, anyway.

In that case, I think this was not just a good hiring, but a great one. If you're not going to be calling plays for the offense or defense, what's the big problem with you not having any experience calling the plays for the offense or defense?

We've had enough "offensive gurus" come in here and not get the job done.

And btw: Rob Otto had a good point on WDFN today - the difference between the Bobby Ross hiring and this one is that Ross came in to coach a VERY old team FULL of veterans. That military shit doesn't work with them. Its young teams that need an "in your face" coach, and old teams that need a Steve Mariucci.

Well, then, this guy is a PERFECT fit for this fat, lazy, overly entitled, young ass team.

Saunders is reportedly going to the Redskins per KFFL.

They might have been younger, but Marnelli got a late start by serving a tour in Nam and didnt play college FB until after he came back.

I dont have any choice to trust Millen. Otherwise, I just might as well quit being a fan of the Lions now and save myself a shitty attitude right from the start.


Art

Yeah, Saunders is headed to Wash apparently.

Seriously though, many people seem to either love or hate this signing even though no one even knows anything about him.

I'm just glad we didn't sign someone that we know can't get the job done. At least he has a chance.

I'm also glad we went with a defensive minded coach.

http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/ap/20060119/capt.mico10101191635.lions_marinelli_football_mico 101.jpg

I'm keeping an open mind on Marinelli, although I have to say his press conference gave me a bit of a "John L. Smith" feeling, which is a bit unsettling.

He'd rip John L. Smith's head off, eat it, and wash it down with Smith's blood.

Seriously.

Its in his bio.

Don't know if you caught Steven A Smith's show last night, but he was talking with Mike Martz. Martz said he wouldn't be opposed to being an OC, or even a QB coach. He just wants to teach. He said in some ways you get tired of the things that you have to do as a head coach (dealing with rumors was a big one for him) because they take away from your ability to teach.

I'm not sure he's right for this team though. I like the idea of Mularki (former Buffalo coach) because he's in the feature back mold of coaches. He'd get a lot our of Jones.

Don't know if you caught Steven A Smith's show last night, but he was talking with Mike Martz. Martz said he wouldn't be opposed to being an OC, or even a QB coach. He just wants to teach. He said in some ways you get tired of the things that you have to do as a head coach (dealing with rumors was a big one for him) because they take away from your ability to teach.

I have dreamed of someone like Martz overseeing this offense and designing a scheme that would take advantage of the players already on the roster. Such thoughts keep me warm in this cold winter.

Having said that, I can't imagine Martz's philosophy meshing with Marinelli's expressed desire for "running - with power." Steven Jackson was being virtually wasted in St. Louis until Martz's health kept him at home.

Don't know if you caught Steven A Smith's show last night, but he was talking with Mike Martz. Martz said he wouldn't be opposed to being an OC, or even a QB coach. He just wants to teach. He said in some ways you get tired of the things that you have to do as a head coach (dealing with rumors was a big one for him) because they take away from your ability to teach.

I have dreamed of someone like Martz overseeing this offense and designing a scheme that would take advantage of the players already on the roster. Such thoughts keep me warm in this cold winter.

Having said that, I can't imagine Martz's philosophy meshing with Marinelli's expressed desire for "running - with power." Steven Jackson was being virtually wasted in St. Louis until Martz's health kept him at home.

I agree completely. Martz is usually looked upon as a good offensive coach but why?

He abandons the run more than anyone I've seen.

I don't like the hire at all. Millen needed to go out and get some type of a "name" guy to get the fans off of his ass and excited again. But instead he hires someone whose name sounds like a bad bowl of pasta. And did I mention he has 0 head coaching experience? I can honestly say it. I have 0 expectations and I don't care WTF they do.

As far as O coordianators go, they Lions are apparently interested in Terry Shea, the quarterbacks coach from the Chiefs. This intrigues me. I'd like to see the Lions run the Chiefs offense instead of Mooch's checkdown offense featuring Joseph and Shawn Bryson! [smilie=furious3.gi:

I don't like the hire at all. Millen needed to go out and get some type of a "name" guy to get the fans off of his ass and excited again. But instead he hires someone whose name sounds like a bad bowl of pasta. And did I mention he has 0 head coaching experience? I can honestly say it. I have 0 expectations and I don't care WTF they do.

It would be fucking dumb to hire a "name" coach just to make the fans happy. Millen did the same mistake with his last 2 hires, so I am glad he didn't do it again.

I'm keeping an open mind on Marinelli, although I have to say his press conference gave me a bit of a "John L. Smith" feeling, which is a bit unsettling.

I got the "we're going to take the names off the back of the jerseys" feeling too.

I don't like the hire at all. Millen needed to go out and get some type of a "name" guy to get the fans off of his ass and excited again. But instead he hires someone whose name sounds like a bad bowl of pasta. And did I mention he has 0 head coaching experience? I can honestly say it. I have 0 expectations and I don't care WTF they do.

It would be fucking dumb to hire a "name" coach just to make the fans happy. Millen did the same mistake with his last 2 hires, so I am glad he didn't do it again.

[smilie=arnold.gif]
Are you saying Morninwheg was a "name"? He was as far from a name guy as possible. Mooch was a name, but he turned out to be a joker coach with no discipline. I think Al Saunders (Chiefs' OC) or Singletary would have got the fans excited. I'm glad I don't care about the Lions, or my life would suck.

I'm really glad that we didn't hire a guy just to make the fans excited.....

Are you saying Morninwheg was a "name"? He was as far from a name guy as possible. Mooch was a name, but he turned out to be a joker coach with no discipline.

Marty wasn't a name guy but the only reason he was hired was because Mooch didnt' want to leave SF at the time. That forced Millen to settle for Marty (who was Mooch's OC at the time). And when Mooch became available, Millen didn't even bother to interview any other candidates. So yeah, they could both qualify as a "name" hiring.

If you agree that Mooch, who was a "name" guy, turned out to be a joker, why would you want to hire another "name" coach?


I think Al Saunders (Chiefs' OC) or Singletary would have got the fans excited. I'm glad I don't care about the Lions, or my life would suck.

I don't give a shit about the fans being excited with a "name" coach. I would much rather hire a coach that is qualified for the job. And I will guarantee you that the fans will be excited with a no-name coach as long as the team is winning.