Voice of Rod: Marinelli Keeps Even Keel for Lions
NFL Countdown | by Mike O'Hara | 10.2.2009/8:04AM
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Don’t expect Rod Marinelli to set his emotions aside when the Bears play the Lions at Soldier Field on Sunday.
Marinelli will be as intense as ever. That will never change.
But Marinelli promises that his focus will be directed at his new players – the Bears’ defensive linemen – and not the Lions, the team he directed as head coach for three years.
Marinelli has kept a low profile since doing an exit press conference after being fired after the 2008 season. He was interviewed in Chicago on Thursday, and the interview was posted on the Bears’ website.
Sunday’s game is a big one for both teams. The Bears are 2-1 and in second place in the NFC North behind the unbeaten Vikings (3-0), who host the Packers (1-2) at the Metrodome Monday night. The Lions are 1-2 and can stay in contact with the division leaders with a victory.
Here are some highlights of Marinelli’s meeting with the media.
He was asked if he will feel any emotion about facing the Lions.
“For me? No way,” Marinelli ssaid. “I’m not built that way. I’ll be looking at us and seeing how we play and worrying about our pad level and all the things that we have to do to execute well.”
In that regard, Marinelli has to like what he’s seen in the first three games. The Bears have nine sacks, the second highest total in the league. “All week we’ve just worked very hard on us, and that’s the truth,” Mariinelli said. “I get wired in for our guys. Any thoughts that go any other place other than this team, that’s wrong on my part.”
Six of Chicago’s sacks have come from the defensive line. Marinelli is considered one of the NFL’s top defensive line coaches. That’s where he made his reputation for 10 seasons as an assistant coach with the Tampa Bay Bucs. He was hired as head coach of the Lions in 2006.
Marinelli briefly turned the Lions around. They were 6-2 after eight games in 2007 but collapsed, winning only one of their last 24 games.
That included the ignominy of the 0-16 record in 2008.
Marinelli was fired on Dec. 27. Bears head coach Lovie Smith quickly hired Marinelli to coach the defensive line and added the title of assistant head coach.
Marinelli admitted in Thursday’s interview that last season was a difficult to endure, but he spoke of using it as a learning experience.
“When you’re hitting bumps, you become more creative,” Marinelli said. “I become more determined and you embrace the moment.
“Adversity is something special. It really is—if you embrace it correctly. If you run from it, it’ll wear you out. But if you embrace it and find a way to get better, that’s what I tried to do.”
What did he learn last year?
“Being persistent, having a strong belief in what you’re doing,” Marinelli said. “You keep pushing forward one day at a time. You keep working very hard in terms of your belief system, how you practice and how you do things, and staying focused all the way through.”
Preaching consistency is more than talk for Marinelli. He walks his talk.
“I see the same guy each day,” Smith said. “Rod comes to work ready to go, ready to do his job and get our guys better. He’s not looking for a whole lot of sympathy.
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