Despite rumors that Rod Marinelli might somehow maintain his job after the Lions became the first team in history to go 0-16 this season, it appears that the Lions have done what they really had no choice but to do: Rod Marinelli has been fired.

During his three-year tenure in Detroit, Rod Marinelli went 10-38. And though it seems like a distant memory now, the Lions were 6-2 to start out the 2007 season after quarterback Jon Kitna guaranteed a 10-win season before the year started. However, the Lions imploded to end the season and the implosion continued this year.

I went on record a couple of weeks ago saying that I wanted the Lions to win at least one game this year and avoid the ignominy of being the only franchise to go 0-16. I don’t think anyone can argue that Rod Marinelli has handled himself with class and has never shown himself to be anything other than a hard-working, passionate, and accountable man who respects the game of football and never stops fighting.

Unfortunately for Rod Marinelli and the Lions, his abilities as a head coach never matched up to the will and resolve that was palpable any time you heard him speak. I have always liked Rod Marinelli, and he can be a position coach for my team any day of the week. Some people are just miscast as head coaches, and like Romeo Crennel in Cleveland, Rod Marinelli seems to be a great man and a very good coach who just was not a great, or perhaps even good, head coach.

No word on who the Lions are looking at to replace Rod Marinelli. But at least Lions fans can take solace in one thing: it won’t be Matt Millen making the decision this time.

And in other Black Monday NFL news, Eric Mangini of the New York Jets is apparently going to be fired as well; along with the aforementioned Romeo Crennel.

(Update: Looks like Rod Marinelli is the fall guy for the Lions’ 0-16 record.  According to PFT, Tom Lewand has been promoted from COO to President, and Martin Mayhew has been given the permanent position of General Manager.)

The title of this post is a pretty simple question, and I am writing this to do things:

1. Gauge the feelings of NFL fans in general.
2. Express my own, which are that I unequivocally do not want to see the 0-14 Detroit Lions go winless in 2008.

Before I expound more on my own thoughts and feelings, chime in with your own. Just how sadistic of an NFL fan are you?:

Now some quick background on the current predicament facing the Lions. Per ESPN:

• The Detroit Lions are only the third team, and the first since the Saints in 1980, to start a season 0-14. (The Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished a season 0-14 back in the 70s.)
• The Lions have lost 15 straight games overall dating back to last year, and 21 of their last 22.
• No team in NFL history has ever gone 0-16.

There are a few reasons why I want to see the Detroit Lions win one of their final two games of the 2008 season, against the New Orleans Saints in Week 16 or against the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau in Week 17. First and foremost, I do not think that Lions coach Rod Marinelli deserves to suffer the fate of being the only coach to preside over an 0-16 team.

I do not follow the Lions closely. I am too busy dealing with the ups and downs (mostly downs) of the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins, the two teams that I follow and actively root for. But as an NFL fan, I have seen many of Rod Marinelli’s press conferences, and listened to him talk in interviews, and read stories about his personality and methodology as a coach. One thing is clear: Rod Marinelli exudes passion and he never, ever loses faith in his players or tried to deflect blame away from himself. If someone disagrees, please post a comment. I could be mistaken. I just have not witnessed it.

Watch his press conference after today’s 31-21 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. You know that he is frustrated, and you know that the losing is eating him up inside; but he maintains his poise, finds whatever positives he can, and continues to profess his belief that his team can continue to improve with hard work and they have to go out an “earn a victory.” I have never read anything from a Lions player that is negative about Rod Marinelli, and he is the kind of man that I would like to play for.

Obviously the Lions have some pretty significant issues, both in talent and coaching, to be sitting at 0-14. And who knows, maybe Rod Marinelli just is not cut out to be a head coach in the NFL. He may be better suited to be a defensive coordinator or position coach. But he does not deserve to live in NFL infamy as the coach of an 0-16 team. I’m not saying that any coach does, but a I am saying that Rod Marinelli definitely does not. If he was an asshole, or a lying snake like Bobby Petrino, or an egomaniac who threw his team under the bus to save himself, I would feel differently. He is not — and damnit, I want to see him win.

(Caveat: I grew up in a football coaching family, and have seen all too well how hard coaches work and how difficult losing can be. You may say that I am overly sympathetic to the plight of a hard-working and passionate coach, who quite possibly may be in over his head. And you would probably be right. At the end of the day, either 1-15 or 2-14 is not a whole lot to hang your hat on. But at least it would not be 0-16 and would salvage some pride for a man who I think deserves to retain his.)

Another reason why I want to see the Lions win is for their fans. As a Dolphins fan, I lived through their 0-13 start last season. To say the least, it was not fun. Luckily, I had my ties to the Browns and their 10-6 record to assuage the pain of being a Dolfan. But for the loyal Lions fans who have suffered through Matt Millen, and so many years of futility, and now the economic quagmire that is hitting the auto industry that is the bread and butter of their city, an 0-16 season would just be adding unnecessary insult to unfortunate injury. I’ve never been to Detroit, and I only have a few friends who are from there. But I know that the city deserves better than to be the home of an 0-16 team.

And the final reason why I do not want to see the 0-14 Lions finish the 2008 season as the first ever 0-16 team is the players. All I heard all afternoon watching highlights was how hard and how desperate the Lions players are playing. They are undermanned, and they may even be outcoached in Xs and Os, but you have to respect a team that keeps fighting and that takes on the personality of their head coach in never relinquishing their pride and being passionate about their jobs.

I know that they are making a lot of money, and they should not be lauded for doing what they are supposed to do. But let’s be real. Athletes and teams tank it all the time. We’ve all seen football teams (the Raiders at many points this decade) play passionless, effortless football. We see NBA teams tank it to improve their lottery positioning. Stories of mega-millionaire players with guaranteed contracts like Vince Carter “mailing it in” are almost cliched. Well the Detroit Lions are not doing that. They are fighting. And they’ve earned my respect.

Luckily, what looked like a rough finish to the season has turned out to be not so tough. The Saints and Packers have both been eliminated from playoff contention, and now have even less to play for than the Lions. Everyone has pride to play for, but the Lions are in desperation mode. All things being equal, I will always give the edge in the NFL to the team that has more to play for. The Lions are playing for their pride, and to remove themselves from NFL infamy.

The Packers are giving games away like candy on Halloween, while Reggie Bush and Sean Payton are trading sarcastic potshots through the media. So not only am I rooting for the Detroit Lions to win, I think they will. And I’m actually going to go on record right now and predict that not only will the Lions win one game, but I think they finish the season on a two game winning streak. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But I think the Lions deserve it.

And just ask Dolphins fans just how futile wishful thinking is. Most objective observers would have called Dolphins fans crazy before the season started if they had said the Fins had a chance to make the playoffs this year. Well, the Dolphins are surprisingly still fighting for an AFC East crown, which should give Lions fans hope that anything is possible in the NFL, and that their silver lining could be right around the corner.

Here’s hoping that the Detroit Lions’ silver lining begins to break through the dark clouds of their 2008 season next week against New Orleans, and that Rod Marinelli and his Lions players get exactly what they deserve: a win.

Comment Questions:

1. Do you want to see the Detroit Lions win a game in 2008? Why or why not?
2. Do you think the Lions will win one of their remaining two games in 2008?