Rod Marinelli: A Coach Who Can't Contain Himself

With the Pistons moving on and the Red Wings in a 2-2 standoff with the Anaheim Ducks, I thought this might be a good time to interrupt your regularly scheduled playoff posts and present to you, as a form of light entertainment fare, those wacky Detroit Lions.

Well, maybe not so wacky, if you listen to coach Rod Marinelli.

"I just have great expectations," the Rock Pounder mused yesterday to reporters as the team wrapped up their three-day minicamp. The superlatives rolled off his tongue like an opponent pass rusher off a Lions offensive lineman.

"I just believe in this team -- a lot... This is going to be a very good team...It's what I see. I'm out here, I look, I see it, and I believe it....I've got great expectations for this team. I like the way they're working. You're seeing what I'm seeing. It's fast and explosive."

So when do playoff tickets go on sale?

Now, the fruit salad that Marinelli is excreting doesn't annoy me so much because I get the feeling that if things weren't going so well, we'd hear about that, too. The coach has never struck me as much of a snake oil salesman, like so many of his predecessors. So it's nice, I suppose, to hear about the love-in going on in Allen Park. Heck, there was even a photo the other day of defensive tackle Shaun Rogers SMILING -- laughing, actually -- with Marinelli. And Rogers spoke a bit, too -- quite positively, I might add.

A couple months ago I spoke to QB Jon Kitna over the telephone for a brief Q&A for my former gig, and I asked him to complete this sentence: In 2007, I promise the Detroit Lions fans _______.

He didn't hesitate for long before he filled in the blank.

"In 2007, I promise the Detroit Lions fans that we'll win at least 10 games," Kitna said. I reminded him that this was one of those Q&A's that actually finds its way into print, in front of real, live eyeballs attached to real, live Lions fans.

"That doesn't scare me one bit," Kitna said.

Kitna was one of those who Marinelli praised this week. Must be for his positive outlook, if nothing else.