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You weekly Lions update...


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Just an FYI. I know that no one other than us Lions fans care but here you go...

 

Kowalski says a lot of players are embracing Rod Marinelli's strong leadership. They were brought up believing a coach should be demanding and strong, but there are some guys "who just aren't into it. They enjoyed the kind-of country club atmosphere" under Steve Mariucci and Marty Mornhinweg. Their phrase was "freshen up." Marinelli doesn't want anyone fresh. He doesn't want to kill them, but he wants attention to detail so they're going to ride them.

 

 

Some veteran guys are being cussed out on the field in a not so gentle ways. "These guys sticklers for details, and when you don't do it right it's not 'Hey, let's go get them again.' It's more like 'Listen, you...' and then it goes." It's going to take some getting used to.

 

 

Stoney says these Lions have no leg to stand on in complaining because they've been horrible. Kowalski says he's wrong. "You would think that they don't have anything to stand on, but there are so many players in that lockerroom who believe that they're playing great but it's everyone else who stinks." It was so bad last season that offensive players were so upset with where they were introduced in pregame introductions that they were actually complaining to each other in the lockerroom because they felt they were being disrespected. Dick Jauron got so fed up that no one was introduced. "They think they're good. They're not good." This staff is about to tell them that they're no good.

 

 

Kowalski says there will be no rebellion because there is no one who is sympathetic to their complaints. Every coach on this staff is just like Marinelli, they will not take any guff from any of these guys. There is no good-cop, bad-cop. They're all bad cops. "There is no buffer. It's just 'do it this way, or get over it.'"

 

 

New theme from Lions' coaches: get comfortable being uncomfortable. "You're going to work hard. You're going to get better. Then you're going to embrace us because you're going to see we're making you better." Kowalski says watch, the first four weeks of camp there'll be a lot of whining going on.

 

 

Stoney asks if Rod Marinelli is going to be like Larry Brown, breaking them down so he can build them back up? Killer says yes. They're going to start from basic fundamentals. This is why a guy like Dre Bly may have a problem. "Some players are already talking about this, where they think that Bly and Marinelli are eventually going to go head-to-head. Dre Bly likes to freelance. Dre Bly likes to take certain chances. In Rod Marinelli's defense you don't take chances." It's a team defense, it's not about Pro Bowls or interceptions. "I've already had a couple players tell me that they think that (a Bly-Marinelli clash) might (happen)."

 

 

Stoney says Bly is a good player, the coach has to set a line and Bly should be an example. Kowalski says this team will have one voice: Marinelli's. Even with the hiring of strong personalities like Donnie Henderson and Mike Martz, it doesn't matter. "This is Rod Marinelli's team, and everyone knows it."

 

 

Stoney asks about Killer's Jeff Backus report. Kowalski believes Backus is taking negotiations too personally. "I think he's taking it personally because I think he's disappointed the Lions didn't give him the long-term deal last year when he says they said they'd do it. I don't think we should blow this into a big deal because I don't think it's going to linger for very long." He'll get a long-term deal in late June or early July. "I think he should report."

 

 

Stoney says Backus is another guy who doesn't have a leg to stand on because of the way he played last year. Killer says "He did not play well last year. Even before he got hurt he did not play well." Stoney says he's decent, but he's never made a Pro Bowl. Kowalski says he's not great, but important. "Look at what Hutchinson got as a guard. You don't think somebody would've paid Jeff Backus some money? You're wrong!" You can see all his warts, but he was the second-highest rated free agent tackle behind Jon Runyan and "there's only a sliver of difference between them." "People around the league are not down on Jeff Backus."

 

 

Caller asks why Dominic Raiola got a big contract? He's too small, and he "gets blown off the line, big time." Kowalski says Martz "absolutely loves him." He does his job very well. It was the previous coaching regime that put him in the worst-possible positions. "You do not ask a guy that size to block Grady Jackson one-on-one at the goalline. You don't do that. That's not on Raiola, that's on the coaching staff... They can win with Raiola."

 

 

Stoney asks, sarcastically, "They're not going to 'Follow Raiola'? Wow." Killer says it's hard to believe, but they're not going to ask players to do something they cannot do.

 

 

Caller says he believed Dre Bly was more worried about making the Pro Bowl and not whether the team is winning and that the WRs are prima donnas and didn't want to practice even though Joey Harrington wanted to but nobody showed up. All of a sudden the Detroit media are saying these are actually true. Kowalski says cornerbacks like Dre Bly wanting to freelance are not unusual. "A lot of cornerbacks like to do that. Especially the good ones." Marinelli may just not buy into it. As for the WRs, even as soft as the previous coaching staff was even they didn't like how lazy the WRs are. "Everybody keeps telling me 'Oh, no, Charles Rogers and Mike Williams -- they're doing great. It's going to be wonderful.' I'm telling you, until I see it I'm not buying it."

 

 

Caller asks if the run game is going to open up under the new offense. Kowalski says Marinelli "absolutely adores Kevin Jones." He will likely get the ball 20-25 times a game. Plus, Cory Schlesinger may have trouble making the roster. The new offense will be doing different things with fullback. Shawn Bryson will play more fullback. Everyone gets down on Bryson, but he's a great role player. Tom got down on him because they were replacing Kevin Jones with him, not because he was a bad player.

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