Lions Fire Marinelli; Browns & Jets Also Fire Head Coaches

The Detroit Lions road to recovery began this morning with the firing of head coach Rod Marinelli who will live in infamy for guiding the team to a record of 0-16. In three seasons at the helm the Lions were 10-38 under Marinelli.

The change, to quote Pete Townshend, it had to come. But Marinelli's successor will be the sixth head coach the Lions have had this decade. Changing coaches is but the beginning.

Of course, the Lions aren't the only team changing direction.

The New York Jets have fired head coach Eric Mangini after three seasons. 2008 appeared to be a turnaround season for the Jets with the acquisition of Brett Favre. The Jets were 8-3 and appeared to have a playoff spot sewn up. But the Jets ran out of fuel and lost four of their last five including a 24-17 defeat at the hands of the new AFC East Champion Miami Dolphins led by Chad Pennington. The Jets, of course, released Pennington after they obtained Favre's services.
A 9-7 record is acceptable in Arizona. It's not in New York. Somebody's head was going to roll and it was Mangini's.

The Cleveland Browns have parted ways with head coach Romeo Crennel after four seasons. Crennel, who earned three Super Bowl rings as the Defensive Co-ordinator for the New England Patriots, couldn't make it happen in Cleveland. The Browns only enjoyed one winning season and never made the postseason under Crennel. They were 4-12 in 2008 and were crushed by the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-0 yesterday despite the fact the Steelers lost QB Ben Roethlisberger to a concussion at the end of the first half. Yet somehow I think the headaches of Browns fans will linger until summer.