Detroit's Rod Marinelli Receives Least Surprising Firing Ever

The Detroit Lions are... undefeated. They lost all 16 games in impressive fashion this year, and even though coach Rod Marinelli says he's ready to lose 16 more, he has officially been let go.

I'm not sure anyone really blames him, given the weakness of the tools at his disposal, but he did have to leave. About 95% of the club's employees need to go, if there was anyway to do that, but the coaching staff (six assistants, including both coordinators have fired or demoted) will have to do for now. It's been a steady downward progression since the last playoff win in 1991, and there's a certain cathartic release in knowing that it literally cannot get any worse.

Wait ... actually, it can. Most Lions observers should have no confidence that owner William Clay Ford will pick a sound rational manager to run his football team, despite windmill-tilting rumors that Bill Parcells may opt out of his Dolphins contract and would like to come run the new worst team in football. The Big Tuna's ego is certainly up the task, but is the man himself that desperate to prove his awesomeness? Don't hold your breath.

So now we wait. For Sam Bradford or a Herschel Walker-like trade or Barry Sanders Jr., no one is quite sure. We just wait. And think about all that Matt Millen gave us—especially the Zero and Sixteen 2008 Detroit Lions.

Lions fire Marinelli; Mayhew named GM, Lewand team president [Freep] Tuna fishing? Parcells has opt-out clause [ESPN] One Man's Plan to Revive the Lions [Fanhouse] PFW ranks Giant's Spanuolo as top head coaching candidate [Highlight Reel] Shouldn't the losingest of owners pretend to care? [Mitch Albom] How Can Detroit Go Winless in Today's NFL? [Time] Why Parcells is a perfect fit for Detroit Lions [Sports Climax]