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Marinelli Going With What He Knows

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By IRA KAUFMAN

The Tampa Tribune

Published: August 3, 2008

LAKE BUENA VISTA - Literally backed into a corner, Rod Marinelli is going to thrive or merely struggle to survive with what he knows - and what he knows is the Tampa 2.

Detroit's fiery head coach carries a 10-22 record into his third season, and Tampa Bay's former defensive line guru has restocked the league's most porous unit with former Buccaneers.

Brian Kelly has a lock on the starting left cornerback job, and Dwight Smith will man a safety spot after arriving from Minnesota. Chuck Darby, who started for the Bucs in the Super Bowl before heading to Seattle, has been reunited with Marinelli and will open at nose tackle.

Ex-Bucs safety Kalvin Pearson figures to play a key role on special teams, while starting defensive end Dewayne White returns for his second season in Detroit after four productive years in Tampa.

"It feels good and it feels comfortable to have all these guys with me again," White said from Lions training camp in Allen Park, Mich. "We know each other, and we know what each of us can do. And the best thing is, we're all after the same thing."

Kelly, 32, was hampered by an assortment of injuries in the past few years, and he has already tweaked his knee in camp, so Marinelli is taking the cautious route with a savvy veteran who felt underappreciated in Tampa.

Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry are counting on Kelly, Smith and newcomer Leigh Bodden to turn around an awful secondary.

The Lions yielded the most yards in the NFL last fall as they opened 6-2 and won only one of their final eight games. Opposing quarterbacks posted an absurd 96.8 passer rating and a 70.1 completion percentage.

Barry was hardly used to such generosity as Tampa Bay's linebackers coach, so he's looking for immediate impact from the former Bucs.

"Not only are they good football players, but they are guys who I've had prior relationships with," Barry said. "There are a lot of other guys in Tampa that I'm buddies with that can't play a lick. I wouldn't sign them."

Barry quickly clarified his remarks.

"I wasn't talking about current players," he said. "I was talking about former players."

Darby joined the Bucs in 2001 as an undrafted free agent, and the undersized lineman helped the 2005 Seahawks to the Super Bowl.

He couldn't wait to join Marinelli again, and Darby's willingness to occupy blockers could free White up to register a double-digit sack season.

"We're going to run the ball and play tough, physical defense around here ... we feel that will get us into the playoffs," White said. "Dwight Smith's a little older and a little wiser. Brian Kelly's the same B.K. He's excited to help this defense run the Cover 2."

With Marinelli surrounded by former Bucs, it was only natural he'd be asked about safety John Lynch, who is looking for a new home after the Broncos planned to reduce his playing time.

After praising Tampa Bay's former captain, Marinelli said the Lions were set in their revamped secondary.

"If you're really sound back there, and I mean sound, it's everything," Marinelli said of his defensive backfield.

The Tampa connections extend further.

Coaching Detroit's overhauled secondary will be Jimmy Lake, who spent two years with the Bucs as an assistant coach on Monte Kiffin's staff.

Barry has already tabbed Lake as "a future star in this league," but the task at hand is formidable. The Lions yielded 32 touchdown passes last year, and the defense couldn't get off the field as opponents converted third downs at a 45.5 percent clip.

Those numbers are embarrassing to Marinelli and Barry, who saw what an elite defense can accomplish during Tampa Bay's 2002 championship run.

Should Darby, Smith and Kelly provide the defensive jolt Marinelli craves, Detroit could enjoy its first winning season since 2000. But if the Cover 2 doesn't stretch all the way from Tampa to Motown, the Lions may be shopping around for a new coach.

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