RSS
Home
Texans defensive coordinator search: Part II
Print
Email
RSS
Subscribe
Rod Marinell (Detroit Lions photo)
Let's continue examining the list of potential defensive coordinators that the Houston Chronicle threw out there yesterday.
Rod Marinelli.
I'm sorry but do you really think throwing the defensive keys to Mr. 0-16 is a good thing?
Let's try to give Marinelli a fair shake here, because after all he appears to be a great guy and he has a track record as a great defensive line coach.
Marinelli was a Matt Millen hire. Let's not hold that against him.
He's a Dungy disciple (that's a positive).
He was a great defensive line coach at Tampa (positive if you're looking at him to replace Jethro).
He's never been a coordinator (that's a negative).
Marinelli would bring the Tampa Two to Houston where the Texans have the agile middle linebacker that it requires in DeMeco Ryans. Transforming Amobi Okoye into a dominant 3-tech 'under tackle' would be one of the greatest expectations of the job.
Warren Sapp has said that Marinelli is "his guy" and Simeon Rice has also had glowing things about his former line coach. But that's where you find most of the high marks on Marinelli - as a defensive line coach. His only experience in the NFL prior to becoming head coach of the Lions was his nine seasons at Tampa.
Here's a link to the press release announcing Marinelli's hire at Detroit in 2006. His accomplishments and contributions to the Tampa defense are well documented. In this and other resource material on Marinelli you see "teacher" and "instructor" emerge as thematic.
This flashback, keyed by Mitch Albom of the Detroit Free Press shortly after Marinelli's hire is interesting in hindsight. There's no question he can motivate - at least in the short term.
But even though Marinelli conjured up images of Ed Harris playing John Glenn in "The Right Stuff" back then, would that act sell now coming of the debacle in Detroit?
I think Marinelli would be a great candidate for the vacant defensive line position, but not defensive coordinator. His calling appears to be that of a great tactician and teacher, but maybe not so much a great strategist and manager.
Throwing him the keys as defensive coordinator would be a hard sell at best - and not just to the fans.
The Texans need a new defensive coordinator who can come with his playbook, throw it down on the table in front of Kubiak and Rick Smith, and show them how he can hit the ground running from Day 1 and turn this thing around immediately.
Another thing I haven't been able to establish is any professional connection between Marinelli and Smith or Kubiak who will want to bring in someone they know, or at a minimum come highly recommended by someone they know.
"Just give it time" is no longer a luxury around here, but fans must keep in mind that it took the great mastermind of the 46, Buddy Ryan, a full 1/3 of a season to get his defense clicking on all cylinders when he came here in 1993.
That's about as long as the new guy will get to prove his system works. This hire is as much about Kubiak's future as it will be his new coordinator's.
Related Articles:
Add a Comment
