[Bette]

Marinelli is leading the Lions out of darkness.
Rod Marinelli would be the first to dismiss this, but, really, that just reinforces the point. Halfway through the Lions' season, he should be the leading candidate for NFL coach of the year.
Marinelli says it isn't about him, it's about the team. But the thing is, he has molded the team in his image.
This has become a tough, hardworking, relentless group. In the locker room, you constantly hear players referring to things Marinelli has taught them. Marinelli's message is their message. And Marinelli's most important message is simple: The Lions are good.
The Lions have been told they're nothing for years. They've been so bad for so long that it hasn't created a black cloud of negativity. It has created a black hole. No light escapes. Say something positive, even just suggest it, and all you hear are wisecracks about Kool-Aid and cornbread.



There is a long way to go. As well as they have started, the Lions aren't even in first place in the NFC North. They're one game behind the Packers.
But there seems little value in pointing out the last time the Lions started 6-2, they finished 8-8 and lost a wild-card playoff game. The Lions aren't letting the past define them anymore. Marinelli is teaching them to stand on their own.
NICHOLAS J. COTSONIKA: Let there be light! Marinelli leading Lions from darkness