No feeling sorry for Lions coach Marinelli

Bears coach Lovie Smith worked on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff with Rod Marinelli from 1996-2000, when Smith was linebackers coach and Marinelli was defensive line coach for Tony Dungy.

While Smith has gone 40-31 since becoming a head coach, including a Super Bowl XLI appearance, Detroit Lions head coach Marinelli is 10-29 with 1 victory in his last 15 games and an 0-7 record this season.

But Smith doesn't feel sorry for his friend. The two go head to head Sunday at Soldier Field.

"Rod Marinelli doesn't want any sympathy," Smith said. "He's a fighter. That's a part of the life in the NFL. You'll go through some tough times. Tough people get through it. Rod is a tough guy. He'll have his team ready to go this week."

If Marinelli has lost faith, he's doing a superb job of disguising it.

"It's a tremendous challenge, and it's fun," the Lions coach said of his current situation. "We've got great players here. In terms of attitude, they are unbelievable. I wish you could feel the spirit and the energy here - it's awesome. I don't know if I have ever been more proud of a group of men that I have been around. I honestly mean that. These guys work every day. They come out and play hard. We've just got to do things a little bit better."

Marinelli said he tries to block out the negativity that surrounds his club.

"I don't care about the outside," he said. "That means nothing to me. I care about the men I work with. I care about the game of football. I care about respecting the game and doing things right. That is all I care about."

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