Marinelli Takes Position with Bears

The weeks of speculation are over, former Detroit Lions head coach Rod Marinelli has officially been given the defensive line coach/assistant head coach position with the Chicago Bears. Marinelli and head coach Lovie Smith coached defense together at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier in their careers. Marinelli made headlines this year by leading the Lions to the only 0-16 season in league history.

Bears general manager, Jerry Angelo, also has a history with Marinelli in Tampa and said, “I think the world of Rod Marinelli. I would love to have Rod Marinelli on our staff, and I think Lovie would say the same thing. He’s a great football coach. Anytime you get a chance to get a great coach or great player, you’re not going to sit here and say that you wouldn’t consider him or you wouldn’t work a way to do that.”

Although his time with the Detroit Lions leaves little room for accolades, he was previously heralded by leading the Bucs defensive line to one of the top in the league. He was also with the team as they won the Super Bowl in 2002. One of Marinelli’s specialties, the pass rush, is also what the Bears defense struggled with this year. See how the line does under Marinelli’s care with Chicago Bears tickets from StubHub.com.

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