Sgt. Marinelli: Hit! Hit! Hit! Players: Uh, coach? We need to talk to our union rep

Why talk bother talking about the current excellence of the Pistons and Tigers? Where's the fun in that? Especially when the Lions consistently give us our daily dose of melodrama. Will the hilarity ever cease with the Motor City Kitties?


Seems that our favorite football team has grown brass balls. Shown some big time gumption. Taken matters into their own hands. They are using the chain of command properly. Normally you would think these are great things. Unless you are showing up your rookie head coach...

Killer Kowalski reports that Detroit Lions players are upset over, in what they see as overly agressive mini camp practices, and have gone all Howard Beale on Sgt. Marinelli.

Lions players file grievance against Marinelli
According to sources close to the situation, the Detroit Lions will lose two Organized Team Activities practices during the off-season because they were in violation of minicamp rules. A couple of Lions players filed the grievance against head coach Rod Marinelli because they believed the minicamp practices were too physical.

"We're mad as hell and we're not goning to take this anymore!"

Good Lord. Has the mutiny already started in Allen Park? Is Sgt. Marinelli channeling Capt. Queeg? He probably opened drills with, "There are 4 ways of doing things on the Lions. The right way, the wrong way, the military way, and my way." I bet it was all downhill from there... Maybe the players made a crack about strawberries and it set Queeg Marinelli off. Maybe their shirttails weren't tucked in? Were the players denied liberty? As the Lions lose Monday and Tuesday workouts, the players probably just wanted a long weekend.

Players complaining about hard workouts? Wow, that's never happened before. But a filing a grievance with the league that camp was too tough? You'd have to think that George Halas and Vince Lombardi are spinning in their graves. If Bobby Ross hears about this, he'll throw his clipboard, whack an Army cadet in the helmet, and rant about a lack of discipline in today's players.

If the Lions players wanted to get the fanbase behind them, they are going about it in a strange way. 5 straight double digit loss seasons doesn't get you the benefit of the doubt. Unfortunately, this latest salvo from the players will give Matt Millen plenty of ammunition in deflecting blame from himself. Millen has deluded himself, and the Fords, into thinking that the culture of losing isn't his fault. They prefer to believe that the constant losing is due to soft players and coaching, and that Sgt. Marinelli is the solution. Players filing a grievance over the toughness of the new regime makes Steve Mariucci look like he was running a resort for wayward football players.

Think Millen is smiling under his porn 'stache tonight?

"From now on, gentlemen, there will not be any further mistakes on the part of the players and coaches of this ship...Let's all straighten up and fly right."