Bears GM Jerry Angelo praises Rod Marinelli, could hire him
December 31
Chicago Tribune
"A day after Bears coach Lovie Smith hedged when asked about adding Rod Marinelli to his staff, general manager Jerry Angelo gave the fired Detroit Lions coach a resounding endorsement.
"I think the world of Rod Marinelli," Angelo said Tuesday. "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. Any time you get a chance to get a great coach, a great player, you're not going to say you wouldn't consider them or you wouldn't work a way to do that. But that's premature to answer your question about Rod. … He'll be a great addition to any staff."
The Lions fired Marinelli on Sunday after they became the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. He could come to Chicago, but the Bears have a defensive coordinator in Bob Babich, who has been under much scrutiny because his defense finished 21st in the league in total defense and 30th in pass defense.
Angelo voiced his displeasure with the team's pass defense, and the Bears fired defensive backs coach Steven Wilks.
The move caught nickel back Danieal Manning off guard.
"Wow, that's a shock," Manning said. "That's the only DBs coach I ever knew, the guy I came into the league with.
"Smith told us after the last game that this wasn't going to be the same team. You expect players to change, but nothing like this so soon."
Babich's job could be in jeopardy, too, considering how Angelo assessed the second-year coordinator's performance this season.
"When you're not playing consistent football, your job's not good enough," Angelo said. "That's obvious. If you're going to win, you have to be consistent at what you do. It just goes with the territory."
Discussions with Marinelli might be on the agenda, if they haven't been initiated already. The Bears wanted him as their defensive coordinator in '04 when Smith was hired from St. Louis. Marinelli was under contract with Tampa Bay then and prohibited from leaving.
Marinelli and Smith worked on the same Buccaneers staff from 1996 to 2000, Marinelli coaching the defensive line, Smith the linebackers. Angelo was the Bucs' director of player personnel from 1987 to 2000."
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