Mariucci out as Lions' coach
DETROIT -- The disappointing Detroit Lions fired coach Steve Mariucci and some of his assistants on Monday.
After Detroit lost 27-7 to the Atlanta Falcons on Thanksgiving to fall to 4-7, reports swirled that the team was considering firing Mariucci. When Mariucci was not let go over the weekend, some thought his job was safe for the final five games of the regular season.
Mariucci and the assistants, tight ends coach coach Andy Sugarman and OL coach Pat Morris, were fired late Monday morning.
The Lions have lost four of five games since a solid start put them atop the NFC North with the Chicago Bears. The team has collapsed on and off the field with players failing to produce and some bickering with one another and questioning the coaches' game plans.
Mariucci's record with the Lions was 15-28. His hiring was hailed by fans and media alike, but he was not able to turn around a team that has won one playoff game since 1957.
Mariucci has more than two years remaining on the $25 million contract he signed in 2003. The Michigan native came to the Lions from San Francisco, where he was 60-43 over six seasons.
Mariucci was cut some slack in the past because the team he inherited was crafted by team president Matt Millen, but expectations were high heading into his third season.
"I think we need to [make the playoffs]. We want to, and we're going to make it happen," Mariucci said before the season. "If we win 10 or 11 ballgames and make the playoffs, it would make us happy and make the fans happy."
Millen hired both Mariucci and his predecessor, Marty Mornhinweg, and drafted or signed most of the players currently on the Lions -- and Detroit is an NFL-worst 20-55 since 2001. Millen, a former NFL linebacker and TV analyst was given a five-year extension before this season.
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