The Detroit Free Press’ Nicholas J. Cotsonika on the unique motivational tacts of Lions head coach Rod Marinelli :
After two years of high-flying, high-risk football with former offensive coordinator Mike Martz, Marinelli is going back to basics. Control the ball. Control the clock. Pin ’em deep. A good punt can be a weapon.
Marinelli ends each training camp practice with one special teams play to reinforce the importance of the kicking game. He had T-shirts made for camp. They each have a picture of a football field and a message: “Attack & defend every blade of grass.” They weren’t just for the defense.
“That’s an emphasis on the punt team as well,” Harris said. “That’s his thing, being able to release his defensive linemen when somebody’s backed up and killing the quarterback.”
Indeed, the shirts are a cool idea, and much like the “Hang In There, Baby” kittycat posters Matt Millen has put up all over the Ford Field offices, said tees would’ve been a big hit. However, some address labels got mixed up at the manufacturer, and here’s what the Lions received instead.