IRVING, Texas - Rod Marinelli loved his 0-16 season as coach of the Detroit Lions. [url=http://www.grizzliesbasketballpro.info/A

IRVING, Texas - Rod Marinelli loved his 0-16 season as coach of the Detroit Lions. Allen Iverson Jersey . Same with his first season in Dallas a year ago as one of the architects of a defence that came close to being the worst in NFL history.Why? How?Because hes a football lifer who immerses himself in the daily grind of building players, regardless of circumstances. And the Cowboys are benefiting from an unflinching optimism that has fueled a surprising turnaround for the defence, and in turn a fast start for the team.I dont think Ive ever had a bad year in football, Marinelli said this week as the Cowboys (6-2) prepared for Sundays game against Arizona (6-1). Because you are in charge of that yourself. Im in charge of my emotions and my energy.Marinelli and Monte Kiffin came to Dallas together last year to switch the Cowboys back to a four-man defensive front with three linebackers after nearly a decade in the 3-4. After they gave up the third-most yards in league history, Marinelli was elevated to defensive co-ordinator over Kiffin.So the audience for Marinellis simple and direct approach expanded from mostly just the defensive linemen, the position he directly coaches, to all the players behind them as well.Although the tone is similar to Kiffin as far as the way we hustle and get after the opposing offence, Rod brings that extra maniac level, I guess, cornerback Brandon Carr. Its fast, intense.Naturally, Carr was asked to explain the maniac thing.Lets see, Carr said, pausing. Nothing ... is ... ever ... good enough for him. Thats kind of crazy isnt it?Not to Marinelli, whose college career at Cal Lutheran in the early 1970s was interrupted by a tour with the Army in Vietnam. Sure, hes got a little military in him — blunt and demanding. He admits it, but says theres a flip side.When I say its good enough, then it has meaning to it, Marinelli said. When theres meaning to it — I did something well, he acknowledged that — thats good. And then I correct. Correct, correct, correct. And some guys get sensitive. I dont care. Just correct.In the off-season, reporters asked Marinelli about linebacker Bruce Carter admitting he lost confidence during the difficult 2013 season.I dont do confidence stuff, Marinelli shot back, going on to say Its a mans game, man.Marinelli showed the unvarnished version of himself when Tony Dungy was putting together his staff at Tampa Bay in 1996. Dungy was sold during a day in California with the then-Southern Cal assistant.His love is I guess what youd call tough love, Dungy said. But if you can hang with him, youre going to be a better person, a better man and a better player.And its not like Marinelli doesnt have a lighter side. He gives most of his players nicknames — some printable, others not — and shows video clips the night before games, a routine the players call Marinelli Madness.Because players dont like to pull back the curtain on their programs, its hard to get specifics on some of those highlights. But Jeremy Mincey, a seventh-year defensive tackle playing under Marinelli for the first time, said his favourite was a clip of a bull knocking a man to the ground.And all of a sudden an imaginary ball come out of the blue and fall — Thats how you got to get the ball out, Mincey said of Marinellis message. I thought that was hilarious. Hes really good.So good in Minceys mind that the former Jacksonville player who went to the Super Bowl with Denver after a midseason trade last year is already putting Marinelli at the top of his list of coaches after less than a season with him.Hes like a mentor to me, said Mincey, dubbed Oil Can because hes the oldest defensive lineman on the team. Its not all about Xs and Os. Its about being a man. He coaches the man first.Ask Marinelli how he makes such a good first impression, or whether he deserves credit for the defensive turnaround — or if owner Jerry Jones was counting on him to make something of a collection of castoffs and bargains — and he answers with I just coach ...Hes also fiercely loyal, which is how he ended up in Dallas. He spent the previous four seasons on Lovie Smiths staff in Chicago, and the Bears wanted him to stay as defensive co-ordinator after they fired Smith, one of his closest friends. Marinelli chose a lesser title in Dallas, although that changed after just one season.He had that same loyalty toward his players during the only 0-16 season in NFL history in 2008, which led to his ouster after three years with the Lions.I believed in those guys right to the end, Marinelli said. I couldnt wait to get to practice. You couldnt believe our practices, upbeat, flying around.That next practice, next game approach is what always stood out to Dungy. They went to the playoffs four times in six years together in Tampa Bay before Dungy went to Indianapolis and Marinelli stayed behind.If they had another game in that season right now, he would treat that game to be 1-16, just as important as he would a playoff game for the Cowboys, or a Super Bowl, Dungy said. I mean 0-16 is tough to go through, but if theres anybody Id want to ride with on an 0-16, it would be a Rod Marinelli because its not going to get him down.Nothing ever has in nearly four decades of coaching.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Schuyler Dixon on Twitter at https://twitter.com/apschuyler Marc Gasol Jersey . A lovely summer day in England with abundant sunshine and minimal wind allowed him to attack Royal Liverpool. Zach Randolph Jersey . He just didnt expect them to be this good. Darrun Hilliard scored 19 points to lead No. 6 Villanova to a dominating 77-59 victory over Georgetown on Saturday, preserving the Wildcats hopes of a No. http://www.grizzliesbasketballpro.info/Shelvin-Mack-Grizzlies-Jersey/ . The Brazilian-born strikers brace drew him level with Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo as the leagues leading scorers with 17 goals apiece through 16 rounds. "The important thing is to help the team win, not the goals," Diego Costa said. After a first half dominated by defence, Atletico pressed Valencia into its area and Diego Costa did the rest.MARSEILLE, France - Third-seeded Ernests Gulbis of Latvia reached the Open 13 quarterfinals on Thursday after a hard-fought 6-3, 5-7, 6-4 win against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain, while Michael Llodra advanced again in one of his favourite local tournaments. Gulbis had 23 aces but needed more than two hours to win. Llodra, the 2010 champion and two-time runner-up, put out fourth-seeded Andreas Seppi of Italy 7-6 (3), 6-4. Germanys Jan-Lennard Struff also secured an upset, beating seventh-seeded Julien Benneteau, the 2010 finalist, 4-6, 7-6 (3), 6-3. Fifth-seeded Ivan Dodig of Croatia, No. Brice Johnson Jersey. 6 Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France, and No. 8 Nicolas Mahut of France progressed. Dodig beat Germanys Tobias Kamke 6-7 (4), 6-0, 6-3, Roger-Vasselin advanced with a 7-6 (2), 6-4 win against Sergiy Stakhovsky of Ukraine to his third quarterfinals of the season, and Mahut won 7-6 (5), 6-3 against Ricardas Berankis of Lithuania. On Friday, Dodig faces top-seeded Richard Gasquet of France, Gulbis plays Mahut, Struff is up against Llodra and Roger-Vasselin takes on defending champion Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, the second seed, in an all-French match. 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