--Coach Rod Marinelli loves Lambeau Field. "It's the history of it," he said. "It's awesome. You know all the great players that played there and their tradition there, Titletown, from way back in the days. And I think that makes it a special place." Marinelli compared Green Bay to Southern Cal, where he was the defensive line coach in 1995. "You walk in, it's immediate tradition," Marinelli said. "I remember the first year I went to USC. I'd never felt anything like that. It was tradition. When you put this helmet on, you're supposed to win. That's what you do. Certain teams, certain franchises, have developed that over the years, and that's something you're always trying to strive for."
--Kicker Jason Hanson has been excellent during this dismal season. Hanson is 21-for-22 on field goals, and he is the first ever to go 8-for-8 from 50 yards or more. "He is so consistent in everything he does," Marinelli said. "Every phase, he's a model." Marinelli, Tampa Bay's defensive line coach from 1996-2005, compared Hanson to former Buccaneers Pro Bowlers Derrick Brooks, John Lynch and Warren Sapp, even though he is a kicker. "I've been fortunate to be around guys like Brooks and Lynch and Sapp and those guys, he's just like them," Marinelli said. "This guy is just unbelievable. His preparation is incredible. It would be fun to follow him around for a week."
--Marinelli raves about Rodgers' pocket awareness. "The really good ones have that," Marinelli said. "He can step up and move around. ... It's not so much how fast you are, I don't think. The guys that cause you problems are aware. They can feel the rush without looking at it and move up into the pocket."
--Marinelli praised the rookie class and said the Lions' losing this season needs to be taken as a learning experience. "I'll meet with them probably every three weeks, four weeks, something like that," Marinelli said. "We talk about where we're at. They can't hit the wall. When you're starting and playing, there's no wall. You've just got to keep working. To me, if you take this season the right way, for a young player, the amount of adversity we've hit, it's going to make you a heck of a player in the future."
--The players say Marinelli has remained consistent - positive, stone-faced. "He's faced adversity," quarterback Dan Orlovsky said. "He's faced you guys just bashing him. So obviously things haven't gone the way he wants or the way anybody wants. It's a difficult situation. But he's continued to move forward and plug along, and that's something as a player you want in your coach."
--The Lions went 4-0 in the exhibition season. "Yeah," Smith said, "we've got to go 0-4 next time." The Lions never made much of going 4-0. Still, they're scratching their heads. "Well, put that one in the enigma category or the great mysteries of football," Hanson said. "I mean, 4-0 does not guarantee you that you're going to be a really good team, but 4-0 has to mean that you're decent, you can get a win. Unbelievable."
--The Lions practiced indoors Tuesday and Wednesday. But they blew the frigid air into the field house, preparing them for the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field while keeping good footing on the artificial surface. "Oh, they really enjoyed it," Marinelli deadpanned. "They were really happy with us today." The Lions have done it since at least 2005, when interim coach Dick Jauron tried it while cleaning up for fired coach Steve Mariucci. The Lions have played at Green Bay in December for five straight years.
BY THE NUMBERS: 17 -- Consecutive Lions losses at Green Bay, including one playoff loss. The Lions haven't won in Wisconsin since 1991.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "To be honest, 0-16 is 0-16. You've got to be one of the worst teams. You've got to be the worst team if you lose this game, right? Nobody's ever done it before." -- Lions C Dominic Raiola.
