Slumping Lions fire Mariucci, promote Jauron to head coach

ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The Detroit Lions fired coach Steve Mariucci on Monday and promoted defensive coordinator Dick Jauron to succeed him on an interim basis.

Mariucci's record with the Lions was 15-28. His 2003 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.

"It's hard for me to stand up here in this position because Steve is a friend," said Jauron, who had a 35-46 record as head coach of the Bears from 1999-2003.

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.

"We started off this season with high expectations. I believed this was a roster that was capable of making a playoff run," team president Matt Millen said at an afternoon news conference. "We have not lived up to our expectations. We have underachieved as a football team."

Millen, who said the decision to fire Mariucci was made Monday, also fired offensive line coach Pat Morris and tight ends coach Andy Sugarman.

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.

Offensive tackle Jeff Backus said players had not been notified of the move.

"Something had to give, I guess," Backus said. "It's not my job to judge whether Mariucci did a good job or bad job, but we're in a bottom-line business and our bottom line hasn't been very good."

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 Millen, but expectations were high heading into his third season.

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.

Jauron, Detroit's defensive coordinator the past two seasons, was fired in 2003 after four losing seasons in five years with the Bears.