DETROIT (AP) -Rod Marinelli repeatedly insisted the thought of making NFL history as the first 0-16 hadn't entered his mind.
Marinelli said he didn't want his players should be thinking about it, either.
That changed this week.
The Detroit Lions coach addressed the topic with his team for the first time at a meeting after a long break following a 37-point loss to Tennessee on Thanksgiving.
Marinelli refused to talk about it with reporters, but his players did.
"He said, `We're not going 0-16,"' running back Aveion Cason recalled Marinelli saying. "Nobody wants to be a part of NFL history."
At least not that kind.
The Lions (0-12) seem to be marching toward a dubious distinction, getting routed in their last four games after being competitive in the previous four, with games remaining against Minnesota and New Orleans at home, Indianapolis and Green Bay on the road.
In fact, Las Vegas oddsmakers are gambling that Detroit will finish the season winless.
If you think the Lions are going to make history, you'll have to bet $160 or $180 to make $100, according to the Glantz-Culver line and Las Vegas Sports Consultants, respectively.
Rookie running back Kevin Smith insisted he's not worried about the possibility of surpassing the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who went 0-14 in an expansion season, as the worst team in NFL history.
"If I cared about what everybody thought about the Lions in the world, I'd be worried about a lot of people," Smith said. "Who cares?"
Some think the Lions' best and perhaps only shot to win a game will be Sunday at home against the NFC-North leading Vikings.
