Rod Marinelli is cleaning house. He's not doing it on the coaching staff, but rather with the players. His tough-minded philosophy and want for players that fit his system is leading to changes. First, we found out that Dre' Bly was given permission to seek a trade. Speculation then began concerning other players given the same command. At first, most thought that another player or two was given permission to seek a trade to be a "trade partner" with Bly. That, however, is not the case as three other players have been given permission to find a new team.
Lions head coach Rod Marinelli said today that he has told four veterans -- Dre Bly, James Hall, Marcus Bell and Ross Verba -- that they could all pursue trades. When asked if that meant they wouldn't be returning next season, Marinelli said "Probably.''
The general consensus is that if those players don't end up getting traded then they will just get cut instead. That speculation alone could diminish any other team's interest in making a trade as there's no point to get rid of something if you'll get it without giving anything up. On the flip side of things, two other players that were thought to be on the trading or cut block will have one last chance to impress Rod Marinelli. Interestingly, Marinelli indicated he wants to see Damien Woody and Mike Williams perform in off-season workouts before he makes a decision on them. Both players were constantly fined for being overweight and both players underperformed last season.
This won't be the last mention of speculation of players getting traded or cut, I can guarantee that. One thing about the offseason is the endless amount of rumors or pure guessing when it comes to roster moves like this. The Lions will be doing quite a bit of moving around in regards to the roster as Marinelli wants to get players that will buy into his way of coaching. All I have to say is that I hope it works.