DETROIT — Detroit Lions coach Rod Marinelli said today that he would accept being fired—or being told whom to play by ownership—but he would never quit.

Marinelli said early in the afternoon that he had not spoken to owner William Clay Ford Sr. since Sunday's 34-7 loss to Chicago. He sometimes speaks to Ford on Mondays but usually late in the afternoon, and Marinelli said he didn't know if he would speak to Ford this time.

Even if Ford wanted to fire Marinelli now, he might not do so simply because the Lions don't have a good option for an in-season replacement. But Marinelli said he would not argue if Ford told him he liked his message but it just wasn't working and fired him.

Marinelli is 10-26. The Lions are 0-4 and have been outscored by 81 points—the worst point differential through the first four games of a season in franchise history, according to STATS. "I always look at authority, and I respect authority, which a lot of times that doesn't happen in this country," Marinelli said Monday. "I look at authority, and I take my marching orders from there. ...

"Authority is everything in my life, and there's a certain chain of command that I'll always follow, and I do a good job of that."

Would Marinelli ever quit?

"Oh, heck no," Marinelli said. "Just you saying that to me, I would take that as a personal insult, and I would challenge you on that one."

Marinelli was told Bobby Ross quit in 2000 when the Lions were 5-4 because he thought it was best for all parties. Why does Marinelli find a question about quitting insulting?

"Then you don't know me," Marinelli said. "I'd never do that. Never. The game of football is about teaching this. I am a living example of what fight is about. A living example of it.

"I believe in what I'm doing 100%. I'm going to fight every single day that I have that opportunity. I owe the game of football that. I owe every kid in this community that. Don't ever say that to me."

So Marinelli would never quit under any circumstances?

"Ever," Marinelli said. "I love this game too much. I love these players. Ever. It's what I'm about. I'm going to fight every single day. I love the fight. In a fight right now? So be it. I love it. I actually embrace it. And I'm going to do better and better and better because this is my arena."

Marinelli believes he holds himself accountable to the game and is teaching not only football lessons but life lessons, even if others criticize him or find it corny.

Some think the best thing for the Lions would be to play all the young players so they can be evaluated for the future. But Marinelli said that he would never coach to save his job, that he believes everyone should earn his playing time and that he should always do everything he can to win the next game.

Why is winning week to week more important than looking toward the future?

"If you're working to get it right now, you have a chance to get it right the next week, and then the next week, and then the next week," Marinelli said.

Marinelli said after the firing of president Matt Millen over the bye week that he and Ford spoke only about beating Chicago, not about his long-term future. He said Ford has never told him or asked him to play a certain player.

"No," Marinelli said. "He's been great. He really has. And every time I go in, we'll sit down and explain what we did this week, where I failed, what went wrong, explain it to him in detail. He's a tremendous listener. He listens, gathers all the information, and then I go from there."

But Marinelli said he would obey if Ford asked him to play, say, quarterback Drew Stanton, a second-round pick out of Michigan State last year.

"Again, like I said, there's a chain of command and authority," Marinelli said. "I will listen to authority."

Marinelli spoke about leadership in tough times. He was talking about players, but he could have been talking about himself.

"This is when it's awesome," Marinelli said. "In terms of real leadership, real leaders stand in the front, and that's hard for people to do. When things are going wrong, you've got to go to the front and you pull people with you.

"When things are going good, leaders stay in the back. They should, and they push from behind. But when things are difficult, leadership steps forward, takes the bullets, believes in its people, and you go forward."