Bears assistant head coach/defensive line coach Rod Marinelli isn't the kind of man to get all maudlin just because his former team is coming to town, the one that compiled the only 0-16 record in NFL history last year with him as the head coach.

Marinelli and the Bears host the Lions Sunday at Soldier Field, and he said he wouldn't get emotional over it.

"For me? No way," Marinelli said. "I'm not built that way. All my energy is to our team. I just look at what we're doing. I'll be looking at us and see how we play and worry about our pad level and all the things that we have to do to execute well.

"I get wired in for our guys. Any thoughts that go any other place other than this team, that's wrong on my part."

Admitting only that "it was difficult" last season, Marinelli said he tried to take positives from the disaster.

"Adversity is something special," he said. "It really is, if you embrace it correctly. If you run from it, it'll wear you out. But if you embrace it and find a way to get better... that's what I tried to do. That's [something] that you have a chance to really grow from. When you're hitting bumps, you become more creative. I became more determined, and you embrace the moment."

Fired by the Lions, Marinelli was quickly snatched up by Lovie Smith, who spent five years (1996-2000) as the linebackers coach in Tampa while Marinelli was in the midst of coaching the league's best pass-rushing defensive line. Despite their friendship, Smith said he didn't feel compelled to root for the Lions last season for Marinelli's sake.

"He's not looking for a whole lot of sympathy," Smith said. "You go through things that don't turn out the way you wanted them to sometimes, and then you move on. Rod has done that. You saw the smile on his face. He's happy with where he is right now."

Marinelli dismissed the idea of his current players winning Sunday's game for him, and he hasn't made it an issue. But the Bears' defenders know what's up.

"He's the same guy, but let's be real," defensive end Adewale Ogunleye said. "I know this is a game that's going to be a little closer to his heart. He's going to want us to play well, and he's definitely going to want us to win the game. He's not showing his cards, but we're not dumb. We know what it means to him."