ALLEN PARK -- To Bo Schembechler, a football team still should march to the beat of pads crunching in training camp.

Schembechler made his annual visit to Lions training camp Tuesday, and he liked what he saw -- and heard.

Coach Rod Marinelli began training camp with the team in pads for five straight days of double practices. He has given the players some time off of late, but Tuesday was another day of double sessions, with the morning practice in full pads.



"I thought it was an excellent practice," Schembechler said. "It was well-organized. They hustled. I come down here once a year about this time just to see what's going on. That's the best practice I've seen."

Schembechler did not speak critically of former coach Steve Mariucci, but he obviously prefers padded practices. Mariucci had a lighter approach.

"Do you wear pads when you play in the game?" Schembechler said. "Of course you do. As often as you can put the pads on, put 'em on. You can't do it all the time in the pro game I would imagine.

"You guys understand, you guys are talking to me, I'm not an expert on pro football. I do know that the more you practice in pads, the more you simulate what you're going to do on Saturday and Sunday, the better off you are."

Schembechler met Marinelli for the first time Tuesday. Schembechler likes Marinelli's straightforward, no-glitz approach to coaching.

"He's not the kind of guy who's worried about what you guys think," Schembechler said. "I kind of like that. He appears to be a tough guy -- an honest, sincere guy."

"The one thing that he's done, too, I think he's surrounded himself with good coaches. Some of them I know. They're good coaches.

"I don't think he's worried about whether he's a players coach, and 'They like me.' I don't think he cares about that. I think that's a good sign."