The Lions haven't played a Monday night game in 10 years. The last time they played any game in prime-time, Jeff Garcia was their quarterback. On Thanksgiving, they've lost four straight times by an average of 20.3 points.

Still, Lions coach Rod Marinelli said his team's (only) annual foray onto national television this Thursday against 10-1 Tennessee is “really good for us right now.”

“I'm really looking forward to that, where everybody is scrutinizing everything about us right now,” Marinelli said. “There's a major spotlight, national, coming in on us, and I want us to stand up, stand tall and go out and play lights-out football. I'm challenging them and myself.”

Because Tennessee lost last week to the Jets, the focus Thanksgiving day will be on the winless Lions' chances to go 0-16. They're five games from imperfection, and after blowing double-digit first-quarter leads each of the last two weeks there's a good chance they get there.

Considering attention will be on Detroit for all the wrong reasons, Marinelli was asked if playing on a national stage could be a negative.

“I guess if you're from Hostess Twinkies it would be,” he said.

I took that to mean the pressure could get to you if you're soft like the snack cakes I love (anyone know where to find chocolate Twinkies these days?). But when I asked Marinelli if he was worried his team was the cream-filled sort in light of its recent meltdowns, he said he didn't mean it that way at all.

“I'm not saying we're Twinkies,” Marinelli said. “I said the question was a Twinkie. That was a Twinkie question for me.

“I'm looking forward to this. I want to challenge these men. And myself. Our coaches, myself, the franchise, it's put us right under the spotlight and we've got to go perform.”