DETROIT (AP) – There’s been a lot of learning crammed into the last six months for Steve Mariucci, but the Lions’ new coach likes what he’s seeing.

Before traveling to face the Buffalo Bills and finish the preseason, Mariucci and his players spent a few hours Wednesday with 1,800 fans and supporters at the team’s annual kickoff luncheon.

Reflecting on the work that needs to be done to resurrect the long-suffering franchise, Mariucci said the commitment is there – from fans, management and players. The challenge that remains is shaping those players into a winning team.

“Do I know them completely? No, I don’t,” Mariucci said. “But you know what I like, I like the look in their eye. I like the look in their eye after a win, after a loss, after a workout, after a practice, because I believe the look in their eye reflects what’s in their heart.”

The Lions have had one playoff victory since winning the 1957 NFL title. Under team president Matt Millen and fired coach Marty Mornhinweg, Detroit was 5-27 over the past two seasons, the worst two-year mark in team history.

So the team is taking nothing for granted. They’re working hard and they’re confident that a future with the Lions as contenders is possible. It was only 2000 when the Lions finished 9-7, just short of making the playoffs.

“The thing we really want to do as players is get this team back to where it was,” defensive end Robert Porcher said.

Many at Cobo Hall for the Lions luncheon shared tables with players and offered final words of encouragement ahead of Thursday’s game against Buffalo. After lunch, Mariucci told them a bit about his love of the game – first and foremost, the huddle.

“The huddle’s the real world. It’s what life’s all about,” Mariucci said.

Earlier, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick offered highlights of the city’s preparations for the 2006 Super Bowl, which will be played at the Lions’ downtown home Ford Field. He joked with Mariucci that the question will be are the Lions ready as well.

“It is our biggest chance to make a new impression for the world,” Kilpatrick said of the Super Bowl. “We will definitely have our game face on.”

Mariucci said he was confident that the Lions are heading in the right direction. He echoed enthusiasm from Lions vice chairman Bill Ford Jr., who said he could feel the excitement building ahead of the team’s second season back downtown.

Ford, chairman and chief executive of Ford Motor Co., said despite the team’s dismal performance he’s seen the fans remain loyal. He said the Lions’ return after 25 years in the suburbs is spilling over into enthusiasm for the city itself.

“As bad as the football was after the last couple of years, it was amazing to me to walk up there and people were smiling,” Ford told the crowd. “It was really amazing to me. … Now we’ve got to rebuild the football team.”