Coaching the Detroit Lions isn’t rocket science, is it?

Can Matt Patricia use what he’s learned in New England to make the Detroit Lions winners while still doing it his own way?

Am I the only one who is glad that the Detroit Lions new head coach, Matt Patricia, kind of looks like a pirate? Well, before he trimmed his beard and cut his hair.

O.K., hear me out on this one. Patricia had magnificent facial hair that was capturing the imagination of Lions fans everywhere, but would also rival even that of Blackbeard the pirate. Patricia also storms around the sidelines with tremendous intensity, which looks suspiciously like a scowl and if think you about it, when you would squint just right at his old backwards New England Patriots cap, it sort of looked like a dew rag.

That’s right, one instant NFL pirate and a look that says, ‘I’m not taking any guff from anyone’. A look that represents a new era in Lions football with new expectations. Kind of like ‘not only are we going to beat you on the field, but we’re going to make you walk the plank as well’.

In other words, the Lions will no longer be the patsies of the NFL. They mean business. A look that Patricia embodied and plans to have his players exemplify on the field.

The expectations are high. That is the culture that Lions general manager Bob Quinn cut his teeth on while in the New England Patriots scouting department for 12 years, just as Matt Patricia did the same on the Patriots sidelines as an assistant coach working his way up the ladder for 14 seasons.

When Patricia spoke at Wednesdays introductory press conference, he acknowledged that despite the fact that New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was a big influence on him, he will have to do things his own way to succeed and it will help that Quinn will be there to ensure the Lions give him their full support.

Quinn and Patricia built a very good relationship in New England that should be a foundation of the work they are attempting to accomplish here in Detroit. They both have the same vision and experience of what a championship team consists of.

In other words, they are in lockstep.

This is the type of leadership this franchise will need as they attempt to turnaround over half a century of ineptitude and mediocrity. Which leads us to one simple question; should it really be rocket science to fix the Lions? If the answer is ‘yes’, then Patricia is the right man for the job.

We all know about the fact that he is literally a rocket scientist, but if he succeeds it won’t be due to aeronautical engineering. It will be a product of the fact that he is incredibly detail oriented, works harder than just about anyone else in film study and preparation alone and his players not only respect him, but they will go to war for him without a second thought.

It also doesn’t hurt that he is outstanding at putting his players in a position to succeed and making in-game adjustments.

As the Patriots defensive coordinator, Patricia’s units where always in the top 10 in scoring defense. So even when opponents were able to move the ball, they didn’t rack up many points. Last Sundays Super Bowl was an anomaly. It also pointed out a definite flaw in the Patriots team structure; they spend money on offense and get by with whatever is left on defense.

Patricia never complained about it, but on Super Bowl Sunday when neither defense looked particularly dominant, it was the Philadelphia Eagles, who do allocate money to get premiere athletes on defense, which made the big play that eluded the Patriots.

Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia do not have an easy task ahead of them. They will need to learn from what happened on Sunday. They must have a very good offseason to add the horses that are needed on both sides of the ball and Patricia will need to be himself, playing to his strengths, in order turn this ship around. Not only for next season, but for year’s to come.

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It’s too much to ask of anyone to replicate New England’s dynasty, but it’s not too much to ask for the Detroit Lions to become a competent, well coached team that can adjust to whatever is thrown at them and actually compete for a championship.

If not outright, make their opponents walk the plank.