Detroit Lions: Why Matt Patricia might succeed where many have failed

Matt Patricia experienced incredible success in New England as an assistant offensive line coach, linebackers coach, secondary coach and finally defensive coordinator. It has already been well documented how his units never finished outside the top 10 in scoring defense once he took over the mantle of defensive coordinator.

He was also able to build and maintain very close relationships with Bill Belichick and just about everyone who played for him. Yet the constant belief that everyone has is that Patricia was nothing more than a puppet for Belichick.

The thought process has been that Belichick called the defenses and Patricia was nothing more than a glorified position coach.

The truth of the matter is that Belichick did what any head coach does; he stepped in when he had a defense that he wanted called, but the Patriots defense was pretty much all Patricia’s show. They were top 10 because of what he did. Not because Belichick stepped all over him and ran the defense.

Matt Patricia was given the keys to the car and he accelerated the Patriots into a stingy defense that played smart, physical defense. They used multiple sets often switching from a 3-4 to a 4-3 defense on a weekly basis, if not throughout the course of a single game.

Patricia demonstrated the ability to make in-game adjustments that gave the Patriots opportunities to win. Don’t let his last game as a Patriot fool you. The Philadelphia Eagles played tremendously in the Super Bowl and the benching of the Patriots top corner back, Malcolm Butler, by coach Belichick hurt their pass defense.

Consider this; former Lion Kyle Van Noy was a bust in Detroit. As a second round pick he was expected to be a play-maker. Instead he was always unsure of what he was doing and barely even saw the field.

Then the Lions traded him to New England for a box of doughnuts, which I believed were glazed, and suddenly under the tutelage of Matt Patricia he became the player the Lions were hoping they had gotten when they drafted him.

When he was asked the difference between Detroit and New England, he gave a simple answer; Matt Patricia. The ability Patricia has to teach the game to his players so they know exactly what they’re doing was uncanny.

Many players have stepped forward to vouch for that fact.