Detroit Lions minicamp was brought to us by the word ‘intensity’

The Detroit Lions first mandatory minicamp this past week was different then in seasons past. But was it a good difference?

After having completed rookie minicamp and OTA’s, the Detroit Lions held their first mandatory minicamp this past week and the difference between it and the past few seasons under Jim Caldwell was rather stark.

The Matt Patricia we all previously saw from a distance who wandered the New England Patriots sidelines with unfettered intensity, like a swashbuckling pirate preparing to board another unsuspecting ship, is now running the Lions’ practices.

And using language that may even make actual pirates blush.

Now granted this isn’t any different from what we have seen in limited opportunities so far or had confirmed by players early on, but with the whole minicamp this past week open to the media, that means we have had almost a whole week to sort of see what would have to be considered the ‘new’ normal for Lions practices.

A normal which makes the Jim Caldwell approach seem very laid-back in comparison.

Now don’t get me wrong, the players loved playing for Caldwell. They appreciated the way he treated them like men and his low-key approach to correcting mistakes. Jim Caldwell was the consummate gentleman who would not sully his mouth with any of the… shall we say ‘colorful’ language that was frequently heard during the Lions mini-camp this past week and most practices around the NFL in general.

Yet part of the reason that general manager Bob Quinn made the change from Caldwell to Matt Patricia was also the search for a new approach that he believes will ultimately yield more results than what the Lions accomplished under Jim Caldwell.

That being said, things are certainly different around the Lions Allen Park training facility, but the key question is; are they better?