What will the Detroit Lions identity be under Matt Patricia?
By Robert Jones
The Detroit Lions have spent the last 60 years being any where from comical to pretenders, so what will they become in the Matt Patricia era?
There was a time when the Detroit Lions were kings of the NFL jungle. A time that they were legitimately feared by opponents who knew these Lions were champions.
That’s right, the Lions were the team of the decade back in the 1950’s winning the title three times. For those keeping score at home, yes the Cleveland Browns also won three titles in the 50’s, but since the Lions won two out of their three meetings with the Browns in championship play that gives them the tie-breaker.
However, since 1957 the wheels have fallen off these Motor City cats and they have come to be identified as anywhere from pretenders to laughingstocks. Frustrating Lions fans and feeding the national media with more punch lines to jokes than we could possibly imagine.
Probably the best overall description we could give this franchise is ‘disappointing’.
Since that last championship in 1957 they have finished the season with a winning record 20 times. That leaves 40 years that the Lions have finished the season with with a record of .500 or worse.
They have won their division three times and made 12 overall playoff appearances. Their record is a paltry 1-12 over that span. The last time they won the division was back in 1993 and their only playoff victory, ironically enough, was against the Dallas Cowboys in 1991.
The irony of that playoff win? At that time the Cowboys were coached by Jimmy Johnson whose Cowboys lost only one playoff game with him on the sidelines. After the Cowboys won back-to-back Super Bowls over the course of the next two seasons, Johnson and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones agreed to part ways.
So while that historical highlight is certainly interesting in regards to the Lions far less than mediocre existence since their own last title, it certainly isn’t enough to satisfy any of the fan base.
So as we enter the Matt Patricia era, the question begs to be asked; what will the Lions identity be under this new regime?