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What will the Detroit Lions identity be under Matt Patricia?

By Robert Jones

DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 11: A fan looks on with a bag on his head during a game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals at Ford Field on October 11, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - OCTOBER 11: A fan looks on with a bag on his head during a game between the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals at Ford Field on October 11, 2015 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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ALLEN PARK, MI – FEBRUARY 07: General Manager Bob Quinn of the Detroit Lions speaks at a press conference after introducing Matt Patricia as the Lions new head coach at the Detroit Lions Practice Facility on February 7, 2018 in Allen Park, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
ALLEN PARK, MI – FEBRUARY 07: General Manager Bob Quinn of the Detroit Lions speaks at a press conference after introducing Matt Patricia as the Lions new head coach at the Detroit Lions Practice Facility on February 7, 2018 in Allen Park, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /

The fact that the Lions are now led by two former New England Patriots, has left many to feel optimism about the direction they are headed.

We, of course, all know about Bob Quinn having toiled away in the Patriots scouting department for 16 years before the Lions hired him to be their general manager back in 2016. This brought a wave of optimism from the fans until it was decided that Jim Caldwell would keep his job as the Lions head coach.

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At that point, many regarded Quinn as the newest puppet for the Ford family since it was assumed that he didn’t have the power to fire Caldwell who team owner Martha Firestone Ford openly supported.

Then when he put together a very solid first draft for the Lions, fans started looking a little differently at him. The 2017 draft, which many thought wasn’t as good as his first attempt, left many feeling disappointed until we sort of realized that between the draft and free agency Quinn was building depth as well as adding pieces to the puzzle.

Now granted the depth was non-existent on the offensive line last year where injuries ravaged the team, but the overall depth was starting to become more noticeable.

After last season ended, Quinn wasted no time letting Jim Caldwell go and making the statement that mediocrity wasn’t good enough and that they needed to be much better. Including himself.

This of course led to him going back to his roots in New England to hire their highly regarded defensive coordinator Matt Patricia as the Lions new head coach.

Thus the remarks about Detroit becoming ‘New England west’ started to pop up and many Lions fans started to eat it up with both a spoon and fork! Finally the Lions were going to be relevant, finally they were about to become contenders.

Yet, is it really that simple?

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