The perfect Detroit Lions for Matt Patricia’s defense

The Lions have had all the necessary ingredients to run Matt Patricia’s multiple defense. At least at one point or another. With that in mind we will assemble the perfect blend of players who have donned a Lions jersey over the years to run this defense.

Versatility is the call word that Patricia like for the athletes who play defense for him. Whether it’s on the D-line, at linebacker or in the secondary. The more a player can do, the better. Keeping that as our focal point, let’s begin up front where good defense always starts.

Now because the Lions will use multiple fronts, that means we will see both three and four man lines. With that in mind, here is the Lions all-time Matt Patricia defensive line.

At right defensive end or usually the blind-side end, we will have Al ‘Bubba’ Baker. In his short time with the Lions, he was a dominant pass rusher. As a matter of fact in 1980 he unofficially had 23 sacks. The NFL didn’t keep records of sacks until 1982, so we will never know for sure who the Lions all-time sack leader is, but Baker was a good one who could also bottle up the run.

The left defensive end will be Alex Karras. Back in the 1960’s Karras was a dominant defensive tackle with Hall of Fame credentials. We will move him to end in Patricia’s defense because when they employ a three man front, they generally want the left end to be a little bigger because most teams tend to be right handed and run the ball that way. Which means the left end has to hold the edge.

One on one Karras was unstoppable and as the left end he would hold down the edge. He was also a very good pass rusher, which would mean that switching him inside on passing downs would benefit the Lions interior rush, but I’m confident he could come off the edge in a three man line with great results as well.

The nose-tackle will be Jerry Ball. For six seasons Ball dominated at the nose in Wayne Fontes 3-4 defense. A former high school running back, he had tremendous quickness and strength. He played from sideline to sideline and even recorded nine sacks in 1989 which is a huge number for a nose-tackle.

When the team goes with a four man front, the other defensive tackle will be Doug English. The big Texan was an integral part of the the Lions ‘Silver-rush’ defense of the late 1970’s and early 80’s. He was always able to maintain his gap, stop the run cold and, yes, he could pressure the passer as well. In 1983 he posted an official (since we don’t know about the unofficial numbers for sure) career high of 13 sacks.

Another benefit that English would bring, is that much like Karras, he could be used as a big end to set the edge. In other words this versatility to interchange Karras and English between tackle and end for match-up purposes would only help the Lions.

This line could certainly run Patricia’s defense, but since it is football, we need depth. So here are the rest of the defensive linemen;

Ndamukong Suh. During his five seasons in Detroit he was the most hated man in the NFL, but he made the Lions defense better almost single-handedly. He could stuff the run and get after the passer. In Patricia’s multiple defensive front, Suh could line up at almost any position as a starter, but my personal preference is use him as a game-changer off the bench.

Robert Porcher played both end and tackle for the Lions. His versatility is unquestioned as was his ability to make plays and get to the quarterback. He would be another nightmare for opponents to deal with.

Roger Brown lined up at defensive tackle next to Karras back in the 1960’s and that was where running backs went to die. He was a behemoth for his time weighing in at 300 pounds and could have been counted on to play nose-tackle if anyone had run the 3-4 defense back then. His strength was overwhelming and when he was tired of gobbling up running backs he wasn’t shy about consuming a quarterback or two.

William Gay was a member of those ‘Silver-rush’ teams if the early 80’s and he also played both end and tackle with equal success. He would be another versatile piece that is so valuable to this defense.

Cliff Avril spent five years in a Lions uniform and did some of his best work here (although he obviously played very well in Seattle too) and had the athleticism to not only rush the passer, but Patricia would have been able to stand him up to come off the edge as well. You can never have enough pass-rushers.

This defensive line would run Patricia’s defense as well as could be expected. They would absolutely slam the door on opposing runners and feast on quarterbacks left and right.

Now let’s add some linebackers to help out this unit.