Detroit Lions: Matt Patricia winning players over through passion
One of the Detroit Lions players reveals how first-time head coach Matt Patricia is winning over his new team through passion and enthusiasm.
It’s not talked about much in professional football, but how much does loving who you play for factor into winning? That’s certainly a factor on the high school and college level, those formative years of a young person’s life.
But in the pros, where you don’t always have a say of where you play and who you play, how much does liking your owner, coaches and teammates factor into team success? Let’s look at the current Detroit Lions situation for instance.
The day after the regular season ended, the Lions organization up and fired head coach Jim Caldwell. This after posting winning records three out of the four years he was in Motown, with two playoff appearances.
In his place, Detroit hired Matt Patricia, former defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots. During his stint as DC for the Pats under legendary head coach Bill Belichick, Patricia went to the AFC Championship game every single season. New England also went to the Super Bowl three times, winning twice.
Now in the Motor City, the goals are still the same. But Patricia takes over a Lions team that hasn’t posted a playoff win since 1992. The defensive guru is expected to instantly make that side of the ball better in Detroit. Offensively, the Lions have left the passing game relatively untouched as it ranked sixth in the NFL last year.
Additions to the running backs room and to their offensive line should improve the league’s worst rushing attack. Detroit seems to be in great position to make some real noise amidst a very talented NFC North division.
But an X-factor could be Patricia himself. As a first-time head coach, building a solid relationship with his roster and coach staff will be key. Recently, second-year cornerback Teez Tabor gave The Detroit Press some insight on just how Patricia is winning over his new players this offseason.
"“I love coach Matty P, aggressive guy. I love what he’s trying to do with the organization, trying to create the culture. When you love something and have a passion for something, and you see somebody like him with that same passion, I love it. Just raises your passion and energy for that same thing.”"
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Again, it’s something that isn’t talked about much on the NFL level. But it appears Matt Patricia is a player’s coach. He is someone that they can rally around, believe in and will play hard for. It could be the X-factor that gets the Detroit Lions over the playoff hump.