What if Matt Patricia’s magic does work on the defense?

Matt Patricia was the chosen one to bring this moribund franchise back from the dead by virtue of his ability to get the most out of his players.

We all know the numbers by now. In each of his six seasons as the Patriots defensive coordinator, his defenses finished to the top 10 in the league at keeping their opponents off the scoreboard. In a league where player turnover happens frequently these days and the Patriots don’t believe in spending money on defensive players, that was no small accomplishment.

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Now Patricia has been brought to Detroit to be the answer to all the Honolulu Blues that fans have suffered through for the last 60 years.

How he fares in his first opportunity as a head coach will go a long, long way towards deciding how competitive the Lions will be and whether they find their way into the playoffs or end up watching the postseason from the bottom of the division.

This leads us straight to the key question whose answer will be the decisive factor in how the Lions will do this season; what if Matt Patricia is able to work his magic on the Lions defense?

As we all know, general manager Bob Quinn and Patricia have spent the vast majority of their resources on the offense this offseason. They have upgraded the offensive line and added more talent to the backfield, creating more talent and more overall depth.

The expected results are that these Lions will be much improved at running the ball and keep their franchise quarterback, Matthew Stafford, on his feet with better protection.

Despite the fact that on paper and in theory this seems very reasonable to assume, we should all know by now that for the last 60 years the only assumptions that were actually right have been the assumptions that this franchise would fall on its face and embarrass themselves along with everyone who ever cheered them on.

Mass ‘same old Lions’ self-destruction.