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Detroit Lions: For better or worse, it’s time for the Matt Patricia era

By Robert Jones

OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Matt Patricia of the Detroit Lions interlock arms with his players during the National Anthem prior to the start of an NFL preseason football game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CA - AUGUST 10: Head coach Matt Patricia of the Detroit Lions interlock arms with his players during the National Anthem prior to the start of an NFL preseason football game against the Oakland Athletics at Oakland Alameda Coliseum on August 10, 2018 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
(Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Monday night the curtains will rise for the Detroit Lions and the Matt Patricia era. Will this season be magical or just another rebuilding year?

Every Detroit Lions fan has been anxiously awaiting the start of the season since general manager Bob Quinn introduced Matt Patricia as their new head coach back in February.

The core belief of the Detroit fan base was simple; if the this Lions team could find a way to run the ball, then Patricia would fix the defense and this team would roar into the playoffs and finally make some noise there.

Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as simply as expected and there is concern about where this team is really headed.

There are many different angles we could approach this from. The fact that there are almost always growing pains that come with new coaches and new systems or perhaps the fact that Jim Bob Cooter and Matthew Stafford will continue to build upon the success they have had together the last couple of seasons or even the reality that player turnover can affect a season for the good or bad.

There are plenty of reasons why we can literally expect anything from these Lions this year. The hard part is realistically accessing what we’ve seen from them.

The preseason wasn’t kind to the eyes of Lions fans everywhere. The offense didn’t click and the defense was a disaster. Which actually would be the nice way of putting it.

Now we all know the preseason doesn’t mean anything. If Lions fans were bothered by any of the final scores from the exhibition season, then they shouldn’t be. Winning and losing in the preseason literally means nothing.

However, they should show some improvement as the preseason rolls along. Especially among the starters.

That was something they failed to do. In the case of the offense, they simply didn’t find a rhythm. They had many players that flashed ability individually, but the whole unit wasn’t a well-oiled machine. Meanwhile, the defense was simply awful, especially in the front seven.

So, will Matt Patricia work a miracle or are we destined for more rebuilding?

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