This past week has become a prime example of the tensions that have risen between the media, fans and Matt Patricia. After a light walk-through practice on Wednesday to give the players a bit of a rest, the Lions practiced outdoors in the snow on Thursday.
The controversy of that decision lies within the fact that Detroit will be playing in the climate control of Ford Field for three straight games starting today, before the Lions head to the Arizona desert and then Buffalo, when such a practice might seem more applicable.
This, of course, led to the press deciding to question Patricia for practicing outdoors, which led in turn to Matt Patricia delivering a 900-word prepared statement about his reasons for their snow-capped practice session at his regularly scheduled Friday press conference.
All of which any Lions fans that isn’t living in a hole in the ground on a deserted island is very familiar with.
So after the rousing evening of basketball at the gym the other night, which I referenced earlier, my friend says, ‘This season does seem somehow bleaker than all the others. Maybe Matt Patricia doesn’t know what he’s doing’.
As is always the case in the land of Lions fans, the sky is falling and once again there will be no happy ending.
Now I’ll be the first to admit I thought that the Lions had a chance at being a playoff team. I thought the odds were against them winning the division, but if they maximized their efforts they could definitely find themselves in the playoffs.
Well, I’m certainly sitting here with egg on my face now.
What seemed to be a ‘playoff or bust’ attitude by this organization when general manager Bob Quinn hired Matt Patricia, has fizzled into a complete bust. Something Lions fans are all too familiar with.
Yet as we stare down what appears to be a complete re-build in the midst of this seasons crash and burn, the real question to be asked is; does Matt Patricia deserve to be on the hot seat after only nine games?