Detroit Lions: Is there more to be thankful for than we think?

My friend made the comment yesterday that he wondered why the Lions wouldn’t spend the offseason continuing to concentrate on the offense since the NFL trend is towards more offense.

The rules all clearly promote more offense and handcuff the defense. With that being the case, why wouldn’t the Lions just build on offense and try to outscore opponents like the Rams or Chiefs?

I certainly understood his point, but there is one small problem with that theory; Bob Quinn hired Matt Patricia.

As I previously outlined, as a defensive coach, Patricia will have a decided emphasis on defense. We are locked into that mindset unless Bob Quinn were to decide to make a change.

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But that doesn’t mean the offense has to suffer.

I would certainly wager that Bob Quinn will add a couple of pieces on offense in the offseason as well. More help on the offensive line, another running back for depth, another receiver and possibly a tight end.

However, the biggest difference may be who is running the offense.

Jim Bob Cooter is definitely on the hot seat and when this season mercifully ends, Matt Patricia may decide he wants to go another direction. That would open the door to the possibility of finding an innovative young offensive coordinator.

Perhaps a Kyle Shanahan, Sean McVay or even Matt Nagy type.

Those types aren’t easy to find, but when you are working in NFL circles, it is your job to know who is good at their job and who isn’t. Who the innovative young coaches are and who has been around and is set in their ways of running a traditional offense.

Let’s be honest, are we sure that Jared Goff or Patrick Mahomes or even Carson Wentz are as good as we think they are?

Wentz hasn’t been the same this year without former offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who has moved on to be the Indianapolis Colts head coach. Goff was considered a bust until Sean McVay came along and Mahomes just happens to be excelling in Andy Reid‘s system as taught to him by Matt Nagy who is now in Chicago.

Perhaps Matt Stafford is not as much to blame for the sins of the offense as Jim Bob Cooter who constructed it.

The point can clearly be made that maybe it’s really the offensive coordinator that counts much more these days than the quarterback.

That being said, finding an innovative soul who isn’t afraid to do the unconventional at times and can get the most out of the personnel he has, would be the biggest acquisition the Lions could make for their offense this offseason.

The point is this; while this season certainly seems to be over, a good offseason of acquiring defensive help and the hiring of an innovative mind as the offensive coordinator may be all it takes for the Lions to make a huge leap forward next season.

It’s just too early to close the book on Matt Patricia, but he will need to prove his mettle this offseason by learning from his first-year mistakes, clearing away the debris on the coaching staff that isn’t working and helping Bob Quinn find the right players to make his defense work.

Then maybe next year at this time we will really have something to be thankful about.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!