Detroit Lions: What will the future bring for this offense?

What should be to no one’s surprise, is that there are a couple of candidates from the New England Patriots staff on the list. The first is current quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski and the other is receivers coach Chad O’Shea.

While I understand that Matt Patricia is molding his ‘Lions way’ after the ‘Patriot way’, let’s get this straight right now; the Patriot way only works in New England with Bill Belichick. That has been proven by the fact that pretty much all of Belichick’s former assistants have failed when given the opportunity to be head coaches.

This is why it’s so important for Matt Patricia to find his own voice and do things his own way in order for him to find success.

Now despite the lack of success that Belichick’s former assistants have had as head coaches, that doesn’t mean his assistants can’t succeed as an assistant elsewhere. But I am leery of going back to the well too often.

More from SideLion Report

• Top 5 revenge games on the Detroit Lions 2023 schedule
• Lions center Frank Ragnow optimistic about continuing to play through toe injury
• Detroit Lions 2023 preseason schedule: Dates, times and opponents
• A new contract extension projection for Lions quarterback Jared Goff
• 4 wide receivers the Detroit Lions could still look to acquire this offseason

Bob Quinn was from the Patriots. Matt Patricia was from the Patriots. They have brought in players from the Patriots, but look at the state of the team. Because of that, I would just assume we try for some fresh blood elsewhere.

Nothing against Schuplinski or O’Shea, but it’s time to say enough is enough and blaze a new trail in a different direction that doesn’t involve New England or Syracuse University.

The next name I want to look at is speculative from the standpoint that the assumption is he will lose his current job. That would be Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase. If that sounds familiar, it’s because he is. The former Michigan State grad had been employed by the Lions as a scouting assistant back in 2003-2005.

He then became the offensive quality control coach in 2006 before being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2007, which was his last year with the Lions.

Gase would go on to have success as the Denver Broncos offensive coordinator and with the Chicago Bears as well in the same position. He was considered one of the bright young minds in football when the Dolphins hired him, but now there is definite doubt about his future.

Gase would be a solid, safe choice, but he isn’t necessarily the innovator the fans are calling for. That doesn’t make him the wrong choice, but one does have to consider that his Dolphins are averaging almost 30 yards less a game than the Lions, not to mention being outscored by just over a point a game by Detroit.

I do like Gase, but if it’s up to me, I would be more interested in finding a home run rather than a safe choice.

But we also need to be reminded that it has to be a choice that meshes with Matt Patricia’s philosophy. That being the case, perhaps the best candidate for what Patricia seems to want is former Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator, Nathaniel Hackett.