If the worst were to come to pass and Mrs. Ford finds herself shopping for a new general manager, who in turn will pick-up a new head coach, then we can expect more turbulence. Because now there would once again be a new system coming to town, which will necessitate the need for players that fit that system.
The truth is that this is what Mrs. Ford is trying to avoid.
She understands that she has limited time to get this right and another complete re-build could take too long.
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Which means any changes would be implemented with the idea that the new administration would need to get the job done with the personnel the Lions already have. Sort of like what the fan base expected from the team this year.
That means that unless the new regime is really good and can adjust to whatever they are given to work with, the franchise will be destined to crash and burn again. Which isn’t any more of an appetizing thought than the current state of the franchise.
Unless Mrs. Ford is willing to look at the big picture and consent to a total re-build which means selling off any players of value and starting from scratch. This would mean the end of the Matthew Stafford era and possibly even see young stars in the making like Kenny Golladay and Kerryon Johnson being packaged up for draft picks to build the future around.
You can never say never, but that scenario seems the least likely since the whispers out of Allen Park seem to be more along the line of Mrs. Ford wanting to make this team a contender in her time.
In short, if Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia do fail, then the future looks awfully murky. So while many fans are getting impatient, which is certainly understandable after the last 60 years this team has recorded, it is in the best interest of the fans that Quinn and Patricia find the secret formula for success.
While there are certainly needs on defense, one could very easily see this becoming a top 10 unit next season with the right acquisitions. Meanwhile, the right offensive coordinator with the right system that is well designed to create mismatches and confusion in opposing defenses, along with some quality players to fill the major needs and this could really become a different unit.
But it will all start and end with the decisions that Quinn and Patricia make over the offseason.
Getting good value in the draft and free agency would be a great start, but Matt Patricia will need to learn from his mistakes. He has to come back committed to his personal blueprint of how he feels this team needs to be built and play, but it doesn’t stop there.
He has to be better at his job. He has to find that medium that allows him to work his players at a reasonable level to accomplish what he wants with them, but also have them buying into what he’s preaching. Which in the end will only be cemented by success on the field.
Without it, Matt Patricia may find his stay in Detroit to be a short one. And the aftermath could end up being nothing more than a repeat of all the disasters we’ve seen so often before.