Don’t expect Matthew Stafford to just be a game-manager

Lions head coach Matt Patricia has brought with him a defensive scheme that is built to adapt to all opposing offensive systems. It is a matchup defense that employs multiple fronts and personnel to help create confusion and mismatches.

Last season the only ones it confused was themselves until Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison was acquired and gave them a foundation in the middle they could build around. With his presence being a big piece to stopping opposing runners, this was the turning point for the rest of the defense.

From the acquisition of ‘Snacks’ to the end of the season the Lions became one of the toughest teams to run on in the entire NFL. The pass defense became passable and the overall defense became very respectable.

With more talent being added to the mix, it should make for more favorable matchups for Matt Patricia’s defense which should only lead to it getting better.

Now you may say, ‘what’s this got to do with the Lions new offense’? Actually plenty. Matt Patricia has spared no verbiage to tell everyone how important versatility is in the players he wants on his roster and how important it is for his defense to be able to create mismatches that will favor the Lions and give them a greater opportunity for defensive success.

That’s what the head coach has had to say. The man in charge of every facet of this team. It is also the man accused of trying to bag up the ‘Patriot Way’ and bring it here to Detroit in an attempt to capture some of the glory of his former team.

So if all of that is true, which every one of us to a man has seen play out, then why would the man in charge of this entire team want to run a one-dimensional offense when versatility and the ‘Patriot Way’ are his basic pulse as a coach?

Why aspire to run an offense he would find easy to defend himself when he understands that others around the league would feel absolutely the same way?

Plain and simple it doesn’t make sense and therefore the conclusion that so many pundits in the media have jumped on just can’t be right, can it?