Detroit Lions: Could Snacks give the defense a tummy ache?

Last season the Detroit Lions defensive MVP was Damon ‘Snacks’ Harrison, but could his second year in the Motor City be a different story?

Last season the Detroit Lions and their fans welcomed former New England Patriots defensive coordinator, Matt Patricia, to town as their new head coach.

Patricia’s career with the Patriots was filled with successful achievements. Although to be honest, under Bill Belichick who hasn’t had success in Beantown? Yet he came to Detroit heralded as the team’s savior.

This was the man who would break the bonds of mediocrity and finally lead the Lions to the promised land. Championship rings await, just start producing them. we can worry about inscribing the dates and details on them later.

Yet his first year on the Detroit sidelines was not as stellar as many expected.

After Quandre Diggs picked off Sam Darnold‘s first ever professional pass and returned it for a touchdown in the opener, the game and season went downhill from there.

There are many reasons why this happened. Many of the players in place on the roster were not ideal fits for what Patricia wanted to run on offense and especially on defense. The offense never truly seemed to gain traction and much of the blame was pinned on former offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter.

His offense was predictable, unimaginative and for the most part, never seemed ready to handle defensive adjustments. Not to mention opposing defenses saying they knew what play the Lions would run before they did.

Matthew Stafford also had a down year, but much of that can also be attributed to poor pass protection and the loss of Golden Tate in a trade and Marvin Jones to injury while the tight end position was as productive as a candle in a wind tunnel. That’s not even taking into account a back injury that would have sidelined anyone else.

Not that Matthew didn’t have some poor moments he has to take responsibility for, but suffice it to say that the offense was inconsistent and often struggled mightily as a unit, despite the revival of the rushing attack.

With a new season ahead and a new offensive coordinator and talented additions to the tight end group, there is optimism for 2019.

But not as much as there is for the defense.