Detroit Lions: Stop trying to save your jobs and do the right thing

SPIELMAN’S THOUGHTS

Detroit Lions.com has a video segment called 3 and Out with Chris Spielman, which is posted weekly and co-hosted by Lions’ columnist Mike O’Hara. It is definitely worth a watch every week because of Chris’ insights on the team and the film.

Here is Spielman’s closing remark from this week’s episode (“Week 11”):

"“And everybody understands that they’re in a results-oriented business. Everybody in the NFL has an ego and has pride. And I expect the Lions to play with that pride and go down and get a win. I really feel Driskel’s settling in. I do think he’s an effective back-up for Matthew Stafford… I think they got a great chance of beating a struggling Washington Redskins team.”"

Let’s start with the concern here. Spielman is right about results being of utmost importance in this league. And it would be a real shame to watch this team win even one more game at this point, especially when they have already blown their chance at making the playoffs.

Bob Quinn has come up short on draft picks, even in the first round – beyond that, his choices get even murkier. If Quinn sticks around past this season, it would be better to choose as high as possible in the 2020 NFL Draft. And if he doesn’t stay, it would be all that much better for the next general manager as well.

Matt Patricia has done a terrible job. Maybe this team doesn’t have the personnel to pull off his defense (which goes back to Quinn), but this team can’t stop anybody. On what feels like every play, people are out of position and watching receivers and backs just run past them.

It is awful to watch this team on defense. And Patricia seems incapable of making adjustments to make the defense at least look something a shade above dreadful.