Detroit Lions: As far as Matt Patricia is concerned, there is no ‘I’ in team

The Detroit Lions’ Matt Patricia believes in a successful team having one mind and purpose. Which means characters and free thinkers need not apply.

The Detroit Lions offseason game plan has everyone in the Motor City wondering just what they are up to. Yet general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia have for the most part kept quiet.

There are trade rumors and mock drafts aplenty trying to figure out what the Lions are up to, not to mention the media and daily speculation on talk radio.

But that’s what this time of year is for; speculation. We often hear about the media trusting their sources and each year by the end of free agency and the draft, some rumors come true but often times the majority don’t.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that everything was a wild goose chase. It simply means that some rumors just weren’t that accurate and others didn’t come true because when multiple teams with their own agendas are involved, the differences in those agendas will often put the kibosh on anything getting done.

Now the good news is that we still have plenty of time before the draft for things to happen. Free-agent signings and trades still lie ahead of us. For the Lions, there are three big questions that will be answered in the course of time.

The first two are regarding the rumors of possibly trading Matthew Stafford and Darius Slay. The third is what the Lions will do with their first-round draft choice.

In some ways, these three questions are all tied into each other and in other ways, they aren’t. Many expect that if either of the Lions’ cornerstones are traded, then the number three pick will bring in his replacement. This is a possibility, but not a certainty.

Sometimes what we believe is a strategic move for building the roster is more accurately considered a strategic move by the front office to create or build what they believe to be the right atmosphere or culture.