Detroit Lions: If Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia fail, don’t blame the Ford family

Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia’s last stand?

Bob Quinn, however, hasn’t run into quite the same ownership intervention as his predecessors. When he took over as the Lions general manager four years ago, instead of bringing in his own head coach, he kept Jim Caldwell in the fold.

It has never been openly admitted, but it seemed like that was due to the fact Martha Firestone Ford liked Caldwell. Considering how things have gone under Matt Patricia maybe that wasn’t a bad call to make.

Now four years into Quinn’s tenure many fans are concerned about the choice he made to hire Patricia. The only thing that worked last season was the offense under the guidance of Darrell Bevell, at least until Matthew Stafford was injured, but Matt Patricia’s defense was awful.

As Quinn and Patricia prepare for what could be their last stand, the real pressure is on Bob Quinn’s ability to add enough talent to the roster to give Patricia and his staff a chance to have a bounce-back season and Patricia to make the most of it.

The moves Quinn has made in free agency and the draft has been a mixed bag. Some of the players Quinn has acquired haven’t worked out and some others have been solid, but unspectacular.

So far Frank Ragnow is Quinn’s only first-round selection that seems to have been worth his status. Kenny Golladay is probably his best pick overall and beyond that, it’s a mix of a few busts, some solid players that might have potential and a few others that seem to be nothing more than depth.

If the Lions are going to turn this team around this season, then Bob Quinn will have to do much better than that this offseason. He’ll need a few difference-makers in the draft and a few others that can contribute going hand-in-hand with a few free-agent signings that give Patricia a chance to prove himself.

If either Quinn or Patricia fails, then they will both be swept out the door together. Yet here’s the irony; it seems like Quinn is being allowed to make whatever signings and picks he feels are right. The suggestions about player personnel decisions seem to have dried up under Martha Ford’s administration.

This means that it will be Bob Quinn’s fault if he fails to stock the Lions with adequate talent this offseason and Matt Patricia’s fault if he can’t get his players to execute at a reasonable enough level to win games. Conversely, if they succeed, it will be all to their credit.