Detroit Lions: Even in this crazy year, there are no excuses

There is no room for excuses anymore

Yet even with the need for more talent on the defensive side of the ball, the bigger issue seems to be the coaching. In three seasons the defense has been turned over and they still can’t execute Matt Patricia’s defense.

With the continual influx of players that fit this defense or played in it with the Patriots, the only constant is Patricia and his scheme. Which seems to make it pretty clear wherein the problem lies.

This past week Matt Patricia told the media that due to the lack of offseason activities and exhibition games, that it’s only natural for his Lions to still be building continuity.

However, the Bears were in sync enough, with a subpar quarterback even, to score 24 points against Patricia’s defense in the fourth quarter of the season opener. The Packers followed that up by dropping 42 on the Lions.

The defense is almost always ahead of the offense early in the season, but the Lions defense isn’t even in contention.

Admittedly scoring has been up around the league so far, but the Lions defense has not been good against the run or the pass and has not only lost 11 straight games dating back to last season but has also lost four straight games they had double-digit leads in to set an NFL record.

Every team in the league has gone through the same offseason adversity as the Lions and many of them already seem to be in mid-season form. So the whole ‘offseason is hindering the team’ thing is nothing more than a lame excuse.

Every team has to overcome those same offseason obstacles. Many are doing very well. The Lions are merely crumbling the same way they have over the last two seasons under Patricia.

It would be incorrect to say that there isn’t time to right the ship, but it would be wrong to say there is plenty of time. The Lions are already two games down in the division and will face a test from the surprising Arizona Cardinals.

This franchise has let many games slip away from them under Matt Patricia, but this has to be the biggest must-win game of his tenure. A win over the Cardinals and a competitive hard-fought game against the Saints where the Lions look like they belong on the same field would at least send these Motor City cats into their bye week with a bit of a different look.

But if Matt Patricia’s team hits the bye week at 0-4 and continues to be unable to execute and compete for four quarters, then the handwriting is on the wall. There is no room for excuses anymore and the hot seat will shift completely to Sheila Ford Hamp to scrap this miserable excuse of a regime and start the search for one that will actually turn this franchise around.