Matt Patricia said there was much work to do when he got to the Detroit Lions. And now, two and a half years later, there is even more work to be done.
The Detroit Lions are 1-3 and all three games they have lost came after building a double-digit lead. This franchise is the epitome of a house of cards that collapses at the least bit of resistance from an opponent.
After last week’s loss to the Saints Matt Patricia made the comment that there was much work to do here in Detroit when he arrived back in 2018. That comment has set off a furor in the media and among fans as well.
Former Lions back up quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who is now an NFL analyst for ESPN called that accusation ‘a bunch of trash’. Orlovsky, who was in Detroit for the first three years of the Jim Caldwell era, considered that to be a team on the rise.
When Caldwell was released from his duties as the Lions head coach on New Years Day 2018, it was because general manager Bob Quinn said 9-7 wasn’t good enough. Since then Detroit’s total record under Matt Patricia who was brought in to make the Lions consistent Super Bowl contenders is 10-25-1.
I still don’t understand how 9-7 wasn’t good enough, yet 10-25-1 seems to be fine. But no one really expects Bob Quinn to fire his buddy Matt Patricia and I think Quinn knows as well as everyone else that their fate is tied together. For Quinn to keep his job Patricia has to raise these Lions from the ashes and make a run at the playoffs.
With an extra postseason berth on the line in both conferences as well, that opens the door for the Lions to be ‘playing meaningful games in December’ even with a mediocre record. They could stagger into December with a 5-6 record and still technically be in playoff contention. That might fulfill the mandate, but would it really mean they deserve to keep their jobs?