The Detroit Lions have clearly regressed under the leadership of Matt Patricia, and the decline has been very steep in a short amount of time.
How far have the Lions fallen? A long, long way if you were to ask any former players who played for Jim Caldwell and are watching the current mess play out every week on the field. The latest voice to come out and speak on this topic might just be the most powerful one, and it is that of former running back Reggie Bush.
Following Detroit’s resounding defeat on Thanksgiving, Bush, who is an analyst for Fox Sports, hopped on Twitter and proclaimed the Lions were better with Caldwell as coach than Patricia.
Our Detroit Lions Team was better with Jim Caldwell 🤷🏾♂️
At this point that’s not a bold statement at all, but it’s notable to hear so many former alumni speaking out about the direction of the team. Things haven’t been good in Detroit whatsoever, and for Bush to break his silence on the matter is something. He was one of the best players on previously successful Detroit teams and a big name player. Since, he’s become a big name within the media.
Whether Patricia stays or goes is still anyone’s guess, but it’s clear where Bush stands on the issue after this unmistakable tweet.
Reggie Bush Career Stats
Bush wasn’t drafted by the Lions but signed in Detroit as a free agent and became a fan favorite in an instant. His career in college was dramatic at USC and Bush was one of the most decorated runners to come into the league. He ended up winning a Super Bowl with the Saints while rushing for 5,490 yards and going for 3,598 receiving yards. He scored 58 total touchdowns during his career.
Bush’s tenure in Detroit didn’t come with the huge winning it did in New Orleans, but his 2014 team did go 11-5 and come within a bad call of winning the first playoff game in decades. To that point, Bush is right and his edition of the Lions was much better under Caldwell than Patricia.
Former Lions Slamming Matt Patricia
The fans are always up in arms about the performance of a staff, but this season, there’s been a ton of former players joining them and speaking out saying they wish that Jim Caldwell would get his old job back. Former players have always had Caldwell’s back in Detroit until the end and that has only grown given the troubles of Patricia to win big games and find consistency. Most forget amongst all of the noise and failure of the 2020 Lions that Caldwell had those same problems in Detroit on a smaller scale, but Patricia is making him look elite by comparison. That’s not a good sign as it relates to the current coach. It’s not simply Bush, but names such as Ndamukong Suh, Stephen Tulloch, Dan Orlovsky and most recently Ryan Broyles lighting up Patricia.
Nevertheless, it seems more former Lions are getting their shots in at Patricia as the coach continues to struggle making his mark in the Motor City. Things are getting anxious in terms of his future as a result of this kind of noise.
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‘Better With Jim Caldwell:’ Former Lions Star Shreds Matt Patricia