Former NFL Quarterback Likes Lions Future With Matt Patricia

Matt Patricia

Getty Matt Patricia looks at the play sheet against the Chargers.

The Detroit Lions are off to a solid start this season, and the reason has plenty to do with their players, but Matt Patricia could deserve a ton of credit for the turnaround as well.

Recently, speaking about the Lions when asked by a fan on Twitter, NBC Sports analyst Chris Simms said that regardless of what happens in some key matchups in the future, the Lions should feel good about having Patricia on their sideline. In fact, Simms says the Lions have “a good thing going” with Patricia coaching the team.

Praise has been hard to come by for the Detroit coach in his short time in the Motor City, but after a solid start to the season defensively and otherwise, finally some of the negativity is beginning to subside as it relates to Patricia and what he can do.

The opinion of Simms is just another thing which helps prove this in the end.


Change in National Opinion

Last year at this very time, there seemed to be more questions than answers about Patricia and his future with the team. Fans were disappointed after a slower than anticipated start to the season, and had turned their attention to Patricia as the problem. The media was blaming some of his antics in his first year of coaching for the team’s downturn.

Interestingly, Patricia admitted that last season was like drinking from a firehose in terms of him adjusting to the role as a boss in the NFL, and said that he struggled early to get a grasp of all the things which go into being a coach in the league at the highest level.

This year, thus far, Patricia looks far more equipped to not only be a leader but lead his football team. That’s led to some folks stepping up and taking notice of the Lions instead of simply ignoring them in the grand scheme of the league.

For Patricia, the shift in sentiment is nice to see because former assistants in New England don’t routinely get that type of treatment.


Based on Defense

The reason many people have taken a shine to Patricia now is the fact that he has managed to get the Lions on the map with defense. Several solid game plans have not only wowed the opposition, but have managed to keep the Lions in games they were never in before while winning several others. That in of itself is notable for a coach in just his second year with a team.

It’s taken time for the Lions to grow in Patricia’s image, but now that they have, the team could be set to do some big winning. At that point, many more will line up to praise what Patricia has done for the team thus far in his short career in Detroit.

More winning will only lead to more people finally taking notice of what Patricia could be building. Give Simms credit for being one of the first to pay attention to what has played out.

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