Former Lions Quarterback Outlines Expectations for Matt Patricia’s Return

Dan Orlovsky

Getty Dan Orlovsky plays for the Lions.

The Detroit Lions elected not to shake up their management for 2020, keeping Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn in place. One person that has some opinions on what happens next for the team is former quarterback and ESPN personality Dan Orlovsky.

After the move to retain the duo for 2020 was revealed, Orlovsky was asked on Twitter his thoughts about where the team has to go from here, and as he said, Patricia needs to have a season better than Jim Caldwell’s best in 2020 to justify his return.

The Lions went 11-5 under Caldwell in 2014 and managed to get into the playoffs where they fell a couple of blown calls shy of beating the Dallas Cowboys. As Orlovsky correctly points out, the Lions have invested big money for the defense recently and have not seen any results, which is something that has to be remedied in order for the team to take steps forward.

As Orlovsky also said, the Lions should be a playoff team in 2020, which is something that fans should expect of them.


NFL Insider Explains Lions Keeping Matt Patricia

When Lions brass explained their decision to keep the duo in place for 2020, a major reason was seen as continuity, and how things looked before the 2019 season spiraled out of control with injuries and other issues.

As ESPN’s Chris Mortensen reported, folks around the league in other front offices and other coaching rooms were extremely complementary of what the Lions were building prior to the bottom falling out this season, and they think the Lions could be on the verge of having a solid team given the changes they’ve made in the last few years.

With this in mind, it makes sense that the Lions would be apprehensive to pull the plug on Patricia after his second season. It’s true the group was doing some very good things prior to the implosion this season, and it’s possible the group is banking on a major resurgence for 2020. Obviously, that will have to be the case or jobs will be on the line.

Will the gamble pay off? That’s yet to be seen, but at the very least, it doesn’t seem as if the Lions are flying by the seat of their pants with this decision to stay the course.


Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn Returning to Lions

Lions ownership made the decision on Tuesday and revealed it for reporters, and Martha Ford and company explained that Patricia and Quinn would be returning, with an expectation that the team would be contending for the playoffs in 2020.

According to a piece by Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, the Ford family believes they have made the right move by working to retain the duo, even as things have spiraled out of control in 2019. Here’s a look at what was written:

“In short, they understand the calls for heads to roll. They go to the games too, and they see the losses stacking up. They’re frustrated like everybody else. But they believe there are mitigating factors, most notably the injuries, and that wholesale changes would disrupt the progress already made. So they are sticking with the process, opting for more minor changes to staffing and the roster instead.

“(Firing Patricia) would have been the popular choice, the popular decision, and we knew that,” Sheila Ford Hamp said. “But as I say, we’re doing what is right for the organization.”

Is it the right decision for a Lions team that has been close in 2019 but hasn’t gotten over the hump to retain the duo? Only time will tell.

As Orlovsky says, the mandate should correctly be playoffs or bust for the team in 2020.

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