Lions Decision to Retain Matt Patricia Mocked on Internet

Matt Patricia

Getty Matt Patricia before a game in Oakland.

The Detroit Lions revealed that they were bringing back Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn for 2020, and in the moments afterward, the internet wasted no time exploding with takes.

Obviously, most folks don’t believe in the duo and their potential for success, and that was evident in some of the takes that popped up in the moments following the announcement. Most folks were confused by the notion that the duo would return, and simply used it as yet another example of how miserable the Lions’ franchise is and has been.

Many even took time to send condolences to Lions fans, who were likely struggling with the news.

The numbers, as NFL writer Dov Kleiman explained, aren’t exactly in the favor of Patricia and company turning things around given what they’ve already done.

Certainly, Patricia’s record itself isn’t a great indicator of success given he is 9-20-1 in his Lions tenure thus far.

Indeed, his work in New England before leaving for Detroit is something folks are looking at as well.

The bottom line? The Lions, in the eyes of many, remained a joke with their decision to keep the duo in their jobs for the 2020 season.


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.


Matt Patricia’s Lions Tenure

Patricia came to the Lions fresh off success in New England in 2018, and struggled out of the gate to capture the attention of the locker room. A bumpy start paved the way to a more solid finish in 2018 with the team only winning six games, but defeating squads like the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers, which offered hope.

Patricia has helped the Lions stay in games for the most part in 2019, something which the team struggled with in 2018, but has not gotten them over the hump at closing. That’s perhaps his biggest wart so far as a boss, combined with a lousy defense that has not picked up the program whatsoever. Patricia might get more of a pass considering the absurd amount of injuries he’s dealt with, but it’s hard to ignore that in his tenure as coach, the Lions have had the same discipline problems plague them that always have through the years.

The bet was that both Patricia and Quinn get a mulligan on 2019 considering the rash of injuries that have set the team back, while also living with the understanding that 2020 is likely the make or break year for this group.

It might not be what Lions fans want to hear, but it always seemed like the likely outcome, and that’s true no matter how many folks take aim at the news with their jokes after the fact.

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