In a chunk of my lifetime, I have been a Detroit Lions fan, even through the 2008 season when they were 0-16. Now, in 2020, nothing much has changed with the team. It raises a question: what are they doing wrong?
When I watched the Lions blow another lead against the New Orleans Saints, a graphic popped up titled “Lions Letdowns” saying since 2018, the Lions have blown leads 20 times, and 11 of them were in the 4th quarter of the game. Both of those statistics are the highest in the NFL.
Seeing that makes me feel embarrassed to be a Lion fan, and it makes me question the coaching staff.
The graphic included “…since 2018” because that was the year Matt Patricia took over the Lions as the new head coach.
Having a great resume as the New England Patriots defensive coordinator from 2012-2017, he helped the Patriots win two Super Bowls; But as a head coach for the Lions, he only has ten wins total and has never seen a playoff spot for his new team.
Fox 2 News reporter Ryan Ermanni is very critical of the Lions, and went to Twitter after the Lions loss against the Saints.
“Matt Patricia is not good at coaching football. You are what your record says you are,” Ermanni said.
Ermanni also mentioned the Lions’ ex-head coach Jim Caldwell, saying that he has driven the Lions to the playoffs 4 times, but never got a playoff win, but was still fired. Maybe it’s not the head coach itself, but it can be the other coaches for the team.
Patricia was a defensive coordinator, so he is focused on the defensive side of football. The Lions’ defense can always be improved, but I feel that they get burnt out more easily because of what is going on offensively.
When I watch the Lions play offense, it seems that the offensive line collapses under pressure within five seconds. I see either quarterback Matt Stafford get sacked, or whenever running back Adrian Peterson is on the field, he only averages about a yard or less.
Maybe it’s not just Patricia, but the offensive coaches as well, and it can go as far as the general manager for the Lions.
The current general manager for the Lions is Bob Quinn, and he joined the pack in 2016.
Since he joined, he has been through two head coaches, and only one playoff game, and according to Pro Football Reference, his overall record is 27-36.
The general manager’s job description includes the ability to appoint new coaches and personnel, and if his choices have been poor to the point where Quinn has more losses than wins, I think the higher-ups need to reconsider a general manager. While it does sound overkill, something has to be done in order to see some sort of light like a playoff berth.
As a Lions fan, while I may not speak for everyone, I think people can agree with me that there needs to be a change somewhere. If the Lions can’t get past the season with more wins, or even a streak of wins, then a change must be done. The Lions cannot keep the “we’ll get them next year” mentality, they need to do something now.