Four consequences of the Detroit Lions new level of physicality

Players are buying in

The most important opinions on the increased physicality come from the players. The praise for the new regime’s practice habits has been almost universal.

A wrong-headed and foolish report surfaced that Patricia was in danger of losing the team by making them……..GASP……..run. Players like Marvin Jones were quick to shoot that idea down. “Whoever’s grandma wrote that story” was wrong according to the Lions number one receiver.

More recently Jones spoke to the media at training camp regarding the physicality of Patricia’s practices. “It’s definitely physical and that’s what we want to be, a physical team,” receiver Marvin Jones said. “So we’re out here working hard and the most dominant team wins every Sunday, so that’s what we have to be and that’s how we practice.”

For the more physical positions, the real work just started. In OTAs someone like Frank Ragnow is essentially just another rookie. On the first day of padded practices, he was throwing opposing players around the field.

Studies show that physical discomfort as a shared experience creates bonds between people. In the NFL, a huge difference between teams that win, and those that lose is often the level of buy in. The level of camaraderie that drives players to do things they otherwise might not, rather than the physical capabilities of the men on the field.

A block from a wide receiver to spring a long run doesn’t show up when that wide receiver is negotiating his next contract. If anything the risk of injury posed by taking on a flowing linebacker is quite likely to result in an injury that actually decreases the value of that next contract. Good teams are built on the willingness of players to perform actions that may be counter to their own long-term best interest for immediate collective gain.

When the Lions wide receivers are talking about the team’s identity as a physical team as a good thing, you can be sure that the message of Matt Patricia is taking root.