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Lions Counterpoint: What Should The Team Do With Matt Patricia?

By Jon Poole

OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 03: Head coach Matt Patricia of the Detroit Lions looks on from the sidelines against the Oakland Raiders during an NFL football game at RingCentral Coliseum on November 03, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 03: Head coach Matt Patricia of the Detroit Lions looks on from the sidelines against the Oakland Raiders during an NFL football game at RingCentral Coliseum on November 03, 2019 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
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Regression while the team figures out the new system makes sense, but not the amount of regression and lack of progress the Lions have shown, especially on defense. After finishing 16th in points allowed and 10th in yards allowed in 2018, the Lions have fallen off a cliff, ranking 24th in points and 30th in yards in 2019.

Let me start out saying this isn’t me exonerating Matt Patricia for the defense lately. The defense is his side of the ball, and right now, it doesn’t look good, injuries or not. I detailed the biggest issues I have with Patricia in my original piece. Including stubbornness to change scheme, tackling issues, etc.

This is me arguing he doesn’t have the pieces to make it work consistently, and after weighing ALL the variables, it’s too early to pull the plug, not even two seasons into his rebuild. This is not only a drastic transition for the defense, 4-3 to 3-3-5, but it’s also an even more drastic transition of culture philosophies.

Before Schwartz and then again with Caldwell, Detroit was thought of as a place to make some easy money in the NFL. We all know the previous employer of Quinn and Patricia, and we know they come from the complete opposite. After over 60 years of losing a culture, let’s not pull a Cleveland Browns and overreact by jumping ship too early when the good things take time.

Colton failed to quote the real meat of my original argument, where I discussed the on the field actual football issues for the defense and my theories on why they’ve been struggling recently, theories that would help explain the stats without looking blindly at numbers. To add on top of all that – where you can read here and here.

The defensive performance has been bad; no one is arguing. But league-worst bad for the past five weeks. In the first (5) games of the season, the Lions defense average allowing 23.6 points allowed per game. In the last (5), they are up to 30.8 points from about league average to league-worst. Their 5th game was that deflating Green Bay game, everything changed after that loss.

A three week stretch like the Kansas City loss, prep for Green Bay on bye, then the Green Bay debacle can have a real effect on season momentum and player psyche; they also had a lot of their key injuries take place in this span and in their subsequent loss to MIN. Take a look at before and after shot of PFF’s opposing QB rating;

That’s holding every QB significantly under their 2019 ratings besides Wentz, which was still a road win against a good Philadelphia team. So after the second of half last season and the beginning of this one, let’s not act like it would be some miraculous turnaround to get this defense going again.

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