Embed from Getty Images Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn decided 9-7 was simply not good enough and fired Jim Caldwell. He brought in his own head coach, Matt Patricia to get the team over-the-hump. Two seasons later Bob Quinn’s decision has netted the Detroit Lions a 9-16-1 record.
Putting an NFL team together is a difficult task, nobody would argue with that. Draft picks can be hit or miss, the same can be said for free agents. Roughly two years ago bob Quinn said, “I think we have more than a competitive team to be competing for championships.” Quinn missed the mark.
“At the end of the day, it’s wanting to take this team to the next level,” he said, explaining his decision to move on from Caldwell. “To me, that’s winning championships, that’s winning playoff games and that’s winning the Super Bowl.” Quinn placed the blame directly on the shoulders of Jim Caldwell.
Now that the Detroit Lions, Bob Quinn’s version and vision of the Detroit Lions is a failed product, Who will Quinn point the finger at? As of today the Detroit Lions are a whole lot further from the Super Bowl than just two years ago.
Odd’s are good Quinn will not point the finger at Matt Patricia, he would have three pointing back at himself. The problem was Bob Quinn thinking Matt Patricia was as good as Bill Belichick maximizing the talent on the team.
Emulating successful coaches as well as franchises is fine in theory. The Lions have one of the worst four defenses in football, by almost any metric. This is the absolute worst Lions defense perhaps in team history. Even during losing seasons the team was at least able to compete. Not this season.
The Detroit Lions defense can not get any pressure on quarterbacks. Three man rushes are a joke. NFL quarterbacks have all the time they need to find the open receiver. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott told reporters after the game Sunday that sometimes he had enough time to read through his progressions TWICE.
That Quinn thought his roster was better than nine wins. The number Caldwell won his last season, which is also the same number Patricia has won in 26 games. Shows how much Quinn’s estimations were off.
Detroit Lions owner Martha Ford, has some soul searching to do. She must decide if the Lions stay on the current path or not.
