Embed from Getty Images It was a rough transition for the 2018 Detroit Lions. Going from a steady head coach in Jim Caldwell to new head coach Matt Patricia. What was not mentioned was the team was rebuilding on the fly. What happened was a disaster. A 6-10 record set the team back.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn is going to have to stand before the media and explain why this season did not go as planned. He needs to start with himself. Quinn overvalued his roster. Quinn also failed to provide the roster with quality depth.
Injuries piled up. Sure football is a rough sport and there are injuries throughout the season. But the body count in Motown was too much to over come. The general manager is at fault for not making in season additions to help the roster.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was awful. For the first time in his career Stafford did not lead a come-from-behind victory and regressed to the point his future in Detroit is cloudy. 10 years in a two playoff appearances and no playoff wins does not translate well.
Sure Patricia made some boneheaded calls as most first time head coaches do. His defense showed tremendous growth and will enter next season a top defense in the NFL. Patrica’s missteps were not so much that a fully healthy roster could not have overcome.
Quinn traded the Detroit Lions best wide receiver Golden Tate during the season. That is hard to argue with as they got rid of an older player on an expiring contract for a third round draft pick. So that was a good value trade. But it killed any hope of a playoff run.
As the season ended Patrica announced offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter would not be brought back. Perhaps Detroit should look at getting rid of Stafford. Start fresh and really grow the team in a positive direction.
Patrica wants a ball control offense. There is no need for a gun-slinging quarterback when running the ball takes center stage. A player like Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles (who is a free agent after the season) would be a better option for Patrica’s vision. The Lions already have promising rookie running back Kerryon Johnson.
They also have another building block in wide receiver Kenny Golladay. They need to build around these two p[layers in free agency and the 2019 NFL draft. A draft that will see the Lions pick at #8 in the first round.
This is a HUGE off season for Bob Quinn and Patricia. Quinn must invest salary cap money into impact players. Patrica must nail the hire and bring in the right offensive coordinator. Otherwise, both could be shown the door.
Could this be any better? No!!!!