There’s no denying the similarities between Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick.
No doubt, Patricia has branched out to develop a team which is unique to him. That’s something Patricia, who was once the Patriots’ defensive coordinator, emphasized when he took the job: he wouldn’t be Belichick 2.0. Still, Belichick imprints himself upon his mentees in obvious ways from press-conference mannerisms to game-plan schematics.
Those similarities seem to have put off cornerback Richard Sherman, who was a Lions’ free agency target in 2018. The Lions offered him more, Sherman told The Athletic. But he picked San Francisco.
“But that’s not the kind of football I want to play,” Sherman said, via The Athletic. “The way you run their scheme, your culture. You want to do it the Patriots’ way and that’s really not the way I do football.
“I have fun. I like music at practice. I like to hang out and be relaxed in meetings. I don’t like the stressful environment in football. (The Lions) condition every day after practice. My body isn’t built to run all day and night. I’ll be prepared, but I don’t have to be run into the ground.”
His decision worked out nicely. Sherman was one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL in 2019 — he was, in fact, the top cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus — and he is preparing for a Super Bowl matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs.
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