Tag: Matt Patricia

Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Lions Wire

Ahead of Thursday’s matchup, we’re going behind enemy lines to learn about the Bears’ Week 13 opponent, the Lions.

The Chicago Bears (4-6) will face the Detroit Lions (3-7-1) for the second straight Thanksgiving with the Bears determined to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.

The Bears are coming off an unimpressive victory over the New York Giants (2-9), where there’s much improvement to be desired on offense. They’ll face a Lions team depleted with injuries and that has lost seven of their last eight games.

Before the game, we caught up with managing editor Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get the scoop on the Bears’ Week 13 opponent.

Here are five questions with Lions Wire:

1. After starting the season 2-0-1, the Lions have lost 7 of their last 8 games. Is Matt Patricia’s seat getting warmer with each passing week?

A lot of Lions fans wish it was, but most indications are the team and ownership remain committed to the process. It does not help Patricia that he’s known for being a defensive mastermind and his Detroit defense is largely terrible. An embarrassing loss to the Bears on national television might heat things up more.

2. The Lions will likely face the Bears again without Matthew Stafford, but backup Jeff Driskel is also dealing with a hamstring injury, which means the Bears could possibly see third-string QB David Blough on Thanksgiving. Can you give us a scouting report on Blough? Also, if Driskel is good to go, how could his limited mobility affect his play?

Blough is an interesting guy. He was in Browns camp and preseason this summer and looked good for an undrafted rookie. He does not lack confidence and his ball placement is impressive. Blough is not much of a runner. He’s smaller (6-0) and needs clean passing lanes. From what I’ve seen he doesn’t have Stafford’s arm strength (almost nobody ever has) or Driskel’s either, but he not without some ability to zip in an 18-yard out pattern. Driskel’s mobility and ability to escape pressure are his greatest assets. If he’s athletically limited, the Lions might be better off starting Blough. Driskel’s running has been a huge boon; only Lamar Jackson has more rushing yards per game at QB than Driskel’s 50.3.

3. The Lions defense fared well against the Redskins minus for that final scoring drive by Washington. Detroit allowed 13 first downs and just 230 total yards. Given the struggles of the defense this season, have they shown progress in the last few weeks?

To be honest, Washington’s offense is horrifyingly bad. That probably played more of a factor in the Lions’ successful stats than anything Detroit did well. One move that has helped lately is making rookie LB Jahlani Tavai the defensive signal-caller. He’s smart enough to handle it, and taking it away from Jarrad Davis has allowed Davis to focus more on the actual plays. Tavai continues to play pretty well.

4. The Lions’ depth is being tested right now in terms of injuries. Detroit had 11 rookies playing last week against the Redskins. How much have injuries impacted the Lions this season?

It’s been brutal. Last week Matthew Stafford, Frank Ragnow, Trey Flowers, Da’Shawn Hand and Tracy Walker all missed due to injuries. That’s five of the eight best all-around players on the team. Kerryon Johnson is on I.R., so is his replacement, Tra Carson. Stafford was on pace to basically match Dan Marino’s legendary season (stats wise) when he suffered his broken back, so that’s a major blow.What’s been problematic is so many guys are hurt with short-term injuries. It’s not severe enough to go on I.R., but they’re out 2-3 weeks instead. That means no depth when other guys get dinged during a game, and that keeps happening.

5. What’s your prediction for the game?

I think a healthy Lions team would roll at home on Thanksgiving, but given the shell of a team the Lions will trot out, it will take a lot of help from the Bears themselves for Detroit to win. Bears win, 30-17.

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Poll: Should Matt Patricia get more time to turn it around?

Poll: Should Matt Patricia get more time to turn it around?

The Detroit Lions are now 3-7-1 after losing to the lowly Washington Redskins on Sunday. Combined with last year, the Matt Patricia coaching regime has produced a 9-17-1 record so far.

That’s not good, certainly not in the wake of predecessor Jim Caldwell being dismissed because 9-7 in consecutive seasons was not good enough for the franchise.

It leads to the inevitable question:

Should Matt Patricia get another season as the Lions head coach to prove he can turn it around?

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Matt Patricia has taken over some of the Lions’ defensive playcalling

Patricia’s defense played pretty well in Washington considering they were without four injured starters

While it’s still unclear exactly how often it’s happening, Lions head coach Matt Patricia admitted after Sunday’s loss in Washington that he has taken over at least some of the team’s in-game defensive playcalling.

In one of the first questions of his postgame press conference, Patricia stated he has taken over calling the defense during certain points of the game from coordinator Paul Pasqualoni.

“I have a lot of different roles on game day,” Patricia said. “Certainly from that standpoint, I’m very active in the communication from all phases of the game – all three phases – and so there’s going to be plays out there that I can call. There’s going to be plays [Pasqualoni]’s calling. There’s going to be plays out there that certainly are just automatic for us.”

Earlier this season, Patricia insisted Pasqualoni was the one, and the only one, making the in-game defensive calls. How much is Patricia calling?

“I don’t know,” Patricia responded when asked the percentage he’s calling. “I’m not going to get into that stuff. Again, I’m not really going to get into the details. It changes week by week.”

Other than the final scoring drive by the Redskins, Detroit’s defense played well in Washington. The Skins managed just 13 first downs and 230 total yards. That’s not exactly a prime accomplishment, however; Washington started rookie QB Dwayne Haskins and ranked in the bottom five of just about every offensive statistical metric entering the game.

Lions fall to Redskins, playoff appearance in 2019 nearly impossible

With Detroit’s last-second loss to the Redskins on Sunday, the Lions fall to 3-7-1 on the season.

The Lions fell 19-16 on a last-second field goal to the Redskins on Sunday afternoon.

That knocked Detroit, who was without Matthew Stafford for the second-straight game, to 3-7-1 on the season. The Lions, per FiveThirtyEight, have less than a one-percent chance to make the postseason.

Detroit would need to win out, while also getting literally all the help.

It’s probably safe to say the Lions will not make the playoffs for the second-straight season under coach Matt Patricia and third-straight season overall.

It’s also probably fair to wonder or not whether Patricia, who has failed to bring the Patriot way to Detroit, will be the team’s head coach in 2020.

This has to be incredibly disappointing for Lions fans considering how the season started. The Lions started the season 2-0-1 and lost their next two games to the Chiefs and Packers by a combined five points. It felt like they were legitimately a good team.

But here we are and it looks like another losing season for Detroit.

The Lions close out their season against the Bears, Vikings, Buccaneers, Broncos and Packers.

Report: Matthew Stafford is ‘maniacal’ about returning to play this season

Per a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is “maniacal” about returning to play this season.

As reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is “maniacal” about returning to the field this season and playing as soon as he can.

The opportunity to return soon is reasonable, as it was noted last week that Stafford’s fractured bones were a six-week back injury, with the possibility of returning earlier.

With the Lions playoff chances at less than one percent, and Jeff Driskel doing a formidable job as the Lions quarterback, it was also reported that the Lions front office has been discussing shutting Stafford down for the remainder of the season. It’s not a secret that the Lions franchise quarterback wants to play, and it was reiterated to reporters on Wednesday that he is doing everything he can to get back under center as quickly as possible.

Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn’s jobs are potentially both on thin ice, as the franchise has taken steps backwards since relieving Jim Caldwell of his coaching duties, and finishing the season strong could go a long way in job security — especially if it’s without their franchise quarterback.

Does Quinn ignore the toughness and tenacity of Stafford and shut him down to preserve him for next season? Or will Quinn succumb to the quarterback’s repeated requests to play again this season, regardless of the teams standings?

Only time will tell.

Mailbag: Are Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn on thin ice?

Mailbag: Are Matt Patricia, Bob Quinn on thin ice, and other questions about all things Detroit Lions

With the Detroit Lions sitting at the bottom of their division at 3-6-1 and less than a one percent chance of making the playoffs, fans are ready to declare this season over.

Let’s see what fans want to know about the Lions’ future in this week’s mailbag:

Would drafting Ed Oliver have made much of a difference in the Lions’ record this year? — @5xs_the_destiny

Detroit’s on-field issues go beyond the defensive line’s poor performance thus far. Yes, Oliver is quite the player for Buffalo, but it’s hard to see him be as successful on this team.

So to answer your question, no. Unless Oliver can play defensive line, inside linebacker, running back, and backup quarterback all at the same time, he wouldn’t make much of a difference for the Lions this season.

I think Patricia and Quinn have a minimum of another year. If they were to be let go, do they think about promoting Bevell? –@NJdetlionsfan

I too believe that both coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn are on thin ice within the Detroit Lions organization.

If that’s the case, the team will have quite a predicament on their hands. I’d imagine that if Patricia leaves, so do most of his staff.

Bevell would likely be a front runner for the job. He’s meshed nicely with the team and the organization, and I think he has the football smarts to be a head coach in the league. This may open the door to a guy like Kris Richard, his defensive coordinator in Seattle, to hold that position in Detroit next year.

Why are Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia still employed? –@JerryD12238647

Because mid-season firings would only make this season worse. Who would replace them right now? Whoever the Lions could scrounge up this far into the year would be infinitely worse than the current situation.

Give them one more season. If they can’t find success in 2020, they’ll surely be out of a job.

Over or under Lions winning 2.5 games rest of season. What draft pick does that get? — @NickFaberNFL

I’m taking the under. With an injury-plagued team and a struggling defense, I can’t see Detroit scraping up more than two wins to close out the season.

As far as draft status goes, it’s pretty likely that they’ll be selecting in the top-ten again. They’re sitting at tenth right now and I don’t think that will change too much after the next six games.

How much will it cost/save Detroit to cut ties with Wagner, Jesse James, and Jarrad Davis? — @larrymoreorless

If my math is correct, cutting those three would leave the Lions with $17,556,270 in dead money, and that’s not counting any cap hits that they have currently.

Given that Detroit doesn’t have capable replacements for Wagner or Davis, I can’t see them moving on from those two. As for James, he has not lived up to expectations, but neither have any of the tight ends on the roster. I’d give him another season or two.

Thanks to everyone who submitted questions this week!

Be sure to send in your questions to me on Twitter next week and give me a follow while you’re at it! I can always be found @maxgerbs.

Lions coaches refuse to criticize Jesse James’ poor production

James has 8 receptions on 15 targets for just 64 yards in the Lions’ first 10 games after signing a 4-year, $28.5 million contract

The Detroit Lions signed free agent tight end Jesse James with considerable promise and widespread fan support this past offseason. James was arguably the top tight end on the market, and the Lions desperately needed help at the position; none of the wildly unproductive and underwhelming TE cast from 2018 was returning, and that was a good thing.

Thus far, the Lions are getting precious little return on their 4-year, $28.5 million contract. James has eight receptions on 15 targets, netting 64 yards in the Lions’ first 10 games. He has not shown to be more than an adequate blocker in the run game, either.

Despite the disappointing early results, the Lions coaches refuse to criticize James. Even though he has just one catch for three yards on three targets in the last four weeks, head coach Matt Patricia remains supportive of his tight end.

Patricia very diplomatically waffled away the question about why James has not been more involved.

“Well, you know, I think the tight end room in general – we have some good players in that room,” Patricia said Tuesday. “All of those guys really have certain roles in every game that we’ve needed them to (do) in different facets and jobs that they bring to us.”

The second-year coach was then asked a follow-up more directly about James and if the tight end is being used differently than they envisioned when the Lions signed him.

“I can’t say that, nope,” Patricia responded. “I can’t really say that that would be a factual statement. I think for us, guys in there that really have different skill sets and some skill sets that are not the same, and we try to make sure that we mix those in different ways. Certainly, that they don’t show up in tendencies for our opponents to be able to scout. So we try to keep that moving from that standpoint.”

Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell echoed the same comments. Bevell, in his first year in Detroit, was asked a very similar line of questioning in his Tuesday press conference.

“Well, I think we have a great tight end room,” Bevell stated. “We went and got him, we went and got Logan (Thomas), and then of course we drafted T.J. (Hockenson). I think really, it was one of the best upgraded rooms that we had this offseason, and I think all three of those guys, we’re using them and we’re moving them around. There are a lot of things that tight ends do that really don’t necessarily show up in the stat sheet. We love all three of those guys, we love what they’re doing.”

James does continue to start, sometimes ahead of Hockenson and sometimes with him in a two-TE set. His playing time has diminished since the bye week. James has not played more than 36 percent of the offensive snaps in the last five weeks, including a season-low 15 (23 percent) against the Cowboys.

Dak Prescott’s postgame comments expose Matt Patricia’s defensive plan

Prescott was praising his OL but his words highlight the epic failure of Matt Patricia’s defensive plan and execution

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In his postgame press conference following Dallas’ win over the Detroit Lions in Ford Field, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott drove a dagger right into the heart of Lions coach Matt Patricia. Prescott’s opening statement gave a lot of credit to his offensive line, but it also illustrates the epic failure that is the Detroit Lions pass rush in 2019.

“Our offensive line did a great job giving me some time,” Prescott said. “I had time to go through the progressions once, and a couple of times to go through them again to find the open guy.”

The Lions sacked Prescott just once. He completed 29 of his 46 pass attempts for 444 yards and three TDs, racking up a QB Rating of 116.6 against Patricia’s defense.

Believe it or not, that’s actually an improvement in the Lions pass defense. Prescott’s 444 yards and three TDs without a turnover wound up producing the lowest QB Rating the Detroit defense has allowed since Week 6.

The Lions don’t have a single interception since that game in Week 6, when Justin Coleman picked off Aaron Rodgers. A lot of that stems from the complete failure to generate pressure on the quarterback. Sunday’s loss to Dallas was no exception.

Prescott was officially hit on six of his 47 dropbacks, per the NFL’s initial gamebook. That’s the latest chapter in the horror story that has been the complete and utter failure of Patricia’s defense to prevent the opposing quarterback from picking apart the secondary and linebackers in coverage because there is no pressure from the front. Detroit remains dead last in blitz percentage, too.

Prescott was praising his offensive linemen and wasn’t intentionally dissing the Lions, but his words only go to serve as a further indictment of Patricia’s failure as a defensive mastermind.

 

Studs and duds from the Lions’ 35-27 loss to the Cowboys

Who played well and who did not in the Lions’ loss to the Cowboys

“Well, at least they made a game out of it” is quickly becoming the title of the 2019 Lions season.

The Lions played basically the same exact game they have nine other times this season and the outcome was the same as it has been six of the last seven; another loss. This slide has taken its toll on everyone, and it’s a big bag of yuck right now. Fans – justifiably, aren’t interested in watching the same thing week by week, and it’s already time to start looking towards the NFL draft, something fans of this team know all too well.

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Here are the studs and dud of the loss.

Stud: Bo Scarbrough

At this point in the season, with the Lions season slipping away week by week, all you can do is look for small victories or reasons to smile. Bo Scarbrough getting his first work in the NFL and scoring on his 3rd touch was the highlight of the loss.

Scarbrough has had horrific luck with injuries throughout his life dating back to his high school days, which was the main reason he was available to sign with the Lions deep into the season. He finished with 12 rushes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Had the Lions not been playing from behind so much, could have had much more.

Dud: Justin Coleman

Coleman – like the rest of the defense – has hit a wall the past few weeks. Whether it was Randall Cobb, Michael Gallup or Tony Pollard out of the backfield, Coleman couldn’t handle it. He fell down on one long pass and was turned around on the very next play. When he was creating turnovers early on in the season, it was easier to forgive his mistakes in coverage. Now that he’s not creating those, it’s becoming tougher to justify his price tag.

Stud: Jeff Driskel

If this Lions defense – high priced and highly drafted across the board – could stop anyone, we would be talking more about how good Jeff Driskel has looked in relief of Matthew Stafford these past few weeks.

Driskel’s numbers aren’t eye-popping, but he’s taken care of the football and led some solid drives over the past two starts. His pocket presence leaves a lot to be desired, much like every backup quarterback in the league, but his mobility and football IQ has been on display. He finished with 260 total yards and two touchdowns with zero turnovers. It’s another solid performance from the backup. He’s not been the reason behind the two losses.

Dud: Matt Patricia

While shockingly the Lions stopped the run better than anyone could’ve expected, the rest of the gameplan on defense was in shambles…as it has been since Week 4. And there’s no one else to blame higher than Patricia. This is his defense. He and Bob Quinn built it. And it’s bad.

You can blame injuries, but they’ve been just about league average overall. You can blame Paul Pasqualoni, but it’s clear he’s just the guy taking orders from the head coach. After the opening drive-forced fumble and subsequent three-and-out, the Cowboys drives look like this: field goal, touchdown, punt, touchdown, touchdown, field goal, touchdown, punt. They *averaged* 61 yards per drive. Dak Prescott threw for 444 yards.

This is on the head coach. And it’s getting worse by the week.

Stud: Darius Slay

People are going to remember his two near interceptions and point to this as a rare letdown from Slay, but he had three PBU’s and, if not for a great play by Tavon Austin, could’ve had his second interception of the year. He and Trey Flowers are the only two players on defense that are having a good year.

Dud: Home “support”

First off, I don’t blame anyone for not showing up to Lions games anymore. I’ve been as critical of this team and coaching staff as anyone, and if fans don’t want to spend their hard-earned money watching this team give up back-breaking drives at an alarming clip or see countless penalties and moronic lapses in judgment every other play then I don’t blame them. Go see a movie with your family, shovel your driveway, read a book or enjoy a great album. Frankly, it’s outrageous that many fans came out today anyway. They don’t deserve the support.

But, it doesn’t change the fact that this basically wasn’t a home game for the players. There were more “let’s go Cowboys” chants than I’d like to admit and every touchdown the Cowboys scored just made them louder.

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Again, I don’t blame the fans one iota. It’s on the players and coaching staff to win games so that people want to watch their team. And the Lions aren’t fun to watch anymore. They were earlier in the season, sure! But week by week, the same problems arise and nothing is being fixed. I don’t know where the team goes from here, but something needs to change.

Breaking: Matthew Stafford has been ruled out versus Cowboys

At his morning press conference, coach Matt Patricia ruled quarterback Matthew Stafford OUT for this weekend’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.

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At his morning press conference, coach Matt Patricia updated the health status of starting quarterback Matthew Stafford and said he doesn’t “see a scenario” in which Stafford will be able to suit up for the game this Sunday — effectively ruling him out.

Jeff Driskel will get his second start as a Lion.

Stafford injured his back against the Oakland Raiders in Week 9, and after practicing in a limited fashion last week, an MRI revealed a fractured bone and he was not cleared to play in Week 10 against the Chicago Bears.

This week, Stafford has still been unable to suit up for practices. He has been in attendance, helping Driskel with the Lions’ game plan, but it’s been very clear he is not ready to participate at even a minimal level.

Patricia indicated there was a plan in place for Stafford’s recovery but elected not to share what that plan was at this time, instead only saying that Stafford was working to return to the field.