It’s often said you only have one chance to make a first impression. Just six months after the Detroit Lions hired head coach Matt Patricia, he already seems to be losing the fan base.
Early on as Patricia attempted to put his stamp on the team, reports already surfaced about him being in danger of losing the locker room. Then the Lions hit the preseason circuit and things unraveled even faster for the team.
After Detroit dropped its first two preseason games against the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants, the faith of the fan base in Patricia was already pretty weak.
Things only got worse on Friday when the Lions traveled to Tampa Bay. The second half ended about as poorly as you could dream up in your worst nightmares, for one. And before the third quarter even concluded, the Lions trailed 27-5 while surrendering over 260 yards on just five drives.
Across Twitter, fans began to take shots against Patricia. From jokes about his appearance to criticism and cracks about his defense and the team’s performance, fans in Detroit stopped holding back on Friday night.
The Detroit Lions Defense under Matt Patricia and Paul Pasqualoni so far this preseason…. pic.twitter.com/jKiVjua5J7
— Phil Nicky (@pnicky35) August 25, 2018
Matt Patricia on that Andy Reid diet.
— Christopher Hansen (@ChrisHansenNFL) August 11, 2018
Matt Patricia looks like he won a Fantasy Football league and the prize was to actually be a coach in the NFL #nfl #NFLPreseason #DetroitLions pic.twitter.com/bjgLVF7IuD
— CAMP ⚡️ GOODBOY (@campgoodboy) August 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/SELK_WORM5/status/1033178243711549440
https://twitter.com/goldstickc/status/1033177790412193792
https://twitter.com/JorgeSouthbeach/status/1033177725626933248
Matt Patricia is out of his depth in the pre-season. So where do the Lions go to get a GM/coach combo that is actually effective?
— Marc Waite (@WaiteMarc) August 25, 2018
Me in my head: I'm a reasonable fan.
Me in my heart: Fire Matt Patricia after 2.5 preseason games.
— Brett Kane (@BrettKaneRadio) August 25, 2018
https://twitter.com/ZacMathewGrasl/status/1033184891482071041
And with Tampa’s third string qb scoring on our first string defense I think it’s safe to say that’s a wrap on the Matt Patricia era 😂😂😂 @Lions thank you for not building my expectations
— thooomas dee (@TheRealMcCOY525) August 25, 2018
0:30 was the moment Matt Patricia realized he’s the Lions coach and will never again get another head coaching job
— Brian Gracely (@bgracely) August 25, 2018
It’s early, so good seats are readily available at affordable prices on the #FirePatricia bandwagon, but believe me, it’s going to get crowded soon. #LIONS @Lions @freep #ONEPRIDE
— Faricy (@RJFaricy) August 25, 2018