Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell has already snapped one of the longest playoff droughts in the NFL. As he and the Lions prepare for Sunday’s NFC Championship Game, one former player has provided a perfect example of what the team went through under head coach Matt Patricia.
Patricia, the former New England Patriots assistant, was hired in 2018 to replace head coach Jim Caldwell. The Lions were coming off a 9-7 season and a loss in the Wild Card round, with ownership hoping Patricia would push the team over the top.
- Matt Patricia coaching record: 13-29-1 with the Detroit Lions
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Instead, Patricia delivered nearly as many wins for the Lions (13) in 43 games as Campbell did during the 2023 regular season (12). Campbell is a player-friendly coach who is beloved by the locker room and embraces the important of positive messaging and offering support to players. Life was very different with Patricia.
Tyrell Crosby, who played for the Lions from 2018-’22, retold a story and provided evidence that helped perfectly capture what life was like for Detroit’s players with Patricia.
The specific game itself occurred on Oct. 28, 2018, at Ford Field. After Detroit jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, the Seattle Seahawks responded with 28 unanswered points. The Lions ultimately lost 28-14 and in a team meeting the next day was when Patricia tore into the team.
To put Patricia’s expletive-filled rant into perspective, he used the F-word 7.63 times per minute. The fact that Crosby decided to record how many times Patricia used the word is a sign that the former Lions’ coach did this enough that the players got used to it.
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It also perfectly captures what life was like for Lions players with Patricia. As Detroit’s head coach, Patricia restricted the music players could listen to and regularly didn’t treat them like professionals. When the Lions finally fired him, the locker room celebrated as if it just won a playoff game.
