When Bob Quinn took over as Lions general manager in 2016, many speculated he would bring in one of his former Patriots coworkers to replace Jim Caldwell. Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia were both interesting candidates for different reasons.
McDaniels could work with a talented Matthew Stafford in his prime, and Patricia could fix a defense that had been inconsistent with average talent. Fast forward to two years later and Patricia has been hired as the Lions head coach, while McDaniels took the Indianapolis Colts job, only to back out of it and return to the Patriots as offensive coordinator.
Stunner: Patriots’ OC Josh McDaniels has decided NOT to accept Colts’ HC job and will remain with New England, sources told ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2018
Whether or not rumors that McDaniels has been promised the New England job at some point in the near future are true or not, it’s a bad move and a bad look for a guy that’s trying to rebuild his image after his disastrous first stint as a head coach in Denver.
Plus, some are saying that this was a Robert Kraft orchestrated dig at the Colts in retaliation for Deflategate in 2015, as Schefter explains below.
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Text from one league source: “That’s Kraft putting it to the Colts again. He will forever try and (expletive) that place ever since deflate gate.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 7, 2018
Meanwhile, the Lions have hired a bright young coordinator that’s getting a job working for a general manager who knows him well. Will it work for Patricia and the Lions? Or will he flame out like McDaniels?
Those are not questions we can answer yet. All we can judge the two coaches based off of right now is the way they carry themselves. For McDaniels, that means pissing off the entire Indianapolis Colts fanbase and hurting his reputation outside of New England.
As for Patricia, we shall see how he carries himself in his introductory team press conference tomorrow afternoon. However, the biggest concern for Detroit fans is whether or not Patricia trims his beard. His character isn’t an issue, which could be a sign that the Lions have chosen the right Patriots coordinator to lead their team.
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