Embed from Getty Images Do not call it a rebuild. Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn will not. Head coach Matt Patricia will not say the word either. Yet, that is exactly what is taking place within the Lions organization. The Detroit Lions have slid into last place in the NFC North standings with six straight losses and nine in their past 10 games, Patricia has referenced the “process” his team is going through.
Patricia was asked Wednesday if that (“process”) is code for “rebuild,” he simply would not associate that word with where the Lions are 29 games into his tenure as head coach.
“I don’t know. You can divide the English language however you want,” Patricia said. “I think for us, you know me, we’re just trying to get better this week. We got a lot of young players out there that are trying to get better and certainly for us, I think every season is a process.”
The 2019 Detroit The Lions are 3-9-1 and have won just nine games under Patricia, who inherited a team coming off back to back nine win seasons. Before he was brought in to coach the Lions, general manager Bob Quinn famously said he thought the Lions were better than their record under Jim Caldwell, and he was looking for a coach who could lead the team to Super Bowls.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford, Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay, left tackle Taylor Decker and wide receivers Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, hid the fact the Lions were about to enter a rebuild. Last season’s 6-10 result was considered a minor step back to take two steps forward.
Back to this past Wednesday, Patricia would not utter the word rebuild, rather he stated the Lions are”just building.” This season was always going to be bumpy and tough, and that has been the case.
Current Fox NFL television analyst and former Detroit Lions legend, Chris Spielman, who still does a weekly spot on the teams official website said, “I think the Lions as an organization made a decision to rebuild. It’s like renovating the house. Sometimes you’ve got to tear it down to the studs. They’re changing what type of team they are and it’s my opinion that you have to be a little bit patient with that. I have numbers to back that up.”
I do not think Quinn or Patricia should be fired. There is enough evidence the suggests the Lions are on the right path.
