The abnormal intelligence of new Lions coach Matt Patricia, who has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York, is well-documented. But perhaps Patriots coach Bill Belichick captured his now former defensive coordinator's aptitude best in 2015.
"This guy could probably build a plane and fly it,” Belichick told NESN.
In a way, that's what Patricia will be doing in Detroit. The 43-year-old’s first NFL head coaching job presents an opportunity for him to construct and lead a contender for a franchise that has not won a playoff game in more than 27 years. And there's reason to believe Patricia can get the Lions flying at maximum altitude soon.
MORE: Lions make Patricia hire official
If Patricia was Lions general manager Bob Quinn's first choice for head coach as reports suggest, the reasons are obvious. Quinn spent 15 years with the Patriots in multiple personnel roles before the Lions hired him as general manager in 2016. Patricia started with the Patriots as an offensive assistant in 2004.
As was the case for Quinn when he left New England for Detroit, Patricia will be working in a new environment for the first time in his NFL coaching career. In other words, the "Patriot Way," a loose term to describe the personnel, coaching and preparation philosophy under Belichick in New England, is the only NFL philosophy these guys know.
"I have learned immensely from (Belichick's) detailed leadership approach to the game, which has certainly shaped me into the football coach that I am today," Patricia said Monday in a statement after he was announced as Lions coach. “Quite simply, I've been incredibly fortunate to work with, who I believe, is the greatest coach in NFL history."
Added Quinn: "Matt is driven to succeed, has extreme passion for the game and excels in preparation."
But drive, passion and preparation might be where the Patricia-Belichick parallels end, and that's a good thing in the mind of Quinn. In 2016, before his first season with Detroit, the GM told ESPN, "You have to be your own man and (have) your own way to communicate with people, communicate with the team, communicate with staff.
"To try and be Bill Belichick is impossible."
By all accounts, the Lions' new coach indeed operates in his own way.
Patricia in New England developed a reputation as a "players' coach” thanks to his approach to the personal side of the profession. During Rob Ninkovich's retirement press conference last July, the former Patriots linebacker looked Patricia in the eyes and told him he loved him, thanking the coach for “the time you have given me away from your family."
Said Patrick Graham, who worked with Patricia on Belichick's staff and has since moved on to Green Bay, via ESPN: "He's one of the kindest, most caring people I've ever been around. He's just a good people person, a good coach and he’s demanding of players and the coaches around him.”
When Patricia was a candidate in Cleveland I didnt want him.. he just seemed dusagreeable & thought he would try to go overboard as a drill sergeant.
When I got to New England, I felt like an idiot, because he was AWESOME and I couldnt have been more wrong about his personality. https://t.co/LKz0jpv49Q
— Andrew Hawkins (@Hawk) January 14, 2018
Patricia recently was asked about his approach to relationships in football. He said they — "the comradery" — are what led him to coaching over a career in engineering in the first place.
"I just thought if I could be in that situation, I really wanted to do anything I could to help them through life. I think I've always taken that approach in my coaching career," Patricia told Masslive.com in December. "It's about getting to know (players) as individuals and caring about them as people first and foremost and their families and really honestly whatever I can do to help them from a standpoint to be successful, whether it's on or off the field, that's probably my No. 1 priority."
Positive quotes about Patricia’s personality and coaching ability are scattered all over the internet, but we know actions speak louder than words. That's especially the case with New England's head coach.
Belichick entrusting Patricia with five different roles on his coaching staff — on both sides of the ball, no less — says a lot. From offensive assistant to assistant offensive line coach to linebackers coach to safeties coach to defensive coordinator, Patricia was a vital part of a staff that has kept a dynasty on track.
The Patriots never ranked outside the top 10 in scoring defense during Patricia’s six years as coordinator, and only the Seahawks allowed less than New England’s 19.2 points per game in that span.
Those are beautiful numbers to the Lions, who have fielded a top-10 scoring defense just once during the past 20 years.
Patricia in Detroit inherits a team with multiple solid players already in place as Quinn tries to build around them. Quarterback Matthew Stafford is locked in with a $135 million contract, and Patricia is expected to retain offensive coordinator and play caller Jim Bob Cooter, who has worked with Stafford since he joined the Lions as quarterbacks coach in 2014. Defensively, players such as Glover Quin, Darius Slay, Jarrad Davis and A’Shawn Robinson form a promising core.
There will be early challenges, of course. Detroit ranked dead last in the NFL with 1,221 rushing yards as a team last season, meaning running back and interior offensive line likely will be offseason focal points. Key defensive contributors Ziggy Ansah, Tahir Whitehead and Haloti Ngata are set to become unrestricted free agents, with Ansah being a strong franchise tag candidate.
But that’s where the relationship between Patricia and Quinn comes into play. Even if Quinn lets go of some talent in the name of salary cap space, which is projected to be a healthy $44.7 million for Detroit in 2018, Patricia won’t blink. We know that because of his track record with the Patriots in dealing with the departures of Jamie Collins and Chandler Jones, among others.
Change does not intimidate a coach who spent his early career with a team many call a chameleon because of its ability to morph when necessary. The Patriots with Patricia and Belichick were known for week-to-week changes in defensive schemes.
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So Patricia possesses the smarts, the personality and the preparation habits needed to succeed as a head coach. And, Quinn claims, he brings the Lions the correct level of leadership, too.
"When we launched the search for our next head coach, I wanted to find a leader that could take us to the next level, and I am confident we have found that in Matt Patricia," Quinn said. "He has been preparing for this opportunity his entire career, and he's ready for the responsibility and its challenges."
Your pilot has arrived, Detroit. Prepare for takeoff.
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