Ranking Rams McVay among NFL head coaches (27-21)

27th-ranked Matt Patricia, Detroit Lions

Head Coaching Record: 9-22-1 (.297)

Matt Patricia has been the head coach for the Detroit Lions for two seasons. He ranks at 27th in our head coaches list, simply because he was the first head coach so far who had coached the team in previous seasons. During this two-season period, the team suffered through a 3-12-1 season in 2019, after a 6-10 season just one year previous. Why the drop? QB Matthew Stafford injured his back midseason in 2019. So who did they sign to backup Stafford? Former Chicago Bears backup Chase Daniels who brought a 1-2 record. That win was, you guessed it, against the Lions.

Surprisingly, the Lions offense was not bad. But the team’s defense was putrid. And that was Patricia’s second season with the team. Keep in mind that the Lions hired Patricia from the New England Patriots after their Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The following year, the Patriots defense seemed to improve dramatically.  The Detroit Lions defense? Well, 31st is not a good look for a former defensive coordinator.

Belichick’s coaching tree not as good as Belichick

One of the problems with hiring an assistant coach from Bill Belichick’s coaching staff is that their track record rarely duplicates, or even comes close, to the success enjoyed by the Patriots. As a result of the disappointing season, Patricia cleared his coaching staff.  That allowed the LA Rams to sign up special teams coordinator John Bonamego. It also allowed the Rams to pick up free agent DL A’Shawn Robinson.

I don’t think Patricia is a fit in Detroit. He is on track for another losing season with a team that cannot afford another losing season. Stafford is getting up in years. The defense is trying to restore some of its pride and the offense is searching for star skill players. The only thing left after a head coach makes sweeping changes to his coaching staff is for the team to make the change at the head coach level. Keep an eye on that ownership changing over to Sheila Ford Hamp.  If the team doesn’t turn the ship around in 2020, she’ll have every excuse to force the team to make sweeping changes to suit her style.