Matt Patricia may stem from the New England Patriots coaching tree. But that doesn't mean that he wants the Detroit Lions to be seen as a second version of the Patriots.
In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Patricia was asked about whether or not adding some former New England players to the Lions roster was helping to impact their locker room culture. And Patricia talked up "Lions culture" in his response.
It’s always good when you bring guys in that you’re familiar with and kind of already have a background from that standpoint. They understand what – for me as a head coach, what I expect and what we’re trying to do.
The culture here is strictly Lions culture. We’re trying to build our own culture here, and we’re just trying to bring in the right guys. Doesn’t matter if it’s Jesse James or Justin Coleman, who spent time at Seattle in a totally different system or Oday Aboushi. All those guys are brought in from a veteran stand point to help us get better – Mike Daniels is another guy. Just trying to bring in the guys that we think are going to understand what we’re trying to do and get on board and go in that direction. For us it’s about building the Lions.
Of course, it's notable that in the process of building the Lions, Patricia has targeted several former Patriots. The team brought in pass rusher Trey Flowers, receiver Danny Amendola, and slot corner Justin Coleman this offseason, so it certainly is worth wondering if he is trying to instill a system similar to that of the Patriots.
That said, it could also just be about bringing in some players that Patricia knows and is familiar with, as Patricia mentioned. Having guys that know what he expects can certainly help to reaffirm the culture he is creating as he looks to bring the Lions to the next level in his second season at the helm.
No matter what, it's clear that Patricia wants to establish a culture in Detroit. And it's also clear that his relationship with Bill Belichick has helped to mold him as both a coach and a person. And in the press conference, Patricia spoke glowingly of Belichick when asked about the topic.
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I really appreciate him, not only someone that helped me develop my career and coaching along with the other coaches I worked for, but as a friend, from that standpoint. He’s a great person and really good to me.
Though the two are friends, they will be foes on Thursday night as the Patriots take on the Lions in the first game of the 2019 preseason at Ford Field. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m. as the Patriots look to start the preseason with a win.
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