Firing of Quinn and Patricia was needed and overdue; Now what?
By: J.T. Miller
Tags: NFL, Football, Detroit Lions, Detroit, Sports

Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia (Photo by: Paul Sancya/AP)

Finally, the Detroit Patriots, I mean Lions, are moving on from head coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn.

Matt Patricia was 13–29–1 since taking over the job as head coach. Reports over the years on his coaching style were not pretty and it was clear that the locker room didn’t respect him since day one when he tried to copy Bill Belichick. Here’s the secret to be like Bill Belichick: you have to win like him first before you’re able to run your locker room like a dictator.

Bob Quinn has had even more time in Detroit as GM and still couldn’t put together a competent roster. This year’s draft and free agency might’ve been the nail in the coffin. He selected cornerback Jeff Okudah with the number three overall draft pick when there was still quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert available, both who are looking like very capable QBs in this league thus far. Not to mention, Okudah has been one of the worst cornerbacks in the league statistically. So much so that he is never out on the field full time.

Many people, including myself, did not believe that the Lions new owner Sheila Ford Hamp would be bold enough to fire Patricia and Quinn this year. For one, it’s her first year taking over ownership of the Lions after her mother, Martha Firestone Ford, decided to step down at the age of 94. The other reason Sheila could’ve gotten a “pass” by not making a move is because we’re in a pandemic and COVID-19 has changed the way every team is able to operate.

Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

That being said, there was little choice for Sheila Ford after the Lions lost in embarrassing fashion on Thanksgiving and it being on national TV.

That photo in the tweet was taken of the owner’s box on Thanksgiving of Sheila Ford Hamp not able to take what she was seeing on the field. After this tweet gained some traction on Twitter after Thursday’s game, many wondered if that would be enough to get Patricia and Quinn out of town. As it turns out, it was.

While I applaud Sheila Ford for having the gumption to fire the clown show that was Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn, it still raises other questions.

Firstly, if these two were on this thin of ice to be the first midseason firing in 15 years for the Lions, why allow them to make the third overall draft pick? It doesn’t come often that a team picks that high in the draft, and they picked a cornerback who is looking questionable at best.

The Lions could have hit the reset button and got a new coach and GM in the system and they could’ve made the decision on what to do with that third pick. My guess is most people would’ve seen the writing on the wall and drafted a QB. Instead, we let these guys who were on their last leg make the draft pick. Of course they made the pick that supposedly would help them this season so they could keep their jobs.

Then that brings Matthew Stafford into play. Here’s a guy who has had to learn about a hundred different playbooks with all of the coaching changes he’s gone through. Regardless of his future, he will have to learn at least one more. The question becomes will it be with the Lions or some other team?

It would be best for both parties if they parted ways. Stafford deserves to try to win, not rebuild yet again with a franchise that can’t do anything right by him. And the Lions need to start fresh and have a young QB and try and build the way teams like the Chiefs and Ravens are doing.

Matthew Stafford (Photo by: Paul Sancya/AP)

So, what does this all mean for the Lions? It depends on your point of view. On one hand, a midseason firing in a pandemic by a first year owner is bold. On another hand, they stayed longer than they should have, which then delays the rebuild. Not only is it the draft pick, it’s all the people that Bob Quinn signed and traded who are completely inept, such as signing a five-year deal for $50 million to offensive tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai who has been nothing short of a disaster.

It’s more of the same hesitancy from the Ford family that Lions fans have grown to despise. One decision to not fire Quinn and Patricia earlier can have an impact on the team and force them into a longer rebuild due to not grabbing Tua or Herbert in this year’s draft.

Not to mention that management has messed up it’s relationship with Kenny Golladay by not locking him up in a long-term deal, most likely due to the “Patriot Way” of not paying players. He may want out of this franchise. And who could blame him?

It is unknown who might be next in line for Lions coach and GM. Hopefully the extra time they have from doing this midseason will give Sheila Ford Hamp and the rest of the front office more time to evaluate who is best for the job.

Regardless, it can’t get any worse than Quinn and Patricia, so Lions fans will have that to hang their hats on.