According to most accounts, it is a done deal that Matt Patricia will be named the next head coach of the Detroit Lions as soon as his season is finished with the New England Patriots. That season will conclude on Feb. 4 after the Patriots battle the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Reports have surfaced that Patricia and the Lions are cleaning house for the most part as far as the defensive coaching staff goes, but what about the offensive side of things?
http://gty.im/900894716
Rumblings have been that current offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter will be back for the 2018 season and Justin Rogers of the Detroit News confirmed those thoughts once again on Tuesday.
Buried at the very bottom of a piece that Rogers wrote after speaking to an anonymous team source regarding a couple of defensive coaches being let go is the following comment.
“Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter is expected to be retained,” Rogers wrote.
Up to this point, there has been no word whatsoever from the Lions about whether or not Cooter will return as OC in 2018, but it is certainly interesting that Rogers added it after speaking to his source.
On Monday, we learned the Lions were cutting ties with quarterbacks coach, Brian Callahan. That move surprised many and stirred some conversation as to whether Cooter could be the next coach to be given his walking papers.
http://gty.im/900082206
Rogers also included that multiple members of the Lions current coaching staff, along with general manager Bob Quinn, are at the Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, Alabama, scouting players for the upcoming NFL Draft.
Along with Quinn, wide receivers coach Robert Prince, tight ends coach Al Golden, assistant special teams coach Devin Fitzsimmons and offensive assistant Evan Rothstein were among the assistants on hand with the Lions’ front-office staff at the Senior Bowl.
Some things seem to be in limbo when it comes to the Lions coaching staff but you can bet they have a plan and things will become crystal clear as soon as Patricia is officially hired.
No one knows everything. For Jim Bob Cooter that means learning “The Patriot Way”. There is one small problem. It’s one thing if Cooter AND Stafford have to learn a new offense. It’s another if they keep the Lions offense, for the most part, but change the aggressiveness of the offense. The run first mentality isn’t a bad concept but the run blocking scheme will change now that the OL coach Prince is gone. The Lions offensive sets, which have been too vanilla, need to be tweaked. So, there are reasons to adapt, but if Cooter and Stafford, along with the rest of the offense, need to learn a completely new playbook … well, then, I suggest Lions fans prepare for a lot of mistakes and more slow starts. I very much doubt that’s what’s coming because it’s like Tony Romo said last week, when you get into years 4, 5, and 6 of an offense then everybody on the field is in sync and there are plays deep into the playbook that become available. It’s a great advantage. Now, think about this for a minute because Lions head coaches have a turnover rate of one every 3.5 years, so, years 4, 5, and 6 aren’t something we’re used to seeing. Which means, if Patricia filters in some of his offensive strategies and techniques then things should flow smoothly. If not, 9-7 in Patricia’s first year sounds good right now.
Comments are closed.