In wake of the Detroit Lions officially introducing Matt Patricia as their new head coach yesterday. Detroit Lions GM Bob Quinn talked about the leagues tampering rule as it pertains to hiring head coaches from playoff teams. Simply put he said it is a “stupid league rule, it’s just ridiculous.”
To elaborate more on the NFL tampering rule. The NFL allows teams to interview coaches from playoff teams in certain windows. Coaches on teams with a bye week can go on interviews during the first week of the postseason. Coaches that are coaching during the first week of the postseason can go on interviews the week after. Coaches can also re-interview during the week between the Super Bowl. During this time if your coach is still coaching you cannot “officially” hire him as your head coach. You cannot even speak about him.
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The whole process is obviously a thorn in Bob Quinn’s side. As everyone in the football world knew who the Lions were going to hire Matt Patricia as their head coach. The Lions were really hampered in regards to putting a coaching staff together because if this rule. Bob Quinn had this to say.
“It has to (change),” Quinn said. “I hope they ask me about it because I’ll stand up and tell them how hard it was on my end. And I mean, can you imagine being Chris Ballard?”
For those who are unaware, Chris Ballard is the general manager of the Indianapolis Colts. He did follow the NFL’s tampering rule to hire Josh McDaniels. He was supposed to be introduced as the Colts head man the same day Patricia was announced as the Lions head coach. However, McDaniels backed out of the deal on Tuesday night leaving the Colts to scramble for their head coaching vacancy.
It is almost a surprise that this doesn’t happen more often with this rule. Let’s just be thankful that Matt Patricia did not have the same second thoughts that his former colleague Josh McDaniels did.
