UPDATE:
According to Michael David Smith, Chris Spielman appears to have deleted some of his pro-Quinn, pro-Patricia tweets.
I like Chris Spielman. But he said over and over again that Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia were building the Lions the right way. So why do the Lions think Spielman is the guy to improve things now? (Also he appears to have deleted some of his pro-Quinn, pro-Patricia tweets.) pic.twitter.com/qeURt4SXRD
— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) December 26, 2020
Nation, what do you make of this?
ORIGINAL REPORT:
On Tuesday, the Detroit Lions took to Twitter to announce they had hired Chris Spielman as their Special Assistant to Chairman and President & CEO, causing a lot of Lions’ fans to rejoice.
Personally, I believe in my heart that Spielman is going to turn the Lions franchise around, both culturally and in terms of success on the field. That being said, I would be lying if I did not bring up the one thing that bothers me.
Towards the end of the 2019 season, which saw the Lions go 3-12-1, Spielman was doing the color commentary for the Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings when he was asked if he felt the franchise was heading in the right direction.
During his response, Spielman said that both Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia should be brought back for the 2020 season.
“Well,” Spielman said, “I think the Lions as an organization made a decision to rebuild. It’s like renovating the house. Sometimes you’ve got to tear it down to the studs. They’re changing what type of team they are and it’s my opinion that you have to be a little bit patient with that. I have numbers to back that up.
“And you have to let these guys to do it. I think there needs to be substantial improvement but they need another year to get that done.”
“And while I’m talking,” he said, “OK, two years and there’s a lot of people: ‘Get rid of Quinn, get rid of Patricia.’ I don’t think that makes sense.
“I make an argument for patience because you look at John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan in San Francisco. Their first year together is 6-10, 2018 they’re 4-12. This year they’re (11-2) because they built the type of team that they wanted to build. And so I do think at the very least that Bob Quinn and Matt Patricia can continue this on and see where they go next year, with substantial improvement.”
Is this a concern moving forward with Spielman in his new position? Maybe and maybe not, but bringing Patricia and Quinn back for the 2020 season was a mistake.
I do not think it was a mistake at the time. Hindsight is always 20-20, Too many people want constant change and it can hurt a franchise. Quinntricia got their shot at a third year and made us suffer watching the worst defense seen in a long time. Some questionable draft choices, too many old Patriot players, slow lumbering linebackers, etc. I think Spielman is an excellent choice to help guide them. I saw him as a possible GM candidate so nice he has a role in helping them go in the right direction. He definitely knows defenses and will be patient and careful in his recommendations.