At this point, the question is not IF the Detroit Lions will fire Matt Patricia, the question is WHEN will they fire him?
http://gty.im/1287083122
After Thursday’s debacle of a Thanksgiving Day game vs. the Houston Texans, many are calling for Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp to use her power to get rid of Patricia — and his GM Bob Quinn — immediately.
If the Lions do move on from Quinntricia during the season, the team will almost certainly name an interim head coach, and my best guess would be that current offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell would get the nod.
That being said, Bevell would not be kept past the 2020 season and the Lions would have to go out and find their next head coach to lead the team into the 2021 season and beyond.
According to former NFL scout Daniel Kelly, one option for the Lions is current Alabama head coach, Nick Saban.
Here is what Kelly has to say about a potential marriage between the Lions and Saban.
http://gty.im/1229264612
If you cannot get Bill Belichick himself, the next best thing is the most successful coach in college football, Alabama’s Nick Saban.
Every conversation has got to begin with Saban.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember what happened with the Dolphins. But, let us not forget also what happened to Belichick during his first go-around in Cleveland/Baltimore.
Pete Carroll comes to mind, too, from his days with the N.Y. Jets and New England Patriots.
If the Lions do indeed go shopping, offer Saban full control — he’s earned it.
Make him the GM/head coach, give him a blank check and say thank you every day and twice on Sundays.
It would be a seamless transition for the roster, too, since both Patricia and Saban came up under Belichick.
The roster would also believe in Saban, because of who he is — which is a big part of the battle. He’s garnered multiple AP Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year awards.
I mean, heck, once upon a time, even Josh McDaniels was a graduate assistant under Saban.
Among the notable players he has recruited and coached includes Julio Jones, Mark Ingram (Heisman winner), Dont’a Hightower, Trent Richardson, Dre Kirkpatrick, A.J. McCarron, Landon Collins, Amari Cooper, Derrick Henry (Heisman winner), Cam Robinson and Jonathan Allen.
Saban knows talent. He knows the game. He’s a winner.
Plan and simple, Saban could put Detroit on the map.
If and when you have a chance to go out and get one of the greats, you go get him. Do not overthink it. Do not make the same mistake the Jets made with Belichick, before his second go-around as a head coach with the Patriots.
I do not know if Saban will be interested. But, at 67 years old, he has accomplished just about everything, except achieving redemption from what happened during his failed head coaching stint with the Dolphins.
Saban’s ego might bring him to the table, too.
The greats love a challenge, and something tells me he would love to line up one more time against his old boss in Belichick.
With all due respect, there is no way in hell Saban would have any interest in the Lions and there is no way in hell the Lions should have any interest in Saban. Like it or not, the Lions are going to have to rebuild, and bringing in a 67-year-old coach to call the shots seems like a really bad idea.
Nation, what do you think about this?
