Fans of the Detroit Lions are well aware of how Matt Patricia conducts himself as head coach by now, and not everyone is a glowing fan.
But there could be a specific reason as to why Patricia carries himself the way that he does in public.
During an interview with ProFootballTalk hosted by Mike Florio and Chris Simms on Friday, the Lions head coach explained that how he acts in public doesn’t necessarily match his true personality.
“Probably most of it’s my fault too,” he explained of how he’s perceived publicly. “I don’t really let my normal personality out there that much. I am always just trying to be protective of the team.”
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He added, “I am also very conscious of my kids. I am real protective of my family. For me, I know that my boys at school have to deal with a lot. My wife, she has to deal with a lot. I am just trying to protect my family, protect our team. I don’t really get to have those unfiltered moments, those kind of cut up moments where everybody sees that.”
Of course, criticism is something that comes with the job, and there’s been plenty levied at Patricia and the rest of the team following a disastrous 3-12-1 campaign.
However, as long as the team and his family are protected, he’s fine with the criticism.
“I’d rather have the shots coming at me. I’ll take it. It doesn’t really matter — as long as our players are protected, our team is protected, my family is protected. It doesn’t matter for me, I just want want to do what is best for those guys,” said Patricia.
Of course, he’s trying to limit the criticism by building what he calls the “Lions way”.
“We’re trying to be our own team,” he said. “And really what you do is you have your foundation and what you believe in, and what’s what we’re trying to impress upon our team.”
He’ll have a chance to continue to build that “Lions way”, as the team indicated after the season that he’ll be back for a third season.
– – Quotes courtesy of The ProFootballTalk Live Desk Link
