You can certainly be excused for thinking that the Detroit Lions are trying to emulate the New England Patriots. A team with a single playoff victory since Dwight D. Eisenhower was POTUS will certainly be looking fo get help and influence from elsewhere, especially the most successful NFL team the past two decades.
While the current version of the Lions is chalk-full of former Patriots players and staff, it's drawn the ire of one NFL analyst. While breaking down the winners and losers of the NFL free-agency period thus far, Kevin Seifert took the Lions to task for trying to be too much like New England – without perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle, who remains in New England.
Here's what he said:
“Meanwhile, the Lions — led by two former Patriots staffers in general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia — guaranteed linebacker Jamie Collins $18 million, while also agreeing to terms with defensive tackle Danny Shelton and trading for defensive back Duron Harmon.
This isn’t so much a comment on the players themselves, but on the cockeyed and still unproven idea that there is some kind of magic sauce that comes with someone who has been in the Patriots’ program. Why can’t we just acknowledge that Patriots coach Bill Belichick has built a unique set of circumstances that routinely maximizes players in ways that aren’t likely to be replicated elsewhere? As a matter of team-building, giving an edge to people with a Patriots connection probably could cloud out more qualified candidates. Just stop it!”
– – Quotes via Kevin Seifert of ESPN Link – –
