98.5 The Sports Hub staff report
After a disastrous run in Detroit as the head coach of the Lions, Matt Patricia will return to the New England Patriots’ coaching staff and assist in a “variety of roles,” according to the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride.
Hired away from the Patriots following the team’s Super Bowl LII loss, Patricia essentially got worse every year in Detroit. After starting out with a 6-10 record in 2018, the Lions followed that up with a 3-12-1 record in 2019, and captured wins in just four of their first 11 games this season prior to his dismissal during the 2020 season.
Overall, Patricia went 13-29-1 in his first opportunity as an NFL head coach.
But Patricia, who was New England’s defensive coordinator for six seasons before leaving for the Lions, and Bill Belichick remained close upon his departure for Detroit. That alone made his Josh McDaniels-esque return to the organization more than sensible, especially with the Patriots’ bounty of young assets on defense.
The Patriots were a top 10 scoring defense in all six of Patricia’s seasons as defensive coordinator, too, and the Patriots ranked seventh in that category in 2020, surrendering 22.1 points per game this season.
Patricia won’t be the only ex-Lion coach coming to Foxborough either, per McBride, as Patricia’s return will come with Evan Rothstein joining him in New England. Rothstein served as a head coach assistant and in a research and analysis role for Patricia in Detroit, and had worked with the Lions since 2012.
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