Josh McDaniels cannot leave Bill Belichick’s shadow, while Matt Patricia is running from it.
In his introductory press conference with the Lions on Wednesday, Patricia said he does not want to be compared to Belichick.
“Just as far as coach Belichick is concerned, I’ll say this: He’s one of the most amazing coaches I’ve ever been around,” the former defensive coordinator said to reporters. “The way that he looks at the game, his vision of the game, the way he sees the game move and change before it actually does, it’s unbelievable.
“I’ll say this: There’s only one Coach Belichick. That’s it. He’s amazing. He’s in New England. I’m Matt Patricia. I’m kind of my own person. I’m my own guy. I’ve got my own style.”
As a neatly shaved Patricia moves on, McDaniels is set to learn further under Belichick as his offensive coordinator. McDaniels had agreed to become the head coach of the Colts and was announced as such before backing out and making himself the laughingstock of the coaching community.
“I was absolutely shocked,” former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis told SiriusXM. “It’s like a slap in the face. …
“[The Colts] announced that you’re coming. They had a plane going to pick you up to bring you to the press conference the next morning. Half, if not more than half, of your staff is already signed, under contract, already in Indianapolis, waiting for your arrival. Your agent’s telling you to go and you decide, ‘Nah, I’m not going.’”
McDaniels’ agent quickly dumped the offensive coordinator, and it’s largely assumed that the only chance of him landing another head-coaching job will come in New England whenever Belichick decides to retire.
Meanwhile, the Lions desperately hope Patricia takes full advantage of his first opportunity to lead a football team and ends their decades-long search for a coach who can lead them to elusive success in the playoffs.
Since winning the 1957 NFL title, Detroit’s only postseason victory was more than a quarter-century ago.
Lions general manager Bob Quinn fired coach Jim Caldwell last month with a 36-28 mark over four years and two playoff appearances. The Lions went 9-7 last season and missed the playoffs, ranking among the NFL’s worst rushing teams for the fourth straight year.
“I wanted to find a leader that could take us to the next level, and I am confident we have found that in Matt Patricia,” Quinn said.
The 43-year-old Patricia helped New England win three Super Bowls over 14 years. He was the Patriots’ defensive coordinator the past six seasons.
Detroit’s search was focused on Patricia right from the start because he worked with Quinn for a dozen years in New England.
“We sat next to each other in a lot of team meetings in New England for many of our years together,” Quinn recalled. “We also spent a great deal of time together on the road scouting college prospects, traveling around the country trying to find new players.”
With AP
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