Defense to help the offense? As they say, a great running game and defense is a quarterback's best friend.

Detroit Lions rookie head coach Matt Patricia knows this and intends to utilize his defensive talent in helping his quarterback, Matthew Stafford, reach another level of NFL quarterback play, via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News.

“I would hope that maybe I could come in and give him a little bit different perspective,” Patricia said this week, via the Detroit News. “Maybe something from my point of view from playing against him a couple times, and just certain things that I look at when we’re going against other quarterbacks that might help him out. Maybe some different ways to look at defense, from that standpoint. Try to look at some different alignments or different coverages or different fronts, and then help him from that standpoint.”

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Matt Patricia, the long-time Bill Belichick disciple, is entering his first year as head coach in the National Football League. As a defensive-minded football man, he'll lean heavily on offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter to work his magic offensively.

Stafford, 30, is a one-time Pro Bowl quarterback who's remarkably a nine-year veteran of the league. His passing yardage numbers are always prolific. The Georgia product's surpassed 4,000 yards in each of the last seven seasons yet playoff success has been fleeting (with an 0-3 record overall).

Since Cooter's promotion during the season of 2015, Stafford has upped his game to a new level. Patricia, coming from a defensive angle (especially when his Pats teams took on the signal-caller), is hoping another level can still be achieved.