New Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia decided to keep incumbent offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter in lieu of putting in his own choice for the job. This despite the two having no previous working relationship.

Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford gave a glowing endorsement of Cooter shortly after former head coach Jim Caldwell was fired, which was believed to be the reason why Cooter kept his job. But as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports, Patricia made the call to keep Cooter himself after consulting people he knew who have worked with Cooter.

“So Jim Bob, I’ve obviously coached against him a couple of times, I have a lot of people that have worked with him, I have a lot of people that he kind of worked under as they were coordinators,” Patricia said. “Like Brain Daboll, just guys that I’m very close with that I know him very well. So I respect him, I respect what he does. So I don’t — for me there was no real reason to make a change if I don’t think a change is necessary.”

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Patricia has made a big call by choosing to retain Cooter. It could potentially make or break his debut season in charge in Detroit. But it’s not hard to see why Patricia came to his decision. Cooter has a very good relationship with Stafford, who is one of the few obvious strengths the Lions have at the moment.

It should be a big plus for his quarterback to have that type of comfort level with the play-caller and will hopefully be one less thing for Patricia to worry about.