Patriots fans know this: It's not about what you know, it's about who you know, and for ex-Lions head coach Matt Patricia, that couldn't be more spot on.
Patricia was fired as the Detroit Lions head coach back in November after an unimpressive tenure in the Motor City. However, Patricia is heading back to the Patriots to rejoin Bill Belichick and his staff, and to maintain the high standards of a New England defense which played well in 2020 but got no help from a stumbling offense.
New: Matt Patricia is coming back to New England and will assist the Patriots coaching staff in a variety of roles, a league source confirmed. In addition, Evan Rothstein, who worked in a several roles with the Lions, also will join New England's staff. https://t.co/dUpYe8C1tl
— Jim McBride (@globejimmcbride) January 22, 2021
As we all know, Belichick loves bringing back his old crew. Current Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was the head coach for the Denver Broncos for two years, then spent a year on the Rams staff before returning to New England.
Patricia's head coaching gig didn't go too well in Detroit, as he finished with a 13-29-1 record in two-plus years after leaving the Patriots. Patricia replaced Jim Caldwell in Detroit, and unfortunately for Patricia, the Lions just could never figure it out.
Removed from his successful environment with the Patriots, Patricia faltered in the NFC North. Detroit was ranked towards the bottom of the NFL in scoring, pass defense, and total defense, and Patricia's group tied for the fewest takeaways in the league since 2018.
The Lions hired Saints assistant Dan Campbell to be the new head coach, and Campbell made headlines with his rather unique introductory press conference.
Patricia spent spent 14 seasons as an assistant for Belichick previous to moving to Detroit, including six seasons as the team's defensive coordinator. As was reported, Patricia isn't the only ex-Lions staff member to make his way back to the Patriots, as Evan Rothstein will join Belichick's staff.
For Patricia, sometimes it's more about who you know than what you know, and it sure seems that Patricia and Belichick will be happy to have a reunion with the Patriots.
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