Matt Patricia, noted fan of ... the Lions? The team's former head coach, who was fired midway through the 2020 season with Detroit headed for its third straight last-place finish in the NFC North, has enjoyed watching the Lions' success under his replacement Dan Campbell.
"I love Detroit. I’m so happy for the fans," Patricia said Thursday morning on NFL Network ahead of the Lions-Packers showdown Thursday night. "That fanbase, when you take a job and go to a city, really all you want to do as a coach is just go win for those people that are dying to have that and experience that. And I’m so happy for Dan and his staff and the players that are there, ownership. That city’s on fire right now. It’s great, it’s a lot of fun. I think it’s unbelievable what they’re doing."
The Lions went 13-29-1 under Patricia. They're 35-27-1 under Campbell, 31-8-1 since midway through his second season. They enter Thursday night's game on a 10-game win streak for the first time since 1934 -- their inaugural season in Detroit.
"I love how they’re playing the game," said Patricia. "(What) Dan has built, the culture he has brought in, the toughness that he has there. I love offense, I love offensive line, Hank Fraley, what he’s done with those guys, and certainly Ben Johnson, what he’s been able to do with the offense, those guys are phenomenal. Defense is playing well. They’ve got some injuries they have to work through, but I think they will. They’re a well-coached team. Dave Fipp on special teams, he does a great job.
"I mean, love it, I think it’s great. Who doesn’t want the Lions to win? Like, this has been forever. Let’s go, let’s go win!"
Fraley, Detroit's offensive line coach, and Johnson, the offensive coordinator, were both hired by Patricia. Patricia also sung the praises of his first draft pick in Detroit, three-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow. But when asked what's changed for the Lions since he left, Patricia was sure to say, "Give credit to Dan Campbell and what he was able to do to just get the entire building to follow what he wanted them to do, believe in what they were preaching, go out, work hard."
"Look, we all know how it is in the NFL. As you get a little bit of success, you get a little bit of that belief -- everybody’s good in the NFL, these are great football players -- sometimes it just needs a little bit of a spark, a little bit of belief. We’ve seen that in individual guys that go out and make a play and all of a sudden you become a great player in the league. It’s no different with a team," Patricia said.