The worst-kept secret in the NFL finally became reality on Monday, as the Lions announced Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia would become their new head coach.
"I'm incredibly honored and grateful to be named Head Coach of the Detroit Lions," Patricia said in a statement. "Thank you to Mrs. Ford and her family, Rod Wood, and Bob Quinn for their trust and support as we begin this new chapter of Lions football. This position comes with great responsibility, and I will commit every ounce of my energy to this football team, starting today. My family is excited to become part of this wonderful city that displays so much passion for their teams.
"I can't express enough appreciation to the entire New England Patriots franchise, particularly Robert and Jonathan Kraft and their entire family. I will truly cherish these last 14 years as a member of this incredible organization.
"Lastly, I'd like to express my appreciation and thanks to Bill Belichick. He's been a remarkable mentor to me, not only as a football coach but also as a man and as a friend. I have learned immensely from his detailed leadership approach to the game, which has certainly shaped me into the football coach that I am today. Quite simply, I've been incredibly fortunate to work with, who I believe, is the greatest coach in NFL history.
"Now I turn all of my attention to the Lions. I look forward to the next chapter of my career in Detroit."
Lions general manager Bob Quinn — a former Patriots’ personnel man — also released a statement:
"When we launched the search for our next head coach, 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. He has been preparing for this opportunity his entire career, and he's ready for the responsibility and its challenges.
"Matt is driven to succeed, has extreme passion for the game and excels in preparation. He embodies the same hard-working, blue-collar attributes that represent our organization and the great City of Detroit."
So where does New England go from here?
The leading in-house candidate would appear to be linebackers coach Brian Flores, who has the coaching versatility (he’s worked with the safeties and linebackers) and was on roughly the same career arc as Patricia when he eventually ascended to the role of DC in 2012. Flores talked about the possibility of taking over for Patricia last week.
“I’d say we have a lot of great coaches on our staff,” Flores was asked about becoming New England’s next defensive coordinator. “First guy that comes to mind is Brendan Daly. Josh Boyer. Steve Belichick. DeMarcus Covington has come on this year. We have a lot of great coaches on our staff. All very well capable of taking that position if Matt chooses to leave.
“Obviously, we love Matt — he’s done a great job. He’s done a tremendous job, I should say. But again, right now, my focus is on Philly. Whatever the future holds, we’ll deal with it then.”
While he usually likes to promote from within the organization, there was a report on Monday that stated the team was set to hired Greg Schiano as the new defensive coordinator. The current defensive coordinator at Ohio State, Schiano and Belichick do have a relationship that goes back many years to when Schiano was the head coach at Rutgers. However, that rumor was dismissed by Bruce Feldman, at least for now.
Saw the report that Greg Schiano is leaving #OhioState for the #Patriots DC job. Am told Schiano hasn't decided whether he's leaving OSU yet. Brian Flores may get promoted to DC in New England. Schiano could have a job on the Pats staff w/ Belichick but still hasn't decided.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 5, 2018