Matt Patricia’s unlikely path to becoming an NFL coach began with his
buddies
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vibrating, metal field for fierce games of electric football.
”I
knew at a very young age the strategic part of the game was something
that I just loved,” Patricia said Wednesday after being introduced as
coach of the Detroit Lions. ”I thrived on it. We would try to just out
plan each other all the time and we’d have huge games that would roll
into weeks at a time.”
Years later, Patricia took a pivotal step
toward his dream job after earning an aeronautical engineering degree at
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute by being a graduate assistant at his
alma mater. The former offensive lineman – who is from Sherrill, New
York – coached up one of the players at RPI and saw him do what he was
taught during a game.
”The success that we had and his joy that
he showed from being able to do that, that’s really when it clicked for
me as a coach,” Patricia said with his previously bushy beard trimmed
and a pencil over his right ear. ”At that point, the strategic part of
the game along with my coaching aspirations just kind of put things in
motion.”
The Lions desperately hope Patricia takes full advantage
of his first opportunity to lead a football team and ends their
decades-long search for a coach who can lead them to elusive success in
the playoffs.
Since winning the 1957 NFL title, Detroit’s only postseason victory was more than a quarter-century ago.
”Our
goal is to win and to compete for championships,” team president Rod
Wood said. ”I believe that we are taking the next step in meeting those
expectations.”
Lions general manager Bob Quinn fired coach Jim
Caldwell last month with a 36-28 mark over four years and two playoff
appearances. The Lions went 9-7 last season and missed the playoffs,
ranking among the NFL’s worst rushing teams for the fourth straight
year.
”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,” Quinn
said.
The 43-year-old Patricia helped New England win three Super
Bowls over 14 years. He was the Patriots’ defensive coordinator the
past six seasons.
Detroit’s search was focused on Patricia right from the start because he worked with Quinn for a dozen years in New England.
”We
sat next to each other in a lot of team meetings in New England for
many of our years together,” Quinn recalled. ”We also spent a great deal
of time together on the road scouting college prospects
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find new players.”
In recent years, Patricia has become a
candidate to lead a team in the league as one of Bill Belichick’s top
assistant coaches. He appeared to be in the running to be hired by his
homestate New York Giants and perhaps the Arizona Cardinals, but choose
the challenge in the Motor City at least in part because of his
relationship with Quinn.
”My comfort level with Bob is huge in all of this,” he said.
After
being a graduate assistant at RPI in 1996, Patricia shifted gears to be
an aeronautical engineer for two years. Patricia got back on the
sideline as a defensive line coach at Amherst College in 1999 and went
on to be a graduate assistant for Paul Pasqualoni, whom he has hired to
be Detroit’s defensive coordinator.
Jim Bob Cooter was not
mentioned in the Lions’ release regarding staff additions , but he is
listed on the team’s website as its returning offensive coordinator.
”Jim
Bob is on staff and he will be here,” Patricia said. ”Obviously, he’s
done a great job here in what he’s been able to accomplish with both him
and (Matthew) Stafford and the offense.”
—
The rain was
heavy and relentless. As the puddles grew deeper on the tarp at
Nationals Park, the Baltimore Orioles were left to wonder if their bid
for a rare road victory would be thwarted by, of all things, the
weather.
During a season in which very little has worked in their
favor, the Orioles withstood a long rain delay to beat the Washington
Nationals 3-0 Wednesday night.
Baltimore led 2-0 after four
innings when play was stopped. After a wait of 2 hours
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hundred fans from the announced crowd of 32,153 sprinkled around the
lower seating bowl.
Mark Trumbo homered for Baltimore, and Andrew
Cashner and four relievers combined on a five-hitter in a game that
ended long after midnight.
”It was nice,” Trumbo said. ”I’m glad
that we actually kept the game going. Had we not been able to, it might
have been a wash. But it ended up being pretty big for us.”
Baltimore
ended a six-game losing streak to Washington that began last May, won
for only the fourth time in 20 games and improved the majors’ worst road
record to 10-28.
This one was worth the wait.
”It’s never
easy, especially when you get over the hour mark, two-hour mark,”
Trumbo said. ”Then you have to restart. It’s almost two games in one,
so, great job by our guys tonight.”
The Nationals managed only two hits following the delay, both in the ninth inning.
”It
happens. You can’t do anything about the rain
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to come out and get yourself ready to play. I’m not going to make any
excuses.”
The rain delay cut short a solid pitching performance
by Cashner, who allowed three hits and no walks over four innings in his
return from an 11-day stay on the disabled list with back spasms.
Miguel Castro (2-2) followed with two hitless innings, Darren O’Day pitched a perfect seventh and Zach Britton got four outs.
Brad Brach allowed the Nationals to load the bases with two outs in the ninth before striking out Mark Reynolds .
Trumbo
hit a two-run homer in the second inning off Gio Gonzalez (6-4), and
for a while it appeared the drive would be washed out by the rain.
”One pitch. That was the whole game,” Gonzalez lamented. ”That was it.”
Indeed,
it all ended well for the Orioles, who added a run in the sixth when
Adam Jones doubled off Shawn Kelley and scored on a sacrifice fly by
Danny Valencia .
BRYCE STRUGGLES
Nationals OF Bryce Harper went 0 for 4, dropping his batting average to .209.
Martinez
said Harper has been working hard with batting coach Kevin Long, and
the manager expects the five-time All-Star to end his prolonged slump
with a flourish.
”He’s going to hit. I know he’s going to carry us for a month or two or for whatever,” Martinez said.
WAITING FOR DAVIS
Now
in the third year of a seven-year, $161 million contract, Baltimore’s
Chris Davis is batting .150 with four homers and 15 RBIs in 57 games. He
last played on June 11, when he went 0 for 5 with three strikeouts
against Boston.
Since then
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improving his mental outlook. His return appears imminent.
”A couple of days,” manager Buck Showalter said. ”We’re pretty close to it.”
OH, BROTHER
With
Cashner coming off the DL, the Orioles optioned infielder Corban Joseph
to Double-A Bowie. That ended the 24-hour, feel-good story of Corban
and catcher Caleb Joseph as brothers on the same team.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Orioles:
3B Tim Beckham (core surgery) went 1 for 4 with 3 strikeouts in a rehab
game with Triple-A Norfolk. … RHP Chris Tillman (back) began his rehab
assignment by giving up three runs in two innings for Class A Aberdeen.
Nationals:
Martinez said patience is the key in awaiting the return of RHP Stephen
Strasburg (shoulder). ”We’re really going to take our time and make
sure he’s 100 percent,” the manager said. … 1B Ryan Zimmerman (oblique)
is taking grounders and some swings. … C Matt Wieters (oblique) caught
in the bullpen but is not yet running at full speed.
UP NEXT
Orioles: Kevin Gausman (3-6, 4.48 ERA) pitches the finale of the three-game series Wednesday night.
Nationals: Max Scherzer (10-3, 2.06) tries to avoid his first three-game losing streak since August 2015.
—
The Wall