Coronavirus Could End Up Saving Matt Patricia's Job

New Lions principal owner Sheila Ford Hamp acknowledges 'weird year'

The fate of Detroit Lions general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia was discussed in Sheila Ford Hamp's introductory media session. 

Following a disastrous 2019 season, ownership mandated that the team be in "playoff contention" in 2020. 

Even though improving the on-field product and securing significantly better results appear straight-forward in nature, the mandate still has left certain supporters confused due to the lack of specificity.

Ford Hamp stopped short of demanding the Lions secure a playoff berth in 2020 when asked about the mandate. 

As a global pandemic poses a serious threat to sports all over the country, Patricia may actually benefit from the uncertainty that threatens the upcoming season and the NFL rosters of all 32 franchises.

“This is going to be kind of a weird year, so I don’t want to say anything about wins and losses,” she said. “The over-arching thing is, we want to see major improvement. At this point, I can’t really say what those specific measures are going to be because I don’t know what the season is gonna be like yet. But, believe me, major improvement is the goal.”

In his two seasons at the helm, Patricia's win-loss record is just 9-22-1. 

While there are certainly higher expectations for this upcoming season, the circumstances surrounding the sports world may actually benefit the current staff, as organizations may not be looking to make drastic changes.

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