Lions Headed Toward Repeating Mistakes of Houston Texans

Could the Detroit Lions allow general manager Bob Quinn to make deadline moves and then dismiss him at the end of the season? Read more.

The Houston Texans announced on Monday the dismissal of head coach and general manager Bill O'Brien. 

O'Brien, who went 52-48 and won four division titles in seven seasons in Houston, started the 2020 season 0-4.

The dismissal raised some eyebrows, and drew the ire of some supporters of the Texans that wondered why O'Brien was allowed to remain at the helm long enough to trade star wideout DeAndre Hopkins this past offseason.

The Lions now find themselves in a very similar situation.

General manager Bob Quinn and head coach Matt Patricia are firmly on the hot seat due to the abysmal win-loss record of the team, and seemingly no answers are in sight for why the defense continuously blows double-digit leads.

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At his annual season-ending press conference last year, Quinn shared that even despite the win-now mandate, he is taking both a short-term and long-term approach to building the roster. 

"When I took this job (in) 2016, my vision was as a general manager, you always have to have your lens on the short-term and the long-term. That is not going to change," Quinn said.

Quinn has not been hesitant to shake up Detroit's roster, as evidenced by trading wideout Golden Tate and safety Quandre Diggs midseason when the team was underperforming.

Detroit does have a couple of critical roster decisions to make ahead of this year's trade deadline, as well. 

Star wideout Kenny Golladay has yet to receive a new contract, and could draw some interest at the deadline from other teams looking to bolster their offensive attack.

Marvin Jones Jr. is playing on the last year of his contract, and could also be the subject of trade rumors as the deadline nears.

Does Detroit really want to repeat the mistakes of the Texans by allowing Quinn to make critical decisions, despite the clear uncertainty regarding his job status and if he is fit to even make those decisions?

At this point, it is still believed that Quinn and Patricia will be given until the end of the season to right the ship. 

Quinn could cause even more irreparable harm to the organization along the way if he is allowed to make key decisions in October and then gets dismissed at the end of the season.

More from SI All Lions:

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Lions' Week 4 Offensive Grades

Week 4 Defensive Grades: Kamara and Murray Make Lions Pay

Legend of Jim Caldwell Has Grown Because Matt Patricia Has Failed

Matthew Stafford Deserves as Much Blame for Lions Woes as Matt Patricia

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