Matt Patricia is going to be a popular figure in Detroit. If he can lead the Lions to a Super Bowl win during his time in Motown, he will become a legend. Even though this will be his first crack at being a head coach in the NFL, Patricia knows he won’t be getting a free pass in season one.

Building a defense

According to a Freep.com report, the Detroit Lions officially announced the hiring of Patricia as their next head coach on Monday (Feb. 5) - even though it was one of the worst-kept secrets in Lions history, The rumor that Patricia was the next in line to take over in Detroit has been circulating for nearly a month, and when Lions GM Bob Quinn officially called off his coaching search two weeks ago, fans knew Patricia was the choice.

While the Patriots are known for Tom Brady and the offense, Patricia has quietly built one of the best defenses in the NFL over the past seven seasons, and now he is looking to do the same in Detroit. Stats can be very overrated in sports but here is one that isn’t in the NFL - points allowed per game. Over the last three seasons, the Patriots have been one of the stingiest teams in the league in terms of giving up points.

In 2015 they finished fourth overall, allowing 19.7 points per game. In 2016, New England was No. 1 overall as they allowed a league-low 15.6 PPG. Last season they were tied for fifth with the Philadelphia Eagles at 18.5 PPG. The Lions, on the other hand, are trending the opposite way over the last three seasons.

Detroit has been in the top ten for giving up the most points per game. In 2015 the Lions allowed 25 PPG. In 2016 the number was 22.3 PPG and last season Detroit gave up 23.5 per contest. How important is this stat? Well, 89 percent of the teams that ranked in the top eight squads to give up the fewest points per game made the postseason.

How to watch live

If you are interested in watching Matt Patricia’s press conference live when he is officially introduced to fans and the media as the Lions new head coach, you have several options. Locally in Detroit, FOX 2 and the NFL Network reported they will carry the conference live on the network TV side. According to Pride of Detroit, the press conference will be streamed live online on DetroitLions.com and based on the team’s history, it will also likely be streaming from the team’s official Facebook and Periscope pages.

The conference is scheduled to take place today, Wednesday, February 7, at 3 PM ET. Patricia will be the 27th head coach in Detroit Lions history.
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