The Detroit Lions wrapped up the virtual offseason program last week. It was a modification from the normal series of OTAs and minicamps due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The team did a good job keeping the media looped in via frequent Zoom teleconferences. With everyone working remotely, it was difficult to coordinate bringing everyone together.
Here are a few things I picked up about the team from the virtual offseason program.
Matt Patricia is a different coach now than he was two years ago
The personal transformation in the public persona that head coach Matt Patricia presents has been striking for those of us who have been around the coach for even a limited amount of time.
Gone is the abrasive, haughty Patricia, the master of the filibuster press conference. Sure, he still lets everyone know he’s running the show, but Patricia is much more relaxed, interesting and informative now that he’s had a couple of years under his belt.
It was a tangible difference during the Senior Bowl week in Mobile and again in Indianapolis for the NFL Scouting Combine this winter. In the Zoom calls, the same Patricia has shown up. He’s cracked jokes, he’s talked about his kids and family, he’s shown legit interest in providing good answers to the questions — particularly the on-field related inquisitions from a press corps that has also learned to ask better questions.
This is the Matt Patricia that the Boston-area media colleagues told us we would really like when the Lions hired him away from the Patriots in 2018. It’s the guy fans have gotten to appreciate when he takes in a Tigers game with his family or goes into the kitchen of a restaurant while on vacation in the Holland area because the cooks are all big Lions fans and Patricia wanted to thank them.
Watching him teach young players during Senior Bowl week, seeing how quickly he learned what communication technique to use with players with different personalities, that was not something I expected to see from Patricia. His Lions players have let us know they’ve noticed it too, both on and off the record.
We won’t know if it produces the desired results until the pigskin starts flying, but it’s clear Patricia has come to the realization that not being himself did not work for him or the Lions.
Matthew Stafford has the complete faith of everyone in the organization
It’s not a new development, not whatsoever. But it’s still nice to see how ardently the Lions management, coaches and teammates have Matthew Stafford’s back. We heard it from Coach Patricia, from Darrell Bevell, from Danny Amendola, from Cory Undlin, from anyone who represents the Lions at any level.
By now everyone should know how well-liked and respected No. 9 is within the Lions organization. Yet the probing, the incessant need to try and fabricate drama, remains irresistible for some in the media. Every single time anyone tried to push those buttons, every single Lions respondent smacked those fingers with the ruler of a cross schoolmarm.
Even former teammates still profess their respect, including CB Darius Slay even after he left Detroit in a snit. Stafford’s hard work to get back from his back injuries has only galvanized the support for 2020. At this point, the only people speculating about the team giving up on Stafford before the end of 2020 are ignorant provocateurs who do not deserve anyone’s attention.
Jeff Okudah should be ready to thrive right away
One of the highlights of new defensive coordinator Cory Undlin’s Zoom session was his astonishment at his rookie CB’s dedication to the craft. Undlin said he’s never seen anyone devour film study like Okudah, the team’s first-round pick.
He even joked that Okudah might need to back off the intensity of preparation a bit,
“Jeff is driven like few men I’ve been around in this profession and I know that and I can tell that albeit a Zoom call. The guy is nonstop. To the point where it’s like, ‘Jeff, can we talk about something, like can we not talk about football for like five minutes? Can we talk about something else? Do you do anything else?’ That’s how he’s wired.”
That’s similar to what we heard from Dan Hope of Eleven Warriors back at the Senior Bowl, before anyone knew Okudah was coming to Detroit. Hope noted Okudah blossomed in 2019 because he outworked everyone and understood how to process film study into on-field actions.
One of the consistent lines on Okudah is that he’s tirelessly devoted to self-improvement. It’s going to be exciting to see all studious energy finally get on the field. He’ll be more ready than most rookie CBs even without a normal offseason.
Expect Trey Flowers to step up his leadership in his second season in Detroit
Flowers was a very impressive performer in his first season with the Lions, but fans rarely heard from the defensive end. Those of us in the media didn’t really, either; he was a perfectly professional presence but not really an outgoing guy or someone who sought the camera in Year 1.
Year 2 is off to a different start. Flowers did a Zoom media session from his offseason home. He was engaging and more open than we’ve seen him before. Flowers was comfortable and direct, giving thoughtful answers and talking positively about the defense.
He’s also been more visible on social media and outspoken on social issues. While that’s not part of his job and won’t do much for his on-field game, Flowers is showing he’s not going to sit idle and not utilize the platform his strong play and big contract have given him.
The Lions defense lost a considerable amount of veteran leadership over the past few months. Devon Kennard, Damon Harrison, Quandre Diggs and Darius Slay are all gone. It seems like Flowers understands he needs to step up to help fill that considerable void.
