It’s taken some getting used to, but after a couple of weeks it’s finally normal to see Lions coach Matt Patricia tooling around the practice fields in Allen Park on an ATV. Patricia had Achilles tendon surgery this summer, and his rehabilitation has kept the burly coach unable to put weight on his leg or move around without mechanical assistance.
Patricia upgraded from a golf cart to an ATV, and during the Lions first preseason game he was on a raised platform on the sidelines.
He’s still got the foot immobilized, but Patricia is progressing in his rehab. The coach was asked about his health after he wheeled into the final media session in Allen Park before the team heads to Houston.
“We’re still day-by-day, but obviously we have some progress here,” said Patricia of his left leg. “It really is day-by-day for me. I think I’ve had like four different casts on. This is a walking boot, but I’m still kind of in the same mode right now. This is just so that the trainers and the physical therapy can get in and just start moving my foot around and stuff like that.”
He joked that he hopes the ATV arrives in Houston, and Patricia was forced to go back to the cumbersome golf cart for Tuesday’s workout.
“Yeah, you might see me on the golf cart today,” Patricia said with a disappointed smile. “I think the ATV might be in route down there. I’d rather have a little bit more of a transportation. Hopefully it’s on a truck and not some guy driving it by himself.”
