The Detroit Lions hiring Matt Patricia to replace Jim Caldwell was no big secret but who was going to fill his coaching staff was very much an unknown.
Coming off a 2018 Super Bowl run, Patricia was hired late in the offseason and with the majority of coordinators and position coaches having already signed on with other teams, it put him at a big disadvantage in assembling his staff for his inaugural year. With the pickings slim, Patricia went conservative and kept a majority of the previous coaching staff, including moving George Godsey to his natural spot at quarterbacks coach and retaining David Walker as the running backs coach.
With no playoffs his first season, Patricia got an early start in the offseason to look for coaches who meshed with his philosophies. In addition to new offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Patricia was able to bring in two highly respected position coaches to breathe new life into the Lions offense, Sean Ryan as the quarterback coach and Kyle Caskey as the running back coach.
Let’s take a closer look at the Ryan hire and what his role in the Lions offense will be this season.
It seemed like Stafford and Godsey never really saw eye-to-eye, possibly playing a role in Stafford’s down season and eventually leading to Godsey’s dismissal from the team.
To replace Godsey, the Lions were able to pluck Ryan from the Houston Texans bringing an experienced pair of eyes to help not only Stafford but the entire offense. Ryan has had a successful run in developing quarterbacks starting with Eli Manning back in New York and most recently with Deshaun Watson in Houston.
Ryan has held numerous roles in the NFL through his career including wide receivers coach for both the Giants and Texans. With his ample experience at multiple positions, Ryan received numerous offensive coordinator interviews this past offseason, speaking volumes to how highly touted Ryan has become in the league. Fortunately, those teams went in another direction giving the Lions a coach who could elevate the quarterback play in the Motor City.
Many would argue Stafford had one of his worst seasons as a pro recording only 3,777 yards, a career low through a full season, playing with a broken back and seeing many of his offensive weapons taken away from him via trade or injuries. Having gone through three quarterback coaches in four seasons, Stafford is no stranger through coach transitions and he is already making a strong impression on Ryan.
The backup quarterback situation for Detroit last year was very uninspiring, to say the least. Rolling with only Matt Cassell to back up Stafford was something straight out of a horror movie. If Stafford was going to miss any time, any hopes would go down the drain for any sort of competitive nature.
This time around the Lions wised up and signed, in many eyes, an upgrade at backup quarterback in Tom Savage. Now, Savage won’t dazzle everyone, but he is someone who could realistically keep the Lions competitive if Stafford were to miss a week or two.
Additionally, Savage played in Houston while Ryan was the quarterback coach, so the two are quite familiar with one another. That connection is already paying benefits and Savage might have already locked up the backup spot before training camp has even started.
Ryan knows what he is getting in Stafford calling him one of the more natural passers in the league with effortless throws, strong accuracy, and classified his arm as rare. Stafford surely has the skill set and intellect to pick up any nuances Ryan might give him. As long Stafford is willing to listen to Ryan’s advice, the seasoned coach will know how to get the most out of Stafford possibly bring back the gunslinger we all fell in love with.
Add in the Savage/Ryan familiarity, and Ryan is expected to rejuvenate the quarterback play in Detroit and build a fierce environment that could help the Lions get over that playoff hump.
