One game into Matt Patricia's tenure and the first-time head coach is already being questioned.
Before Monday night's blowout loss to the New York Jets, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported on Good Morning Football Weekend he'd heard a lot about the atmosphere in Detroit after Patricia went hard on his players during training camp, including a lot of harsh criticisms from the coaching staff.
The embarrassment at Ford Field didn't do the head coach any favors as he tries to install his philosophy both on and off the field. After four years under player-friendly Jim Caldwell, the type of ship Patricia is attempting to run sits in stark contrast for some veteran holdovers.
Safety Glover Quin, one of the team leaders, acknowledged the atmosphere is different.
"Players that were here previously, I'm pretty sure a lot of them are like, 'This is tougher, this is different,'" Quin said Wednesday, via MLive's Kyle Meinke. "But that's always expected when you have a new coach. It's just the way it is. The personalities (between Patricia and Caldwell) are completely different, so obviously the way things are brought about are completely different. It's just a part of it. It happens to every team, and you just deal with it.
"Your job is to go out there and play football, and be a good football player."
One former Super Bowl winning Patriots player, when told by Garafolo what has been going on in Detroit this offseason, responded: "Good. They need it."
Between harder practices and more restrictive rules put in place by Patricia, some players are bound to be rankled.
"There's a lot of guys in here, man," Quin said. "There's a lot of guys in the locker room. No way that everybody is going to be completely happy. That's never been the case. Even schedules we've had in the past, there's always complaints. It's just part of human nature.
"I don't know who they're talking to. Ask NFL Network who they're talking to. Like I say, there's always going to be differences and people are always going to have things to say. Our job is to focus on football and trying to win games. Everything is better when you're winning. If you're winning, you know, it's hard to complain. You're winning, so whatever you're doing must be working."
As Garafolo noted, Patricia isn't the first coach to attempt to change the culture and bother some veterans who were comfortable with the old ways. One example was Tom Coughlin's approach when he took over the New York Giants. Many Big Blue players resisted Coughlin's hard-nosed, no-nonsense style. Then the winning began and players bought in.
Monday night's ugly loss puts Patricia on the other end after one game.
Since being hired, Patricia has gone out of his way to insist he's not trying to import "The Patriot Way" to Detroit. Veterans miffed at the changes might see it another way, and point to the failures of previous Bill Belichick mentees as a reason to resist.
On the flip side, Patricia and the Lions might need to figure out who hasn't bought in, and decide if it's worth moving on in some cases.
One player who seems to have bought in is quarterback Matthew Stafford.
"He's just a fiery, competitive, aggressive guy that is going to do everything he can to help us try and be successful," Stafford said of Patricia. "And that's a great thing to have.
"For me, I appreciate it. I understand that we're doing everything we can to try and win. And you can't let any kind of message get lost in the delivery of anything. And that was the same way with previous coaches that I've had. One side or the other, so it's not something I'm too concerned with to tell you the truth. Just trying to go out there and play better."
Winning will cure all ills.
The Lions moved on from Caldwell, who earned a 36-28 record, because they viewed their ceiling as capped under the former coach. Management believes Patricia's methods will boost that ceiling in the long run.
In the short term, a lot of players and fans might have angst about the process if the losses mount.
