There was a lot of head scratching going on around the league when the Detroit Lions dealt one of their best and most popular players, slot receiver Golden Tate, at the NFL trade deadline.
Some Lions players expressed unhappiness via social media. “WTF!” wrote safety Quandre Diggs, while punt returner Jamal Agnew simply said “Bruh” which I’m told can be loosely translated as... “WTF!”
But not all the Lions expressed unhappiness, not even the guy you’d think had the most reason to be unhappy.
“Really good player, really good friend of mine, the whole thing”, said Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford. “I wish him the best, but at the same time I think it’s just on everybody. We’ve got a lot of weapons, we’ve got a lot of stuff, a ton of guys on offense that can make plays for us. They do it probably a different what then he did, but I still think we can be successful in what we want to do.”
Think about that for a moment. Tate was not only one of Stafford’s top targets, but he was also among the league’s best when it comes to collecting yards after the catch. If anybody had a reason to complain about Tate being traded it was Stafford, especially because nobody in the Lions front office bothered to ask the Lions quarterback his opinion on the transaction. It's a right many would say Stafford has earned. Right Aaron Rodgers?
“They’re going to do what they think is best for the team,” reflects Stafford. “It’s not my decision to see who stays, who goes. That’s not my job, and I understand that, and I think they know that and respect that too, so just let them do their job and I’ll deal with whatever comes.”
'They' are Lions General Manager Bob Quinn and first year head coach Matt Patricia. And why would Stafford have such blind faith in the duo? Turns out they both have experience not just in winning football games, but also in winning Super Bowls. Quinn’s driver’s license may say he’s 42, but my guess is he gets carded in every bar he enters.
Quinn earned a Bachelor’s degree in political science, and a Master’s degree in sports management at the University of Connecticut, where he was also a graduate assistant for the Huskies football team. After joining the New England Patriots as a player personnel assistant, Quinn worked his way up the team’s scouting ladder before being named the team’s Director of Pro Scouting in 2012.
Quinn won four Super Bowl Rings with the Patriots, the team winning their 5th ring after Quinn had left in 2016 to take over as GM in Detroit. Still, his fingerprints are all over the Pats, even today.
Now, Quinn’s task is to turn over the culture of a franchise that has not only never won a Super Bowl, but has never even reached one... much less lost in the big game four times. (Ahem).
This past year saw Quinn take Patricia, the former Patriots defensive coordinator, and make him the Lion's head coach. Despite his previous success, Patricia is struggling to find his feet and his voice, something that was magnified into national news this week when the rookie coach called out a reporter for their posture while asking a question.
Quinn, however, has not garnered a lot of second guessing. This past year saw the Lions take Arkansas center Frank Ragnow from Chanhassen in the first round and running back Kerryon Johnson of Auburn in round two. Both players have opened their respective NFL careers to rave reviews and barring injury, would appear to be solid building blocks for the Lions future.
The Lions GM was also active in the week before the trade deadline, adding defensive tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison, who appeared to pay immediate dividends. In the Lions loss to Seattle, Harrison had a quarterback pressure and a sack, figuring in the Lions only two sacks of the game. Snacks also recorded seven solo tackles and two tackles for loss, this in a week where he had just arrived and had not even had a week with his new coaches and teammates.
Harrison seems like a perfect fit for the three-man fronts and two-gap responsibilities that Patricia ran with the Patriots. But with All-Pro defensive end Ziggy Ansah still struggling to return from an injury suffered in week one, the Lions were gashed by the Seahawks every time Harrison was on the sideline.
After starting the season 0-2, then 1-3, the Lions managed to get back to 3-3 before last Sunday’s home game against Seattle, another 3-3 team. It seemed like that was a game the Lions would win, putting them solidly within striking range of the lead in the NFC North.
With a 28-14 loss however, Quinn decided to deal Golden Tate while there was a buyer’s market, taking at least $3 million off the Lions payroll from a player who had an expiring contract and was going to demand more. By dealing Tate, Quinn not only frees-up more money for the free-agent market, but the 3rd round pick he acquired from Philadelphia gives the Lions the ability to do what Quinn loves... draft more young players.
It’s what he does best and it appears he already has a believer in the veteran Stafford, who has chosen to stay the course.... knowing it’s his best route of ever reaching that elusive Super Bowl.
“This week, the rest of the season, will be no different”, insists Stafford. “We’ve got to have guys step up. They know that. I got a bunch of confidence in those guys, our coaches do too. So, we’re just going to move forward with that attitude and that game plan.”
Something that’s a whole lot easier to do when you believe in the guys who are calling the shots.