Matt Patricia Warning Belichick and McDaniels He's Mic'd Up is Peak Patriots Coaching

So maybe things aren't going swimmingly so far for Matt Patricia in Detroit. Maybe he's won as many games (nine) in two years as Jim Caldwell did in each of his last two years before getting fired. Perhaps he's struggling to turn around a culture that has Lions players and even the Detroit media complaining about things like running laps and practicing outdoors in the elements like it's their jobs.

Change is hard. Loser franchises are like super tankers or aircraft carriers. Their momentum is built up over a long period, and it takes a lot of time and distance to turn them around. 

But sometimes the reality that change is hard can be a good thing. For instance, when you've been taught all the right things, sometimes even being stuck in the worst environment can't make you unlearn them. Patricia learned from the very best. Not just how to X & O, but how to go through life with just the right amount of paranoia. To watch what you say. And never, ever let your guard down, even among your best friends whom you owe your entire career to. 

I mean, if Belichick could've advised him ahead of time, he probably would've told him to silently signal he was wearing a wire. Like a made member of the family only pretending to be working with the FBI to reduce his sentence, but tipping them off so they can fake the conversation. Then Belichick and McDaniels could've fed the world all sort of misinformation. Think that time on "The Shield" when Vic Mackey knew the cop he was talking to was bugged, so he talked about how he's only faking being a crooked cop to catch bad guys and throw Internal Affairs off his trail. I would've loved to hear Belichick and McDaniels stage a fake conversation about how they're loading up to go after Joe Burrow or say they're making Long Snapper their No. 1 priority, just to mess up everyone else's draft boards. 

But as much as I respect Patricia and everything he's trying to turn the Lions around, he's not quite up to that 5-D Mr. Spock chess level of thinking quite yet. Maybe when he comes back to work for Belichick again in a couple of years, he'll get there. 

P.S. The fact the Patriots braintrust has the luxury of being at the Senior Bowl, plus still be so tight with the guy coaching the North team has to be a huge benefit this offseason. I'm anticipating the best draft they've had in years.