Detroit Lions' Matt Patricia says he is not trying to be Bill Belichick in his new role
Thursday 8 February 2018 07:32, UK
Matt Patricia says he is not trying to be Bill Belichick in his new head coach role at Detroit Lions and insists he has his own style.
The former New England Patriots defensive coordinator was appointed by Detroit on Monday as replacement for Jim Caldwell, who was fired on January 1 after the Lions failed to make the playoffs for the second time in three years.
Patricia had worked alongside Patriots head coach Belichick since 2004, coaching on both defense and offense, before leaving the franchise the day after losing Super Bowl LII to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Patricia says he would take all the lessons he has learned from "amazing" Belichick, but he wants to be his own person and bring his style to Detroit.
"The way that [Belichick] looks at the game, his vision of the game, the way that he sees the game move and change before it actually does is unbelievable," he said in his first press conference.
"I'll say this: there is one coach Belichick. That's it. He's amazing. He's in New England. I'm Matt Patricia. I'm kind of my own person. I'm my own guy. I've got my own style. But I will certainly take all those lessons that I've learned. From how to teach and coach, and the fundamental beliefs that we had in New England, which I think are strong."
The 43-year-old also outlined his vision to make everyone involved with the Lions "proud" and lead the side in the best way.
"This is a dream come true for me. I believe that having the opportunity to be the head coach of an NFL team is a very rare and special gift and I'm honoured and grateful to be named the head coach of the Detroit Lions," added Patricia.
"This position carries with it great responsibility and I take that responsibility very seriously and I'm going to do everything I can to lead this organization in the right way.
"My goal is to help this organization, this fanbase and this city, to make it proud. I will work tirelessly to build a team that everyone around here can be proud of both on and off the field."
