Report of Matt Patricia being 'consistently late' to meetings caps tough season for first-year Lions coach
Detroit Lions rookie head coach Matt Patricia has taken heat for his clock management on the field this season.
It’s apparently something that plagues him off the field as well.
Patricia reportedly late to Lions meetings
The Detroit Free Press reports that an anonymous former player said that Patricia was consistently late to his own team meetings.
Chalk that up as a revelation not expected from a Bill Belichick disciple.
A reporter used the opportunity of Patricia showing up late to a news conference on Wednesday to probe him on his thoughts on punctuality.
‘Fluidity is … best answer’
“I think it just depends on the situation really,” Patricia said. “It depends. There’s a pretty busy schedule from those situations I think for everybody. I think fluidity is probably the best answer for you.”
[Play in our Week 17 DFS contest: $1M prize pool. $100K to first. Join now!]
It hasn’t been a banner first year for Patricia in Detroit.
His Lions did pick up a marquee win over his mentor and the New England Patriots in decisive fashion on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 3.
Bad headlines for Patricia
But there’s been very little to cheer for since in Detroit, as the Lions enter their season finale against the Green Bay Packers with a 5-10 record including losses to the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford has regressed under Patricia and is on pace for a career-low touchdown total when playing a full season, having thrown 19 along with 11 interceptions through the team’s first 15 games.
Patricia has made more noise for bickering with reporters about their posture than anything positive he’s done on the field.
And, of course, there was the dismissed sexual assault case against Patricia from 1996 that surfaced in the offseason after Detroit hired him.
Probably safe for at least another year
So yeah. It’s been a tough go for Patricia this season. He’s in his first year of a reported four-year contract with the Lions, so his job is likely secure come Black Monday.
But it’s safe to say these aren’t the headlines the Lions envisioned when hiring a Belichick protege.
Related NFL video on Yahoo Sports
More from Yahoo Sports:
• LeBron listed as day-to-day with slight groin strain
• Report: UFC fighter injured in grenade attack
• Twitter roasts unflattering Draymond sketch
• Bears’ Mack puts on Bulls uniform for Christmas
