With Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia, it always goes back to where it began, namely who he replaced and why he was called to replace him.
That person was Jim Caldwell, who in four seasons with Detroit went 36-28 and reached the playoffs twice. The Lions went 9-7 in each of his final two seasons. Detroit fired him anyway, per the order of general manager Bob Quinn, who saw a talented roster not getting maximized (the Lions went 0-2 in those road playoff games).
“It’s wanting to take this team to the next level,” Quinn said at the time.