Second Thoughts

Detroit’s Matt Patricia watches his team play — and lose — in his first game as an NFL head coach Monday night against the New York Jets.
Detroit’s Matt Patricia watches his team play — and lose — in his first game as an NFL head coach Monday night against the New York Jets.

Patricia over his head early with Detroit

An employee at a new company can sometimes have a rough start while getting acclimated to his or her surroundings. The same could perhaps be said of new Detroit Coach Matt Patricia after the Lions' season-opening loss to the New York Jets on Monday night.

But Shawn Winsdor of the Detroit Free Press said Patricia didn't pass his head coaching eye test on the first go-round.

"Rough nights appear less rough the next morning. Viewed with a little distance. Perhaps a bit of sleep," Windsor wrote.

"Unless you're a Detroit Lions fan waking up after the worst head-coaching debut in modern franchise history, and the reality looks even worse.

"What happened Monday night at Ford Field wasn't as embarrassing as it was revealing: Matt Patricia is in over his head.

"Maybe that changes as the season moves forward. Maybe it doesn't.

"But this wasn't just a team that made a few mistakes in its home opener. This was a team that didn't look like ... a team.

"The Lions looked confused, unprepared and, at times, disconnected from their coach, who spent most of the night on the sidelines by himself. Now, Patricia doesn't owe his players shoulder rubs and attaboys during a game.

"Yet it's worth noting that the endearing, affectionate coordinator you saw hugging the sidelines in New England got lost on the way to Detroit. His new persona appears stiffer and uncomfortable, and that's understandable. He's the man here.

"The question is: Is he the right man?

"Normally, after a single game, that's a laughable question. Absurd, really. Perspective is a sportswriter's best friend.

"But nothing seemed normal about Monday night. Something was off.

"From the ease with which the Jets' defense sniffed out the Lions' playbook to the discordant symphony of Patricia's own defense: the Lions played like amateurs.

"The same Lions, I'll remind you, who missed the playoffs last year by a game.

"No, this isn't a Super Bowl roster. But it's good enough to compete with a rookie quarterback at home.

"That it couldn't is not just strange; it's unsettling, which is saying something considering these are the Lions.

"All of which should make you wonder: How much of Patricia's resume was padded by Bill Belichick and Tom Brady's reality show?

"And how much will Patricia be able to transfer from New England to Detroit?

"Because so far, he has brought nothing."

Woo pig graffiti

Mississippi State University police said vandals spray-painted the words "Woo Pig" on a statue of the school's mascot located near the football stadium last week.

The statue of the bulldog, named Bully, was vandalized between 8 p.m. on Sept. 7 and 5 a.m. Saturday, the university's police department said Tuesday on Twitter.

There are a number of Bully statues on campus, but the only one defaced was located in the tailgating area known as "the Junction" next to Davis Wade Stadium, university spokesman Sid Salter said Wednesday.

Vandals sprayed the bronze statue Razorback red and painted the words "Woo Pig" on the side of its white base. On the other side of the base, the vandals wrote the date Nov. 17 when the Razorbacks travel to Starkville to play the Bulldogs.

Salter said maintenance crews used a sand blaster to remove the graffiti, and it's "clean, shiny and pristine" for Saturday's home game against Louisiana-Lafayette.

An investigation is ongoing, and campus police may offer a cash reward to anyone who provides information leading to an arrest, according to the Twitter post.

Sports on 09/14/2018

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