Detroit Lions coach Matt Patricia has not exactly had the most memorable first season in the job, and it seems that there were some real issues with punctuality behind the scenes.
The coach’s press availability on Wednesday was pushed back by a half hour from its original start time, and then Patricia didn’t arrive for another 15 minutes after that. According to Justin Rogers of the Detroit News, this is normal.
Matt Patricia has arrived at the announced time of his press conference once this year. I've never seen any pro or college coach struggle with punctuality anywhere near this degree.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) December 26, 2018
That tardiness apparently is not reserved only for the press. One anonymous Lions player told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press that Patricia has been consistently late to scheduled team meetings this season.
Patricia himself didn’t seem to care much for the concerns, offering an indifferent response when asked about how much he values punctuality.
“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.”
The Lions have regressed from 9-7 last season to 5-10 this year. There have been reports, particularly early in the season, that Patricia’s coaching style was grating on Lions players. One can understand why that would be if he was preaching discipline and a culture change while simultaneously showing up late to meetings.
