Lions notes: Will the team buy in to Matt Patricia?

One of the biggest storylines surrounding the Detroit Lions early in the 2018 season was surrounding the teams alleged “grueling” practice routine. Reports* say that players were undergoing heavy conditioning, and even that some players were beginning to switch off to the system being implemented by new head coach.

The reports ended up taking center stage when the team suffered a devastating loss to the New York Jets in Week 1, and as a tumultuous season wore on, many began to question whether or not the team had bought into their new leader.

ESPN beat writers from all around the NFL came together on Tuesday to put together a list of storylines that may define the upcoming season. Lions beat writer Mike Rothstein wrote that the biggest story line for the team this year would be whether or not the coaching staff will get full commitment from the players this year, as he said:

Patricia will need the players to believe in his approach, which is a marked change from that of the past.

If the Lions coaching staff loses the locker room we could be in for another rough season. If they manage to pull everyone together, though, then the sky may be the limit for what the team can accomplish this year.

*A source has confirmed these reports to Pride of Detroit

• Our mothership, SBNation.com hopped on the popular Twitter trend of placing quarterbacks into tier lists on Tuesday, but did it with a twist. Christian D’Andrea ranked every current NFL backup quarterback, and the Lions are not where fans would like them to be.

Current backup and Michigan State alum Connor Cook was ranked in Tier VII (the lowest tier), but D’Andrea did mention that if Tom Savage wins the job over Cook then they would move up a few tiers.

• Detroit Lions PR, a fairly new official Twitter account you all should make sure you are following, gave praise to Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. and his incredibly high yards per catch stat in 2018.

• Bleacher Report listed out who they expect every NFL team’s rookie gem to be in the upcoming season. While many (including myself) may believe that fifth round cornerback Amani Oruwariye is the easy choice, they went with former Clemson defensive end and fourth round pick Austin Bryant.

• Pro Football Focus made a handy graphic showing which of the Detroit Lions projected 2019 starters were graded at 80.0 or higher in 2018. The defensive line looks terrifying for our opponents this year.