DETROIT (FOX 2) - Just hours after it was announced that he would return next season as the Detroit Lions head coach, Matt Patricia tells FOX 2 he's appreciative of the chance to continue trying to steer the team in the right direction.
The Detroit Lions announced Tuesday they will be bringing back Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn despite a second straight losing season.
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Matt Patricia on future with Detroit Lions
FOX 2's Dan Miller talks with Matt Patricia just hours after it was announced he will return as the Detroit Lions head coach next season.
The future of both Patricia and Quinn were debated over the course of the past 7 games, which the Lions have all lost. With two weeks left in the season, the Lions sit at 3-10-1 and were 3-3-1 before the 7 game skid. In 2018, they finished 6-10, bringing the first-time head coach to a woeful record of 9-20-1
"Very appreciative for the opportunity to continue to try to build what we're trying to do with the team. I think we've got a lot of great players here and want to keep developing, keep pushing forward and try to get better. I certainly appreciate Mrs. Ford and her family for everything that they have entrusted in me to try to get in the direction that we want to go. We all want to be in the same place, and we all want to win. Certainly, from that part of it, just really appreciative," Patricia said.
Martha Ford made it clear Tuesday that come next season, the Lions are expected to be playoff contenders and playing meaningful games in December.
"We want to win every single game we can. We want to be out there, and we want to play meaningful games all the time. For us, we'll take a big-picture look at the season when we're done. Obviously, we feel that we've made some progress in the course of the season, unfortunately, our record doesn't show that. I think with the foundation that we laid with the team that we have and the guys that are in that locker room that care about each other the way they do, I'm excited to just build upon that," Patricia said.
Patricia said this announcement, his return, doesn't change anything -- it's still about preparing for each game.
"We just try to attack every week the same, we try to ignore the outside noise," Patricia said.
This year marks Quinn's fourth season as general manager of the Lions, with a 27-34-1 record, including one playoff game, a loss.
The 43-year-old Patricia helped New England win three Super Bowls over 14 years, serving as the Patriots' defensive coordinator for six seasons. Patricia and Bob Quinn worked together for a dozen years in New England.
Since winning the 1957 NFL title, Detroit's only postseason victory was more than a quarter-century ago.