Lions clean house after Thanksgiving rout
Matt Patricia opened his final postgame news conference with the Detroit Lions by thanking his wife and children for their support.
Patricia probably knew what was coming.
His boss, general manager Bob Quinn, might not have expected the same fate.
The Lions fired Patricia and Quinn, who hired the coach to replace Jim Caldwell, and effectively ended the franchise’s attempt to replicate the success the men helped Bill Belichick achieve in New England.
The moves were made Saturday, surprising no one.
“It clearly wasn’t working,” Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said on a Zoom call with reporters.
The duo joins a long list of general managers and coaches that failed to help the franchise win over the last several decades.
Since Detroit won the 1957 NFL title, it has won only one playoff game — and that was way back on Jan. 5, 1992.
“We can’t hide our past, that’s for sure,” said Hamp, who succeeded her mother in June to lead the franchise her late father bought in 1963. “But I’m very dedicated to turning this ship around and really making a difference.”
Darrell Bevell, who has 14 seasons of experience as an offensive coordinator, will be the team’s interim coach for the final five games. The general manager’s duties will be handled on an interim basis by Kyle O’Brien, Lance Newmark, Rob Lohman and Mike Disner, all of whom worked for Quinn in the team’s front office.
This season, the Lions (4-7) lost consecutive games for the third time and it cost Quinn and Patricia their jobs. Detroit collapsed in a 41-25 loss to Houston at home on Thursday after getting shut out for the first time in 11 years in the previous game at Carolina.
COVID-19 outbreak sows league chaos
The Pittsburgh Steelers placed running back James Conner on the COVID-19 list on Saturday, while their scheduled opponent next Tuesday, the division rival Baltimore Ravens, added six more players to the list.
Conner is joining three teammates already on the list along with 20 Ravens — Baltimore is down to three defensive linemen — casting further doubt on the ability to pull off a game rescheduled from Thanksgiving night to Sunday to Tuesday night.
Conner joins defensive end Stephon Tuitt, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs and reserve offensive lineman Kevin Dotson on the COVID-19 list.
The Denver Broncos won’t have any of their four quarterbacks available Sunday when they face the New Orleans Saints because of coronavirus concerns, multiple people familiar with the NFL’s investigation told The Associated Press.
One person told the AP that starter Drew Lock, backup Brett Rypien and PS veteran Blake Bortles were deemed high-risk close contacts with No. 3 quarterback Jeff Driskel on Wednesday, the day before Driskel tested positive for COVID-19.
The San Francisco 49ers and other teams may need to find a temporary new home after Santa Clara County on Saturday banned all contact sports from holding games and practices for the next three weeks.
The rules take effect Monday and will last until Dec 21.
The 49ers have home games scheduled for Dec. 7 against Buffalo and Dec. 13 against Washington at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.