Harmon gets that nobody’s job is secure
Duron Harmon was brought in by Detroit’s upper management to provide veteran leadership for a locker room that’s questioned the direction of the head coach in past years.
It’s no secret that Lions head man Matt Patricia had a rocky first season in Detroit.
By all accounts, Patricia has softened his approach with players and the media.
Unfortunately, the changes have not produced the desired results on the football field.
Heading into its Thanksgiving matchup with the Houston Texans, Detroit is 13-22-1 with Patricia at the helm.
Following Detroit’s shutout loss to the Carolina Panthers, speculation ran rampant that the current regime is on its way out.
Despite the outside noise, players in Detroit’s locker room still support Patricia — publicly, at least.
“At the end of the day, everybody’s job is in jeopardy. This here is a production-based business, you know? You win, you get a pat on the back, and you get job security.
“You lose, you don’t have job security,” Harmon said Monday during a video conference with Detroit media.
“So, at the end of the day, it’s a game.
“But, this is our livelihood. We know we have to produce.
“We have to produce wins to stay in a place and build a culture.
“And at the end of the day, we’re 4- 6. We got to get to winning.”
Despite the losing record, the roster has noticed that Patricia has put in the work to try and get the team to achieve its goals.
“Look, man, I love what he brings to the table as a coach.
“The passion he coaches with, the leadership, how smart he is. I love everything about him,” Harmon explained.
“But, at the end of the day, the only way to take the heat off of anybody — off of all of us —is to win.
“So, the only thing we can focus on and get ready to do is to play our best game of the year against the Texans, get a win and calm some of this down.
“Just try to get a hold of some things and try to stack a win on top of a win.
“That’s where we’re at right now, and that’s what we’re focused on doing.”
TEXANS IN TOWN
Up next: The Detroit Lions (4-6) host the Houston Texans (3-7) at 12:30 p.m. today on CBS.