When the Detroit Lions fired Jim Caldwell after a 9-7 season at the end of 2017, the Pride were moving on from head coach that had led the team to rare success. During Caldwell’s brief four-year tenure, the Lions posted three winning seasons and earned two playoff berths.
Yet, the decision to move on from Caldwell was due in part to his lack of postseason success. Therefore the Lions turned to the New England Patriots’ Matt Patricia. As the Pats’ defensive coordinator for six seasons, Patricia never missed the playoffs. In fact, he led the defense to six-straight conference championship appearances and three Super Bowls, winning two.