DETROIT -- In order for Matt Patricia to even consider running a trick play, the Detroit Lions coach has a couple of rules. The team has to practice it first. And it has to work -- the first time they attempt it.
Then -- and only then -- will Patricia think about having it called in a game. There’s a reason. Practice time in the NFL is valuable, so if it doesn’t work immediately, then the coach wants to move on to something else. Not waste his team’s time on something with a low probability for success.