It wasn’t his first job interview. If all goes well, it won’t be his last, either.
But it was a milestone of sorts for Billy Yates, back in the late winter of 2018, when he was asked to give a formal presentation to a room full of Lions coaches. Some he’d known for years — like the new head coach, Matt Patricia — and others he didn’t know at all, which made for an awkward setting.
“A little stressful, maybe,” said Yates, a former NFL offensive lineman who retired after an eight-year pro career in 2011. “I came in for an interview like a normal person.