Allen Park — The confluence of a new season and a new coach has generated expected optimism and excitement around the Detroit Lions, not just with the fans, but with the players, who began the offseason program with voluntary workouts last week.
Matt Patricia — hired in February as Jim Caldwell’s replacement at the helm — has wasted little time making a good first impression with the team.
“We’re bringing in a guy from a team that has a lot of wins under his belt,” quarterback Matthew Stafford said. “Obviously, he’s a first-time head coach, but he’s thought about this, I’m sure, for a long time and thought about how he wants things to go.