Lions Name Patriots Defensive Coordinator Matt Patricia New Head Coach
New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia has been named the Detroit Lions head coach, the team announced Monday.
Patricia replaces Jim Caldwell, who was fired after four seasons as Lions coach.
The 43-year-old has been with the Patriots since 2004, serving as defensive coordinator since 2012. He's won three Super Bowl rings with New England.
He spent five seasons as the linebackers coach and one as the safeties coach. Since Patricia moved to the defense in 2006, the Patriots have finished in the top-10 in fewest points allowed in 10 of his 11 seasons.
The 2016 defense finished as the No. 1 scoring defense in the NFL, allowing only 15.6 points per game. This season, the Patriots ranked 29th in total defense and fifth in scoring defense.
Before joining the Patriots, he worked at Syracuse, Amherst and his undergraduate alma mater Rensselaer. Patricia has a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering and a master's degree in education.
In his final game leading the New England defense, they gave up 538 yards in a 41–33 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII.
