One day after losing the Super Bowl, the New England Patriots have now also officially lost their defensive coordinator. The Detroit Lions announced earlier today that they have hired Matt Patricia as their next head coach. Patricia was expected to take over for Jim Caldwell and thus get reunited with Bob Quinn, who was the Patriots' director of pro scouting before becoming Detroit's general manager.
Patricia originally joined New England in 2004 and worked his way up to defensive coordinator. He served in that role since the 2012 season and helped New England win two Super Bowls while his units never finished a regular season worse than 10th in points allowed. And while he leaves the team on a low note after yesterday's loss, Patricia did play a big role in bringing two Lombardi Trophies to New England.
With the 43-year old officially in Detroit, the Patriots' search for a successor begins. Linebackers coach Brian Flores is the front runner but there have been rumors that New England brings Greg Schiano on board. The coming weeks will give us clarity about which way the team opts to go.