Matthew Edward Patricia (born September 13, 1974) is an American football coach known for his career in the National Football League (NFL). He served fifteen non-consecutive seasons as an assistant coach with the New England Patriots, including six seasons as the defensive coordinator from 2012 to 2017. During Patricia's tenure as defensive coordinator, the Patriots won two Super Bowls and allowed the fewest points in 2016. Patricia also served as the Patriots' offensive playcaller in 2022.
 Patricia with the Lions in 2018 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born: | September 13, 1974 Sherrill, New York, U.S. |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Vernon-Verona-Sherrill (NY) |
| College: | RPI |
| Career history | |
| As a coach: | |
| |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Head coaching record | |
| Career: | 13–29–1 (.314) |
| Record at Pro Football Reference | |
Outside of New England, Patricia was the head coach of the Detroit Lions from 2018 to 2020. He joined the Philadelphia Eagles in 2023 and became the team's de facto defensive coordinator during the second half of the season.[1]
Playing career
Patricia played at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), where he was a four-year letterman as a center and guard with the Engineers football team from 1992 to 1995.[2]
Coaching career
Early coaching career
Patricia remained at RPI to begin his coaching career as a graduate assistant in 1996.[3] He spent the next two years as an application engineer with Hoffman Air & Filtration Systems in East Syracuse, New York.[4] After graduating, Patricia received an offer to maintain nuclear submarines and aircraft carriers with the Westinghouse Electric Company,[5] but decided to return to football as the defensive line coach for Amherst College from 1999 to 2000. In 2001, he moved to Syracuse University as an offensive graduate assistant for the team, a position he held for three seasons.[6]
New England Patriots
Patricia joined the Patriots under head coach Bill Belichick as an offensive coaching assistant in 2004, the same year the team won its 3rd Super Bowl in Super Bowl XXXIX. In 2005, upon the departure of assistant offensive line/tight ends coach Jeff Davidson, Patricia was reassigned as the Patriots' assistant offensive line coach. Then-linebackers coach Dean Pees was promoted to defensive coordinator after the season, prompting another reassignment for Patricia, this time to linebackers coach for the 2006 season. Patricia was named the team's safeties coach in 2011. In 2012, he was promoted to the title of defensive coordinator, though he had been calling the plays on defense since the departure of Pees following the 2009 season. In January 2016, the Patriots gave permission for Patricia to interview for the head-coaching position of the Cleveland Browns, but Patricia would remain with the Patriots as defensive coordinator going into the 2016 season. The Patriots won three Super Bowls with Patricia: Super Bowl XXXIX at the end of the 2004 season, Super Bowl XLIX at the end of the 2014 season, and Super Bowl LI at the end of the 2016 season.[7][8][9] On January 1, 2018 (NFL Black Monday), it was revealed that Patricia was the subject of the Detroit Lions' and New York Giants' head coaching searches.[10] To date, he is the Patriots' most recent defensive playcaller and the last under Belichick to receive the title of defensive coordinator.
Detroit Lions
On February 5, 2018, Patricia was named the head coach of the Detroit Lions.[11] He lost his first two games of the 2018 season, the first against the New York Jets, 48–17, on Monday Night Football on September 10, and the following week against the San Francisco 49ers, 30–27, on September 16.[12] His first win as a head coach came on September 23, 2018, a 26–10 victory against his previous team, the New England Patriots, with Patricia beating his old mentor, Bill Belichick, in the process.[12] It was also the Lions' first win over the Patriots since 2000, which was Belichick's first year coaching the Patriots.[12]
Under Patricia, the Lions posted a 6–10 record in 2018 and had a dismal 3–12–1 season in 2019. Both marked a regression from Patricia's predecessor Jim Caldwell, who posted a 9–7 record in 2017 before he was fired in favor of Patricia.[13] Despite the record and decline, team owner Martha Firestone Ford and her soon-to-be successor Sheila Ford Hamp announced after the season that they would give Patricia a chance to show improvement in the 2020 season.[14]
On November 28, 2020, Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were both fired by the Lions. This came after much criticism about Patricia's abilities. The firing happened after the 4–5 Lions suffered back-to-back lopsided losses to drop to 4–7: a 20–0 loss to the Carolina Panthers on November 22 (the first time the Lions had been shut out since 2009) and a 41–25 loss to the Houston Texans during the Lions' annual Thanksgiving Day game on November 26. Patricia finished his tenure in Detroit with a 13–29–1 (.314) record in two and a half seasons.[15][16] The Lions finished last in the NFC North division in both of Patricia's full seasons and were in last place at the time of his firing.
New England Patriots (second stint)
On January 22, 2021, it was reported that Patricia would be returning to the Patriots "in a variety of roles". The exact roles were not specified, but it was reported that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and Patricia were working out a role similar to what Mike Lombardi had in New England, though it was still a work in progress. In addition, Patricia was expected to work on projects as well as be a resource to Belichick.[17][18] On July 21, 2022, the Patriots announced that Patricia would be senior football advisor and offensive line coach.[19] Throughout the 2022 season, Patricia served as the offensive play caller.[20] Patricia was relieved of his duties as offensive playcaller after the 2022 season where the offense regressed to an average of 18.1 points per game, though he was retained as a football advisor.[21]
Philadelphia Eagles
On April 20, 2023, Patricia was hired as a senior defensive assistant for the Philadelphia Eagles.[22] On December 17, head coach Nick Sirianni announced that Patricia would replace Sean Desai as defensive playcaller following consecutive losses in which the team's defense surrendered 42 and 33 points.[23] According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Eagles' defense displayed "little to no improvement" under Patricia, and the team lost three of its four remaining regular season games following his appointment as de facto defensive coordinator, culminating in a 32–9 loss in the wild card round of the playoffs.[24][25][26] Patricia's contract with the Eagles expired at the end of the team's season.[27]
Head coaching record
| Team | Year | Regular season | Postseason | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Won | Lost | Ties | Win % | Finish | Won | Lost | Win % | Result | ||
| DET | 2018 | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 4th in NFC North | — | — | — | — |
| DET | 2019 | 3 | 12 | 1 | .219 | 4th in NFC North | — | — | — | — |
| DET | 2020 | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | Fired | — | — | — | — |
| Total | 13 | 29 | 1 | .314 | 0 | 0 | .000 | |||
Personal life
Patricia married his wife, Raina, in 2009.[2] The couple have three children together.[28]
On September 5, 2024, Patricia was featured in the first episode the new football podcast Coach with Bill Belichick.[29]
1996 sexual assault indictment
On March 15, 1996, a 21-year-old woman told police that two men had burst into her hotel room and taken turns violently sexually assaulting her. [30] Patricia and Greg Dietrich were arrested that same night, charged, and released on bond.[30] A Texas grand jury indicted Patricia on one count of aggravated sexual assault, a felony which can receive a maximum sentence of up to life in prison. The trial began in January 1997, but the prosecutors were granted their request to dismiss the case after the victim found herself unable "to face the pressures or stress of a trial."[30]
In May 2018, his hire as Detroit Lions head coach received public scrutiny when reporters discovered he had been indicted for sexual assault in 1996.[31] In response, Detroit Lions team president Rod Wood initially stated "I don't know anything about this," but a few hours later said, "I am very comfortable with the process of interviewing and employing Matt. I will tell you with 1,000-percent certainty that everything I've learned confirmed what I already knew about the man and would have no way changed our decision to make him our head coach."[32] [33]
References
- ^ Smith, EJ (December 25, 2023). "'His attitude is to be aggressive': How Eagles players have responded to Matt Patricia's role as de facto DC". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ a b Vrentas, Jenny (January 23, 2018). "The Launching of Matt Patricia". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ Beattie, Kevin (October 29, 2015). "Andrew Franks '15 & Matt Patricia '96 To Go Head-to-Head in NFL". Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ Rohan, Tim (November 29, 2016). "Matt Patricia, Belichick's Rocket Scientist". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ Hubbuch, Bart (January 25, 2017). "How an engineer gave up his job and became Patriots mastermind". New York Post. Archived from the original on October 15, 2019. Retrieved October 14, 2019.
- ^ Reiss, Mike (January 22, 2010). "Drawn to X's and O's". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2017. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
- ^ "Super Bowl XXXIX - Philadelphia Eagles vs. New England Patriots - February 6th, 2005". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ "Super Bowl XLIX - Seattle Seahawks vs. New England Patriots - February 1st, 2015". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ "Super Bowl LI - New England Patriots vs. Atlanta Falcons - February 5th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Alper, Josh (January 1, 2018). "Lions reportedly request interviews with Pat Shurmur, Matt Patricia". ProFootballTalk.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2018. Retrieved January 1, 2018.
- ^ Lewis, Edward (February 5, 2018). "Patriots DC Matt Patricia named head coach of Lions". NFL.com. Retrieved December 11, 2018.[dead link]
- ^ a b c Bosko, Matt (September 25, 2018). "Detroit Lions: How did they beat the New England Patriots?". sidelionreport.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved November 10, 2020.
- ^ Windsor, Shawn (November 19, 2020). "Bob Quinn fired Jim Caldwell because 9 wins wasn't enough. Now the Detroit Lions are worse". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Maakaron, John (November 30, 2020). "'We Can't Hide Our Past': Trusting in Sheila Ford Hamp Will Take Time". SI.com. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ Baca, Michael (November 28, 2020). "Detroit Lions fire head coach Matt Patricia, general manager Bob Quinn". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2020. Retrieved November 28, 2020.
- ^ Twentyman, Tim (November 28, 2020). "Lions announce changes at head coach & GM". www.detroitlions.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2020. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
- ^ Dussault, Mike (January 22, 2021). "Report: Matt Patricia returns to Patriots coaching staff". New England Patriots. Archived from the original on January 22, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ McBride, Jim (January 22, 2021). "Matt Patricia is returning to Patriots to assist coaching staff". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
- ^ Smith, Michael David (July 21, 2022). "Patriots announce coaching staff, Joe Judge coaching QBs and Matt Patricia offensive line". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved February 20, 2023.
- ^ Roscher, Liz (September 11, 2022). "Report: Matt Patricia expected to call offensive plays for Patriots with 'influence' from Bill Belichick". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 25, 2023.
- ^ Callahan, Andrew (January 26, 2023). "Inside the most dysfunctional Patriots season under Bill Belichick: 'I've never seen anything like it'". Boston Herald. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ Williams, Charean (April 20, 2023). "Report: Matt Patricia's hiring now official". NBCSports.com. Retrieved April 20, 2023.
- ^ McLane, Jeff (December 17, 2023). "Sean Desai stripped of Eagles defensive play-calling duties for Matt Patricia". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
- ^ Reiner, Olivia. "Matt Patricia Won't Return to Eagles Coaching Staff". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Magliocchetti, Geoff. "Patriots Ex Coach Matt Patricia Fired by Eagles?". Sports Illustrated. The Arena Group. Archived from the original on January 25, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Gould, Andrew. "Report: Eagles Appear to Be Leaning Toward Retaining Nick Sirianni". The Spun. The Arena Group. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Kerr, Jeff. "Eagles Fire Sean Desai as Defensive Coordinator; Matt Patricia's Contract Expires". CBS Sports. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Orfanides, Effie (September 23, 2018). "Raina Patricia, Matt's Wife: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy.com.
- ^ "Belichick Traces the West Coast Offense to Opening Day Showdown". Retrieved September 5, 2024.
- ^ a b c Snell, Robert (May 9, 2018). "Lions' Patricia indicted, not tried in '96 sex assault". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ Solomon, Dan (May 14, 2018). "How Detroit Lions Head Coach Matt Patricia Mishandled 'Texas Week' Sexual Assault Allegations". Texas Monthly. Texas Monthly LLC. Archived from the original on December 3, 2020. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Gibbs, Lindsay. "The Detroit Lions' dangerous instant defense of their coach's sexual assault indictment". Think Progress. Center for American Progress. Archived from the original on June 1, 2021. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
- ^ Snell, Robert (May 9, 2018). "Lions' Patricia indicted, not tried in '96 sex assault". The Detroit News.