| Detroit Free Press
What’s next for Detroit Lions after firing Bob Quinn, Matt Patricia
Free Press sports writers Dave Birkett and Carlos Monarrez weigh in Nov. 28, 2020, after the Detroit Lions fired Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn.
Mel Tucker has worn the interim tag before. In 2011, he went 2-3 in a five-game stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That was not enough for Tucker to earn the full-time job in Jacksonville, but the Michigan State football head coach is rooting for a different outcome for his former Wisconsin teammate, Detroit Lions interim head coach Darrell Bevell.
A LOOK BACK: Bob Quinn did some good things, but one decision doomed his tenure
“I’m just wishing him and his team the best,” Tucker said Tuesday. “For me, this is my 24th year of coaching. I know a lot of those guys. I know Matt, I know Bev, I know a lot of those guys on those staffs in the college and pros. So when the carousel starts to move and you see these things start to happen, sometimes it’s a bittersweet type of deal, too, because you know all the guys involved.”
Bevell will make his Lions head coaching debut Sunday against the Chicago Bears, eight days after the team fired Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn.
He and Tucker played three seasons together at Wisconsin and were part of the Badgers’ 1993 Big Ten championship team that beat UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
[ Tucker named Dodd Trophy national coach of week ]
Tucker said he has not talked to Bevell since Patricia’s firing and did not have any advice for his old teammate, but said, “I need to call my guy.”
The Lions are 4-7 and in last place in the NFC North, and Bevell likely needs a strong finish to be considered for the full-time job. After Sunday’s game against the Bears, the Lions play three straight likely playoff teams before ending their season against the Minnesota Vikings.
“I’ve known Bev for a long time,” Tucker said. “When he came to Wisconsin he was coming off with Mormon mission. I think Brad Childress was our (offensive coordinator), and I think Brad had coached him before he went on his mission like at Northern Arizona.
“So when he comes in, he hadn’t worked out, he hadn’t done anything for like two years. He hadn’t picked up a football in two years, They were like, ‘Who’s this guy? Where’d this guy come from?’ And next thing you know, he’s leading us to the Rose Bowl a couple years later. I’ve known him a long time, man. He’s a great guy. He loves coaching.”
Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford shared a similar sentiment Monday, saying Bevell’s positive energy is fun to be around.
“I feel like Bev is extremely comfortable in his own skin and knows who he is as a coach and as a person,” Stafford said. “So I’m excited to get to see him get the opportunity to stand up in front of the team and maybe let some of the defensive guys in on just kind of how he is. They don’t get a ton of experience hearing from him until now, so I think it’ll be a fun experience for him and obviously something where there’s still a lot on the line for us playing this year so we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Chris Solari contributed to this report.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.