| 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.
Darrell Bevell appeared to make his first mistake as Detroit Lions coach Monday, when he told the world his two future son-in-laws asked him last week for permission to marry his daughters.
But upon further review, no surprises were ruined.
Bevell said Thursday that his daughters knew their boyfriends’ intentions when they traveled together to Detroit for Thanksgiving.
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“They had an inkling of it, yes, because they brought them out here,” Bevell said Thursday. “I mean, there’s only small windows to be able to talk to Dad. So they both came out here on Thanksgiving weekend to do that, so they know. They just, they still don’t know when it’s coming.”
Bevell, who was appointed interim head coach after Matt Patricia was fired Saturday, was sharing details of a whirlwind weekend that included a family trip to Henry Ford Museum and another to the emergency room when he mentioned the pending engagements.
“Kind of a funny story,” Bevell said. “So my middle daughter’s a softball player at BYU and when she came up here, she’s like, ‘I haven’t got enough hitting in, I want to go hit.’ So we went out and hit, and one of them took a softball off the eye, so he asked me while we were in the emergency room getting it stitched up, if you can believe it.”
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A few minutes later, after answering a question about how players responded to his first Zoom as head coach, Bevell said, “I do have to say one thing, though. So the two guys asked me for my permission, they haven’t officially asked them yet, so that’s where that was. It was just permission, so I don’t know when that’s coming, just to be clear.”
Bevell’s comments were broadcast live on the Internet, and prompted what’s believed to be the first appearance by a Lions coach on TMZ, with the celebrity gossip site running a story with the headline, “Detroit Lions Head Coach Spoils Daughters’ Marriage Proposals… In Epic Slip-Up.”
Said Bevell Thursday, ” Yeah, TMZ! I mean, didn’t know I’d be on TMZ, but pretty cool.”
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Hockenson tops Pro Bowl voting
The NFL will not host a Pro Bowl this season because of the coronavirus pandemic, but the league still is naming Pro Bowl teams and one Lion has an inside track for a spot.
T.J. Hockenson leads all NFC tight ends with more than 88,000 Pro Bowl fan votes and ranks third overall at the position, behind the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce and the Las Vegas Raiders’ Darren Waller.
Hockenson, the No. 8 pick of the 2019 NFL draft, is having a breakout second season, even as the Lions have slumped to a 4-7 record.
He leads the team with 45 catches and 530 yards receiving, and his five touchdowns are tied for second behind D’Andre Swift (six).
Hockenson said last month that he has made strides as a route runner and is getting more separation from defenders this year.
“I think that’s increased a little bit in the last five weeks, and just trying to inline block and figure that all out,” he said. “Obviously, there’s a lot to improve on, but the last four, five weeks have felt myself increase as a player. So it’s been good.”
Punter Jack Fox is the only other Lion to rank in the top 10 of overall fan voting at his position. Fox, who leads the NFL with a 45.8-yard net average, ranks fifth among NFC punters and seventh overall.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes leads all players, with more than 206,000 fan votes.
Voting continues online and on Twitter through Dec. 17. Pro Bowl selections are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. NFL players and coaches cast their votes Dec. 18
Briefly
Center Frank Ragnow is the Lions’ Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award nominee. Finalists for the award, which was created in 2014, will be announced later this month.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.