7 Rounds in 7 Days

[Louis Friend]

I have no problem with trying to emulate the success of the Patriots. Who wouldn't want 5 Superbowl victories in 17 years? I take issue with people believing they've found some hidden "Patriots Way" pattern embedded in podcasts and vague generic draft questions as it pertains to players and positions to draft/acquire. It's what we get on ESPN.com. Rothstein has done article after article about how Quinn and Patricia come from the Patriots and they have done XYZ and therefore the Lions will do XYZ even though Quinn has stated that he doesn't actually believe that. Take his newest article about OLs. 

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Their history says front seven. That's the best guess on what positions the Detroit Lions will target in the draft, based on where the people running the team come from. General manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia both grew up in the New England Patriots system. It’s the only NFL team either one had ever worked for before taking jobs in Detroit, and their mentor is the same: Bill Belichick.

And in both men's years there, about half the time the Patriots drafted a player for the front seven. And the front seven is a well-documented position of need for Detroit, from edge rushers to interior linemen to linebackers, even though the Lions signed two backers -- Christian Jones and Devon Kennard -- in free agency.

The very next paragraph:

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Quinn said Thursday that focusing on the front seven isn’t necessarily his philosophy.

People, journalists, bloggers, etc have all tried to uncover this mysterious "Patriots Way" that gets thrown around ad nauseam. The only underlying things they found that the Patriots do, is to have everyone do their job. 

The Patriots Way explained.

There is no magical formula. There is no position or characteristic that defines the Patriots. There is nothing that Bob Quinn or Matt Patricia are trying to bring to the Lions other than doing their jobs and finding others to do theirs as well, at the highest level possible. Claiming something is "The Patriots Way" is nothing more than a cop out.