Matt Patricia worked in relative obscurity in New England.

The burly man with a bushy beard Christian Kirk Color Rush Jersey , baseball cap on backward, with a pencil above his right ear was noticed only occasionally while coordinating the Patriots' defense.

As a first-year NFL head coach with the Detroit Lions, his every move and word have been watched and listened to while reporters have had access to him and his team during minicamp and offseason workouts. Patricia's past has also been scrutinized.

What does Patricia know about the job now that he didn't know a few months ago?

"Kind of everything," Patricia said Monday. "Everything is new. Everything is different."

A Detroit News report last month shed light on allegations against Patricia from 1996, when he and a friend were indicted 22 years ago by a Texas grand jury on one count each of aggravated sexual assault. The accuser did not testify and the case was dismissed.

Patricia has said he was falsely accused. The Lions have said a pre-employment background check did not reveal the incident, adding they are standing by Patricia. The NFL determined allegations against Patricia are not subject to its personal conduct policy.

While not referring specifically to the fallout from the allegations, Patricia acknowledged his job description includes more than Xs and Os on the football field.

"The requirements are different," he said. "So, that's kind of the biggest adjustment from that standpoint."

The Lions are making adjustments, too, under Patricia after practicing and playing for Jim Caldwell the previous four seasons.

"He's a guy that's going to push you and try to get the best out of you every day Authentic Jeremiah Attaochu Jersey ," cornerback Nevin Lawson said.

Patricia lashed out at his players last week, screaming for them to move faster from one drill to another with words not fit to print even if team policy allowed it. Caldwell wasn't heard yelling at players when the media was around and players didn't hear him use profanity even privately.

"Coach Patricia is an intense guy," tight end Michael Roberts said. "He's a smart guy. Obviously, he knows what he is doing. Things were done differently last year. He comes in with his way of doing things. ... If you're not getting better, you're getting worse. He says that a lot."

Return specialist Jamal Agnew was one of the many players who mentioned, "high expectations," when asked about Patricia. And, Agnew doesn't have a problem trying to live up to lofty goals with the Lions under their new, hard-driving coach.

"He's won," Agnew said. "He's played winning football."

The 43-year-old Patricia helped New England win three Super Bowls over 14 years, working as its defensive coordinator the previous six seasons. He was hired by Lions general manager Bob Quinn Cheap Jaleel Scott Jersey , who had his eye on Patricia as a candidate to replace Caldwell after working together for a dozen years with the Patriots.

Lions linebacker Jonathan Freeny, one of a handful of former Patriots playing on Detroit's roster, said Patricia looks and sounds like the same coach he was in New England.

"He brings the same enthusiasm �same intensity �to the game every day," Freeny said.

The Detroit Lions have desperately tried to improve what has been a weakness, signing and drafting players to improve their running game.

Detroit ranked last in the NFL last season in rushing offense and has been among the league¡¯s worst on the ground offensively in recent seasons.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn has made it a priority to fix the problem.

He signed veteran LeGarrette Blount in free agency and moved up in the draft to select Kerryon Johnson in the second round.

The newcomers will compete with or perhaps push out Ameer Abdullah in what has become a crowded backfield with running backs Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner and Dwayne Washington also on the roster.

¡±We got a lot of talent,¡± Johnson said Tuesday after a minicamp practice. ¡±A lot of these guys are good. I¡¯m stepping into a lot of competition. A lot of these guys have played in the past. A lot of these guys want to keep playing in the future.

¡±At the end of the day, it¡¯s going to make us all better.¡±

Detroit selected Frank Ragnow 20th overall in the draft, counting on him to play alongside four returning starters to bolster the offensive line. The former Arkansas center looks as if he¡¯s getting a shot to play left guard with the first-string offense.

¡±He just kind of fits in with the group,¡± coach Matt Patricia said. ¡±You¡¯re not really looking at it and saying, `That¡¯s out of place Cheap Customized Tampa Bay Buccaneers Jerseys ,¡¯ like it looks like it¡¯s out of place. I haven¡¯t noticed that at all.¡±

Anyone watching the Lions, especially under former coach Jim Caldwell , noticed they simply couldn¡¯t run the ball well consistently.

That played a part in Caldwell getting fired and Matthew Stafford directing a one-dimensional offense that led to him being sacked 47 times last season.

In short-yardage situations, especially near the goal line, Quinn saw the Lions come up short all too often and frankly acknowledged their toughness was lacking.

¡±That bothered me,¡± he said after the draft. ¡±So, I took it upon myself to implement some changes in terms of what we want to do.¡±

The first change Quinn made to address the issue in the offseason was adding the 31-year-old Blount in the opening days of free agency. He helped Philadelphia and New England win the past two Super Bowls and reunited with an executive he knew from their time together with the Patriots.

If the season started this week, it appears the 6-foot, 247-pound Blount would be the No. 1 running back.

¡±He¡¯s obviously a big dude,¡± Stafford said last month. ¡±Big, physical guy. Obviously Youth Jonathan Allen Jersey , has played in some big-time games for some successful teams.¡±

If Detroit doesn¡¯t block better, though, it may not matter who is running the ball.

The Lions didn¡¯t have a true fullback on their roster last season and now they have a pair of them, converting Nick Bellore from linebacker and drafting Nick Bawden in the seventh round. More importantly, they invested a first-round pick in Ragnow to effectively replace Travis Swanson.

¡±On paper should our run game be better? Yeah, probably,¡± Quinn has said. ¡±The pieces are there. Now it¡¯s really up to all of us in the building to kind of make sure these guys produce at a high level.¡±

NOTES: Safety Glover Quin participated in minicamp after missing voluntary workouts earlier in the offseason. When Quin was asked if he was considering retirement, he paused for several seconds before saying, ¡±No.¡±

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