Detroit Lions’ T.J. Hockenson Says What It Was Really Like Under Matt Patricia
The Detroit Lions are getting closer and closer to the beginning of their second season with head coach Dan Campbell. While Campbell hasn’t quite delivered the goods yet, he does bring a refreshing, upbeat vibe to the Detroit Lions, and it’s something the players apparently appreciate.
Tight end T.J. Hockenson was recently interviewed on the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast. During the chat, he talked about what he likes about Campbell- and what makes him so different from former coach Matt Patricia. Honestly, I do really like Campbell’s positive vibe. It seems like it would be fun to go to the bar with him. The players seem to like him, too.
During the podcast, Hockenson said this about Patricia, via Heavy.com: “I was his pick. Dude liked me. He didn’t talk to me a ton outside of the meeting or anything like that. Dude outside of that was cool. But then when he got into the meeting, it was like he tried to be (Bill) Belichick. It’s just like ‘alright man, this is what we have to do today, the hard way is the right way.’ That is true, it really is.”
Hockenson added, “On the same hand, there’s a player vibe with Campbell. Like, dude has played. Dude understands what it is,” Hockenson said. “Still, hard way is the right way. We’re going to practice hard, we’re going to do a lot of hard things, but on the same hand, he’s going to take care of us in certain situations. Because he knows what it is.”