emphasis is fundamentals,” Patricia said. “Some of our fundamentals got out of whack. Some of our techniques weren’t necessarily

ALLEN PARK Sylvester Williams Jersey , Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions were the laughingstock of the league when they drafted wide receivers in the first round three straight years from 2003 to 2005, and none of them panned out for the franchise.Detroit drafted tight ends in the first round twice over the past decade and ended up releasing both players.Putting history aside, it looks as if the Lions need help at tight end and wide receiver during the draft after largely ignoring both positions in recent years. Detroit has the No. 8 selection overall and a total of nine picks, including a pair in each of the last two rounds.Since 2014, Detroit has drafted only one receiver and one tight end and both picks were made two years ago.Receiver Kenny Golladay , a third-rounder, has become a promising player while tight end, Michael Roberts, a fourth-round pick, has not been very productive.The Lions can’t be sure how receiver Marvin Jones will bounce back from a season-ending knee injury and they have only a short-term solution at slot receiver, signing 33-year-old Danny Amendola in free agency.They attempted to address their desperate need at tight end this offseason, signing free agent Jesse James, but they don’t seem to be satisfied.“We’re going to do the best we can to obviously try to improve that situation for us, whether it’s through free agency or the draft,” Lions coach Matt Patricia said.“We’re looking at those guys pretty hard and trying to make sure we get somebody in there that puts as much stress on the defense as possible.”Former Lions general manager Matt Millen believed the NFL was becoming a pass-happy league. Millen did correctly predict the future trend, but he missed on key picks.Quarterback Joey Harrington was a bust as were receivers Charles Rogers and Mike Williams while Roy Williams had a decent career before being traded to Dallas.Fans in the Motor City were not happy the franchise used first-round picks on tight end Ebron in 2014 and Brandon Pettigrew in 2009 and may not like it if general manager Bob Quinn drafts Iowa tight end T.J. Hockenson early in the first round.“In all due respect to the fans out there, I can’t take the fan sentiment into who I draft and who I sign http://www.lionslockerroom.com/authentic-matt-prater-jersey ,” Quinn said.Here are other things to watch when Detroit drafts:TRADE TALKQuinn sounds very interested in acquiring extra selections to slide down in the draft in exchange for the No. 8 pick.“There’s a couple of players right at the top that you would obviously would love to have,” Quinn said. “I just don’t think I have enough ammunition to get up there.“I’d rather move back a couple spots.”If Quinn backs up his talk with action and moves down, he may draft a wide receiver such as Oklahoma’s Marquise Brown, Mississippi’s D.K. Metcalf or A.J. Brown.SOUTHERN FLAVORQuinn has drafted seven players from the Southeastern Conference the past two years, including both first- and second-round picks. The trend may continue with him taking LSU linebacker Devin White and Alabama offensive lineman Jonah Williams in the first round.NEW TERRIORTYDetroit reached double digits in losses last year in Patricia’s debut season for the first time since 2012, giving it the No. 8 pick overall. Quinn had the No. 20 pick last year, No. 21 in 2017 and No. 16 three years ago in his debut as a general manager after helping the New England Patriots scout for prospects to take late in the first round for many years.“This is unchartered territory for me,” Quinn said. “I don’t really love it.”BEST AVAILABLEThe Lions addressed many needs in free agency , signing player such as defensive end Trey Flowers and cornerbacks Justin Coleman , to put any position in play during the draft.“With what the board looks like and what our perceived needs are, probably a little bit more pushing toward the best available player,” Quinn said.“I think that’s a good thing. Now, things can change between now and September. But going into it this year, we feel a little bit better about the depth at certain positions.”HELP UP FRONTQuinn might not draft an offensive lineman in the first round for the third time in four years, but it seems likely he will take at least one player to add depth.“It’s a position we studied really hard,” Quinn said. “Our offensive line coaches were out more than in previous years. There’s good depth at that position from the first round all the way down to the fifth and sixth round, a little bit more on the interior.” ALLEN PARK Womens Anthony Zettel Jersey , Mich. (AP) — The Detroit Lions have fallen into last place in the NFC North and there are signs they may have a hard time getting back into the division race.When coach Matt Patricia met with reporters on Monday, he didn’t wait for their questions on his team’s 24-9 loss to division rival Minnesota.“There’s a lot of corrections to be made, a lot of things we obviously have got to do better,” Patricia said in his opening remarks. “There were some good things on the tape, but just way too many bad things that overshadowed it.”Those good moments certainly would have been condensed to tiny snippets. The bad ones were splattered all over the game tape.On Monday night, the Lions fired special teams coordinator Joe Marciano.“I spoke to Joe and informed him of my decision to relieve him of his responsibilities with our team,” Patricia said in a statement. “I appreciate Joe’s leadership of our special teams units over the last three and a half seasons and have great respect for his many years of service as a coach in the National Football League. On behalf of our team and the entire coaching staff, I want to personally thank Joe for his commitment to the Detroit Lions and wish him and his family the best moving forward.”Detroit’s team has been in reverse lately.The Vikings (5-3-1) limited Detroit to a season-low 209 yards as the Lions (3-5) lost their second straight. Minnesota’s defense sacked Matthew Stafford a franchise-record 10 times.“I am embarrassed,” Lions center Graham Glasgow said. “It was a bad day for us, and our team. We need learn from this.”Detroit was held to single digits in points for the first time since a 17-6 loss to the New York Giants on Dec. 18, 2016. The Lions put together just two drives of more than 30 yards and were 4 for 15 on third downs.“What happens is as the season goes on and you have some success in certain areas, teams are going to gear up to try and stop those things that you do, and you’re going to have to do it differently,” Patricia said. “We’ve got to be able to handle those changes better than what we’re doing right now.”And on the other side, the Lions have allowed a run play of 40 or more yards in five games this season.“We’ve had weeks where we feel we didn’t necessarily perform on the one day of the week where we have to perform well,” Patricia said.As he readies his team for another division road game Sunday at against the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears (5-3), Patricia is convinced that player for player Womens Barry Sanders Jersey , his team matches up equally with every other team in the division.“I think we have a lot of good players on this team, I really do,” Patricia said.Patricia said talent isn’t the issue bringing down his team.“I would say with both offensive and defensive lines, the point of emphasis is fundamentals,” Patricia said. “Some of our fundamentals got out of whack. Some of our techniques weren’t necessarily where it needs to be on a consistent basis.“Fundamentals and execution is what’s holding us back now. That’s where we’ve got to start.”The problem he faces is that with the majority of practice time each week dedicated to game-planning, Patricia will be hard-pressed to find time to go back to basics with his team.After a 1-3 start, the Lions won two straight and looked to have righted their season. But these past two losses have them struggling again.“As a team, we need to get better,” receiver Marvin Jones said. “It is definitely disappointing, but at the same time, we just have to go out there and execute. We cannot shoot ourselves in the foot. I think we definitely did that and we just have to get better.”Lions offensive lineman Frank Ragnow perhaps summed up the state of the team as they reached the midseason point.“If you’re not taking a step forward in this league, then you’re taking a step back,” Ragnow said.