MOBILE, Ala. -- With the exception of last year, I’ve been to every Senior Bowl going back to 2013. And I’ve never heard so much yelling and cursing as this week.

Welcome to the Matt Patricia Show.

The Detroit Lions head coach is known for his, shall we say, brash approach to the job back in Allen Park. His style is loud and profane. He was so loud and so profane that there was some culture shock with players in Year 1, although Patricia seemed to mellow some -- or maybe players got more used to the approach? -- in Year 2.

Patricia kicked off Year 3 by leading the Lions staff to the Senior Bowl this past week, where they coached the North team. And with the eyes of the league upon him, he was very much himself -- loud and profane. And he didn’t step off the gas even when he was mic’d up on Day 2. The dump button was used religiously, and at least five F-bombs still made it to air on ESPNU.

Patricia even stopped practice at one point to light up Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson for botching a second snap.

“(Can) we get that (bleep) right?” Patricia bellowed. “Somebody’s going to step on a (bleeping) god (bleep) ball.”

Patricia’s coaching style was one of the biggest talking points of the week in Mobile. And you know who seemed to really like it?

The players themselves.

“Coach Patricia has been awesome,” Patterson said.

Even though he chewed you out on national TV?

“He is (tough),” Patterson said. “But you have to be that way."

Asked directly about the botched snaps that drew Patricia’s ire and then so much attention on social media, Patterson said: “It can’t happen. That’s the first thing. My first job is to get the ball, and secure the snap. It’s just a coaching point. He’s doing his job, and I just have to take it and learn from him and apply it.”

Matt Patricia was mic'd up for Senior Bowl practice. He gave ESPN's drop-button operator a workout. Funny stuff.



VIDEO: ESPNU pic.twitter.com/MnyWgDL0pG — Brad Galli (@BradGalli) January 22, 2020

Of course, you might expect an NFL prospect playing for an NFL coach to say nice things about that coach. It wouldn’t be very smart to criticize a potential employer during the hiring process, you know? Then again, the North team pounded the South 34-17 on Saturday, then dumped Patricia with a Gatorade bath after the victory.

Patterson was the first quarterback off the bench for the North, playing behind Utah State’s Jordan Love, and threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to TCU’s Darius Anderson. He finished 6 of 10 passing overall for 131 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Patterson wasn’t alone in his praise of Patricia, either. Linebacker Josh Uche, his former teammate at Michigan, said he enjoyed Patricia’s hard-charging style. Uche also had a very good week of practice with this staff, using his athleticism to rush the quarterback consistently and flashing some coverage skills too.

He almost certainly improved his draft stock practicing with the Lions this week, then went on to be the highest-graded player in the game according to ProFootballFocus.

“I love their coaching style,” Uche said. “I like the way they coach, I like the way they game plan, I like their scheme and I feel like they have a really good group of coaches in there. I just like their demeanor. They remind me of my coaches at Michigan. The language and just how immersive they are for how they want things done.”

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Another defender with local connections, Michigan State defensive lineman Kenny Willekes, echoed those sentiments.

“I love it,” Willekes said. “The way (Patricia) pushes us, the way he gets us motivated to come out here and work hard each and every day. He brings the enthusiasm, so I love to come out here and play for a guy like that.”

Patricia’s style wasn’t a hit among everybody. Most notably, there were some analysts who criticized the Lions for focusing too much on individual drills and special teams rather than the one-on-ones so many come to see in Mobile. But Patricia stuck with what he believes in, essentially holding a shorter version of what a typical Lions practice looks like.

The players seemed to appreciate it too, noting the individual drills helped them improve their technique for the pro level. Linebacker Logan Wilson racked up 421 tackles during an accomplished college career, but did so at Wyoming. And like so many players not from powerhouses, he has work to do to clean up his technique and prove his place in the NFL draft.

Patricia, a former linebackers coach in New England who has built his defense from the middle-out, always has a keen eye on the position. And he pulled Wilson aside several times throughout the week to dish one-on-one advice.

“He helped me out and coached me up a few times for sure,” Wilson said. “I’m always listening to him. One of the biggest things he wanted me to do was be patient. Not press down hill as fast, because in college, I would press down hill. He expects a lot, and it has helped a lot.”

As for the tough coaching style?

“It’s been really good,” Wilson said. “It’s been a good opportunity to be here with them and showcase my talents, not only for the Lions but everyone else too. Just very thankful to work with these guys. I wasn’t a highly recruited kid out of high school, and just having the opportunity to come here and learn from a guy like that and showcase my talents has been a dream come true."