TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Standing atop a temporary stage on the floor of Alabama’s Coleman Coliseum, somewhere between 800 and 1,000 high school football coaches looking back at him from the stands, Matt Patricia is 10 minutes into a 45-minute talk when he punches what is essentially his thesis statement for the day and, in many ways, for his entire NFL coaching career.



“I’m on a crusade,” he says, “to eliminate bad football.”



Patricia’s visit to the Nick Saban-hosted “Clinic of Champions” began on Friday morning at Detroit Metro Airport, where he and his chief of staff, Kevin Anderson, boarded a private jet provided by a Crimson Tide booster. The Lions invited me to fill an unclaimed seat so I could be in attendance for Patricia’s session.



Saban doesn’t just hand out these featured slots to anyone with a whistle. The 2018 season was a clear letdown for the Lions (and their fans), but it did...