McGinest would know a little something about that. He was a staple on those early New England Patriots Super Bowl winning teams in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

"You can't do it through the draft," McGinest said. "You can't just do it through free agency. You have to identify a core group of men in the locker room that you're going to build your team around.

"Patricia coached with the Patriots 14 or 15 years, I think he knows what he's doing. I think he understands how to win football games. You don't have to come in, I don't think, the first year. It takes time to build teams."

The Lions have 21 free agents on their current roster, but they do return most of their core players like Matthew Stafford, Darius Slay, Damon Harrison, Jarrad Davis, Kenny Golladay and Kerryon Johnson.

"That franchise hasn't won in years," McGinest said of the Lions. "A lot of those guys in the locker room weren't even around (the last time the Lions played in the NFC Championship). So, to be able to install that and be able to understand that, it takes time.

"Patricia is a great coach. I like the fact that he's doing it his way. He's not trying to be Belichick or all those other coaches. I like the fact that he's taken everything he's learned and he's doing it his way, but it takes time. You have to break things down before you build it up."