Lions' Matt Patricia: No injury talk 'outside our little world'

Justin Rogers | The Detroit News

Allen Park — Check the report.

Lions fans are familiar with the phrase, popularized by former Detroit Lions coach Jim Caldwell, in response to most injury-related questions. Those hoping for more transparency from Matt Patricia, Caldwell’s replacement, are sure to be disappointed.

On Wednesday, rookie fullback Nick Bawden suffered a leg injury during a special teams portion of the minicamp practice. Hours later, the NFL Network reported the team feared Bawden had torn his ACL.

Before Thursday’s practice, Patricia was asked if there was an update on Bawden. In addition to declining to offer one, the coach also laid out a broader philosophy on injury updates.

“I mean, you know, football practice, obviously we’re trying to make sure everyone is put in the best position possible,” Patricia said. “I don’t have any comment or discussion about anything from that situation. Unfortunately, he couldn’t finish practice with the situation yesterday. I think, just in general for me, for everybody here, injuries will be something that we definitely don’t talk about outside our little world.

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“It’s a complicated situation, involves a lot of different facets, including the players, agents, doctors and trainers, coaching staff, the roster,” Patricia continued. “For us, it’s best to try to just evaluate the situation the best we can. Sometimes, it takes a little bit longer than just a immediate response. Like I said, unfortunately he wasn’t able to finish practice. We’re kind of going through the process right now. We’ll see what that is.”

If Bawden's injury ends up being a torn ACL, or something similarly serious, the team has the option to place him on injured reserve and free up a roster spot. The primary difference between placing a player on injured reserve now, compared to the regular season, is the player would not be eligible to return to the field this year.