Marvin Jones Defends Matt Patricia from Criticism: 'It's Football. We Run'

Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones defended head coach Matt Patricia's coaching techniques during an interview with NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Thursday.

Last week, Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press wrote an opinion piece on Patricia potentially "losing his players." Monarrez noted that Patricia has made players run after committing mistakes in OTAs and minicamp.

According to NFL.com's Kevin Patra, Jones shot down the criticism of Patricia, saying, "Shoot, it's football. We run. You know what I'm saying? Nobody is complaining. Everybody is just going out here working hard and we're having fun doing it."

Jones added his belief that Patricia's tactics may be setting them up for success: "That's one thing I do is run. In the NFL you have to be able to run all day. I mean these practices, they've been great. Obviously, we use this part of the offseason to set that solid foundation, and I think that's what we've been doing."

Before getting hired by the Lions during the offseason, Patricia spent 14 years as part of the New England Patriots' coaching staff, including the past six as defensive coordinator.

Pats head coach Bill Belichick is known for his no-nonsense approach, and Patricia may be trying to bring something similar to Detroit.

It is difficult to argue with the results, as New England has won five Super Bowls under Belichick.

Patricia has also faced much more severe scrutiny this offseason. Robert Snell of the Detroit News reported in May that Patricia was indicted on a sexual assault charge in 1996.

While Patricia never went to trial and the Lions front office has stood behind the new head coach, questions were raised about whether the team had investigated the allegation sufficiently.

The Lions are hoping Patricia's championship pedigree will rub off on the organization, as it has never played in a Super Bowl and hasn't won a championship since 1957.