The Lions play their next three games at home at climate-controlled Ford Field. They go to Arizona the following week.
So it made perfect sense that the Lions would hold Thursday’s practice outside in the snow.
Or at least it made perfect sense to coach Matt Patricia, who wore shorts on the 33-degree day.
“If I was the coach, you know what we’d be doing,” cornerback Darius Slay said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
The Lions have an indoor practice facility, which former coach Jim Caldwell preferred when it rained or snowed. Patricia obviously has other ideas.
Detroit’s only two cold-weather games come later in December with trips to Buffalo and Green Bay.
The Panthers, who play at Detroit on Sunday, canceled practice Thursday because of heavy rain in Charlotte. They do not have an indoor practice facility.
Which begs the question: How does an NFL team not have an indoor practice facility? Most major college football teams have indoor practice facilities as do many Texas high school football teams.