Matt Patricia got an early taste of what Jimmy Garoppolo was capable of doing as an NFL quarterback.

As soon as Garoppolo was drafted in the second round by New England in 2014  http://www.indianapoliscoltsteamonline.com/malik-hooker-jers ey , he got the chance to match wits with Patricia almost every day in practice as Tom Brady's backup, while Patricia served as defensive coordinator for the Patriots.

The talents Garoppolo showed on the practice field only got better whenever he got a chance to play in a game, whether it was an exhibition, mop-up duty or in two starts during Brady's suspension in 2016.

So when Garoppolo became a star after being dealt to San Francisco, Patricia wasn't surprised at all. He will get a firsthand look at it Sunday as coach of the Detroit Lions (0-1), who visit Garoppolo and San Francisco (0-1).

"There was always something a little bit special about Jimmy in-game," Patricia said. "Just that extra light just came on and in the game itself you could just see really how special he was as a player."

After winning his two starts with the Patriots, Garoppolo went 5-0 for San Francisco after a midseason trade last year and earned a $137.5 million, five-year contract.

His first game with the new deal didn't go so well as he completed less than half his passes and threw three interceptions in a 24-16 loss at Minnesota. He expects a tough task this week, knowing that Patricia likes to change up his schemes, although Garoppolo hopes all that time on the practice field against his defenses pays dividends.

"There's a couple of little things you remember from over the years and stuff," he said. "But, Matty P's a smart coach and I'm sure they'll have something game planned for us."

Here are some other things to watch:

REMATCH

The last time San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan had an offense take on Patricia's defense came in the Super Bowl in 2017. Shanahan's Atlanta Falcons took a 28-3 lead before falling apart late and losing 34-28 to the Patriots in OT. With little film of the Lions to go on after just one game with Patricia as coach, Shanahan has looked back at that game for some clues.

"When you have limited tape you have to go back to whoever the coordinator was Bennie Fowler III Jersey , where he was the coordinator last, so you can understand all the scheme stuff," he said. "And that's what you see. It's very similar to what they've done in New England and they present a lot of challenges that are very tough to deal with."

BOUNCE BACK

Patricia's tenure in Detroit got off to a rocky start. The Lions' 48-17 loss to the Jets was their fourth-most lopsided opening game loss in franchise history and worst since falling 45-0 to Washington in 1991. The game got out of hand during New York's 31-point third quarter, the most points any team has scored in the third since the Rams had 41 against Detroit on Oct. 29, 1950.

"You can't let one week lead into another week," Patricia said. "You have to learn, and unfortunately, on a very short week, we have to learn quickly."

RED-ZONE WOES

The 49ers were held to one TD on four red zone trips in the opener, continuing a trend from last season with Garoppolo at QB when they scored TDs on 12 of 28 red zone trips. Some of the problems in the opener were self-inflicted, like when Alfred Morris lost a fumble at the 1 in the first half. And Garoppolo threw high to an open George Kittle later in the game. There was also a third-down pass to Pierre Garcon that was broken up in the end zone, leading to another field goal.

"It gets tougher down there, and when you have an opportunity and you miss it you will not have a good day in the red zone," Shanahan said. "Not going to reinvent the wheel Authentic Jameis Winston Jersey , but we're going to try and get better at that stuff."

GROUNDED

The Lions had plenty of problems in the opener but one of the biggest might have been a lack of a running game. Detroit finished with a league-low 39 yards rushing on 15 carries. Offseason acquisition LeGarrette Blount lost 3 yards on four carries and rookie Kerryon Johnson had five carries for 17 yards.

RELIABLE ROOKIES

The 49ers got strong production from their rookie class in the opener. First-round pick Mike McGlinchey had a solid performance starting at right tackle and then moving to guard after injuries to Mike Person and Joshua Garnett. Second-round pick Dante Pettis stepped in at receiver after Marquise Goodwin got hurt and caught two passes for 61 yards and the team's only TD. Third-round LB Fred Warner led all rookies with 11 solo tackles and added a forced fumble and pass defensed.

AP Sports Writer Larry Lage contributed to this report LeBron James recovered quickly from his neck strain. There¡¯s still too much stress on his back.

He¡¯s carrying the Cavaliers. It¡¯s a springtime tradition.

As has been the case for much of his 15-year career, James has had to perform at an extraordinary level throughout these playoffs, most recently in Cleveland¡¯s Game 2 loss at Boston.

Bouncing back after taking a blow to the jaw from Jayson Tatum¡¯s shoulder that violently twisted his head and sent a chill down the spines of Cleveland fans, James finished with 42 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

It was not enough, however. His teammates failed him and the Cavs fell into a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference finals.

Kevin Love (22 points, 15 rebounds) helped, so did Kyle Korver (four 3-pointers) and Tristan Thompson (8 points, 7 rebounds). But too many other Cavs ranged from mediocre to awful.

If Cleveland is to even the series at home, that has to change starting in Game 3 on Saturday.

¡±We have to ramp it up,¡± said J.R. Smith, who didn¡¯t score in Game 2 and committed a critical flagrant foul. ¡±We¡¯re playing too slow. We¡¯re making `Bron play hero ball, which is tough to do, especially in the Eastern Conference finals. We got to help him. With that said Maliek Collins Jersey , we have to give him an opportunity to make him feel confident to give us the ball so we can make the right plays. We got to help him and he¡¯s got to help us.¡±

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said James ¡±did everything¡± in practice Thursday, but the 33-year-old had left the floor by the time media members were allowed in for interviews. James was spotted in the fitness and training area inside the facility.

Lue said the Cavs spent time breaking down video of the two losses. There was plenty to dissect.

Cleveland has had puzzling defensive lapses, and Lue said there were up to nine instances in Game 2 alone where communication breakdowns led to easy baskets or open shots for the Celtics.

On offense, Lue feels Smith and point guard George Hill, who have been outscored 72-12 in two games by Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, need to be more aggressive and attack the basket.

Smith believes it¡¯s simpler than that.

¡±Make shots, that¡¯s the only thing we can do,¡± said Smith, who is 2 for 17 and 0 for 7 on 3-pointers in the series. ¡±I mean obviously we can do more on the defensive side, but our main focus is to make shots right now when we get it. If we don¡¯t have them, try to make the next-best play. Right now `Bron and Kev are working overly hard, trying to carry us. We just got to step up and do our job.¡±

But talking a good game is one thing, playing one is another. The Cavs don¡¯t have time for speeches or excuses. With their season inching toward danger, results are all that matter.

Hill didn¡¯t record an assist in 28 minutes in Game 1 and had three points in Game 2. He missed time in the opening round against Indiana with back spasms and has been puzzled by his drop-off after playing so well in Cleveland¡¯s sweep over Toronto.

¡±I¡¯m trying to figure it out myself http://www.dallascowboysteamonline.com/damien-wilson-jersey ,¡± he said. ¡±I think a little bit of just trying to be more involved offensively, trying to be more involved defensively, not waiting until a play is possibly called and things like that to go do it. I¡¯ve just got to be more assertive, I¡¯ve got to play with that edge like I did in the second series

¡±There¡¯s no one to blame but myself. You¡¯ve got to look yourself in the mirror and say, `What can I do better?¡±¡¯

The Cavs know they need to be more physical after the Celtics took the fight to them in Boston.

Lue raised some eyebrows following Game 2 when he described Boston¡¯s players as ¡±gooning up¡± the series. Lue explained he wasn¡¯t being critical.

¡±It¡¯s not a bad thing to goon it up,¡± he said. ¡±Like, they¡¯re taking hard fouls, they¡¯re being physical. They¡¯re playing playoff basketball. So that¡¯s all I meant by it.¡±

Thompson said he loves that Boston is playing ¡±hard and chippy.¡± But he knows if the Cavs don¡¯t ease the burden on James, this fight could be over sooner than expected.

¡±Other guys have to contribute and other guys have to step up,¡± Tristan Thompson said. ¡±Of course, it¡¯s a huge luxury having LeBron on our team. At the same time, we have to be ready to play and we have to do our job.¡±

And get off James¡¯ back.

¡ª

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