Golden Tate talks Pats' Patricia, Lions being 'championship type' team

Feb. 2 (UPI) -- Golden Tate says he hopes he is rewarded for his production and reliability when it comes to extending his contract with the Detroit Lions.

The eight-year veteran is entering the final year of his pact with the franchise and sees winning in his future under new coach Matt Patricia.

Patricia will be the New England Patriots' defensive coordinator for one more game - Sunday's contest against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII - before assuming head coaching duties in Detroit.

Tate spoke with UPI Thursday at Radio Row in Minneapolis, Minn. He's working with Hershey's on the Taste The Gold promotion for the Hershey's Gold bar.

New England Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia (L) hugs winning Patriots quarterback Tom Brady after beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 24-20 on January 21 in the AFC Championship game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI

"Yeah, I'm looking forward to the beard," Tate said of Patricia's prominent facial feature. "I'm also looking forward to winning and competing and being a championship type team and he's coming from exactly that."

Patricia, 43, jumped from being a graduate assistant at Syracuse, to an offensive assistant with the Patriots in 2004. He was 30-years-old at the time. Since then, he has held various roles with the franchise, including: assistant offensive line coach, linebackers coach and safeties coach, before he was named defensive coordinator in 2012.

The Patriots own a 175-49 since 2004. Those seasons include three Super Bowl victories and five Super Bowl appearances. Tate joined the Lions in 2014. He was a Pro Bowler in his first season with the franchise. The Lions are 36-28 and own an 0-2 record in the playoffs during his tenure in Detroit.

"He [Patricia] knows how to win, been in big games...seems pretty yearly," Tate said. "That's what I what I want to do. I want to win. I want to win now. That's what I need to happen as I get older. That's the plan. I'm gonna do my part. Come in ready to work and put my best foot forward and let's capture this [NFC] North."

Tate said the Lions, who finished 9-7 last season, were a handful of plays away from being in the postseason mix.

"We have a very competitive division, very tough hard-nosed football. They call it the black and blue division for a reason," Tate said. "You give us five or six plays back and a few correct calls, and we are right there in the mix of everything and maybe putting some pressure on Minnesota."

"...we were pretty much one game off from being in the playoffs. We couldn't get it done this year but that's all going to change."

Tate also admitted he is a "serious candy guy." That is part of his reason for working with Hershey's.

During the 2018 Olympics you can get a free Hershey's Gold bar every time the United States wins a gold medal. Hershey's will post a celebratory message on its social media channels after each gold medal won by the United States. The posts will include a link where the first 10,000 fans can redeem a coupon.