Lions hire Pasqualoni as defensive coordinator

The Detroit Lions named Paul Pasqualoni as their defensive coordinator among several other moves on Wednesday. Pasqualoni will be under the watch of new coach Matt Patricia, who served as the defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots for the past six seasons. Pasqualoni gave Patricia his first top-level coaching job at Syracuse as an offensive coordinator in 2001. The 68-year-old Pasqualoni posted a 107-59-1 mark with Syracuse from 1991-2004. He served as Boston College's defensive line coach for the last two years, but he does have NFL coordinator experience with both the Miami Dolphins (2008-09) and Dallas Cowboys (2010). The Lions also announced the hires of Jeff Davidson (offensive line), Brian Stewart (defensive backs), Chris White (tight ends), and David Corrao (director of football research). The team is also moving tight ends coach Al Golden to linebackers, and defensive special projects assistant George Godsey to quarterbacks coach. Many of these hires have connections to Patricia, with White serving as the special teams coordinator/tight ends coach at Syracuse from 2000-03 and then as the recruiting coordinator from 2003-08. Corrao, who was a graduate assistant at Syracuse along with Patricia, was at the school from 2000-03 while Godsey was with the Patriots for three seasons. Davidson, who has a one-year overlap with Patricia with the Patriots in 2004, has coached in the NFL for 24 years -- most recently with the Denver Broncos. Golden, who does not have a connection to Patricia, is a former head coach at the University of Miami and Temple and was with the Lions the past two seasons. Stewart was the defensive coordinator at Rice last year but has coached in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles, Cowboys, Houston Texans and then-San Diego Chargers.