Philadelphia Eagles defensive back Darius Slay has never forgotten his time with former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia. It is not a very positive memory, either.
During Super Bowl media day on Monday night, Slay revisited his time with the Lions and again sounded off on the disrespect Patricia directed toward his players. Including Slay.
In one specific example, Patricia was critical of Slay for practicing with All-Pro cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Richard Sherman in the offseason, with the former Lions coach saying Slay was not yet on their level.
“At that time, I only had one Pro Bowl but now I’m at five, so I want to know how he feels about that now,” Slay said on Monday, via MassLive.com. “I don’t wish bad on him, but as a man, me and him just don’t get along. He’s a smart coach, he knows his Xs and Os, but the disrespect is not what I’m with.”
Patricia and the Lions traded Slay to Philadelphia early in the 2020 season for a third- and fifth-round pick, which was followed by Slay going on Detroit radio and saying he did not respect Patricia as a person.
On Monday, Slay reiterated that position by saying Patricia arrived in Detroit thinking he was better than everybody else.
Patricia was eventually fired by the Lions during the 2020 season with a 13-29-1 record.
Slay is in his third year with the Eagles and has developed into a consistent Pro Bowl corner who has played a major role in helping the team reach the Super Bowl.
The acquisition of Slay was one of the many big moves made by Philadelphia’s front office over the past few years to build one of the league’s best teams. He already has seven interceptions in 48 regular-season games with the Eagles, including three during the 2022 season.
Patricia’s time with the Lions was a complete disaster, and it not only produced a brutal record on the field, it also cost them one of the league’s best corners.
That has been Philadelphia’s gain.
