Darius Slay is preparing for Super Bowl LVII as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, but began his career in Detroit. Slay was asked about Patricia’s time with the Lions, and he didn’t hold back.
#Eagles Darius Slay doesn’t forget the disrespect he received from former #Lions HC, Matt Patricia:
“He basically just said: You’re not in that category yet. At the time, I only had 1 Pro Bowl, but now I have 5, so I want to know how you feel about that now.” #FlyEaglesFly
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) February 7, 2023
“It was weird how he came in like he was bigger and better than all of us. She acted like we asked her to be here,” Slay said of Patricia’s introduction to the team. “They select us, you know. If we had a choice, a lot of guys would choose a lot of different areas. But yeah, that was crazy. That was the first.”
Patricia immediately butted heads with Slay, who was coming off an All Pro season and his first Pro Bowl nomination. Slay spent the offseason training with Richard Sherman and Aqib Talib. They were the top two corners in the game at the time. He was learning his ways and improving his own game. Patricia wasn’t a fan of that move for some reason.
“I mean, he basically said, ‘You’re not in that category yet.’ At the time I only had one Pro Bowl, but now I have five. I want to know how you feel about it now,” Slay replied.
Slay was traded to the Eagles after the 2019 season. Detroit went to a disappointing 3-12-1 in Patricia’s second year as an NFL head coach. She was not present when Patricia was fired after a 4-7 start to the 2020 season.
Patricia landed back in New England after being fired by the Lions. She was on the sidelines again last season, essentially serving as the Patriots’ offensive coordinator. Patricia had no experience calling offensive plays before last season, and she was a total disaster for the Patriots on all fronts.
When asked if he was surprised New England’s offense had so much trouble with Patricia, Slay made it clear that he thinks Patricia is a good coach. But he couldn’t agree with the way Patricia treated people.
“As a coach, you know, he’s a smart coach, the X’s and the O’s, how to put a guy on top,” Slay added. “But he’s just being the man, you know, disrespect is not what I’m into.”
Patricia’s future in New England is unclear, with Bill O’Brien now back as offensive coordinator. Meanwhile, Slay prepares to play the biggest game of his career.
The Eagles are one-point favorites according to Pennsylvania sportsbooks. Slay blocking the Chiefs’ number one wide receiver will be critical to his success.
