Eagles’ Darius Slay Explains Rift With Former Lions Coach Matt Patricia

Before Darius Slay became a key part of the Eagles’ defense, he spent years trying to prove himself with the Lions. Apparently, that also meant having to prove his talent to his head coach.

Slay’s relationship with former Lions head coach Matt Patricia is well documented, as the two rarely if ever saw eye to eye. That led Detroit to trade the cornerback to Philadelphia after Patricia’s second season with the team.

This week, Slay addressed why he was never able to connect with Patricia in Detroit.

“He basically just said, ‘You are not in that category yet,’” Slay said, via USA Today. “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. 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.”

When Patricia was hired by Detroit, Slay was coming off his first Pro Bowl and only All-Pro season. Since then, he’s been named to four more Pro Bowls, two in Detroit and two in Philadelphia, while cementing himself as one of the Eagles’ most important defensive players.

Patricia, meanwhile, was fired midway through his third season as the Lions’ head coach after compiling a 13-29-1 record with the team. He later returned to the Patriots and was one of the primary offensive coaches for New England this season.