The Detroit Lions may be in their golden age with a trip to the Super Bowl a possibility in 2025. But there are certain times they can’t outrun their past, as the NFL’s doormat for most of the Super Bowl era.
One of the contributing factors was Matt Patricia’s tenure as head coach. While that failure led to Detroit hiring Dan Campbell, there are still times when Patricia pops up, including a story by former Lions fullback Jason Cabinda where Patricia called out Darius Slay during a film session.
It turns out, several other former Lions remember that moment and sounded off as another chapter of the Matt Patricia era was revealed.
Ex-Lions Say Matt Patricia ‘Lost the Team’ After Darius Slay Film Session
Cabinda’s comments were made during a recent episode of the “State Podcast” where he described a situation between Patricia and Slay in 2018. In his first year as head coach, Patricia noticed Slay dapping up Odell Beckham Jr. after a joint practice and made a cut-up of all the routes Beckham won during the joint practice.
Upon seeing the clip, former Lions lined up like The Avengers to recall the moment. Defensive lineman Nick Williams posted four emojis covering one eye and four laughing emojis in his response, and Slay’s secondary partner, Quandre Diggs, said Patricia lost the team after that film session.
“It’s diff ways to go at players and that’s where he failed!” Diggs wrote. “Once he did that to Slay, he lost the team!”
Slay, who reconciled with Patricia during their time with the Philadelphia Eagles, also chimed in but mentioned they talked and “got an understanding.” Still, Cabinda suggested it was a theme during Patricia’s tenure.
“Gotta respect everyone as MEN at the end of the day,” Cabinda wrote. “And that didn’t always happen during his time.”
Former Lions offensive tackle Tyrell Crosby also capped off the conversation with a comical response.
“So glad he wasn’t in our room that much,” Crosby said.
Reviews like this are why Patricia’s tenure was one of the worst in Lions history. At 13-29-1, Patricia finished with the fourth-lowest winning percentage (.314) in franchise history for a coach with at least 30 games and the Lions sank to the bottom of the NFC North until Campbell was hired in 2021.