Matt Patricia is confirmed to have joined the Philadelphia Eagles as a defensive assistant, but it might not go down so well with fans, as well as one of their star players.
The Eagles’ media team was probably excited over the hire as the official website jumped the gun on the report, having published and later deleted it. But ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that the move has been confirmed.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made reference to the former New England Patriots offensive play-caller during a news conference this Thursday, noting that the team was trending in his direction.
“Obviously, his resume speaks for itself,” Sirianni said, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss. “He gives you a great mind in there that’s done it at the highest level; gives me another former head coach I can bounce ideas off.”
Patricia may not be all that welcome in the Eagles locker room as he ran star cornerback Darius Slay out of town while he was head coach of the Detroit Lions. The Lions likely still rue the trade as they got third and fifth-round picks for one of the best defensive players in today’s game, with bumping Slay just one of the ill-advised developments popping up during Patricia’s tenure.
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Slay was very displeased with the situation and probably hasn’t forgiven the new Philly hire for telling him he wasn’t an elite CB to his face.
“He basically just said, ‘You are not in that category yet.’ 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,” the player said before February’s Super Bowl, per USA Today. “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 X’s and O’s, but the disrespect is not what I’m with.”
Patricia left Detroit in a worse condition than he found it and the same can be said for the Patriots’ offense.
