PHILADELPHIA -- Time heals all wounds, evidenced as new defensive play-caller Matt Patricia hugged Darius Slay prior to Patricia's first press conference in his new role with the Philadelphia Eagles.
A year ago, that bro hug would have been impossible to envision. Slay couldn't stand Patricia from their days together with the Detroit Lions, as their public feud appeared to be at the point of no return.
Slay's beef with Patricia is in the past. Amazing what a reunion with another franchise could do with two people of the same mindset.
"I just know he's a coach that wants to win, and I like to win as well," Slay said at the NovaCare Complex Friday regarding the Patricia hire this offseason. "I told (the Eagles) whatever is best for the organization, let's do it. I'm willing to win. I'm willing to sacrifice what I got against him to help this team."
The Eagles weren't going to just hire Patricia without the approval of Slay. They knew the history the two had with each other, even if the fences were mending over the past few months.
"They called me firsthand. They called me and said, 'We thinking about it. Are you gonna be cool with it?' I said 'Yeah,' Slay said. "I know one thing about him as a coach, he wants to win. Of course, me and him had to put our differences to the side about what my personal opinion was of him at the time."
Patricia is in his 40s and Slay in his 30s. Adults can solve adult problems.
"We sat down and talked," Slay said. We talked about (things) and it went well. We got a great understanding of friendship and where we are, just kept growing, growing and growing."
There was a conspiracy theory on social media Slay elected to get knee surgery when Patricia was promoted to the team's defensive play-caller, showcasing the reluctance to work with him. The hug this week wasn't for effect.
"He for sure is a whole different dude than he was in Detroit, I must say," Slay said. "I told him, I appreciate him for being a man about the situation and coming in and trying to fix the situation. So I was like, it's only right for me as a man as well to give another man a fair shot. It's been very, very productive.
"We doing great. I can't complain about it. Glad of the hire, He's a bright man when it comes to football."
As for that knee injury, Slay said he's trending in the right direction after battling this knee problem since 2019. He wanted to play the gauntlet of the schedule with his teammates, but the knee injury got progressively worse. Slay wouldn't give a timeline for his return, but he's preparing for the playoffs.
If it wasn't for Slay, Patricia wouldn't have acclimated himself to Philadelphia so easily. Slay's acceptance and willingness to help his former head coach give Patricia an opportunity to prove himself as an elite defensive play-caller again.
"You know how it is when you go to a new place, and you are trying to learn people, you gravitate towards the ones you know," Patricia said of Slay. "He's out there with arms open and helped me fit in and feel comfortable. I'm really very grateful to him for that.
"As you go through life and you grow and learn and hopefully improve and get better as a person, from me personally, where I was whenever that was, I'm just trying to be a better person every day. I'm just really thankful to him for that."
