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Quandre Diggs, a Pro-Bowl safety in the NFL, recently made comments regarding his former coach with the Detroit Lions, Matt Patricia. Diggs said that Patricia was an “a-hole” and didn’t show respect to the players during his time with the team.
The Bill Belichick coaching tree is pretty much full of failures. Most of them try to act just like him, but without the history of success to back it up, and that simply doesn’t work out.
Diggs played for the Lions from 2015-2019, with Patricia serving as the team’s head coach for the 2018-2019 seasons. During that time, the Lions went 9-22-1, and Patricia was ultimately fired in November 2020.
Players and coaches have openly voiced their issues with Patricia. He was heavily criticized for his lack of coaching ability and his inability to connect with players.
In an interview with the “Bussin’ With The Boys” podcast, Diggs spoke candidly about his time with the Lions and his relationship with Patricia. He said that Patricia came in with a “my way or the highway” mentality and didn’t show respect to the players or their input.
One of the notable stories is from ex-Lions CB Darius Slay, who was an All-Pro in 2017 with the Lions, but was traded cheaply under Patricia.
#Eagles CB Darius Slay is still fueled by disrespect from ex-#Lions coach Matt Patricia:
"He basically just said, 'You are not in that category yet'", "At that time, I only had 1 Pro Bowl but now I'm at 5." "I don’t wish bad on him, but as a man, me and him just don’t get along" pic.twitter.com/FB410arv1Y
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) February 7, 2023
Quandre Diggs Speaks Up On Patricia
3-time Pro-Bowl Safety Quandre Diggs, another high level Lions player that was traded for cheap during Matt Patricia’s tenure, spoke out on Friday about his experiences.
While speaking on a tweet comparing the Cardinals hiring of Jonathan Gannon to the Lions hiring Matt Patricia, Diggs said the following:
“As long as Gannon respects his players and not be an A Hole he’ll be better!”
As long as Gannon respects his players and not be an A Hole he’ll be better! 🤷🏾 https://t.co/AzAwrezxVV
— Nino (@qdiggs6) February 17, 2023
Diggs also mentioned that he was traded to the Seattle Seahawks midway through the 2019 season, which he believed was a result of his outspokenness and his unwillingness to conform to Patricia’s coaching style.
While Diggs’ comments about Patricia are his own personal opinions and experiences, they shed light on the importance of building a positive and respectful culture within a team. It’s crucial for coaches to listen to their players and create an environment where everyone feels valued and heard.
Patricia is currently coaching on the Patriots. He served as the de facto Offensive Coordinator in 2022 but also had disastrous results.
The Pats moved quickly to replace him this offseason with former Alabama OC, Bill O’Brien.