Trey Flowers Responds to Critics of Matt Patricia
In the past few weeks, former Lions players have been outspoken regarding their opinions on Detroit head coach Matt Patricia.
During a guest appearance on "The Pride Podcast," former Lions tight end Hakeem Valles expressed how much admiration he had for former Lions head man Jim Caldwell and how much disdain he had for Patricia.
“The greatest coach, in my opinion, in the NFL of the coaches I know,” Valles said about Caldwell. “And the best player’s coach of anyone. I know the fans might not feel that way. But man, Caldwell was unreal as a coach, to say the least.”
When Patricia took over for Caldwell, Valles immediately noticed a difference in coaching styles, and felt that the culture inside the Lions locker room became toxic.
Valles recalled a film session in which Patricia ripped the team for an hour and a half.
“He’s just ripping anybody apart for an hour and some change,” Valles said. “I was hoping another team picked me up, at that point. I did not want to go back to Detroit, to be real with you. I could not give two shits because I’m not in the NFL anymore. I did not like Patricia as a coach. I was praying another team would pick me up and (that) I didn’t have to go back to the practice squad.”
Recently retired safety Glover Quin has also been making the rounds lately, describing how he felt about Patricia during his final season in the NFL.
During an interview on "The Pat McAfee Show," Quin expressed that he does not see an end to the Lions' losing ways due to Patricia's abrasive style.
"Right now, they’re struggling," Quin said. "They’re struggling, and it’s not a great situation. And it’s not a situation where like, I don’t know if they can fight out of it right now because I don’t know if the love and the like for Patricia’s style makes the players want to fight out of it."
On Friday, Detroit defensive end Trey Flowers spoke to SI Lions Maven about Patricia, and responded to those that have criticized him.
"I know where he (Patricia) came from, and I understand his style," Flowers commented. "It's kind of one of those deals ... it could be considered tough love. Somebody taught me to pay attention to the message and not how it's delivered."
Flowers added, "Everybody's different in how they express themselves. For me, I understand his passion, the type of attitude that he has, his expectations and his standards. That standard of excellence ... that is him all the way. How much he puts into it. How much sacrifice he has put into it. For me, I understand that."
Flowers also stated that while Patricia has his own style of coaching, he does indeed care heavily about his players, and shows it.
"He wants to have that personal connection," Flowers said. "He will ask about family. He definitely cares, and he definitely shows that he cares. Yes, definitely he is the right guy to lead here."
Lions wide receiver Danny Amendola was also asked about Patricia and how the players currently inside the locker room feel about him.
"He is an amazing coach," Amendola commented. "Guys play hard for him, and we all love him. That's how I feel about it."
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