When Darius Slay left the Detroit Lions, he had some parting shots for coach Matt Patricia. But over the last two weeks, players still on the team have stepped up to defend the man in charge. Trey Flowers was with Matt Patricia with the New England Patriots, later reuniting with Patricia with the Lions.

When asked about the relationship with Patricia, Flowers said he thinks the biggest issues is that players don't like change. They get used to one coaching and practice style, and then someone new comes in and installs his methods. If a player likes the way a previous coach did things, they can become vocal about their frustration. Via John Niyo at The Detroit News, Flowers said,

“I mean, obviously, any [new] coaching staff you have, you’re gonna have guys who are accustomed to another coaching style or a different environment or a different way of just going about business … I gave as much insight as I could as far as what was the expectation or what was the demand and why the demand of excellence was so high. But Coach Patricia, he’s a guy that’s all about winning, and so however he can get that out of guys, he’ll demand highly of ‘em, expect highly of ‘em, and the standard is very high no matter what environment he goes in.

“So I think guys probably were accustomed to a different style or a different type and, you know, that’s just how business goes. Some people like it, some people don’t. You know, any business you go in, you’re gonna have people that agree with things, people that don’t agree with things. As far as me being a guy that has been around Coach Patricia and understands his style, I tried to shed light on it and explain it as much as I could. But that’s just how the business goes.”

Flowers wasn't the only one to defend Patricia. Matthew Stafford and Danny Amendola both also provided nothing but praise for the former Patriots defensive coordinator. The quarterback said that Patricia “did a great job last year.” Meanwhile, Amendola acknowledged that Patricia can be tough on some players during practice, but that's something he likes because he feels he is better prepared for a game.

The biggest reflection on a coach's effectiveness is in the team's record. If the Lions can rebound into a winning squad in the 2020 season, the criticism of Patricia is likely to die down.