Getty Darius Slay.
The Detroit Lions lost to the Dallas Cowboys, and the reasoning for the defeat was multiple. That didn’t stop Darius Slay from blaming himself for missing on one potential game changing play.
Slay let a pass go straight through his hands in the game and right into the outstretched arms of Amari Cooper. It was a bang-bang play which could have changed the complexion of a close game for the Lions, and one which Cooper made and Slay didn’t.
Here’s a look at Slay’s apology afterward:
Slay hardly has reason to apologize. It was a bang-bang play off a pass which came in extremely hot. A few plays before, Slay nearly had an interception, but Tavon Austin played defensive back and slapped the ball away. Slay also said Austin made a nice play to deny him.
Football, as it is said, is truly a game of inches both ways.
Darius Slay Motivated Lions Last Week
Slay feels as if it’s time for the Lions to step up and has been very vocal about that fact. Under no uncertain terms, he wants to see the Lions get it going and finish the season strong.
As he said in a piece by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, victories the rest of the way are the only way the Lions can salvage things. Here’s a look at what he said:
“We got to win out,” Slay said. “We all know we got to win that mug out. If we don’t, it going to be ugly. We trying to win out. We got to win out. We know we got to win out and that’s the goal, to win out.”
The Lions are 3-5-1 with seven weeks left in the regular season and have lost five of their last six games.
They’re alone in last place in the NFC North, and likely can’t afford another loss if they’re going to avoid spending a third straight January at home.
Asked what he meant by “ugly,” Slay said simply an ugly finish to the season that falls short of goals.
Slay isn’t wrong. The Lions need to at the very least give themselves a chance to finish the season strong. Even if the Lions don’t make the playoffs, a solid finish to 2019 could help set the stage for a better 2020 in which the team has hopes to take the next step.
After Detroit struggled in losing to the Chicago Bears, Slay also took to Twitter in order to provide a call to arms for Lions fans. As he said, he doesn’t want anyone to be quitting and it’s time for the team to rise up and have a solid push the rest of the way.
Here’s a look at what he wrote:
Love y’all Lion fans lets keep fighting its gonna turn around✊🏽!!!!!! #OnePride
The team keeps fighting, but the fans have to be frustrated with the results they’ve seen thus far, especially after another loss.
Darius Slay a big Play Player
Slay has been elite since being a second round draft pick of the Lions back in 2013, and has developed into one of the elite shut down corners in the entire league. He’s also a star for the Lions in the community, and arguably, is one of the top faces of the franchise at this point in time.
This past offseason, Slay missed the OTA period for Detroit amid wanting a new contract. While the Lions haven’t worked anything out with him, they also haven’t closed the door on making his re-signing a priority in the future, meaning a trade is possible if the team wants to move on. Slay also had a strong reaction to the team dealing Quandre Diggs for a draft pick a few weeks ago.
There’s simply no doubting the importance of him to the team in both the short and the long term. It’s neat to always see one of the elite players in the league take ownership for his own mistakes, even if they aren’t that dramatic.
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