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The Detroit Lions have been the darlings of the football world this summer due to the country’s infatuation with HBO’s “Hard Knocks.” The team has been cast into the spotlight and the players have seized the moment.
However, there is one guy that the franchise, perhaps regrettably, let go after the 2019 season. The Lions traded Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay – wow, imagine him on that show? – to the Philadelphia Eagles and never looked back. Former coach Matt Patricia reportedly had beef with Slay. And no one is happier about that divorce than Nick Sirianni who made sure to let the Detroit media know how much he loves having Slay in his locker room.
“He wants to help people. He loves his teammates. He wants to help his teammates,” Sirianni said of Slay. “And that’s something I’ve noticed every day since I’ve been here, is that love for his teammates. And when I talked to the Detroit media yesterday, I made sure they knew that as well because I know he used to be in that organization. I’m just so happy he’s on this team. He’s a great player, great teammate, great leader.”
Slay was named team captain last week, an honor that emotionally shook the 10-year veteran to the core. When Slay walks out for the coin toss on Sunday, it’ll mark the first time in his career he’s had the C on his chest. He earned it with his steady, contagious leadership.
“He’s just got a great energy about him. He comes in every day ready to work and that’s important,” Sirianni said. “That energy that you bring every day. He brings it and that’s contagious, I really believe that.
“When you bring energy constantly and that’s who you are, it’s contagious. And then he has really high football IQ. Slay is a really smart football player, extremely smart football player, that can identify things and seems to make timely plays because of it, all over the field.”
Keeping Hushed on CJ Gardner-Johnson’s Role
C.J. Gardner-Johnson is listed as the starting safety for Week 1. He’s expected to line up next to Marcus Epps in the secondary when the defense takes the field. But no one is quite sure what his exact role might be. Or how many snaps he’ll see. Remember, the Eagles just traded for the “versatile chess piece” on August 30.
“We’ll see what happens as far as going out there, but I’ll keep the competitive advantage,” Sirianni said of Gardner-Johnson. “Detroit doesn’t know who’s going to be out there, how much he’s going to be out there, so I’ll keep that to myself.”
Sirianni did praise the way Gardner-Johnson has quickly picked up the defense. He credited defensive backs coach Dennard Wilson and assistant defensive backs coach D.K. McDonald for getting him up to speed.
“He’s done a good job of learning it. Coaches have done a good job of teaching it,” Sirianni said. “Coach Wilson, Dennard and DK, have done a good job teaching it, and he’s done a good job of learning it.”
Lions QB Jared Goff Has High Praise for Slay
Jared Goff is set to begin his second full season as the starter in Detroit. That’s something the former No. 1 overall pick has in common with Jalen Hurts. Maybe the only thing. Sirianni was asked for his thoughts on Goff and immediately pointed to his leadership abilities.
“I got a lot of respect for Jared Goff and the things that he’s done in this league,” Sirianni said. “I don’t know him personally, I heard he’s a great teammate … I think highly of him as a player.”
Meanwhile, Goff returned the favor with some high praise for Slay. He called the shutdown cornerback “instinctual” and “visual.” Slay has 23 career interceptions since entering the league in 2013. He’ll likely be tasked with shutting down Lions stud receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
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