Eagles’ Darius Slay breaks silence on certain NFL executive calling Sauce Gardner ‘overrated’

An evaluator criticized the Jets cornerback for getting away with holding offensive players.

Eagles’ Darius Slay breaks silence on certain NFL executive calling Sauce Gardner ‘overrated’

Sauce Gardner and Darius Slay (via IMAGO)

NFL evaluators and executives’ opinions matter. If not to the players, to their fanbase at the least. Recently, an anonymous personnel evaluator in the league was critical of two of the best defensive players, Darius Slay and Sauce Gardner. He called Gardner out for his technique and dubbed him to be overrated.

The criticism was that Sauce Gardner is “one of the most overrated players in the league. You could call holding on him every play.” The evaluator thinks that the Jets cornerback is just clever to get away with holding and does it so that the referees cannot catch him in the act.

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To this criticism, Darius Slay, the corner for the Philadelphia Eagles, defended his counterpart by responding to this post. Slay admitted to holding on to every play, he claimed that it is what the best corners in the NFL do. 

I try to hold every play, the best just kno(w) how to get away with it!
Darius Slay wrote on X

Slay believes that it is what separates the best from the pack. Today, the NFL’s rules are biased towards offensive players, and due to this, defensive players, especially backs, must learn to adapt in order to be effective in what they do.

Darius Slay’s confession is likely to attract more attention to him from the referees this season

The best players understand that as long as they do not get caught by the referees, they are free to do what needs to be done to keep their man under check. What better way to do this than to try to hold on to every play but give the illusion to the referees that you are doing nothing wrong?

Darius Slay and Sauce Gardner
Darius Slay and Sauce Gardner (via IMAGO)

The NFL evaluator’s criticism of Sauce Gardner makes one thing evident. His criticism is coming from a place of frustration. This evaluator is not happy that a player considered to be one of the best at his position has gotten there by committing a holding penalty on every play. If anything, that should be all the more reason to respect Gardner.

The best find a way to make the rules work to their advantage. Defensive players in the league have no option but to be well-versed in the rules and find loopholes around them. Gardner has found a way around it. Last season, he had 41 solo tackles and 1 forced fumble. He proved himself as a threat on defense and the Jets trust him to lock down the best receivers in the NFL.

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