All-Pro special teamer Matthew Slater: Patriots' goals don't change after Tom Brady departure

The New England Patriots will look quite different without Tom Brady at the helm of their offense, and they aren't denying that. However, the team doesn't plan on changing its approach.

Longtime special teams ace Matthew Slater, who has made eight Pro Bowls and earned two All-Pro nods for his special teams work, knows there's certainly a challenge ahead, but he says New England's goals will stay the same going forward.

"I don't think the goals change at all. The standard doesn't change at all. The pillars that we stand upon, they don't change at all," Slater told reporters on a conference call, according to ESPN's Mike Reiss.

"If you go into the season with a defeatist mindset, then you can't expect to be successful. We have a great opportunity. We have a lot of good football players. We have a tremendous coaching staff. ... We have to go into the season expecting more from ourselves than anyone outside the building expects from us. We have to go in with the same drive, the same focus, the same determination. If we don't, you shouldn't even step foot in the building, because we're already going to be beat."

Slater also acknowledged the fact that the hole Brady left is immense, noting that the team will need to get over it if it wants to be successful moving forward.

The Patriots will have to buy in to second-year quarterback Jarrett Stidham in 2020, and although that could be difficult, Slater said the team has the utmost confidence in him heading into the season.

Slater, 34, has been one of New England's locker room leader for some time now and recently signed a two-year contract extension. With Brady gone, he may have to dig deep and not give up faith with this group moving forward.