Bill Belichick has coached many legends in his time with the New England Patriots. The obvious one is Tom Brady but many other legendary players have been through Foxboro in the past couple of decades. Belichick made sure to call out one unsung hero in a recent interview. He said that special teams player Matthew Slater is the “best of all time” at his position.
Bill Belichick Praises Matthew Slater
Slater was a fifth round pick back in 2008. He immediately became a special teams contributor as a coverage guy and has been one of the best ever since. His resume includes 10 Pro Bowls, 3 Super Bowls, and 2 All-Pro nods. Belichick praised Slater in a recent interview with The 33rd Team.
“But the special teams coverage guys — and we’ve had a lot of them — back in the Giants, you know, with Reyna Thompson, and great returners like (Dave) Meggett and (Julian) Edelman and Troy Brown and all that. But as a core special teams player, Slater really is, I’d say, been the best of all time. I hope he gets recognized for that.”
The best of all time is some high praise. Belichick is often a man of few words so for him to come out and say this means that he really thinks this highly of Slater.
Special Teams Are Important
Yes, the Patriots had some legendary offenses and defenses. This was clearly a big reason why they have won so many Super Bowls. However, special teams have a huge impact on a season especially in terms of coverage. Being able to limit returns and pin opponents deep in their own territory is a massive advantage. Slater’s high level play has allowed the team to always be one step ahead of their opponents which leads to an advantage Belichick and his team can exploit.
Bill Belichick wants the world to know that Matthew Slater has been a huge part of the success of the organization. He will be on the roster for his 16th, and maybe final, season for the New England Patriots in 2023.
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