The New England Patriots have found quite the success by putting together well-coached, hard-nosed rosters full of players that are always willing to put the team first; That’s Bill Belichick’s blueprint.
The legendary coach has won six Super Bowls with the organization and is considered by most to be the greatest coach in the history of the game.
However, Belichick also knows that he’s had the privilege to coach some of the best at their respective crafts, and that includes special-teamers.
As a matter of fact, the veteran coach recently raved about one of his favorite players ever—who also happens to be on the team right now: Matthew Slater.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Belichick said, via NFL.com. “I feel like I coached the best offensive player — best player in football in Tom (Brady), the best defensive player in football in LT (Lawrence Taylor), and the best special teams player in football in Matt Slater.”
Bill Belichick: “I feel like I coached the… best player in football in Tom (Brady), the best defensive player in football in LT (Lawrence Taylor) and the best special teams player in football in Matt Slater”https://t .co/u9MLzIjYqm pic.twitter.com/EXnbv05nIc
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 23, 2023
Truth be told, it’s not hard to know why Belichick is so fond of Slater, as he’s a prototypical “Patriot Way” kind of player.
Slater entered the league with some NFL pedigree, being the son of Hall-of-Fame OL Jackie Slater.
He was taken in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of UCLA, where he played at DB and WR before transitioning to special teams.
Thus far, he’s made it to 10 Pro Bowls, earning two All-Pro honors and helping the team win three rings.
Now, he might be approaching the end of his 16-year career in the league, and while he’s already won pretty much every single thing a special teams player could win in this league, there’s one thing he has that not many people can brag about , and that’s Bill Belichick’s respect.
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