Slater still undecided on football future
Veteran says he’ll be emotional on Sunday
FOXBORO >> Patriots special teams captain and team legend Matthew Slater walked to the podium wearing one of Bill Belichick’s favorite articles and clothing and sporting one of the head coach’s favorite sayings.
Slater, sporting a green hoodie donning the phrase “day by day” in a news conference Thursday morning, is taking things at that as he prepares for the Patriots’ season finale, which also could be his last NFL game.
After fielding questions dancing around the topic for over six minutes, Slater was finally asked if he’s decided that Sunday will be the last game of his illustrious 16-year career which has seen him win three Super Bowls, play in two more and pick up eight All-Pro honors, 10 Pro Bowl selections, a place on the Patriots’ All-2010s and AllDynasty Teams, and the Bart Starr Award and Art Rooney Award.
“It sounds like you guys have decided for me,” Slater said to laughs.
“My plan is to just take it like any season. My wife and I will make that decision with my family and go from there.”
Slater, one of the remnants of the Patriots’ 18year dynasty still on the roster, acknowledged Sunday’s game against the Jets will be emotional as his career winds down, regardless of what he ultimately decides.
“One thing I will say is I feel very appreciated by the people in the building. Certain just thankful for how everyone has treated me this week, and the thanks they’ve expressed and things like that. I’m sure it’ll be emotional Sunday for obvious reasons. But my job is to focus on playing football, and I’ve always tried to do my job. So, that’s not going to change on Sunday,” he said.
Belichick referred to Slater as “just about the perfect player” in a news conference last week and said he believes the specialteamer is “eventually going to be a Hall of Fame candidate.”
There are no other special-teams coverage players in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but Belichick said he would put Slater in over Bills special-teams legend Steve Tasker.
Belichick’s future remains uncertain as Patriots
head coach, so he also could be preparing for his last game with the organization. ESPN reported Thursday that the plan is for Belichick to meet with owner Robert Kraft and team president Jonathan Kraft on Monday after the Patriots’ game against the Jets. The Patriots are 4-12 on the season. It’s the most games the Patriots have lost under Belichick’s tenure as head coach and Kraft’s ownership.
Slater has a deep appreciation for Belichick.
“It’s been transformative. I wouldn’t have had a third of the career that I’ve had without Coach,” Slater said. “He’s pushed me every step of the way. He’s shown belief in me when I think a lot of people wouldn’t have.
And he’s given me the opportunity coming out of college where a lot of other teams would not have. He’s kept me around a lot longer than I thought he would. I certainly appreciate that. I certainly appreciate the way he leads from the front, his example, his sacrifice, his accountability. I could go on about Coach, but simply stated, I’m not standing up here talking to you without Coach.”
Slater was selected in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft out of UCLA. He played wide receiver and safety before settling into his role as the league’s top core special-teams player.
Slater said he began his career with the legacy of being Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle
Jackie Slater’s son. That certainly has transcended after 16 years as a team leader.
“The thing that I value most and the thing that I hope people remember me by when my time is up is what I did off the football field, how I engage with the community, how I try to use my platform the right way to connect with people, uplift them and bring the people around me up. That’s always been my approach as servanthood, and that stems from my faith in Christ. I believe he was a great servant, a great leader,” he said. “And I’ve tried to emulate that in every aspect of my life. It hasn’t been perfect by any means, but I hope when people think about me, they don’t just think about a guy who was running up and down covering kicks, but they think about a guy who tried to pursue manhood to the best of his ability, tried to help the people around him to the best of his ability and tried to serve others to the best of his ability.”