Patriots Vet Earns Highest Belichick Praise: 'Just Like Lawrence Taylor'
The New England Patriots have broken countless records, of both the team and league variety, over the past 22 years. One of their longest-tenured veterans ... perhaps set for his final New England hours ... may be closing in on one of the more advanced, unofficial statistics in league history, according to head coach Bill Belichick.
Heading into the 2022 regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS), Belichick had some high praise for Matthew Slater. The special teams standout, set to appear in his 223rd game in a Patriots uniform, was praised for his ability to draw double teams, comparing such an ability to that of one of his most lauded proteges.
"(Slater) gets double-teamed on virtually every coverage play, with very few exceptions,” Belichick noted in the lead-up to Week 18's visit from Buffalo, per NESN. “He’s the guy that everybody pays a lot of attention to. To the benefit of other players; they get less attention. But I think when you see players at that level, different, but literally, he gets it on every play, just like (Lawrence) Taylor got it on every play for the (New York) Giants. When you get that kind of attention and you’re still able to be productive, that tends to put those players on a very elite level.”
Taylor, often regarded as one of the greatest defenders in NFL history, spent 10 seasons (1981-90) under Belichick's supervision with the Giants, the latter spending his New York tenure in a variety of roles, the last six campaigns as defensive coordinator. The collaboration yielded the Giants' first two Super Bowl wins and numerous individual accolades for Taylor, including the 1986 MVP award.
Slater, 37, isn't the household name that Taylor was, but he's become well-known for his special teams coverage in Foxboro, a particular set of skills that has netted 10 Pro Bowl nominations. Sunday could mark his final time in a Patriots uniform: he returned for a 15th season on a one-year deal, where he made it clear that he didn't want to play for any other team other than the Patriots. For his part, Slater has shown no signs of slowing down, as his 12-tackle tally so far this season is his best since earning 17 in 2015.
If Sunday does serve as Slater's final stand, Belichick made it clear that his efforts will not be forgotten.
“Matt’s a great person, great player, great teammate,” Belichick said. “It’s about as close to perfect as you could get. So, he’s been a great asset to me personally. Been a great asset to our team and organization on multiple levels.
“It’s something I see every day. I don’t think there’s any day that he doesn’t motivate, lead, provide an example for every one of us, players, coaches, everybody around him. So, yeah, it’s been great this week. It’s great every week. It’s great every day. It’s great in the OTAs. It’s great in training camp.”
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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