Patriots Gridiron News: Malcolm Mitchell Draws Praise from Belichick

New England Patriots rookie wide receiver continues to impress. Bill Belichick has compared him to Deion Branch.

Malcolm Mitchell caught another touchdown in the New England Patriots 30-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. As he continues to make strides in his rookie year, head coach Bill Belichick has praised his hard work and compared him to a former Patriots wide receiver.

Appearing on Dale & Holley with Rich Keefe on Tuesday, Belichick made a comparison between Mitchell and Deion Branch.

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"“He’s just worked hard at it,” Belichick said via WEEI. “He’s had a couple of points in the season where he’s missed a little bit of time, so maybe that helps sustain it a little bit, I’m not sure. Malcolm works hard. He’s a smart kid. He works hard. He has a good level of football intelligence — kind of reminds me from that standpoint of Deion [Branch].”"

In the last four games, Mitchell has 21 receptions for 404 yards and four touchdowns. He is not only becoming one of Tom Brady’s favorite targets, he has shown the same kind of smarts Branch showed as a rookie. Belichick also highlighted Mitchell’s “instinctiveness” as one of the main reasons the rookie has been able to produce so late in his first season in the NFL.

Matthew Slater: The Patriots struggles on special teams was highlight Monday night with two miscues on punk and kick off returns. Special teams ace Matthew Slater, who fumbled on a kickoff return, summed up the low point of the night by expressing the disappointment in how his unit almost lost the game for the team.

"“It’s obviously disappointing, especially from myself, being the leader of that group and not taking care of the football in a clutch situation,” Slater said following the game. “I’m disappointed that I didn’t come through for the team, but we won the game, so that’s obviously a plus…Down the stretch, we’re going to have to clean some of that up.”"

Mexico City showdown: The Patriots will go global next season. The NFL announced that the Patriots and Oakland Raiders will face off next season in Mexico City’s Azetca Stadium in a Monday night showdown. The game scheduled in Mexico City is another indication of the NFL’s success and popularity globally.

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