New England Patriots: Matthew Slater is coming back to NE

Matthew Slater, the special team extraordinaire will be returning to the New England Patriots for two more years.

It may not be the flashiest signing, but it is still an important one. On Tuesday ESPN’s Mike Reiss reported that Matthew Slater will be returning to the New England Patriots.

Slater has grown a lot during his time with the Patriots. He has been with the team for 10 years and has become one of the biggest leaders in the Pats locker room. Slater is a 7-time Pro Bowler, and even though the game has been lacking it is still an honor.

Slater has become the best special team player in the league. He is the best gunner in the league. Slater is such an amazing special teamer that Bill Belichick waxed poetic about him.

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"“Matt’s really, he’s tremendous. His attitude, his work ethic, the example that he sets, the way he interacts with his teammates in a really good way,” Belichick said in January 2013, via The Boston Globe. “I don’t know that a player could do any more than what he’s done for us in that role for the last several years. He’s embraced his role on the team, he’s been very good at it and he makes other players around him better. I think that’s a great compliment to him and the job he does. He’s smart, he’s well-prepared, he works hard, he has good skill, good talent, he’s tough, he’s a good playmaker for us. I could go on about him all day.”"

It seems that the Patriots may have been spurred to make the move after Slater visited the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Pats may not have expected Slater to look somewhere else.

The best special teams in the league

With the recent addition of Cordarrelle Patterson, it appears that the New England Patriots will have the best special teams squad in the league. These two will be a deadly combination on both sides of the ball. Slater will be blocking for Patterson on kick returns and I would expect both of these guys to be on the kick and punt team.

This offseason Bill Belichick is really showing off his love for special teams. Rex Burkhead spent some time on special teams which helped him get in Belichick’s good graces.

I love Slater. He is a great leader and single-handedly makes special teams plays exciting. All of a sudden he bolts down the field and seems to always be around the tackle.

Next: Danny Shelton idolizes Vince Wilfork

The Patriots have had a mediocre offseason so far. Hopefully, this most recent move won’t be their last.

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