Today, February 20th, 2024, brought some expected, but still very sad news to the New England Patriots fan base. Our beloved Matthew Slater has retired after 16 seasons with the Patriots. Who is Matthew Slater? Well, he’s not exactly the first name casual fans of the NFL think of when they think of the Patriots. He probably is not even widely known to most die-hard NFL fans due to the nature of his role on the team. However, any Patriots fan knows that his impact over these last 16 years was immense, and he will be sorely missed (I’m still hoping they will hire him as a coach).

Small Name, Big Impact

As I mentioned before, Matthew Slater was not the most well-known player on the team by any means. Despite his relative obscurity to the casual fan, his impact as a special teams player cannot be understated. What Tom Brady is to the quarterback position is what Matthew Slater is to special teams. He is the greatest of all time. Slater’s accolades include the following:

• 10 Pro Bowl selections (NFL record)
• 5 First-Team All-Pro selections
• 3 Second-Team All-Pro selections
• 3 Super Bowl Rings
• 13-time Patriots team captain

If these accomplishments don’t land him in the Hall of Fame I don’t know what will. In case you still needed convincing that Slater is the GOAT, Bill Belichick has said that “he is the perfect player”, regarding his presence on and off the field.

Slater was originally drafted in the 5th round of the 2008 NFL draft as a Wide Receiver. Fearing he could be cut from the team early in his career, he found himself a role on the team as a coverage man on kickoffs and punts, as well as a key block in the return game. His work ethic and effort on the field made Slater stand out during the few special teams plays each game, where the field position battle is often fought. Although it is not in the stat sheet, Slater undoubtedly made countless plays that would eventually allow the Patriots to win games on their way to winning 3 Super Bowls with Slater on the roster.

One of my favorite Matthew Slater plays, however, is one that shows up in the stat sheet. That play is his singular, 46-yard reception for his career way back in 2011, off a bomb thrown by none other than Tom Brady.

Matthew Slater’s only catch of his career. (Source)

Plays such as this make you wonder if he really could have been a decent receiver in the league, but I guess we will never know. If you have the time, I encourage you to go watch some of his highlights as they can be quite entertaining, and they show the importance of the unsung heroes in the NFL. One such play is his only touchdown that he scored off of a blocked punt. I remember watching that play and thinking that no one deserved to have that moment more.

Matthew Slater represented the last of the Patriots greats. The players who won Super Bowl in epic fashion, and gave their fans something to cheer about. His retiring is truly the end of an era and as fans, we can only hope to see players of his caliber in the future. It feels like a small part of my childhood has died along with his career, but I am nonetheless grateful for all the memories of watching Matthew Slater play.

In my last post a few weeks ago I discussed the potential landing spots–or lack thereof–for Bill Belichick. It seems quite strange to be reporting this but for the first time in 24 years, Belichick will not be a head coach in the NFL. Not a single team decided to hire him, which is surprising, but I’m sure we will see him again very soon as he will likely not stay jobless for more than one season.

With the draft still a few months away some of the most intriguing headlines surrounding the NFL have been regarding new coach signings. For the Patriots, the off-season began with the swift hiring of Jerod Mayo as the new head coach, but in the last few weeks, we have also seen two other crucial coaching roles filled. Next season the Patriots will have an actual named defensive coordinator (Belichick decided not to have one last year) in DeMarcus Covington, and a new offensive coordinator in Alex Van Pelt. Whether or not these are good hires remains to be seen, but we can discuss the pros and cons at this stage in the off-season.

Goodbye Steve Belichick, Hello DeMarcus Covington

Former defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington has recently been promoted to defensive coordinator. As it stands, I have no real issues with the hire, but I am also not overly excited. Like many fans, I held out hope that Steve Belichick (Bill Belichick’s son) would stay with the team and take over as the defensive coordinator. He and Mayo have been two pivotal pieces to the success of the defense over the last few seasons and it has been reported that they mesh very well with each other. Unfortunately, Steve Belichick has just accepted an offer to coach at the University of Washington, so Jerod Mayo apparently felt that Covington was the next best option.

Covington is not a widely regarded coach at this stage in his career. He has not been around long enough for him to be considered a great hire, but there are no glaring issues with him either. He has been on the coaching staff of the Patriots since 2020 so he is familiar with the defensive system that has been successful even when the rest of the team is complete garbage. Players like Davon Godchaux have given him high praise in the past, saying “He’s so detailed–great head coach one day.” Confidence from the players is a good sign for Covington, and having a new head of the defense working with Jerod Mayo is an exciting prospect. I don’t have huge expectations, but I am interested to see what he will do.

Alex Van Pelt Takes the Reins of the Offense

For some strange reason, I have seen a lot of fans a little disappointed by the hiring of Alex Van Pelt. Why? Well, it is only my speculation but I sense it has something to do with the fact that he a veteran offensive mind and a little on the older and more traditional side. In today’s NFL, many fans like to see younger and more innovative people hired as offensive coordinators or even head coaches. Guys like Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins have dreamed up some of the most electrifying offenses by changing the script of what is “normal” in play design and play calling. Alex Van Pelt does not fit that description, but personally, I’m optimistic about him.

To me, it doesn’t matter what kind of offense a team runs, it matters what the result is. Last season, even with a revolving door of quarterbacks (5 different QBs), Alex Van Pelt was able to help the Cleveland Browns to an 11-6 record, and a playoff birth. Some personnel of the Browns have come out and said that they think the only reason the front office didn’t keep him around is due to the struggles of QB Deshaun Watson, a player the Browns are spending a ridiculous amount of money on for little payoff. If Van Pelt can be an effective play-caller for the Browns, a team without an overly stacked offense, I think he can be serviceable for the Patriots, especially if they “burn some cash” in the words of Jerod Mayo.

I think that the bottom line for these hiring is that neither guy is going to be the next greatest Patriots coach, but they will both most likely do their job well. Amidst a rebuilding team, that’s all you can really ask for, and as a fan it is nice to see some different faces around and hope they can make the team better in any way.