Patriots coach Bill Belichick had some very high praise for his longtime special teams captain Matthew Slater.
Belichick said that Slater’s impact on special teams compares with Tom Brady’s impact on offense and Lawrence Taylor’s impact on defense.
"[Slater] will go up there, in the kicking game, with Brady on offense and Taylor on defense. So I feel very, very fortunate to have the opportunity to coach all the players, but I’d say those three in particular,” Belichick said, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.
That’s high praise indeed. Brady is, of course, widely considered the best player in NFL history, and Taylor is considered by many to be the best defensive player in NFL history. Slater has been discussed as a potential future Hall of Famer. Belichick would clearly endorse his selection.