Even if you only know him from his time with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick has been on NFL coaching staffs since the mid 70s and was a defensive coordinator under Bill Parcells with the New York Giants. So Belichick has coached many of the greats.
Matthew Slater might not be a household name but the longtime Patriots special teams specialist and captain is held in high regard with Coach Belichick. In fact, Belichick responded to Slater’s one year deal to remain in New England and compared Slater to Tom Brady and Lawrence Taylor.
Belichick said, “[He] 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.”
That’s rather high praise to give someone for their playing abilities. Slater has spent his entire career with the Patriots and has been there since 2008. He might not be the first person people think of when they talk about the Patriots dynasty but Slater has gone to the Pro Bowl 10 times, is a five-time first team All-Pro, and a three-time Super Bowl winner. So Belichick may know what he’s talking about.
[ESPN]