The 6 Rings Postgame Show - Quite an emotional day to end the season for the Patriots
Long-time Patriots captain Matthew Slater finished his sixteenth NFL season on Sunday afternoon in Foxborough and, if it does end up being the end of his illustrious career, he's still not ready to officially call it the end just yet.
"Let's talk about that another day," Slater told reporters during his postgame presser following New England's loss to the Jets. "I just want to express my thanks to the guys in that locker room today. Very appreciative of all of the love and support that I received this whole season, but certainly today and this week. I'm just proud to be a part of that group even though the season was what it was. To come in every day and be able to work with those guys really meant a lot to me."
Prior to Sunday's snow globe game at Gillette Stadium, several Patriots players, coaches, and staffers could be seen taking the field in navy blue hoodies with the word 'Captain and No. 18 stitched on the back. The front read: 'The Patriot'.
"It was-- it meant a lot," Slater said when asked about his teammates honoring him and his accomplishments. "It meant a lot. I was blown away by it. I don't want it-- I never wanted anything about my experience here to be about me. So it did make me a little bit uncomfortable, but to have the guys do that I just, I'll never be able to put that into words as long as I live. It meant a lot to me."
Slater became one of, if not the, greatest special teamer in NFL history over the last two decades, and was honored as such. In fact, his accolades were also scribed on the left arm of his team's sweatshirts from Sunday. It read:
'Son, Father, Husband, Teammate
10 time Pro Bowl selection
3 time Super Bowl champion
13 time captain
5 time All-Pro'
Slater was asked on Sunday how he would have reacted if, when he was first drafted by the Patriots in 2008, he was told that he'd have a sixteen-year career and a chock-full resume:
"I would've called them a liar," he said with a laugh. "No, I didn't have that expectation for myself at all. I was just, you know I tell the story all the time, I called my dad during rookie minicamp and asked him if they could release me before I got my signing bonus. So, I wasn't-- I didn't have a vision for this type of career, to be a part of the special teams, and to work alongside the people that I have, but, really my career is a testament to the goodness of God and his grace in my life, his favor. I don't deserve any of the credit. The people around me deserve all the credit. My wife, my famliy, my parents, my brother, and then God. God has just been so kind to me and I'm very humbled by it."
Slater, of course, was drafted by Bill Belichick, who may have also been on the Patriots sideline for the final time on Sunday:
"Without coach I'm not standing up here talking to you," he explained when asked about Belichick. "He took a chance on me. A lot of people when I got here thought I got drafted because of my dad, so. He took a chance on me, has taken a chance on me for sixteen years so I'm very grateful for that. He's the best coach that's ever coached this game in my opinion. So, thankful for the sixteen years I've had with him."
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