You may not have heard about Patriots receiver Matthew Slater. His title as "receiver" is a bit misleading considering he has had just one reception in his nine-year career with New England. But he's one of the most important players for Bill Belichick, and his five Pro Bowl nods and three first-team All-Pro honors back that up.
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So what makes Slater so critical? He's one of the best special teams players the game has ever seen, and he has made his career out of covering kickoffs and punts. His small frame left him unfit as an actual wideout, but he found a purpose in this league as a gunner.
But his position, and his career, are possibly on the outs with the NFL's ever-changing landscape in the kickoff game. The league announced earlier this year its plans to move the touchback up from the 20-yard line to the 25-yard line on a season-long trial.
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Slater is not a fan of this possible permanent change, and he gave a passionate plea Thursday to keep the kickoff the way it was.
"It seems like just five yards but it’s going to be interesting to see how we approach it and how other teams approach it, and I’m very disappointed obviously in the way that we’re discussing the future of the kickoff. The kickoff is a big part of the history of the NFL and the history of football and for us to be sitting here talking about maybe doing away with the kickoff; it’s very disappointing. I can think about days all the way back to watching my dad when he played with the Rams and thinking of returners like Ron Brown and people of that nature that made a career out of doing this. You think about Steve Tasker and his impact on the game of football, Bill Bates, the list goes on.
"The kicking game has meant a lot to the game of football and to a lot of players individually and it’s enabled guys to have careers. You think about Larry Izzo, you think about myself. Without the kicking game we don’t have a career. I’m very disappointed in some of the things I hear in regards to getting rid of the kickoff. I surely hope that’s not the case. I hope that’s not the direction that we’re moving in but we’ll see."
The league has been discussing player safety during kickoffs for a while. Giants co-owner John Mara said in April they are "not at the point where we want to take the kickoff out of the game completely," but "we may be moving in that direction."
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For reasons Slater pointed out, that would really be a shame. There's an art to special teams play, and Slater has mastered it. For many players, special teams is the only way they can make a roster. Also, taking out such a major factor of the game would have big ramifications.
"I obviously have strong feelings about it because of what guys like myself are able to do, but you’re certainly taking away from — you think about how many times last year Brandon King ran down and made plays inside the 10, [Nate] Ebner making plays inside the 10 or inside the 20. That’s a weapon for a football team when you have players like that," Slater said. "So, I think it’s certainly taking away from — if you get rid of the kickoff — it’s taking away from what some of those cover guys are able to bring to the game of football."
