Slater On Gresh & Zo: Patterson Presents Big Challenge To Patriots' Special Teams
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has always prided himself on his football team being solid in all three phases of the game -- offense, defense, and the often overlooked special teams.
But in their Week 1 loss to the Miami Dolphins, the Patriots had several breakdowns in each of those facets of the game. That included a botched snap that led to a blocked punt on special teams, which directly led to a Dolphins' touchdown.
For special teams captain Matthew Slater, those kinds of breakdowns cannot occur when the team takes the field on Sunday.
"There was no excuse for that and it's unacceptable," Slater told 98.5 The Sports Hub's Gresh & Zolak on Thursday. "We have to do a better job, all 11 guys, just going back to the basics and executing our fundamentals. If we can do that we shouldn't have any issues."
Slater knows there will be even more emphasis on special teams this weekend as the Patriots square off with the Minnesota Vikings. Cordarrelle Patterson is not only an explosive receiver and threat to take the ball out of the backfield, but also a wizard at returning kicks. He doesn't care if a kicker boots one well into the end zone, the second-year return man will bring it out.
"This guy is one of the best guys we've had in the league in a while," Slater said of Patterson. "He's very aggressive and our attention has to be up every time we kick off. Unless Stephen (Gostkowski) kicks the ball out of the stadium, this guy is coming back with it. We have a challenge this week and we have to be ready to defend this guy. He made a lot of game-changing plays last year as a rookie, and it's going to be a tough week for us."
The NFL moved up the spot of the kickoff from the 30-yard line to the 35-yard line in 2011, and Slater has noticed more and more players returning kickoffs that go deep into their end zone over the last few seasons.
"Teams are getting more comfortable and returners have a lot of confidence in what they're doing," he said. "So as cover guys we have to stay alert and play things out the way we would if we were kicking back in the old days.
"I like when teams take it out," he added. "I think it's good for the game and an exciting play."
Matthew Slater On Gresh & Zo
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