mgteich

Slater played at KR and at safety. Ventrone played WR; did Slater?

BelichickFan

I guess they're just looking at them at a variety of positions - I was a little disappointed that Hobbs got the KR in the first half, I was hoping for Slater to get them all game to see if he could break one.

PATRIOT64

Slater is a STer and that is probalby all is he will be ala Kelly Washington - Although seeing Kelly at WR would not be surprising

Did Kelly line up at WR in the preseason yet?

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Canada's #1 Pats Fan

I did not see him line up tonight at WR. Did he even play in the game for that matter?

DocE

I think tonight was a sign that Slater doesn't have a spot on the 53 man roster locked down yet. If Slater was a lock to make the team, there is zero chance that BB would have risked Hobbs on kick returns in the pre season.

One of the biggest benefits to keeping Slater is that it keeps Hobbs, Maroney, and Welker off of kickoff returns.

Pats726

I think once BM went down, he was a backup safety and they needed him there...

mgteich

Yup.

And if he had a position locked down, they would have at least tried him out at WR instead of constantly counting on Ventrone and the Cj's.

JoePats

Hobbs is a good KR, but he's not a great returner. So personally I would not have him return kicks because we can't afford to get him injured. The corner depth goes basically three-deep. Hobbs, Bryant (who has a history of injuries), and Wheatley (a rookie).

mgteich

I think you have it backwards. If Slater isn't a great kick returner, he isn't worth a roster spot.

The point is if Slater is being kept only to be a mediocre kick returner, then the roster spot might be better used to keep another corner.

You mention our starting corners and nickel back. The issue is how many backups we can afford to carry. There are lots on the roster. If we don't keep Slater, we can keep one more. Perhaps for the first time in years, we might have sufficient backup at corner.

Should we really cut a corner to keep Slater?

OPTIONS
Lewis Sanders, Wlihite, Webster, Richardson, Spann, Jimoh, Shoate, Ventrone

jeffbiologist

We drafted him because he ran back 3/30 kicks last year. So if he gets 15+ chances and doesnt break one suffice to say he wont make the team. He could well be on the PS.