What is Slater doing on this team??

[j00fek]

can this thread be moved to the practice squad, it has no merit. people cant take the fact the pats got beat by a better team, sorry but the truth hurts.

 

[Pats726]

can this thread be moved to the practice squad, it has no merit. people cant take the fact the pats got beat by a better team, sorry but the truth hurts.

It certanly needs to be moved there...

 

[Box_O_Rocks]

This coming from a LeKevin Smith fan, that makes alot of sense.........Talk about sucking..........

LeKevin sucks? Well curse my lying TV and DVR for showing him making plays and playing his assignments well. :enranged:

 

[BradyToMoss]

LeKevin sucks? Well curse my lying TV and DVR for showing him making plays and playing his assignments well. :enranged:

Ya, he's a real stud, shades of Alan Page allright..................

 

[Pats726]

the FO isn't smarter than me


my Madden team won the super bowl last year, but the real patriots didn't

This might be the DUMBEST thing I have seen on thiis board. It insults the inteligence OF ANYONE whose ever had a real interest in football...This clown couldn't run a pee wee football team... NTW My stepson plays Madden and I assure you..could kick your behind good in it!!!

 

[Va_Pats_Fan]

Agree with your post. They projected him to be sort of a Troy Brown-type 'Mr. Versatility,' guy--not just a pure returner.

You have been a pats fan long enough to remember that Troy was cut his first year? By your standards, Slater is already ahead of the curve.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

I hated the Slater pick (and pretty much the rest of the draft) from day one. The mere fact that we traded our 5th and 7th round picks to get this guy just burns me. He has been an absolute bust! He has fumbled more kicks than he has caught. I have yet to see him make a tackle as the gunner, I have seen him run past the returner as he goes upfield.

Ellis is a great KR, however, most of the time, he is tired because he has just been on the field for a long TD drive. He should return the opening KO. I can't believe that this team, does not have someone better than Slater.

You know you've had a bad draft when two undrafted Rookie Free agents outplay and outperform the rest of your draft class (aside from Mayo).

 

[PATSYLICIOUS]

He was out there because according to reports after the game Hobbs was busy throwing up on the sidelines. I remember quite a few who were ready to boot Kevin Faulk out of town when he went through his struggles holding onto the football. They showed Slater after the game in the locker room and he looked pretty dejected and felt he "cost the team the game". As we've found out one game doesn't make a player, so I think it's better to reserve judgement just yet. - Ian

Totally agree. If he added nothing to the team he wouldn't be on it.

You never know he could eventually get Hobbs off KR duties and make some plays for us returning the ball as well. KR can change a game.

 

[JSn]

Totally agree. If he added nothing to the team he wouldn't be on it.

You never know he could eventually get Hobbs off KR duties and make some plays for us returning the ball as well. KR can change a game.

And if he's a smart player (and I believe he is) he'll fix that mistake. He admitted the problem was that he didn't focus on ball security first.

I'm willing to bet 100% he's back for a kick return next week.

 

[tatepatsfan]

How has he been an absolute bust? He was a 5th round pick who has been a good special teams contributor. He made one really really boneheaded play. Sure, I was pissed yesterday. But come on, one terrible play doesn't make the guy a bust.

 

[jeffbiologist]

I suggest you learn something about the team BEFORE making statements..if you are truely a biologist. and use this same methodology you are definitely a poor one.

I know KW is the new CJ for this board, but lets not put him in the hall of fame just yet. He hasnt done much again this year, how many games has he actually dressed? But even I can defend his spot on the team because he both plays ST AND backs up the WR position(albeit desperately). I am a biologist, and I am methodical....this guy should have been on the PS all year, so we could have learned what he can do in practice BEFORE he had a chance to lose a game. He may well be YOUR Troy Brown, but even he got CUT multiple times. MY Troy Brown had a POSITION he played(several of them in fact!), this guy is a coach's toy, nothing more. If he were any good he would have supplanted Hobbs on this we can agree. And the FO doesnt know more than EVERYONE, they make mistakes. The question is how quickly they aknowledge those mistakes.....

 

[Gicksauce]

Go play Madden and leave REAL football to people who care about it..I think that comment shows just about what u are...NOTHING!!!! Now go back to playing Madden..

Do you play real football? Do you coach real football? Or do you watch it on tv?

At least I play madden

 

[Robdude]

The BB press conference pretty much says what i wanted to say about this. When BB was asked why he put in Slater instead of Faulk his answer was pretty much "Slater has been practicing this all year". I am paraphrasing his statement but the point is still there. Slater has been fielding kicks all year and I imagine he has looked good doing it. I know when I watched the summer practices (seems like years ago) he looked like bottled lightening and I imagine he has only looked better as he works with Coach Seely.
We are 13 weeks into this season and I do not think anyone is really a 'rookie' anymore. Slater has learned his role during practice and at some time he needs to get on the feild to see if he can produce.
I also wonder why people criticize the staff for putting him in. How many times is a kick return a non pressure situation? you return kicks to start the game, start the half, and when the other teams scores. ALL of those times are pressure situations. His job is to fill in when Hobbs can't go.
Putting in Faulk after the fumble is fine by me but Ii do not want Faulk returning kicks ona regular basis. He is safe and smart, but he is not a big threat of breaking one.

 

[DaBruinz]

I posted during draft time, not understanding this pick...a guy who basically had NO position in college besides a KR. Guys that are drafted as KRs usually have to do something special in camp to make the team. He didnt. I was comparing him to Quentin Demps, rookie with the Eagles who returned a kick for a TD in preseason and MADE the team. I was more than a little shocked that Slater made the team because he cant back up a position and his kick returns simply arent "special". With the rash of injuries at DB we certainly could have used depth there....
So today he boots the kickoff and basically gives Pitt a TD and the momentum that they used to win the game. If we are down by 3 their LBs dont have their ears pinned back and dont strip sack MC twice costing the game. Everyone that has defended him in the past please chime in to defend him, he has been active for every game but hasnt made a single big play(that was til tonite)~~~I would rather have another CB that cant tackle than a STer that blows games.

WOW. Talk about an over-reaction. Were you saying the same thing about Troy Brown last year when he muffed the punt in his first game? How about 3 years ago against Denver in the playoffs?

Slater isn't JUST a kick returner. I tried to explain this to you the last time you made a post like this about him. He is a vital part of all 4 special teams groupings. That's right. Slater plays on kick-returns (besides as a returner), punt returns, kick-off coverage and punt coverage.

Also, lets see how you do in the rain when the ball is slick? I bet you drop more than a few.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

How has he been an absolute bust? He was a 5th round pick who has been a good special teams contributor. He made one really really boneheaded play. Sure, I was pissed yesterday. But come on, one terrible play doesn't make the guy a bust.

He has 4 tackles in 11 games, none of which were inside the 20 yard line. He has 11 KO retunrs, of which he has fumbled 2 of them, and has a stellar 14.1 KO average compared to Ellis' 27.4 avg.

He was a bust long before he fumbled yesterday.

 

[DaBruinz]

Agree with your post. They projected him to be sort of a Troy Brown-type 'Mr. Versatility,' guy--not just a pure returner. He's been bad all around thus far and done nothing to dispel the notion that he was a really questionable pick.

WRONG. He wasn't just a pure punt returner. Or a pure kick returner. As I mentioned to Jeff, Slater plays on 4 special teams units. The only one I don't believe he's on is Field Goals.

 

[Pats726]

Do you play real football? Do you coach real football? Or do you watch it on tv?

At least I play madden

Whoop de doo!!!!! That means very little in my book and in most others..As I said you couldn't coach pee wee football my friend...go back to your video culture and stay there..

 

[DaBruinz]

PLEASE tell me you didnt just compare Slater to Seymour!! You just ruined my impression of you,lol!

If a guys position is KR is college, and we DRAFT his as a KR, and he MAKES THE TEAM as a KR(other ST is a plus, he is no imitation of a young Izzo)then I EXPECT him to be there and return most if not every kick. You cant blame anyone for putting him in, THATS HIS ONLY JOB! If he isnt in there he has no position on the team, which brings me back to my original point....why is he still on the team? If he survives not being cut this week I will again state my case--legacy pick.

So, because you have the WRONG IMPRESSION of why he made the team, you think he's a failure? Maybe you should realize that he didn't just make the team as a kick returner. He made the team because of his ability to play on the various different special teams units.

 

[PatsWickedPissah]

He was out there because according to reports after the game Hobbs was busy throwing up on the sidelines. I remember quite a few who were ready to boot Kevin Faulk out of town when he went through his struggles holding onto the football. They showed Slater after the game in the locker room and he looked pretty dejected and felt he "cost the team the game". As we've found out one game doesn't make a player, so I think it's better to reserve judgement just yet. - Ian

Hobbs himself said he was barfing and cramping up and couldn't go. Slater was out there because in camp and in practise he'd shown that he had talent enough to be a backup KR guy. Made a rookie mistake on the job, not that Troy Brown or whomever ever lost a kick. Nah.

Now all those whining "Why doesn't BB give (insert favorite rookie's name here) a chance?" knows that there are potential downsides as well as upsides.

 

[DaBruinz]

Ian, I agree that any "starter" or "regular player" that has done something to WIN a game shouldnt be judged on his fault of losing a game. Slater doesnt fit either catagory. My point is(again)if he is on the team he should be out there and be making most if not every return(then Hobbs might not be getting sick?). He should have broken at least one beyond say 40 yds by this time in the season(and I am being OVERLY easy on this judgement), he hasnt. Its not like we have dressed someone else and he has been inactive, he has been active and has yet to make a impactful GOOD play to help us win a game. If we let every player in this catagory stay on the team and forgive them for losing a game....well, we wouldnt be winning super bowls. We learned this from CJ, or so I thought.

WOW.. So you think that in 11 returns in 11 games that Slater should have broken one for more than 40 yards? And you think that you're being overly EASY in your judgement? Sorry, Jeff, but you've got it wrong. That has got to be some of the HARSHEST judgement that I've seen heaped on a ROOKIE 5th round pick. It borders on absurdity.