New England Patriots veteran and special teams ace Matthew Slater is not focused on any potential chatter about Bill Belichick being on the hot seat.
The chatter itself has been growing in recent years.
Buy Patriots TicketsThe Patriots currently sit at 1-2 and third place in a talented AFC East division. The organization has not made the playoffs in two out of the last three seasons, with the only playoff appearance in recent memory being a first-round exit at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in the 2021 season.
Things are not going to get any easier from here on out. New England will have to face the Dallas Cowboys in Week 4, before getting ready for the New Orleans Saints at home the following week.
However, Slater maintains that the team does not pay attention to the hot seat talk, despite a difficult road ahead.
“It’s not really something that we talk about,” said Slater, via NESN’s Dakota Randall. “It’s kind of hard not to be aware of it now, just because of the way our society is with media. But it’s not a motivator for us. We’ve got plenty of motivation to do our job, and we take a lot of pride in it. No one in here is questioning what Bill’s doing. He’s our leader. He’s got a proven track record. We all have a ton of faith in him. He’s still the best coach in the history of football. So, regardless of what people say, they can’t argue that fact.”
Spoke with Matthew Slater about the Bill Belichick-hot seat chatter and whether it can galvanize Patriots players:
"It's not really something that we talk about. It's kind of hard not to be aware of it now, just because of the way our society is with media. But it's not a… pic.twitter.com/ZevADQtHMh
— Dakota Randall (@DakRandall) September 25, 2023
It would be an understatement to say that Belichick and the Patriots have struggled since the departure of Tom Brady.
It also wouldn’t be a stretch to say that personnel decisions have not gone in the Patriots’ favor as of late. Still, New England has been one of the most consistent teams in the last decade.
It’s very clear that despite all the surrounding chatter, the team itself isn’t paying attention to it.
