Matthew Slater has positive things to say about his New England Patriots

The New England Patriots’ longest-tenured player, Matthew Slater, had some positive outlooks on the overall direction of the team.

The New England Patriots find themselves in both a unique and a different position this season as they move forward without the face of their franchise and dynasty over the last 20 years: Tom Brady.

The goal this season for the starting quarterback will be not to replace or even emulate Brady, but rather just move forward and attempt to put the Patriots in the best position with a valiant effort.

But as for the overall team, Matthew Slater said the goals and standards do not change.

Slater, now the longest tenured player on the Patriots (13 seasons), has been the team’s leader on and off the field for a number of seasons now. On top of being the top special teams ace in the NFL, Slater is responsible for addressing the Patriots in the locker room after games in the same fashion as the great Tedy Bruschi once did for the team.

He believes that the veterans of the team will step up and provide the leadership the team needs, even though the loss of Brady leaves a huge void for the team, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

"“I don’t think the goals change at all. The standard doesn’t change at all. The pillars that we stand upon, they don’t change at all.”"

Even though the identity of the Patriots has revolved around Brady for the last 20 years — which is no easy replacement — Slater believes that the first step in being successful this season will be to find a new identity for their football team. It’s important this new identity for a Bill Belichick-led Patriots team is being built with the same goals and structure as it always has, too.

Also, this is a team that has plenty of veterans with experience within the organization: Slater (13 years), Julian Edelman (11 years), Devin McCourty (10 years), Marcus Cannon (9 years), and Dont’a Hightower (8 years).

Here’s Slater again, per Reiss:

"“We’re going to have to find a new identity for ourselves. I think part of that identity is going to be built upon things we’ve always stood for and will continue to stand for as long as this organization is led by the people it’s led by. That’s going to be selflessness, hard work, doing what’s best for the football team, serving one another, not having any level of expectation that things are going to be handed to us.”"

Most of the changes to the team will occur primarily on the offensive side of the ball.

Besides the loss of Brady, the New England Patriots have struggled to surround their offense with the necessary weapons that are needed. Specifically, the wide receiver position has been depleted over the last few years — as well as the tight end position, which has been neglected.

In the first season without Brady, it would make the most sense for the Pats to rally behind their potential starting quarterback, which is now Jarrett Stidham.

Slater was highly complimentary of the second-year QB:

"“He’s just a great kid to be around. He brings a lot of positive energy. He’s always got a smile on his face, and you can tell he’s very appreciative of the opportunity he had last year and the opportunities that he’ll have moving forward. Certainly he has a lot of great qualities that can make him a great player at the quarterback position. Coach Belichick and his staff wouldn’t have brought him in here if they didn’t think he had those qualities. At the position, almost more than any other, it’s going to be the intangibles that get a guy to a successful position.”"

Slater isn’t the only member of the Patriots who has recently complimented Stidham, their new potential starting quarterback.

Last week, Devin McCourty, while on his own “Double Coverage Podcast,” praised Stidham and the work ethic McCourty noticed from him last year as a rookie while he was running the offense during practice. For a young player to receive praise from a Super Bowl champion leaders speaks volumes to what Stidham is going to be all about.

I believe Stidham has all the qualities to be a successful starting quarterback in the NFL next year, but only if the New England Patriots are willing to invest and surround him with talented players and playmakers.