While New England Patriots diehards had to be relishing their team's dominating performance against Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers, many fans who have already switched the fairly non-competitive game off could be listening to Tom Brady call the Philadelphia Eagles/Tampa Bay Buccaneers game.
When discussing how great special teams can have an impact on the club as a whole, Brady took special time to shout out Patriots legend Matthew Slater. To hear Brady say it, the player many believe is the greatest gunner and kick return coverage man in league history deserves a gold jacket.
"I was a part of a great special teams unit in New England for a long time," Brady said during the game. "Matt Slater, possibly a Hall of Famer as a special teamer...they set the tone for everything that you do." Based on how he defined a position for a decade, the always consistent Slater at least warrants more consideration.
Tom Brady says Patriots legend Matthew Slater should be in Hall of Fame
For the longest time, former Buffalo Bills ace and 90s dynasty lynchpin Steve Tasker was thought of as the greatest special teams player of all time. Tasker has had some momentum for induction into Canton every now and again, but he remains unrecognized despite perfecting his craft.
Slater was named a Pro Bowler 10 times and an All-Pro five times in his 16-year career, constantly setting the standard for what a gunner and kick coverage star should look like. Based purely on his career achievements, Slater has a more robust Hall of Fame case at the moment than Tasker.
If Slater does make it to the Hall of Fame, he could become the first son of a Hall of Fame player to make it to Canton alongside his dad. His father is Rams great Jackie Slater, who manned the right tackle spot for two decades at an elite level.
It stands to reason that a primarily special teams player will eventually make it to Canton, and if Brady has any say in things, look for Slater to eventually find his way to these hallowed halls.