Matthew Slater hasn't given up hope on the 2020 New England Patriots.
Despite New England's 4-6 record, the longtime special teams captain said Monday he "absolutely" believes the Patriots can turn their season around in the coming weeks.
"I think if there ever comes a point in time where you lose faith in that, then the season’s over," Slater said in a video conference one day after the Patriots' 27-20 loss to the Houston Texans. "If at any point -- leadership, coaches, players, staff -- if you lose belief, then you might as well throw in the towel, and I don’t think we’re anywhere near that right now.
"I think there is still a great deal of belief in who we are and what we’re capable of moving forward. But at some point in time, we have to turn that belief into action and results."
Four of the Patriots' six losses have come by seven points or fewer. All four ended with failed New England drives that stalled inside the opponent's 25-yard line in the final minutes.
To secure a playoff spot in the competitive AFC, the Patriots likely would need to win each of their final six games -- something only five 4-6 teams (out of 203) have accomplished since 1978.
"We’re going to remain confident in who we are and what we’ve done," Slater said. "We’ve got some decent football players around here that have done alright over the years. We’ll see at the end of the day whether that’s good enough or not, but right now, we’re just going to focus on taking things one day at a time and trying to go out and get better."
With Tom Brady and Stephen Gostkowski departing this past offseason, Slater is the Patriots' longest-tenured player. The 35-year-old never has been on a team that won fewer than 10 games and hasn't missed the playoffs since his rookie year in 2008, when New England went 11-5 with backup quarterback Matt Cassel but lost out in the AFC East and wild-card races on tiebreakers.
This rare down season has forced Slater to adopt new leadership techniques and honestly assess his own shortcomings as a motivator. He proudly said infighting and negative attitudes have not taken hold in the Patriots' locker room despite their subpar record.
“I think true character is revealed in adversity," Slater said. "Anyone can be a frontrunner and kind of just be high when things are going well. Anyone can lead when things are going well. Anyone can do anything positive when things are going well. But I think this year, what I’ve seen is true character and grit from a lot of guys.
"Needless to say, this year’s been a bit of a struggle for us, but guys have stayed committed to the process. They’ve stayed committed to each other. There hasn’t been finger-pointing. There’s been no blame placed on this guy or that guy or ‘We’re not doing this’ or ‘It’s the scheme’ -- all those sorts of things that you would expect to see, I think, from certain people in these types of situations, we haven’t had any of that.
"And I think that speaks volumes to the men that we have in this locker room and just the way that they were raised and the choices that they’ve made as adults and who they are as people. I’ve always felt that way about these guys, especially the guys I’ve played with for a while and know very well, but I think even more so after going through a year like this."
Slater also praised head coach Bill Belichick for his handling of these unfamiliar circumstances.
"He’s been Steady Eddie," Slater said. "He’s going to be consistent. He is who he is regardless of the situation, and I think that’s reflected in our coaching staff, as well. So that’s been encouraging for me to see. I think I’ve learned a lot about myself, as well, throughout the process, and we’re just going to keep moving forward the best way that we know how."
