The New England Patriots put together a historic performance on Sunday.
With their win over the New York Jets, the Patriots earned Bill Belichick his 325th win as a head coach, moving him past Chicago Bears founder George Halas for second most in NFL history. They also played alongside Matthew Slater in his 214th game as a Patriot, the second most in team history.
Praise hasn’t been hard to come by for Belichick in the days following the victory, with his current and former quarterbacks joining a variety of influential figures in his career in giving their respects to the future hall of famer. Following the game, Slater added his name to the list.
“It’s only fitting that — coach Belichick has a great appreciation for history,” Slater told the team, per Twitter video. “And it’s only fitting that he makes some history here today. I want to challenge you guys to have an appreciation for history. Where you came from. Who paved the way for you.”
Much like his coach, Slater took the historic occasion and molded it into a teaching lesson.
“History is important fellas. We can’t forget where we come from,” Slater said. “Because in order to understand where we’re going, we gotta be able to look back and learn from what’s happened in the past. History matters. History was made here today though. Let’s go out there and keep our heads down fellas. Continue to grind, and most importantly, stay together.”
The Patriots will look to heed Slater’s words and continue their winning ways when they take on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 9.
