Patriots special teams captain Matthew Slater addresses the media during his postgame press conference on Sunday, January 8, 2023.
I don't know, there's a lot going through my line. Obviously disappointed with how the Kicking game went today, just a little bit show shocked, so you know, trying to process that. I just feel like we didn't you know, we didn't give our our team a chance to win the game, and that's very disappointing. So I think that's what's on my mind the most right now. Obviously emotionally, very emotional. Now, I don't I'm not sure, and I don't think it's fair to that to the guys in that locker room to just talk about my personal situation this season that you didn't guys got better as you went on and battled on the top day emotionally, Yeah, yeah, other look, I know we're all disappointed with with the way that it's ended, but uh, you know, I feel like we built a lot of character this year, and you know, there's a great young core of players is in that locker room that are gonna be good for this franchise for a long time. And I certainly hope that, you know, we always say we will build off of that and that our future um holds better things in store, and I believe that it does. So you know, it's frustrating as it is right now. Um, you know I think you know the future sprite fine specially yeah, I mean that's it's hard process. I've been playing this game a long time and you know, never been a part of anything like that. So, um, it's obviously very very disappointing. And you know he's a captain that unit. I feel like, you know, we cost the team the game, so uh, you know, it's very difficult yet, right, sorry giving it everything I've had. You know, my dad told me when I was young I thought I was going to play the game, that there was a certain way to play it, a certain way to go about it. I tried to make him proud of represent his name the right way because that's how he did it. And that's what it's always been about for me. I love everything about it, the competition, the brotherhood, struggle, the ups and downs. Um yeah, but for me at heart, I'm just a kid who's following his dad's footsteps. And that's been the most special thing for me is to do what the most important person in my life, um, as a young person did and you know that's that's the biggest honor. He's my brother and we've been through a turn football side, and you know we've done life together. We've experienced so many different things together and you know, nothing can ever break that bond. So very appreciative of David and all the ways he's not only supported me, but supporting my family, my kids, my wife. Uh, you know, he's through and through a class acticle. And they gave a kid an opportunity that not a lot of people would have given an opportunity to. You know, they gave me a chance to pursue my childhood dream and you know, always being debted to them for that, and uh, just very thankful for the experience of given myself and my family. And you know, I can't I can't think them enough. I really can't spend spend the experience of a lifetime. Yeah, I think I think we're here for good now. You know, I get like I was saying last week, all four of my kids born here, the oldest too, are in school, so this is home for us now. People like mm hmm, yeah, yeah, I mean like we just didn't do a good enough job using our hands and getting off blocks. I mean, like it comes down to fundamentals. You mean, you gotta be able to shed a block. You gotta be able to um diagnosed the return and avoid to the ball, and we just didn't do it. And you know, it's very disappointed, and it shows up in this setting and it's just, you know, you just feel like he let the team down, and you know it's very disappointing. I mean, I don't know, I don't have enough time to answer that. I mean, he's gonna make fun of me later for being up here crying and stuff. Um, I mean, no one I've ever played with has impacted my life more simple that appreciate it.