The Bill Belichick-led New England Patriots were one of the most dominant NFL franchises in history. New England parted ways with Bill Belichick following the 2023-24 season. Yet, legends of his teams still thrive. Former players Julian Edelman and Matthew Slater compared their roles in the dynasty to those on the famous Titanic boat.
Edelman and Slater got together to reminisce on the Patriots' Super Bowl 54 run, which resulted in a 13-3 win against the Los Angeles Rams. The former players made massive contributions to the 2018-19 championship year as well throughout their several-year tenures with the team.
Slater captured the stars' attitudes well with an intriguing comparison to the Titanic.
“Down with the ship, that was our motto,” Slater said on Games with Names. “I was like one of those violin players on the Titanic.”
“I'm playing that tune till I can't play anymore. I'm going down, I'm committed to this ship, committed to the captain of the ship and I'm going down with it,” Slater added.
Matthew Slater certainly “played that tune.” The former wide receiver played 16 seasons with the Patriots amassing 10 Pro Bowl honors and three Super Bowl rings. He was instrumental in New England's special teams attack.
Julian Edelman shared Slater's “Titanic” sentiment, boasting his supportive role on the team during his tenure.
“I was one of the Lifeboat workers that had to, you know, go down with the Lifeboat but still lived, but I was still with the ship,” Edelman claimed.
The former receiver spent 12 seasons with New England, and like Slater, was a three-time Super Bowl champion. Edelman and Slater's efforts helped Bill Belichick's Patriots thrive. However, the team is entering a new era.
The foundation for a new Patriots era
Bill Belichick and New England's stars helped lay the foundation for the new era the franchise is approaching in 2024. Unfortunately, Belichick's ending with the team did not go as planned.
The Patriots finished the 2023-24 season with a record of 4-12 and failed to make the postseason for the third consecutive year. As a result, Belichick and the team parted ways. Yet, that does not mean he was not competitive. Julian Edelman stressed this in his conversation with Matthew Slater.
“You know this year was tough. It was challenging, and the one thing, anything, that I saw was that, we know how competitive Bill is. He wants to win. Not just every game, he wants to win every practice, every meeting, every lifting session, and it was hard for him not to win,” Edelman said.
It is tough to go from one of the NFL's greatest dynasties to missing the playoffs for three straight years. Nevertheless, Belichick remained in his position to try to help the team as much as possible before his time was up. Things have not been great, but there is plenty of reason to be excited.
New England possesses the third overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Team executive Robert Kraft is excited about continuing to build the roster for sustained success. Moreover, the team is now led by new Head Coach Jerod Mayo and a plethora of new staff.
All in all, it will be interesting to see how the Patriots fare in 2024-25 and beyond.
Follow Us
Subscribe