Return of Slater

WR Matthew Slater is on the depth chart by his position, but it's really just a placeholder on the Pats roster. He is a superb special teams player as a "gunner" and has earned five trips to the Pro Bowl, including three as All-Pro.

He spoke in depth with the press during a break in the team's mandatory mini-camp. He discussed the upcoming changes to the kickoff which will put the ball on the 25 yard after a touchback.

It appears that the league wants to eliminate the kick return. In the process, a specialist like Slater might go by the wayside. It has enabled him to approach his 9th season since being a 5th round pick in the 2008 Draft.

Nate Ebner and Brandon King have been carving careers out of special teams play. The fans like to see a kick returned. It's becomes a question of how can they make it safer.

Since 2010, returns have decreased from 80% to 41 %. Will the kick return be eliminated?