Matthew Slater
Former Patriots linebacker Brandon Spikes once shared a story about being downtrodden because he was snubbed for a Pro Bowl selection. That’s when Tom Brady approached him in the locker room to say, “Hey B, you think I play this [game] to go to Pro Bowls? Get it together. Get your head up. We’re trying to win rings. That’s what it is here.”
While the Patriots have six Super Bowl championship rings in their jewelry case, winning usually comes with a fair share of Pro Bowlers. The 2021 Patriots have three Pro Bowl selections – cornerback J.C. Jackson, linebacker Matthew Judon and special teamer Matthew Slater. It’s Slater’s 10th selection, which is second in team history to Brady’s 14 and the most ever by a special teamer in NFL annals. It is Jackson’s first Pro Bowl selection, which is notable since he is second in the NFL with seven interceptions after a 2020 season in which he had nine.
Matthew Judon
Judon has a career-high 12.5 sacks this season and will make his third straight Pro Bowl appearance.
In Bill Belichick’s first season as the Patriots head coach in 2000, the team had zero Pro Bowl selections, but have had at least two in every ensuing season with a high of eight selections in 2007, 2010 and 2011.
Since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger, the Patriots have had zero selections on seven occasions – 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1993 and 2000. They also had eight in 1985.
J.C. Jackson
But three selections is on the low side during the Belichick era. Here is a look at Patriots Pro Bowlers year-by-year through the Belichick tenure:
2000 – 0
2001 – 4
QB Tom Brady (1)
WR Troy Brown (1)
CB Ty Law (2)
S Lawyer Milloy (3)
2002 – 6
SpT Larry Izzo (2)
S Lawyer Milloy (4)
CB Ty Law (3)
DT Richard Seymour (1)
K Adam Vinatieri (1)
C Damien Woody (1)
2003 – 3
CB Ty Law (4)
LB Willie McGinest (2)
DT Richard Seymour (2)
2004 – 5
QB Tom Brady (2)
LB Tedy Bruschi (1)
SpT Larry Izzo (3)
DT Richard Seymour (3)
K Adam Vinatieri (2)
2005 – 2
QB Tom Brady (3)
DT Richard Seymour (4)
2006 – 2
T Matt Light (1)
DT Richard Seymour (5)
2007 – 8
QB Tom Brady (4)
C Dan Koppen (1)
T Matt Light (2)
G Logan Mankins (1)
WR Randy Moss (6)
CB Asante Samuel (1)
LB Mike Vrabel (1)
NT Vince Wilfork (1)
2008 – 2
K Stephen Gostkowski
WR Wes Welker
2009 – 5
QB Tom Brady (5)
G Logan Mankins (2)
S Brandon Meriweather (1)
WR Wes Welker (2)
NT Vince Wilfork (2)
2010 – 8
QB Tom Brady (6)
LT Matt Light (3)
G Logan Mankins (3)
LB Jerod Mayo (1)
CB Devin McCourty (1)
S Brandon Meriweather (2)
WR Wes Welker (3)
NT Vince Wilfork (3)
2011 – 8
QB Tom Brady (7)
DE Andre Carter (1)
TE Rob Gronkowski (1)
G Logan Mankins (4)
SpT Matthew Slater (1)
G Brian Waters (6)
WR Wes Welker (4)
NT Vince Wilfork (4)
2012 – 7
QB Tom Brady (8)
TE Rob Gronkowski (2)
G Logan Mankins (5)
LB Jerod Mayo (2)
SpT Matthew Slater (2)
WR Wes Welker (5)
NT Vince Wilfork (5)
2013 – 5
QB Tom Brady (9)
K Stephen Gostkowski (2)
G Logan Mankins (6)
SpT Matthew Slater (3)
CB Aqib Talib (1)
2014 – 7
QB Tom Brady (10)
WR Julian Edelman (1)
K Stephen Gostkowski (3)
TE Rob Gronkowski (3)
S Devin McCourty (2)
CB Darrelle Revis (6)
SpT Matthew Slater (4)
2015 – 7
QB Tom Brady (11)
CB Malcolm Butler (1)
LB Jamie Collins (1)
K Stephen Gostkowski (4)
TE Rob Gronkowski (4)
DE Chandler Jones (1)
SpT Matthew Slater (5)
2016 – 6
QB Tom Brady (12)
RB LeGarrette Blount (1)
CB Malcolm Butler (2)
LB Dont’a Hightower (1)
DB Devin McCourty (3)
SpT Matthew Slater (6)
2017 – 6
QB Tom Brady (13)
FB James Develin (1)
TE Rob Gronkowski (5)
DB Devin McCourty (4)
SpT Matthew Slater (7)
T Nate Solder (1)
2018 – 2
QB Tom Brady (14)
CB Stephon Gilmore (2)
2019 – 3
CB – Stephon Gilmore (3)
LB Dont’a Hightower (2)
SpT Matthew Slater (8)
2020 – 3
P Jake Bailey (1)
CB Stephon Gilmore (4)
Spt Matthew Slater (9)
2021 – 3
CB J.C. Jackson (1)
LB Matthew Judon (3)
SpT Matthew Slater (10)
