Patriots special teamer and captain Matthew Slater joined Toucher and Rich Tuesday, with Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict’s style of play among the topics discussed.
Burfict committed a dangerous hit on Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett and also stepped on running back LeGarrette Blount in New England’s 35-17 win over Cincinnati Sunday.
“I haven’t gotten a chance to get a look at them, and I’ll just say this: I think that most players across the league feel as though we need to take care of one another. We know the violent nature of this game, we know the high injury rates and we don’t need to do anything to add to that.
“There’s no room in this game for dirty play, for illegal play, for illegal play. As players, we need to take care of one another. I’m sure the league will take a look at it and they’ll do what they see fit. Obviously we feel strongly about things that we think are going to put our players at jeopardy. At the same time, that was last week and we obviously had the last say in the game by getting the W and we move on to Pittsburgh.”
Asked about how he reacts to dirty plays when he sees them on the field, Slater said Patriots players know better than to retaliate and potentially put their team at a disadvantage.
“It’s certainly tough, but when you’re in a tight game and there’s a lot on the line, you can’t do things to put your team at jeopardy. You can’t cost your team with a personal foul and lose field position. But it’s tough. You feel like you’re being attacked personally, or feel like your health is at stake, you’re going to automatically have a response to that. Coach understands that it’s a game of emotion and it’s a physical game, but at the same time, you have to be disciplined enough not to respond in certain situations, be able to walk away from them, which is obviously easier said than done, but something that we have always tired to do around here and I’m sure we’ll continue to do as we move forward.”