ESPN

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Matthew Slater has had numerous titles in his NFL career: Wide receiver, safety, and special teams maven. So he smiled when a reporter suggested another on Wednesday: Veteran.

"It’s a blessing to be called a veteran," said Slater, set to enter his fourth pro season after being drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round (153rd overall) of the 2008 draft. "I never thought I’d be called a veteran, but I guess I am."

Slater still remembers his first days in New England and chuckled while recalling how two hulking playbooks -- one for the offense, the other for defense -- were dropped in his lap. While splitting time with the receivers and safeties early in his career, he carried both around, all while his focus was on special teams. He's thankful to be working with only the receivers now, but said he remains willing to tackle any role the team wants.

"That’s really not up to me; Whatever the coaches want me to do, whatever they ask of me, that’s what I’m willing to do," said Slater. "Like I’ve said since Day 1, I’m just here to do a job, and that job is what the coaches ask me to do. If that means putting my hand on the ground and playing offensive line, that’s what I'm going to try to do. I’m just excited about the opportunity to help this team win games."

Slater knows his focus will remain on special teams, where he recorded a team-high 21 tackles last season. And heading into Monday's season-opener in Miami, he figures that role will be even more important after the Dolphins added Reggie Bush this offseason.

"I’ve seen a lot of him, probably too much of him over the years, growing up and then playing against him in college," said Slater, who grew up 90 miles apart from Bush in Southern California. The two were college rivals with Slater at UCLA and Bush at USC. "But he's a great player. We gotta be ready for him, definitely in the kicking game. Obviously, what he can do as returner, he’s a dynamic player. We gotta be prepared for him."

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To the casual fan, he's a wide receiver who doesn't receive. Heck, in three pro seasons, Matthew Slater has only been targeted four times in limited receiver reps. But even the untrained eye can't help but notice how frequently No. 18 appears on special teams duties and it's that versatility and ability to carve out a niche that has allowed Slater to avoid the early September chopping block.

After another solid preseason, Slater hopes that luck continues Saturday as the Patriots make final cuts with eyes towards reaching the league-mandated 53-man limit. With the team facing tough decisions at that receiver spot, coach Bill Belichick wasn't bashful in admitting that Slater's versatility has gone a long way towards making him more valuable to the team.

"I think [Slater's versatility] has helped him a lot," Belichick said during a conference call Friday. "The more things a player can do and the more ways a player can contribute, the more value he has. And Matthew’s such a hard working player, nobody outworks him. He’s gotten better every single year and we’ve moved him around a little bit. We’ve played him at safety. We’ve played him at receiver. He’s done some kickoff returns. He’s been a short returner. He’s been involved in all the other phases of the kicking game as well. But he keeps working hard. He gets better and he’s had a real good training camp. The versatility helps him and the fact that his performance has been good, that helps him too, so he’s got some things going for him."

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A look at the Patriots' leaders in special teams tackles (based on coaches' film review), which can highlight the value of some lesser publicized players:

LB Pierre Woods -- 12
LB Eric Alexander -- 9
S Brandon McGowan -- 9
S Pat Chung -- 8
WR Sam Aiken -- 7
CB Kyle Arrington -- 5
S Bret Lockett -- 5
S Brandon Meriweather -- 5
WR Matthew Slater -- 5
LB Rob Ninkovich -- 4
K Stephen Gostkowski -- 4

A look at snaps played by Patriots offensive skill-position players in the team’s 31-14 win over the Jets:

WR Randy Moss – 76 of 83 snaps
WR Wes Welker – 64 of 83
TE Chris Baker – 57 of 83
TE Benjamin Watson – 56 of 83
RB Kevin Faulk – 39 of 83
RB Laurence Maroney – 37 of 83
WR Julian Edelman – 28 of 83
WR Isaiah Stanback – 23 of 83
RB/FB BenJarvus Green-Ellis – 20 of 83
FB Dan Connolly – 5 of 83
WR Matthew Slater – 5 of 83
TE Mark LeVoir – 3 of 83

(snaps include an offensive holding penalty, defensive holding penalty, offensive pass interference penalty and two delay of game penalties)

ANALYSIS: The 83 snaps tied a season-high for a game (vs. Falcons) and reflected the decisive time of possession advantage the Patriots had (39:54-20:06). … Maroney’s 37 snaps were a season-high. His 23 carries were the third highest total of his career (including playoffs) as his hard running – and the fact he seemed to be get stronger later in the game -- was a big part of the win. … Edelman’s playtime spiked from last week (5 snaps vs. Colts) as he was part of three- and four-receiver sets. … One of the interesting parts of the game was how Connolly started at right guard then moved to fullback on the start of the second series of the game before returning to guard. … Green-Ellis lined up as a lead-blocking fullback, running back, and in the shotgun in a two-back set. … Slater was the lone receiver in a power set with two tight ends and lead-blocking fullback.

Five quick-hit Patriots thoughts on Friday:

1) Without Rodney Harrison, Tedy Bruschi, Mike Vrabel and Richard Seymour, many questions have been asked about filling a leadership void on defense. This was the adversity-filled week to find out, and second-year linebacker Jerod Mayo officially declared that a big part of the torch has been passed his way with his strong remarks Thursday.

2) After playing all but two plays in a sub package against the Colts, this week's game should feature more of a return to the base 3-4 alignment against the Jets' No. 1 ranked rushing offense. The outside linebacker spot opposite Adalius Thomas will be important to watch. If Tully Canta-Cain isn't healthy enough to play, it could thrust Pierre Woods back into the lineup. Woods hasn't played on defense in the last three games.

3) The Patriots need to be more efficient in the red zone, but their 25th ranking in that area is a bit misleading when considering the Buccaneers are the NFL's top red-zone offense. Would you rather be the Buccaneers (12 TDs in 17 trips) or the Patriots (18 TDs in 40 trips)?

4) With Jarvis Green (knee) unlikely to play and Ty Warren with a nagging ankle injury, and with the physical Jets running game to stop, this could be the week the Patriots call on rookie Ron Brace more along the defensive line. Brace saw his first action since Week 2 when he was on the field for the final two goal-line plays Sunday in Indianapolis.

5) Nine games into the season, the Patriots have already had five different players as a primary kickoff returner because of injuries: Laurence Maroney, Julian Edelman, Kevin Faulk, Brandon Tate and Matthew Slater. That hasn't helped them in the field-position game. The team's average drive start is the 24.9 yard line -- 13th in the AFC and 22nd in the NFL.