The cheetah stalks from afar.
Silently it waits, crouched, curled up in anticipation, speed and power coursing through its lithe frame. Seeing an opening in the bush, it unleashes its fury, four legs churning through grass and dirt.
It latches on to the widening eyes of its shocked prey. Still it accelerates, every muscle straining against nature. As the quarry begins to flee, the cheetah abruptly changes direction, staying near top speed while laughing at physics. The doomed animal lowers its haunches and accepts fate.
Substitute Matthew Slater's two legs for the cheetah's four, and this National Geographic documentary becomes fourth down for the New England Patriots.
Slater was one of the few Patriots to perform well in their 41-14 Week 4 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He made three special teams tackles on the day, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), with two sticking out in particular.
Slater didn't have to wait long to make an impact. Halfway through the first quarter, the Patriots were backed up on their own 14-yard line when Ryan Allen uncorked a booming 49-yard punt with nearly five seconds of hang time. Slater used that time wisely.
Facing a two-man vice on the outside, Slater used a quick outside move to gain the edge. That forced the Chiefs blockers to push him out of bounds, where Slater can run free as long as he comes back into play as soon as possible. He turned on the jets and beat the second chiefs defender—who had an angle—to gain a clear shot at Frankie Hammond Jr., the Chiefs returner.
Without breaking stride, Slater was able to trip up Hammond before he could escape into space. The timely tackle easily saved 12 to 15 yards in field position. One quick hop to the left and Hammond may have been off to the races.
After another short possession to open the second half, Slater was again called upon to work his magic. He was able to win with another outside move—a carbon copy of the first—due to his incredible reaction time. He was the first player on the field to react to Danny Aiken's snap, giving him a tenth-of-a-second head start on his pursuers.
As Hammond catches the ball, Slater keeps outside leverage—containment is still important—and plows through the returner's outside shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. If anyone has ever doubted that force equals mass times acceleration, they should just watch this play.
Slater is gunning for a fourth straight Pro Bowl nod this season as a special teams ace. If the early returns are any indication, tickets to Hawaii will be the next thing that Slater will be hunting.
from Bleacher Report http://ift.tt/1uCGvyE
via IFTTT October 01, 2014 at 04:30PM
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