Bill Belichick ranks new captain Elandon Roberts among Patriots' ‘most unselfish' players

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FOXBORO, Mass. -- The New England Patriots announced their team captains Thursday, and there was one name that drew a little extra attention.

Pats linebacker Elandon Roberts, who was selected by the team in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, was among the seven captains named. If you were surprised at Roberts' inclusion on the list, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick did a very good job explaining why the 25-year-old is a great candidate to be a captain. 

"His whole career from Morgan State to Houston to here, he wasn't a highly recognized player when we drafted him. But he's one of the most unselfish players we have on our team," Belichick said before Friday's practice at Gillette Stadium. 

"He'll do whatever he can to help the team in any way. He's also one of the toughest and most physical players on the team as well. He really is a tempo-setter, an impact hitter. His intelligence and his awareness, how hard he studies the game of football is very important to him, and that's reflective in how he approaches it and the way he plays. He's gained a lot of knowledge and a much greater understanding both individually for his position and much greater depth in terms of what the offense is trying to do, defensive strengths and weaknesses of individual calls and so forth. He's grown tremendously in those areas."

Roberts has tallied 65 or more total tackles in each of the last two seasons. He posted 65 total tackles, one sack and a career-high four passes defensed during the 2018 campaign. Last season also was the first in which Roberts played all 16 games.

Players vote on the captains, so Roberts' election really speaks to what his peers think of his ability and leadership, among other factors.

"Just as a teammate, I'm sure the players voted for him because of his toughness, his unselfishness, his dependability," Belichick said. "His willingness to do whatever it takes to help the team win. You can't ask for any more than that." 

Roberts joins quarterback Tom Brady, center David Andrews, running back James White, safety Devin McCourty, linebacker Dont'a Hightower and special teams ace Matthew Slater as Patriots captains for the 2019 season.

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