Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Ain’t that a Kick: Patriots Fall to Brady, Buccaneers 19-17 — 10/4/2021

Episode Date: October 5, 2021

The New England Patriots fell to 1-3 on the year with a 19-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night at Gillette Stadium. Though the story of the night may have been missed opportunities, the Pats saw some standout performances on both offense and defense. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy as the duo discuss the return of Tom Brady, the poise of Mac Jones and the good and the bad of takeaways from Week Four.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Locked on Patriots podcast. It is Monday, October 4th, 2021. And unfortunately, folks, it's not a victory Monday, but fear not. We're still going to have some fun because it is hashtag Locked onMurfMonday here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. And folks, thank you for making LockedOnPatriots your first listen every day.

Remember, we're free and available on all platforms, so be sure to stay locked in to LockedOnPatriots wherever you get your podcasts. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for kicking off the week in style with me here on the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

And remember, Patriots fans, that because it's your team every day, that means your Patriots questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcomed and very much encouraged. So share that feedback. Send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Patriots fans' emotions ran high. The rain started to fall as former Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. Yeah, I know that still doesn't sound right, but what are you gonna do? That's right, the Tom Brady leading his Buccaneer crew doesn't sound right, but what are you gonna do? That's right, the Tom Brady leading his Buccaneer crew out of Tampa Bay into Gillette Stadium, taking on your beloved New England Patriots. This one was highly anticipated to say the least, billed as one of the most anticipated games in the NFL's modern era. Following a brief tribute on the Gillette Stadium video screen, Tom led his new team, the defending Super Bowl champions, to the field.

And he was greeted with a chorus of the Gillette Stadium crowd chanting his name over and over again, very reminiscent of the way they did it when Tom was running things here in Foxborough. And for just a brief moment, it seemed like old times. But when Tom was ready to lead his first drive, he was greeted with a notable chorus of boos. They let the former face of the franchise know that he was in enemy territory, at least for the night. Still, it would be Brady and the Bucks that would be the ones left standing. The seven-time Super Bowl champion finishing the night completing 22 of 43 passes for 269 yards, while running back Leonard Fournette carried the ball 20 times for 91 yards for the Patriots the heir apparent to the Brady throne Mack Jones proving that the Patriots future very bright at

the position the rookie completed 31 of 40 passes 279 yards two touchdowns one interception however a missed 56 yard field goal attempt with just under a minute to play would be the deciding factor. The Patriots falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers by a final score of 19-17. And as a result, the Patriots dropped to 1-3 on the 2021 season. A pretty big hole if they hope to contend for a playoff spot. But there was some positive to take away from the field. And here today on Locked On Patriots, we're going to talk about those positives.

And who else can provide the wisdom and counsel we all need on this Monday than the legendary green man himself? That's right, folks. You know it's Monday. It's hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. My main man, Thomas Murphy, joins me on the hot seat. And we will talk about Brady's return. We'll talk about the prowess and the promise that Mac Jones showed on the field, and what

were the offensive and defensive takeaways from this game that have Murph and I feeling a little positive, but still feeling a little squeamish. Folks, an action-packed agenda on the pod today, lots to get to, so without much further ado, my man Murph will join me here on the hot seat when this hashtag Locked on Murph Monday episode of the Locked on Patriots podcast continues. Hello again, Patriots fans. This is Mike DeBate with an incredible app everyone who buys gas needs to know about. Get Upside.

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Patriots fans, the dust has settled. The Goat Bowl is now in the books. The New England Patriots, unfortunately, on the losing side of that battle, dropping a heartbreaker 19-17 to the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and a returning Tom Brady. But there were some elements or silver linings to be taken from the field on Sunday. Or were there?

Well, you know it's Monday, so it's hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday. That's right, folks. It's time for the green wisdom and counsel we've all been waiting for. He's here. He is ready to roll. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag, the counter Murphy Fisto himself, a legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship. Thank you for joining me

today. Don Murph. Oh, always my pleasure, Michael. Always my pleasure. You know, initial takeaway from from last night is is the fact that I need to put my weekly keys right at the top of my my annual weekly column pointing Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in the right direction because all the keys they turned worked. Absolutely. The keys that they ignored are the reason that we're freaking here right now. And I am not in a good mood. I don't blame you. And you know what? I've told you this before several times here on the pod. You follow the keys, you turn the keys, you go to the top. You don't follow the keys. You're never heard from again. And it really is. You know, I'm convinced that a lot of these national experts, experts is the right word I think we'll use, they're reading the monster keys, folks. Go back and take a look at the commentary.

You go back and take a look at what Murph has said. They're reading the keys. I'd say it first. Murph had it first. As I like to say, didn't I say this a week ago? Absolutely. Didn't I say this on Friday? Absolutely, I did. And, didn't I say this a week ago? Absolutely. Didn't I say this on Friday? Absolutely, I did.

And, yeah, it really – yeah, Chris Collinsworth sounded really smart last night, didn't he? He did. He absolutely did. And we all know. It kind of sounded like he perused the keys over the weekend because it is – I kept pointing at the TV, and I'm like, why am I not getting paid $6 million a year to show up to work on Thursday and Sunday nights, and that's it? Yeah, things kind of – the painting was, you know, the paint-by-numbers were done for everybody, and Collinsworth filled it in nicely, taking credit for my hard work. But, no, it was a beautiful thing to see and hear, except for the final score on Sunday night,

which is, you know, it's killing me, Mike. It's really killing me, the fact that this team continues to step on itself, to trip over its own two feet, to basically ignore some of the basics of football, which is things that I try to cover every single week in my keys. I have a little weekly section, the weeklies, and one of them is always win the turnover battle, which the Patriots, again, did not do, putting the ball on the turf a tad bit too much. Another tipped INT.

And the other one is limiting the laundry. And penalties killed this team. And as a former center, I really want to apologize for what David Andrews has done over the past couple of weeks. But what happened last night when he lost the snap count uh was inexcusable inexcusable you can't do that in that situation that entire line moved and david andrews was sitting there counting sheep or something i'm not quite sure yeah i mean you look at the effects that this team is suffering right now as a result of run pass protection, things of that nature.

It was a surprise to see that happen to David Andrews. A shock to see Matthew Slater commit a penalty. I mean, I'll be in a completely different situation. I know we're talking about run pass protection here. But at the same time, you're looking at these uncharacteristic mistakes by guys on the Patriots roster that usually don't make them. Michael Wainu last night, you know, he's benched in favor of Ted Garris for a little bit, a couple of holding calls and Bill Belichick looked like he, you know, put him on double secret probation for a little while. There's a lot of that going on. You have the presence of Dean Wormer being felt in the Patriots locker room I'm sure with some of these mental mistakes and again missed opportunities you can't give teams extra

opportunities to beat you let alone Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that will make you pay for it and in a lot of ways I think they could have done a little bit more to make them pay for it last night Patriots were very fortunate I I think, to be within two, considering some of those little mistakes that they made. But it is, it's just, it's one of those things that continues to plague them and continues to be a problem for the New England Patriots as well. Murph, before we get into the nuts and bolts of this matchup, and I know we got into a few already, and folks, we will come back to that obviously the story of the night Tom Brady making his return to Gillette Stadium to New England we see the pre-game uh tribute that they put on the the jumbotron for him at Gillette that got a nice pop from the crowd at Gillette as well uh you heard the Brady chants as he took the field and ran out um it

seemed like old times in a lot of ways in Foxborough last night with Tom Brady on the field at Gillette. And then when it was time for him to take his first snap of the game, a chorus of boos rained down from the Patriots faithful. And, you know, it was interesting in a lot of ways. I think it was good to see from the Patriots fans. They're really behind their team. And I think they at that moment knew and let it last night. Murph, just from your perspective, what was your reaction to Brady's performance? Is the crowd reaction? And what do you think this says about the relationship of these entities, meaning Tom Brady and the New England Patriots organization going forward? Well, you know, the fans welcomed him back warmly,

which is what I expected. And once he went out and took the first snap, they let him know, not necessarily calm, but they let the world know that they're tired of this narrative, that they are fans of Tom Brady and Tom Brady alone. It was Tom Brady that filled the stadium. And there's no doubt that that did happen. But these are New England Patriots fans, and they let the world know last night that that's what they are

and that's who they are. And the guy that they're behind right now is fully Mac Jones. And the crowd's ovation, you were there for Mac when he came out, was just as loud as it was for Tom. The page has been turned. These fans are ready for the next generation. But they were respectful to the last one, too. Everybody here is so indebted to Tom Brady and what he did while he was here,

the culture that he helped to develop and breed. And it's going to continue for a long time. And Mac Jones is the guy that's going to help that happen. Yeah, without any question. And it's going to transition very nicely into my next question for you. But you're right on the reaction. I was very pleasantly surprised to see Tom get the warm reaction that he did. He deserved it. And Tom will always be beloved in this region because of that. But at the same time, Patriots fans were very conscious of the national narrative surrounding this team, that they're bandwagon fans, that, oh, Wade O'Brady leaves, that bandwagon's going to be empty, you're going to go back to empty stadiums. Gillette was full last night, and when Mac Jones took the field,

Murph, I can tell you from being there, personal experience, that ovation was louder than the one that Tom got. And I was very happy to hear that. Not because so much of, oh, well, this is a great opportunity for Patriots fans to stick it to Tom. Not at all. No, that wasn't the case. It was, Tom, we still love you, but this is our new quarterback, and we're going to get behind him and support him with everything we have, because not only does he need it, he also deserves it as our new franchise quarterback. It was very fitting of the way Tom Brady wanted it. No lap around the field. No pomp and circumstance. No look at me moment. Quiet timeout. Move over to the side. Give the Patriots a chance to show the information on the Jumbotron and then get right back to work.

It's true. Very Brady fashion. And it's exactly what he's done for a number of years. And it would have been nice to see the Patriots pull this one out. But, again, alas, unfortunately. Yeah, unfortunately that was the case. And we'll get to that in a little bit. But I did say that that was going to transition quite nicely into my next question for you.

And that is the Patriots rookie quarterback, Mac Jones. And as much of the attention being centered on Tom Brady, I thought Mac showed a great deal of poise, a great deal of command, didn't let the moment get too big for him, handled the glare of that national spotlight with a lot of composure, a lot of maturity. The stat line is, you know, something that will probably be, you know, debated back and forth about exactly how impressive it was. You know, I thought they did a pretty good job.

31 of 40 passes, 275 yards, two touchdowns, one interception. You know, which again, you're not putting on him. Exactly. And exactly. And he, you know, suffered four sacks, which, again, a lot of those were tough to really put on his shoulders. But when he needed to lead this team in a couple of touchdown drives, I thought he did a great job of controlling the tempo, made the most of the opportunities provided to him by pass protection that wasn't always great. And in the instances where that protection broke down a little bit, you saw some real growth in Mac Jones last night. He demonstrated the ability to buy himself more time in the pocket, pick up the blitz, made the defenders miss. And that's something that will really, I think, speak well of him

going into the remainder of the 2021 season. When Patriots fans look at this game, how much positivity should they take away from Matt Jones' performance last night, Mark? A ton of it. What he was able to do last night in the pocket, the way he is moving within the pocket to slide and step up and earn himself more time, or in some pocket, the way he is moving within the pocket to slide and step up and earn himself more time or in some cases just enough time to get a ball off and go through his progressions was really brilliant. During the, you were at the game, I was listening to the game on TV and one of the things that Drew Brees, they asked Drew Brees last night,

do you think you could have done that when you were a rookie? He said, hell no. And those are the things that he was not able to do. The things that Mack Jones is doing as a rookie are the reasons I wanted him in this draft, that I needed him in this draft, that I wanted to pass on the flashier guys that so many people are building their offenses around and what they need to do. Very cerebral quarterback, a man who's study-driven and wears his heart on his sleeve and does it in a way that is productive for his team.

There's ways to wear your heart on your sleeve that will drag a team down. He doesn't do that. That's not what he's about. He rarely makes the same mistake twice. Unfortunately, some of the mistakes that have been made around him have cost him in the early portion of his career. And now they are 1-3, but this team could easily be 3-1. Absolutely. And that is a big takeaway from a lot of what Patriots fans are utilizing this morning and into the day on Monday. They're looking at this and saying, but for a few breaks here and there, this team could easily be three and one as opposed to one and three. Ultimately, as Bill Parcells has always said, you are what your record says you are. And unfortunately, the Patriots are a one in three team facing a pretty big hole right now in a division that

they're going to have to really claw with. I know Miami is having their struggles. The Jets pulled out a win yesterday. Yes, folks, you heard me correctly. The Jets won on Sunday. So the Patriots now find themselves in the mix, looking up at the Buffalo Bills who look like they've straightened things out after a week one snafu. But, you know, there's still a lot of football to be played. So for anyone that's writing the epitaph for this team just now, I would be very cautious on that. I'm not saying this is going to be a Super Bowl contender by any stretch of the imagination, but this team is showing signs of being able to move forward. And there are steps forward and there are steps back.

And folks, in just a moment, Murph and I will get into those steps forward and their steps back, including takeaways that need to be carried into week five coming up against the Houston Texans. More with my man Murph on hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday when this episode of the LockedOn Patriots podcast continues. LockedOn listeners, does this sound familiar? You've got one device that lets you catch the game live, another device that lets you stream your favorite shows, you're watching sports highlights on your phone, and you've got your neighbor's best friend's login for the good stuff.

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That's promo code LOCKED15 locked 15 for 15 off at built.com patriots fans it is hashtag a locked on murph monday my man thomas murphy joins me on the pod today and murph as we were going through our discussion in the previous segment it actually just hit me that the date today is October 4th. And I don't expect you to get this right off the bat, but I'll put you on the spot for you. If you can get this, I'll be very, very impressed. That being October 4th,

what significance could this possibly have for the two of us on a day like today? Think about the date for a second, October 4th. Wow. How many seconds are you're gonna give me a few I mean you can you can take as long as you need to on this one think about the numbers involved in the date and that that may give you a little bit more of a clue 10 for a good buddy absolutely that is it right on the nose I love it i absolutely love it see

folks this is why murph joins me on the pod each and every week it's not just because of the wealth of wisdom and counsel that he brings because he does like no one else can but also because we share half of the same insane brain and that was the first thing that's made it sounds growing up absolutely that's it yeah we do we share half of the same intellect or lack thereof I guess depending on your perspective but yeah that is a big 10 for good buddy someone get this man at Diablo sandwich and a doctor make it fast these are not damn hurry what we're dealing with here is a complete lack of respect for the law. That's it.

Great, great stuff. Well, you know what? A lot of people, Murph, are going to think that the Patriots could have used some Buford T. Justice old school grit last night in New England, especially when it comes to both run and pass protection, and we talked about that earlier in the game. You know what? So we can end on a high note. We'll talk about some of the takeaways that had you a bit steamed,

because you did say last night, and you tweeted out several times, I'm not happy, and if you want to talk about more of my ranting, tune in to Locked On Patriots, and of course, folks, don't miss One Patriots Place with Murph, Steve, the Countess of Clads herself, Claire Cooper, and of course, guest of honor, the excellence of execution, the host emeritus here at Locked On Patriots, Mark Schofield joining them.

This is a must listen, folks. Check it out after you listen to this episode of Locked On Patriots. But Murph, what had you so steamed last night when it comes to the New England Patriots and their performance in week four against the Bucs? Stupidity. It comes down to that. Procedural errors, guys jumping off sides, guys running out of bounds for 40 yards and then coming back in, even though I'm a little bit more

on Matthew Slater's side when it comes to what happened there. But yeah, it's just the brain-numbing penalties that are happening that are shooting this team in the foot for four games now. The things that you know are, I don't want to say fixable, they are avoidable because this team right now is avoiding winning, and that really ticks me off. That really hurts my patriotsness is the fact that the things that have over the past two decades, excluding the presence of Thomas Edward Brady, are not happening right now. Okay?

People don't know their assignments. That's really ticking me off, especially on the offensive line. These guys keep getting beat on some really, really simple plays that are being run against them by opposing defenses. Once again, false starts. Once again, holding calls that should not be happening. Things of that nature. It's really getting to a point where you're waiting for the next bad thing to happen instead of the next good thing to happen. That's what has me so steamed. Yeah, I don't blame you. And I think in a lot of ways, these types of, like we said earlier,

mental mistakes, mental breakdowns, missing assignments, uncharacteristic of a Patriots team do add up. And look, I mean, one of the most glaring problems that the Patriots had last night was futility when it came to running the football. That's what had me steamed. I kept watching this team trying to run. And look, there's a lot that can be blamed on the blocking and the offensive line and the loss of Trent Brown. And Isaiah Wynn hasn't been so great in pass protection. Awainu had his problems. Like we've mentioned, Andrew's missing the snap count.

A lot of that can be placed on that. But these are backs that need to do, they needed to be better last night in moving the ball, especially in very difficult conditions. Ideally, when you look at the rain, and there was steady rain falling in Foxborough for much of the night last night, you don't want to have to have your quarterback drop back and throw the ball 40 times. He did that, and Mack looked effective doing it. In a lot of ways, it kind of was a coming of age for him, but at the same time, you want a running game that's going to be able to take some of the pressure off.

Nelson Aguilar was your leading rusher, carrying the ball one time for four yards, and those four yards negated by a negative four yard rushing total for feature back damian harris so right the entirety of the evening the patriots runners just seemed out of sorts uh there were difficulties jj taylor again who knows if that's going to put him on double secret probation his snap totals went way down after the fumble ramondre stevenson continues to not look fantastic on the sidelines. I don't get it. I don't get it.

He needed to be active last night. I mean, the Patriots are without James White. They're relying heavily on Damian. I do understand that you have. Exactly. And Bolden, I thought Bolden at times looked very good. Obviously, there was the blitz pickup that a lot of people are pointing to in pass protection. But look, Brandon is a specialist that's playing a specialized role.

And there are times where I thought he looked very good last night in doing that. But you need additional assistance. And Ramondre Stevenson has proven that he can do it unless the Patriots are really seeing something behind the scenes that we're not seeing uh the redshirt season to me at this point doesn't make much sense if James White's in the lineup I get it because you want to bring him along you have the luxury of bringing him along a little slowly with James White not there and the Patriots not bringing anyone in to shoulder the load you need to put the kid out there. That really surprised me last night. So the running blows is what had me steamed.

I can understand your point, and especially with Ramondre. He is without a doubt one of the better weapons that the Patriots have at their disposal, and they are just leaving it back at the armory. And you can't do that. This team is not good enough the way it's constructed to get by on this kind of an effort, for lack of a better word. You need those weapons out here. There are opportunities that this kid can seize that Bill is not allowing him to have. I'm really ticked off for the fact that he has been a healthy scratch these last two weeks. And unless there's something going on in the background

that we don't know about, somebody needs to ask Bill what the hell. Yeah, at this point, it's definitely a question that we all need an answer to. And who knows, maybe we'll get it. Sometimes you catch Bill in a chatty mood, but that's one secret. I don't think he's going to be willing to divulge anytime soon. But we'll see. The Patriots assistant coaches are scheduled to speak to the media on Tuesday.

Ivan Fears is usually pretty candid. So you can bet that question will be asked by some one of my colleagues. And we'll definitely have the latest for you here on Locked On Patriots. The last thing that I'm really ticked off about is third down efficiency. One of my keys every week is owning first down on both sides of the ball. Tampa was able to put together nine of 19. That's a little over 50%. The Patriots were two of nine on third down.

Two of nine. That's soul-crushing, people. Those are soul-crushing numbers. Now, one of the reasons is because of the aforementioned issues with the running game and the fact that even when they were in third and short situations, third and two, third and four, they did not convert. This cannot happen, and this team, third and four. They did not convert. This cannot happen. And this team to make the playoffs, this team can still make the playoffs. The talent is there. The quarterback is there that can lead them. But you can't be two of nine on third downs.

No, you absolutely can't be two of nine on third downs. And that two of nine on third down mentality factored into the 56-yard field goal in adverse conditions last night to close out the game. And Belichick alluded to this when we spoke to him on Monday morning with his media conference call, basically saying we had only converted two of nine third downs. You know what I mean? You have to play the odds in that case. And I know people are going to want to get on him and saying, oh, it was a terrible call. It was this, it was that, but you know, take the hoodie off for a second folks, when it comes to the Patriots, you know, look at what they're playing, what they're trying to do. And the Patriots at that point were trying to, uh, to make a decision that they thought put them in the best shot to win the

game. Now guaranteed if he makes it, you still leave Tom Brady more than enough time to make things happen. And maybe that is the argument against it. I think a lot of people will continue to debate this one. But I'm glad you brought that up because it allowed us to bring up what was probably the most controversial moment of the night last night, save for the Matthew Slater play. And we'll continue to break that all down. But thank you, Murph, for enlightening us on your thoughts

and exactly what the Patriots did in that circumstance. But I said we wanted to end the day on a high note, and that's exactly what we will do. So Patriots are heading into the next week of the season, week five at one and three. They're going to face the Texans. So you have to think the Patriots are looking at this as an opportunity to get back into the wing column, but nothing is certain. I'm not going to put you on the spot yet. It's a little early to start transitioning to look at the Texans, but what takeaways from the game last night did you see that

lead you to believe that this team is capable of righting the wrongs and righting the ship and getting back into the win column in week five? Well, the mental errors aside, I really liked when we spread the ball out and gave Mac an opportunity to read the defense that was in front of him and find the soft underbelly. This kid is really good at this. It's one of the reasons I liked him in college and coming here, and I thought that was fantastic. I thought the tight end usage is going up and up, and it's making Claire quite happy. Each one scored a touchdown, even though Mack missed on a corner route that would have led to his second touchdown in the win.

There I go, backstepping on that. But what are you going to do? I mean, the young kid got the ball out and was trying to do it. He just missed him. He just didn't see him. But I really like the usage that the tight ends are getting right now. They're getting more targets. They're getting better looks.

They're doing more things with the ball. Hunter Henry had a fantastic game, four catches for 32 yards. Smith needs to keep stepping up and stepping up. It was nice to get him into the end zone. But, I mean, what are you going to say about Matthew Judon except this kid is underpaid? Every time he steps on the field, I get to the edge of my seat. What he was able to do last night, even in the face of Tom Brady,

one of the absolute best that has ever played the game when it comes to running play action. His play action is the best that anybody has ever seen. And Judon didn't bite for a second. It's great to watch this guy play football. He has a brilliant football mind. There is nothing that you can do or throw at him that will slow him down, except for a bunch of holding calls that did not happen. Poor guy was just getting, you know, wrenched all day. Yeah, wrenched all day long, all night long. It got to the point where the

producers of the show were no longer showing the pass rush. They were no longer showing the Patriots in defensive line. And when he was going, because he was literally held on every single play. And you've got to figure out a way to extend this guy now. So that's something good going forward. J.C. Jackson had a fantastic game last night. I thought that was really fantastic. Your boy Adrian Phillips had a good game. The defense is really coming together. They're starting to believe in each other. And that's

only going to end up going to a completely different level once Gilmore gets back in the fold in a couple weeks. Great point. And our mutual friend Dave Brown, who we miss on the Pat Speed. Where have you gone, Dave Brown? Our nation turns its lonely eyes to you. Made that point last night that this defense could really be a seriously elite defense

with the presence of Stephon Gilmore back in that lineup. And we're looking forward to hopefully that taking place. And I really think that good things can start to come when Gilmore does join JC, who I thought had a very good game last night. Struggled a little bit in his first series. Mike Evans looked like he was having his way with him at times. I thought JC buckled down.

He didn't let the pressure get to him. Didn't try to overcompensate. Slowed down, got the game back to where the tempo he needed it to be effective. And I thought he had a very good game as well. And Judon was, yeah, Judon was my takeaway, my positive takeaway in my lessons learned for Sports Illustrated. Judon, I said, Matt Judon, that's the lesson uh that uh you know he just impacts every single play that he does not just from being able to keep the runners from reaching the corners on

early downs the speed the way he's setting the edge oh my god yeah the speed and the strength when when rushing the quarterback and you mentioned not biting on replay action which tom brady is a master at that take isn't hesitate. Exactly. Didn't even hesitate. Oh, my God. Not at all. Not at all. And then you look at the fact that he's also putting himself in position to achieve favorable matchups on off-the-ball snaps as well.

This guy is just – he's really changed the complexity of that defense, adding a level of versatility that the team just didn't have in 2020. And, boy, this was – you want to talk about questionable signings and people are going to point to the tight ends or whatever. And when it comes to Bill Belichick, Matt Judon, there is nobody out there that is going to question the money that this guy got. Like you said, the only question is, is he underpaid and does he want a big-time extension?

Patriots do decide they want to give him one he's definitely more than deserving of it and uh we're glad to have him here in the wingland without any questions so still some positives to take away murph in a better mood than i think a lot of us expected uh maybe uh the rants on one patriots place gave him a chance to get it all out of his system mark scofield is a calming influence he absolutely is he really really is he set the table so well murph every time you come in you have the embroidered chair but that total poster is stuck up on the wall it will never come down here in the lockdown patriot studios in his honor uh every day i take the microphone i still try to get this right in his honor and i'm still trying

but uh i won't i won't stop uh in uh out of deference to uh to that great man who is just a great friend a great analyst and just truly one of the best people you'll meet in any walks of life as are you my friend as are you John Murph uh and uh I know what it was that put you in the better mood it was the 10-4 reference and the smoking of the bandit thought we always love to do that uh Murph and I actually bonded for the first time in this business, folks, because of our love for Ferris Bueller and smoking and the bandit. And anytime we can incorporate that into our discussions, you know we're doing a great thing.

But what can I say? You lend the wisdom, the counsel, the way only you can. Folks, if you are not following my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself on the Bird app, please do it at TeamMurph207. Those monster keys that we alluded to, Murph carries around like so many nickels and dimes in his pocket. But folks, when I tell you,

he absolutely delivers every single time he puts these together. They're must-reads, point, click, learn, and enrich. And in addition to today's great episode with Mark Schofield, never miss any episode of One Patriot's Place with Murph, our good mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and the Countess of Clas herself, Miss Claire Cooper. Bud, always honored, always humbled by your presence. Thanks so much for joining me today. Oh, no, my pleasure. My pleasure, Michael. I will always be here. Before I go today, I just want to send a special shout out to our good friend Claire, who this is her anniversary week on One Patriot's Place. It's been one year since Claire took the third chair,

and she has really come through. I am amazed at her growth and her knowledge of this game and what she's been able to do from some 3,000 miles away and in another country. It's been fantastic having you with us, Claire, and we hope that this is just the first of the next 50 years. Absolutely, and I could not have said it better myself and wouldn't even try to say it better myself because that is such a fitting tribute we love Claire here on the pod she has been such a

great contributor and a great supporter of Lockdown Patriots not just with her support and fandom but really being one of the most valued analysts that we have here on Lockdown and the growth that she's shown you know in covering this team and being able to bring not just knowledge on tight endage, folks, but really a well-rounded knowledge that is truly something that makes us all proud each and every day. So, Claire, congratulations on that anniversary. And we look forward to having you back on here on Locked on Patriots again soon, but not on Mondays.

Mondays are for Murph. And in that respect, Bud, we'll take our leave from you for today. But we look forward to talking ball with you again here next week, hopefully breaking down a win. But win, lose, or draw, Murph will be here on Lockdown Murph Monday next week to break it all down for us. In the meantime, Bud, stay safe, stay well. And thank you again for joining me here on Lockdown Patriots.

Always my pleasure, Python. Always my pleasure, Paisan. Always my pleasure. Likewise. Just like that, Patriots fans, one down, but a whole lot of Pat's coverage still to come here on Locked On Patriots. And thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Don't forget, Mondays are for Murph, but Tuesdays are for our resident voice of reason. The great Steve Balistrieri will join me on the pod as we continue to break down Patriots

Buccaneers. And we might even take a quick look ahead at the Houston Texans coming up in week five. But first make your second listen of the day, the Peacock and Williamson NFL show. Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson give you the expert NFL analysis in less than 30 minutes. It's free and available on all platforms. Once again, my name is Mike Debate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and again for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world.

Have a great day, everyone.