Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - An Objective Point of View: New England Patriots Prospectus from a National Perspective — 6/4/2021

Episode Date: June 4, 2021

Optimism is high in New England as the Patriots get set to begin training for the 2021 NFL Season. However, is there as much optimism on the Pats from a national perspective? Joining host Mike D’Abate is NF journalism vet Russell S. Baxter. The pair discuss the chances of teams in the AFC and NFC that could contend for a conference title. Lastly, they take a look at the prospectus of the 2021 New England Patriots from a national perspective.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 Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Friday, June 4th, 2021, and it is time to close the week in style here in 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 after catching today's episode of Locked On Patriots,

weekends are a great time to catch up on podcasts. So check out my colleagues, NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson as they host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday. Brian and Matt give you the national perspective all around the NFL, covering all the latest news and insight on every game, every team, and every move you the national perspective all around the NFL, covering all the latest news and insight on every game,

every team, and every move around the NFL. Get your picks, previews, and much more every weekday with the Peacock and Williamson podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Patriots fans, thank football and Foxborough. It is Friday here on the pod, and that means only one thing, time to close out the week in style. And after a scheduled day off yesterday, we're back in a big

way, because the weekend is a perfect time to reflect and take a look at things through an objective lens. And luckily for us, today I will be joined by a man I like to call the Oracle of Objectivity, my good friend Russell S. Baxter. And Russell is a true fixture when it comes to NFL media, working for outlets such as SI, ESPN, Fanside at NFL Spin Zone, Full Press Coverage, and so many more. And folks, I call Russell the Oracle of Objectivity because that's exactly what he is, objective. You never see fandom get in the way or cloud his judgment. He calls it right down the middle and is something of an internet ombudsman when it comes to both his

written work and social media. And here on this Friday episode of the pod, Russell is here to help us crack that Foxborough filter through which we view the New England Patriots. Russell will provide his insight on what the national perspective is when it comes to the Pats. Is this really a playoff contending team? Is it possibly a Super Bowl contending team? And if the Patriots are poised to contend both for a playoff spot, a conference title, and maybe even, dare I say, a Super Bowl title, who might they be competing with? Russell will give us his take on who among the AFC and NFC teams might just be primed for a trip to Los Angeles in February of 2022 and a berth in Super Bowl 56. Folks, a ton to get to today. Russell is always a fountain of

knowledge, and I can't wait to welcome him here to the pod today. But before I welcome in the oracle of objectivity, the New England Patriots did make some news heading into your weekend, and they've apparently acquired a wide receiver. Now, folks, calm down. I'm not talking about that wide receiver. But this wide receiver has also spent time in the Atlanta Falcons organization, among others. As ESPN's Mike Reese and NFL Media's Ian Rappaport were the first to report, Marvin Hall has joined the Patriots, and he was visible on the practice fields for OTA in New England today. He was wearing number 14 and the 28 year old entered the league as an undrafted free agent

out of Washington back in 2016 stands at 5 foot 10 190 pounds clocked a reported 40 time of 4.28 seconds at his pro day and in terms of making the rounds in your NFL career Hall has definitely done just that in addition to his stint with the Falcons, Hall has also spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders, the Arizona Cardinals, the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, and the Cleveland Browns. Through 45 career games, Hall stands with 37 receptions for 772 yards and five touchdowns. Last season in 2020, he made six starts between Detroit and Cleveland, notching two of his career five touchdowns and also averaging 16.8 yards per catch with long receptions of 55 and 73 yards.

Hall also has experience in special teams, which you know New England loves. He has operated during special teams during his NFL career, returning three punts and 29 kickoffs. Now, the big question on everybody's mind, does this take New England officially out of the running for Julio Jones? Well, not officially, but the Patriots making an addition at the wide receiver spot is certainly not a good indication that they're as invested in bringing Julio to town as maybe they once were. Again, folks, keep a sharp eye. Anything and everything can happen in New England, and I'm not taking anything off the table just yet. But welcome to Foxborough, Marvin Hall. And as I noted earlier, Hall was indeed spotted on the OTA practice field for New England today, which means that the media

was back in attendance. And Marvin Hall's addition to the roster, folks, was not the only news to come out of Foxborough today. And by no means do I want to panic anyone, but as reported by those media in attendance for today's practice session, Cam Newton was sidelined about an hour into the OTA session with an apparent right hand injury. Now, according to Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston, Newton's injury didn't appear to be the result of any kind of hit or collision. I know there were some conflicting reports out there that he may have hit his hand on a helmet, but Phil tweeted out that quarterbacks started a drill where they avoided bags being thrown their way to simulate pressure. Soon after the drill began, Newton checked out,

headed over to the team medical personnel, and he did not participate in the practice thereafter. What this means for Cam's health at this point is anyone's guess. As of the time I'm recording this podcast, no reason or cause for concern just yet, but this one is definitely worth monitoring, and I will continue to do that here on Locked On Patriots and bring you the very latest when it comes to the health of Cam Newton. After Cam's departure, as you can imagine, all eyes were on rookie Mac Jones and incumbent Jarrett Stidham. Mac, of course, is going to get the lion's share of the coverage and the lion's share

of the eyes. Apparently, he went 7-9 but completed only checkdowns, sailing what was described as an intermediate throw to Jacoby Myers, and also nearly getting intercepted by Kyle Van Noy, who is apparently right back into the Foxborough fold, folks. After nearly intercepting the rookie quarterback, Kyle Van Noy hit the decks and started some push-ups. Apparently, it's one he knew he should have had, and did his penance like a true patriot. But overall, the consensus among the media is that Mack looked okay, not anything spectacular, but definitely not awful either.

For what it's worth, Evan Lazar of CLNS Media reporting that Jarrett Stidham actually looked the best out of the quarterbacks in team drills on Friday. His two best throws came on dig routes against zone coverage, one to Jacoby Myers and another to wide receiver Isaiah Zuber. So will anything come of Friday's events? Again, as of the time I'm recording, way too early to tell, but I will continue to monitor the situation regarding Cam Newton's health, as well as the practice performance of both Mac Jones and Jarrett Stidham, and will provide updates for you here on Locked On Patriots, either

over the weekend or Monday at the very latest. And now that we've taken a trip around the news of the day, it's time to welcome in our guest today. Russell S. Baxter, the Oracle of Objectivity, joins me here on the hot seat when this Friday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, you know the folks over at Credit Karma. They've always been there to help you make better financial decisions, and now they want to help you even more.

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BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. Patriots fans, my guest today is among the most well-respected journalists in sports media. You all know his amazing work and objective analysis from outlets such as ESPN, My guest today is among the most well-respected journalists in sports media. You all know his amazing work and objective analysis from outlets such as ESPN, Fan Sighted, SI Football Maven, NFL Spin Zone, and Full Press Coverage, just to name a few. He is the co-founder of PFG Vibe, along with the great and talented Julie Voigt, and he is also the founder of Pro Football Guru. I would like to dub this man the Oracle of Objectivity, and it is my honor to welcome Russell S. Baxter back to the Lockdown Patriots podcast.

Russell, thank you so much for joining me today and helping me close out the week in style. Oh, my pleasure. And, you know, it looks like we are, you know, fingers crossed, but masks off. Getting back to normalcy, which actually plays in very, very well with what's going on in the National Football League is all 32 teams get ready for OTAs or voluntary or involuntary mini camps on the way. You know, we didn't have a preseason last year, as you know. And think about all the points that got scored last year. So can you imagine if these guys actually practiced a little more? I know.

It really is amazing to see what an impact of a full season with OTA, with mini camps, with rookie training camps, preseason games, all the things that we lamented not being able to participate in last year. And I say we meaning the NFL fan base as a whole, all 32 NFL teams. They won't have that excuse this year. It's full on, full go. And it will be interesting to see the impact on not only the players that played last year, but also this year's rookie class. Will they be further ahead than their 2020 counterparts? So many questions, so much to answer, and so much to absorb.

And Russell, I can't think of a better person to share the microphone with on topics like this because you always bring a level-headed approach to analysis for anything and everything NFL. I opened today's show by saying that you are always the voice of reason when looking at potential contenders for a Super Bowl title, for conference titles, and you're always our insider when it comes to the national perception of the subject of this pod. So that being said, Russell, obviously the expectations of success in New England, because let's face it, this is Locked On Patriots,

and we do take a Patriots perspective on all things. They may have changed a little bit this year as opposed to last year at this time. Disappointing 7-9 season in 2020, the Patriots missed the playoffs, but they took an uncharacteristically, but by most fan standpoints, a pleasantly surprising, aggressive approach to the off season. And we'll get to your thoughts on the Patriots in just a moment, but there are several teams that believe they've positioned themselves well enough to compete with the defending Superbowl champions, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. When you look at the NFL offseason so far, in an objective

point of view and from a national perspective, both when it comes to the draft, free agency, all of the offseason moves, who do you believe have emerged as the top contenders to the Tampa throne? And who might be primed to make that jump this year from pretender to contender? Well, when you talk about the AFC, I think that you're basically talking about the same core, you know, the seven teams that made the playoffs. Now, we know it doesn't work out that way. We also know there's a 17-game season on the verge here, so that's also going to change things as well in terms of maneuvering. As we know in the AFC last year, Mike, 10 wins didn't get you in the playoffs.

It didn't guarantee it. Just ask the Miami Dolphins, which is so ironic. I mean, they actually expanded the playoff field, and 10 wins still couldn't get you in. If you were in the NFC, you had an 8-8 Bears team and a 7-9 Washington NFC East champion, so it was a little different. But AFC contenders, it's funny. This is almost kind of like a trivia question now.

Who's the last team to go to the Super Bowl from the AFC not named New England or Kansas City? That would be Denver back in 2015. The Chiefs have gone now back-to-back Super Bowls after the Patriots went to three in a row. So, you know, you think about that. In Kansas City, we saw what happened to them in the Super Bowl. A big part of that was not having their offensive tackles, Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz.

And they will not have them again tackles, Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz, and they will not have them again this year because Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz were released by the club and Fisher signed with the Colts. But that doesn't mean they didn't address the offensive line. They drug Kyle Long out of retirement. They added Joe Thune. They traded for Orlando Brown. They really bolstered that area. They get a little more defensive help.

That's a hard team to throw. Listen, they were 14-2, and that second loss is when they rested a lot of people. So I think we all feel that Buffalo has come, not all, because that would be quite a broad statement. Buffalo is on the verge. Won a couple playoff games last year. First time they had done that in 25 years. Can't discount Baltimore. You certainly can't discount Cleveland, which seems to have a new

attitude and new demeanor and so on. And the Colts to me, and it's less to me about Carson Wentz being there and more about the fact, by the way, Carson Wentz, Frank Reich has been the head coach since 2018, Mike. This will be the fourth time in four years that he starts a different quarterback in week one. But the Colts have something the other three AFC South teams don't necessarily have, and that's a defensive unit. I mean, Jacksonville and Houston were dreadful. And Tennessee, despite the fact that they scored 491 points, they gave up 439 points.

And, you know, they jettisoned a lot of their guys. So Pittsburgh won the AFC North. There's a lot of people who feel that they're on the way down. But they also went out and got a promising rookie running back. Their running attack for the last two and a half years has been embarrassing. So, again, seven teams in the playoffs. Some of those teams are going to filter out. Some are going to come up.

We see it every year. And to me, teams like when you play defense the way Tennessee, Houston, and Jacksonville does, I don't care what kind of offensive firepower you even have it. That makes you highly suspect. So to me, you have to keep an eye on the Patriots, and you have to keep an eye on a team like the Chargers. I want to say the Raiders to move up as well, Mike,

but you talk about abysmal defense. Their defense has cost them badly the last two years down the stretch. So the AFC, it's funny, the AFC has all the great records. It took 11 wins to get to playoffs, and yet 11 wins and a 14-2 team couldn't win the Super Bowl. And the NFC, I think the NFC is going to be much improved. And the team, to me, keep an eye on there is the Giants because of what they were able to accomplish.

Less about their offense, but defensively, they might have the best secondary in the NFL. That's a good point. That's a very good point. Yeah, Jabril Peppers, you know, went from Cleveland, part of those trades in New York. He has emerged as a dynamite overall, and dare I say a leader. Same thing with Logan Ryan. I'll have to tell Patriot fans what Logan Ryan is. Oh, definitely not. Yeah, I mean, we don't know what exactly is going to happen in Green Bay.

Stay tuned. But I think the scariest thought of them all is the fact that the defending Super Bowl champion didn't win the division last year. Right. Okay? The Buccaneers haven't won the division since 2007. But, you know, Drew Brees is no longer New Orleans. We'll see what that is. Seattle is there. I'll tell you a team I think is kind of a mystery team in the NFC. And I've heard a lot of people, you read and hear, who are very, very high on that. And that's the Rams. and it has nothing to do offensively. Defensively, there is no more Michael Brockers.

Their secondary got hit hard by free agency, okay? Their defensive coordinator, who helped them get to the top spot in terms of yards and points allowed, is now the head coach of the Chargers. I'll be curious of what the Rams truly are, and again, when you have question marks, the Saints quarterback, the Rams defense, you know, the mystery that is the Green Bay Packers right now. Right. Other teams get a chance to move up. But I'm a big champions until the throne guy.

So, you know, the Buccaneers who bring back all 22 starters from the Super Bowl. OK, the band is definitely back. That's a tough out. But we haven't had a repeat champion since 2003 and 04. Ironically, the guy who was quarterback for that team happens to be the quarterback for this team. And a name that Patriots fans know very, very well and won Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. But excellent insight when it comes to both the AFC and the NFC. The AFC, naturally, I mean, everybody's kind of looking up at the Kansas City Chiefs as the conference champions the last two years in a row.

You mentioned the upgrades that they've made to the offensive line. And Patriots fans are no stranger to the majority upgrade that they made, and that's Joe Tooney. And he is going to pay dividends in that offense. Just one of the most reliable linemen that I've ever covered. 80 out of 80 games that he was supposed to participate in, he was there. Durability, ability to play all over, can play the tackle position, can play the guard position, which is where he played in New England so well, was an all-pro here for that role. And also, he can fill in at center as well.

We've seen him do it all. He's such that Swiss Army knife type of player that can really add something. So does that put Kansas City over the top in terms of where they were last year? They were within an eyelash of repeating, and they ran into a juggernaut in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Super Bowl but it will be interesting to see what will happen there you mentioned the Colts and I think they will be formidable because of the defensive unit and I think offensively I think Carson Wentz is going to find a good home there as well I look for them to be a formidable unit I know you mentioned the Patriots and you made a lot of my fan base smile when you said that

we'll get into the Pats in just a moment. But I did want to touch upon what you said in the NFC. And there is some uncertainty. I think in a lot of ways, Russell, you look at the Rams right now and people see Aaron Donald and they see Jalen Ramsey. And automatically they're looking at that team and saying, wow, that team is a stacked defense. You got Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey in the same defense,

but they have been decimated in some other areas, and that secondary was hit hard in free agency. So are the Rams a legitimate contender? I like what you said about the Giants. Patricia Trena and I, I'm no stranger to you, a good friend and a colleague of yours for a number of years, host the Locked On Giants podcast here on Locked On, and we've talked several times about the Giants and their ability to take that next step.

And again, Joe Judge was the special teams coach and the wide receivers coach here in New England for a number of seasons. We know what he can do. And I remember when Patty asked me when Joe was first hired down in the Meadowlands to take on the blue side of things down in East Rutherford, how this was going to happen. And I told her very plainly, and I said, they've got a guy in Joe Judge that's not going to allow this team to give up. They're only going to move forward.

They're not going to regress. It's just not in his personality. It's not in his coaching style. And ultimately, I think we may end up seeing that. So great insight on the national perspective. Russell, as always, greatly appreciate the information. And when I happen to agree with it, it's that type of synergy that you'll love to hear on a podcast. Absolutely.

Listen, absolutely. And you bring up a good point about the Rams, too. You know, two players, OK, two outstanding players, Jalen Ramsey and Aaron Donald, who's the three-time defensive player of the year. But football is different from other sports. All I'll say is this. If Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey were playing defense for the Lakers, they'd probably still be alive in the playoffs. Absolutely.

And, yeah, the one thing that I think that old L.A. team out there on the West Coast would need is some defense. Of course, in the East Coast would need is some defense. Of course, in the East Coast, the Celtics have their own turmoil. So we're really not in a position to throw salvos right now. But at the same time, I agree with your assessment. If they had a little bit more on that end, maybe they could have borrowed a little from their crosstown mates, the Rams. Maybe things could have been different there. But good stuff as always. And, you know, Russell, you know, by all indications, you know, your national insight

always makes you a most valued friend here on Locked On Patriots because you provide the objective analysis we don't always get in the New England region. That's why I love calling you the Oracle of Objectivity. I think that's such a great fitting title. And, you know, I love my alliteration, so I'm going to throw that in anyway. But, you know, that has kind of a Doctor Strange feel to it. Yeah, it kind of does. Yeah.

Yeah. You know, I mean, after I get off the podcast with you, I might go, you know, hop and look around for the Infinity Stones or something. See, there we go. That's it. And then information you'll get only here on Locked on Patriots, folks. Exactly what Russell is going to do with this newfound

moniker that I've saddled him with. Fear not, folks, because this is Locked on Patriots after all. And in just a moment, Russell S. Baxter and I will discuss those New England Patriots. And Russell will enlighten us all on the national perception of your beloved football team in

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and Russell, we've talked about the NFL from a league-wide perspective, but of course, this being locked on Patriots, our lens is about to narrow its focus. We're going to put on a foxborough filter here to close out the week in style and we hinted at this earlier but the new england patriots have had one of the more intriguing off seasons in the nfl uh they spent big in free agency uncharacteristically for players such as johnny smith and hunter henry at the tight position, Matt Judon at the linebacker position, Nelson Aguilar as a wide receiver,

and a host of others. Kendrick Bourne is another one that comes to mind just off the top of my head. Patriots also made a pretty big splash at the draft, starting with their selection of Mack Jones at number 15, and then drafting some players with some pretty good potential, like Alabama's Christian Barmore on the defensive side of the ball, a couple of Oklahoma Sooners, Ronnie Perkins, Ramondre Stevenson. There's a lot of buzz about what the Patriots could be this year in New England.

From a Patriots point of view, I've talked about it several times here on Locked On, but from a national perspective, what has been your impression of the Patriots offseason thus far? And what does this say to you about the Patriots' ability to either go all in or contend this year in the AFC? Well, listen, Patriots' perspective nationally, and this, again, is just my opinion, is always a little skewed, okay? You know, they're the America's team without being America's team, okay? And I say that for decades, probably still

to this day. The Dallas Cowboys were the most popular team and the most hated team in the league, okay? And that comes with success, okay. People don't dump on, you know, people didn't dump on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when they lost 26 consecutive games and, you know, I mean, there was criticism. Okay. But they were also an expansion team. Okay. You didn't, you didn't get the strong opinions about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. You didn't get the strong opinions about the Tampa Bay Bucs. You didn't get the strong opinions about the New Orleans Saints, who took 20 years to have a losing season.

Think about this. You didn't get strong opinions about the Pittsburgh Steelers, who basically spent the first 40 years of their existence going to one postseason game. Okay? Good point. But now they fall under the category of the Cowboys. The Steelers do. Obviously the Patriots. OK, when you have 19 consecutive winning seasons, when you go to the playoffs 11 straight times.

OK, when you go to all the Super Bowls, you know, so you get a mix. I feel you get a mix in terms of national opinion on what teams think they are doing. And to a degree, people thinking, oh, well, I hope this isn't, you know, let's put it this way. Maybe I'll explain this better. Every time the Patriots, literally every time the Patriots would lose a game or fall in the playoffs, what did you hear, Mike? The dynasty is over. Right. Okay? Why? Almost on cue.

Yeah, almost on cue because everybody wanted to see the king fall off the throne. Now, I don't know about you, but I know they went 7-9. Yeah, almost on cue because everybody wanted to see the king fall off the throne. Now, I don't know about you, but I know they went seven to nine. It's their first losing season since 2000, since Belichick's debut. If they follow this up with a couple of years of laying some eggs, then I understand people saying the dynasty is over. But as you alluded to, they went out and uncharacteristically opened up the checkbook, adding those two tight ends. I like Kendrick Bourne a lot, okay? I thought he was a guy who was a playmaker. And defensively, okay, you already alluded to Barmore, okay, which a lot of people thought he was a first-round pick, okay? They got him, and they signed a guy from Miami who last year I think was only

limited to five games, but a very underrated guy in Gavin Godchalk, okay? You put those two guys in the middle, I can guarantee you they're not going to finish near the bottom of the league and run defense, which has been a problem, as you know, for the Patriots for a year and a half. It really started when they got undressed by Nick Chubb during the 2019 season. Even though the Browns lost the game, Nick Chubb ran through them like, you know, knife through butter. And when you don't have the offensive firepower that they have struggled with in the last couple of years, and you rely on your defense and your defense can't stop the run. That's a problem. I think you see all the changes that

the Patriots made. The fact that Cam Newton comes back here, and I know there's recent news on him. Cam comes back here with a year of prep. Remember, he wasn't signed until June 28th last year. Okay? June 28th. So COVID affected a lot of off-season things, especially guys who were injured, where you didn't really get a chance to see what he could do and so on. Now he comes back, a little familiarity system, and now a lot more familiarity with the system. I think there's an, for lack of a better word,

there's an element of fear from either fans, media, and dare I say maybe a few teams that the Patriots might not be done as done as everybody thinks they are after last year. Okay. And I know Tom Brady's in it and God bless him. Amazing what Tom Brady did in Tampa last year. And, you know, for the people who like to do the Belichick versus Brady thing, I will simply say this. I don't think Tom Brady is the professional football player he is without Bill Belichick

because I think that's what he took from 20 years in New England. It wasn't me versus him or him versus me. Okay? Right. This is not the one-man game. Every year, you know, if it's a one-man game, that one man Patrick Mahomes spent a lot of time on the turf in Tampa on Super Bowl Sunday.

I mean, you know, he's this, he's that, he's this, he's that. The Chiefs couldn't score a touchdown without their two starting offensive tackles. So to me, the Patriots are intriguing. Now they've got a big obstacle in front of them with Buffalo. Okay. Not so much Miami. Miami, I think is still learning. Miami is going through their own thing with a young quarterback. Miami brings in a lot of free agents every year under Chris Greer. So their lineup definitely changes. Okay? There were times that they looked average last season.

In fact, remember, they got off to an 0-2 start. Still managed to win 10 games. But Buffalo, you know, outlasted New England. You know, Cam Newton fumbled late in the game and then blasted them on Monday Night Football in Foxborough. That's a team on the rise. That's a team that's been in the playoffs three times in four years now. That's a team that now has got a division title

under its belt. That would be a tough task though you never put anything... My goodness, can you ever remember Bill Belichick being part of a football team that had to get past the Buffalo Bills? Just kidding. Don't.

Just kidding. So when you have the kind of organization and the kind of head coach in Bill Belichick, and listen, I know he became an easy target last year after the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl. His football acumen is pretty high. Bill Belichick was a pretty successful football coach as an assistant and has been for a long time. And for the people who like to, and you hear this one a lot, well, he went to Cleveland and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Okay. Well, let's go back and do Cleveland. Okay. 1991, 1992, there's no free agency in NFL. Okay. He took over a team. I think that the Browns in 1990 were three and 13. Okay. Slowly but surely they start to build something. 1994, the Browns make the playoffs.

1994, they beat Bill Parcells and the Patriots in the playoffs before losing to the Steelers. 1995, by the middle of the year, oh, by the way, we're leaving. It's true. People don't, yeah. Everything you built, Mike, for four and a half years goes right out the door, okay? So built, Mike, for four and a half years goes right out the door. Okay? So 1996, what happens?

Bill Belichick rejoins Bill Parcells. The Patriots go to the Super Bowl. 1990, the Giants go to the Super Bowl. He's part of that staff. Okay? So his football legacy, when you take the total package, is one of the greatest in the history of the game. Okay? Find it hard to believe after all that time he's forgotten what the hell he's doing.

Yeah, a good point that I don't think a lot of people bring up enough. I always like to say here on the pod, Bill Belichick has forgotten more football than I'll ever learn. And I say that, you know, that's self-deprecating toward me, but I think that's really true about most people. And the fact that he does know exactly what he's doing about the team that he'd like to field on, you know, put out there on the field and the team that he'd also like to have in the locker room often coincide a lot more than people would give him credit for. So often up here in New England, Russell, and I know you hear this a lot, is the difference between Bill the GM and Bill the coach. Few people have a lot to say about Bill the coach. Most people will give him, even the most strict and ardent Belichick haters or detractors, will give him his just due that X's and O's on the field.

He's pretty good. Does he make mistakes? Absolutely. Everybody makes mistakes. Bill Belichick is not infallible, but he's right more often than not. And the buttons that he pushes are usually very good, especially about getting his players to play at such an optimal and high level. But so often we hear about this dichotomy between Bill, the GM and Bill, the coach.

Oh, Bill is a terrible drafter or bill is not very good with bringing in why you know uh wide receivers and he's not very good with free agent signings and he's missed often more often than not and uh he puts himself at a disadvantage and oh well he'd rather go and sign someone off the scrap heap than spend to bring in some high quality talent that has not been the case this offseason. Like you said, bringing in someone like Kendrick Bourne naturally would be a very big story for most teams. But with all the money and all the players that the Patriots had brought in, he was the fifth name that I mentioned.

And in any other offseason, I guarantee you he would have been either 1 or 1A that I would have mentioned as the crown jewel of the Patriots' free agency class. That goes to show you how much they spent and what they put into this year. And that does lead me quite nicely into my final question for you today. And that is taking off of those expectations that we've talked about, you know, those out there that would like to see the Patriots dynasty crumble and believe that the days of success are long behind them and never to return

again. We also have a lot of people within this fan base. And I do hear this expectation mentioned some up here in New England, a lot that this is a Superbowl contending team as it is right now on paper, you always take a level headed approach to this. And I don't mean to put you on the hot seat, but I know you can handle that hot seat so that's why i'm doing this from a national perspective because naturally i'm going to look through things with a foxborough filter i do believe that if all the cards fall the right way assuming health and i did open today's show by saying that yes folks cam newton did experience a discomfort in his throwing hand nobody's calling it an injury just yet because we don't know what happened, but a discomfort in his throwing hand that allowed him to sit out the rest of organized training activities on Friday.

Assuming Cam is healthy and assuming the Patriots enjoy relatively good health, is this a team that could surprise enough people in the AFC maybe to make it to sunny California and Super Bowl 56. We're hoping it's going to be the case because I'd like to go out to California to see that this year. But in any case, is this a team that really might have a realistic shot, or is this very much pie in the sky when it comes to the New England Patriots? Well, if it's pie in the sky, it's Boston cream. There we go. Always a food reference.

Got it. Got a lot of it. It is, at the very least, certainly a playoff contender. And as we see in the postseason, once you get in there, you never know what happens. Did anybody really expect the Buccaneers, after they lost to Kansas City and were sitting with a 7-5 record, okay, to go into the postseason, and they won their last four games and won three straight road playoff games, okay, at Washington, at New Orleans, who had swept them during the regular season, okay? They had beaten Green Bay earlier, but they still went up to Lambeau Field

and got the job done. That's what you learn about this league. The league changed in the late 1990s once teams got used to free agency and used to a salary cap. And that's why it's been so difficult to repeat. And that's why you have the Kansas City Chiefs who have been in the playoffs like six straight years. That's the longest active streak in the league now. Okay. New Orleans with four, Seattle with three, Baltimore with three. Think about that.

Okay. I always think the year that Atlanta made it to the Super Bowl in 2016, that would just show you the unpredictability of this league. And again, things are different now with the seventh playoff team. In 2016, the Falcons obviously won the NFC, and there were five other playoff teams in the conference. In 2017, the Falcons were the only one of the six to go back to the playoffs. That's how things change in this league so rapidly. We saw San Francisco go from 4-12 to 13-3 to 6-10, a lot of that with injuries.

But a lot of that also with a head coach, Kyle Shanahan, who has dealt with a lot of injuries, but I think he's still getting his feet wet when it comes to being a head coach. He's only been doing it four years. So you look around the league and you see the Eagles have a new head coach. The Cowboys have a new defensive coordinator. Washington has a new starting quarterback. Green Bay, we're not sure. Chicago has a new starting quarterback.

Minnesota comes off a year where their defense was dreadful. The Lions last year gave up the second most points in one season in NFL history. Okay? And just go on and on and on. We don't know what's happening with Houston and Deshaun Watson. We don't know what's going on with them. I'm mentioning all the teams. Okay? on. We don't know what's going on with them. I'm mentioning all the teams. Jacksonville comes in the year with a renewed sense of whatever, but also come into the league with a 15-game losing

streak. And three years ago, three seasons, I mean, three years earlier, they had a 10-point lead in Foxborough in the AFC championship game. Okay? So sustained excellence in the NFL isn't what it used to be, which is what makes the Patriots doing what they did such an outlier. And it's no coincidence all those winning seasons, Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had a large part of that. Now, again, Tom Brady is in Tampa Bay. Bill Belichick is there, and we mentioned that football acumen. And I will say this.

If the Patriots make the playoffs this fall, and we're getting close to predictions and so on, doesn't it kind of make you feel like, you know, be like LeBron James when he managed to get in the playoffs? You've got to be nervous, right? You've got to be concerned. You're talking about a coach, and this one really goes on Bill. Twenty years ago when the Patriots won the Super Bowl,

their offense scored three touchdowns in three postseason games. And one of them had nothing to do with Tom Brady because he was on the sidelines with a knee injury. So this is a very resourceful head coach. This is a very resourceful organization. And if they get in the postseason, you've got to be a little nervous, especially if you're an inexperienced postseason team. Yeah, without question.

I mean, look, there's always that old adage, never count out someone with the heart of a champion, someone with the experience to win, and someone with the determination of Bill Belichick, and say what you will, he's done it for so long up here in New England, that I think in a lot of ways, I know Patriots fans have maybe become conditioned to winning, like you said, last year, 7-9. Patriots fans weren't used to that.

They haven't seen that. If you're talking about someone who's grown up, a 20-year-old right now that was born into the Patriots dynasty they're not used to seeing the Patriots in that position but I think it's also fair to look at it and say that you know one seven and nine season doesn't mean the end of your dynasty doesn't mean the end of any type of success for this team and virtue will lie somewhere in the middle this year I do think you've made an awful lot of fans up here in New England by saying that at the very least, this is a playoff contender.

There is a shot anytime you have a Bill Belichick sponsored team that is coached by him and managed by him. I think you have a decent shot at being able to make something happen. And in that regard, I agree with you. I think that they do have a decent chance. And I think assuming health and again, folks, you know, health is always the great equalizer with any NFL team, not just the Patriots, but anywhere throughout the NFL. This is an opportunity now for the New England Patriots to show what they can do.

So, Russell, thank you so much for all of your time, for your objectivity, your insight, always second to none. On a personal note, your support of myself and of Locked On Patriots on a daily basis is something that I always appreciate. It's my honor to call you both a colleague, but most importantly, a friend in this business. So thank you for all that you do for myself and for Locked On Patriots. Before leaving us today, my friend, please let our listeners know where they may find you on social media and what great work we can expect in the coming days and weeks from the great pen of Russell S. Baxter.

Well, look for a piece later today on NFL Spin Zone about Cam Newton and the Patriots. But if you want all my work, Twitter, BaxFootballGuru. And then, you know, Julie Boyt, PFG. Okay. I'm sorry. I think I just boned out. Let's go Julie noted PFG is her handle. It changed slightly. PFG vibe. Julie and I and her husband, Rob, who also writes some cold stuff for me, we're heading to Canton in a couple months. Looking forward to that. But, again, if you follow me on PAX Football Guru, and listen,

PFG Vibe and myself and Julie are all on Instagram and Facebook and all that stuff. But if you follow me on PAX Football Guru, you'll get all the content I do for full press coverage, fan sided NFL spin zone and any other things that are coming up. And thank you so much for having me on. Anytime, Russell, the pleasure and the privilege is always mine. And we look forward to talking ball with you again here soon on locked on

Patriots. As we start to March toward the 2021 NFL season, maybe a season preview right around roster cut down time. Or hopefully a little sooner than that when training camp begins. So we can start to take a look at what some of these teams may look like as we march toward the 2021 season. And like you said, to open our conversation today, a season hopefully with a lot more normalcy than we had in 2020. In the meantime, my friend, continue to stay safe. Continue to stay well, and my best to

you. Have a great weekend. And again, we look forward to talking ball with you right here on Locked On Patriots again very soon. Just like that, Patriots fans, we put a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And even though Locked On Patriots has you covered for all the news notes and analysis you need on your favorite team in Foxborough, get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast.

Host Peter Bukowski updates you on the latest news in every major sport with the help of our local experts. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action right here on Locked on Patriots. Subscribe to, follow, and download the Locked on Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked on Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate.

I thank Russell S. Baxter for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until Monday, all of you Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.