Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Back to the Drawing Board: New England Patriots move on from Julio Jones Rumors — 6/7/2021

Episode Date: June 7, 2021

With Julio Jones reportedly on his way to Music City, the New England Patriots seem content to head into the 2021 NFL season with their current corps of pass catchers. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss the fallout from the Jones trade, why it might actually be good for the Patriots, and the futures of both Stephon Gilmore and Cam Newton in New England.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.StatHeroStatHero, the FIRST Ever Daily Fantasy Sportsbook that gives the PLAYER the ADVANTAGE. Go to StatHero.com/LockedOn for 300% back on your first play. 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 in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Monday, June 7th, 2021. And because it's Monday, it's time for a little hashtag Lockdown Murph 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.

Locked On Patriots is presented today by RockAuto.com. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Go to RockAuto.com today and tell them Locked On sent you. Greetings and Monday salutations, Patriots fans, and thank you for joining me here to kick off your week on the Locked On Patriots podcast. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of Locked On Patriots, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and 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 MDABATEFPC. 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. Pats fans, at long last it finally happened. Julio Jones is apparently on his way out of Atlanta. The multi-time Pro Bowler wide receiver will soon be a former Atlanta Falcon. But before you decide to retire those 28-3 jokes, the New England Patriots will not be Julio's destination.

Jones apparently on his way to Tennessee and will become the newest member of the Tennessee Titans. As first reported by NFL Network's Ian Rappaport and ESPN's Diana Rossini, Jones will be taking his talents to Music City in return. The Falcons will be receiving a 2022 second round pick via the Titans and a fourth rounder in 2023. The Titans will also be taking on the lion's share of Jones' three-year $66 million contract extension. Of course, in addition to Tennessee landing Julio Jones, they will also get Atlanta's sixth round pick in 2023, and the Falcons will also take on $7.75

million in dead money. Now, I know this comes as a disappointment to some of you out there in Patriots Nation. A lot of you were hoping for that number one surefire whiteout that the Patriots have seemingly lacked since Randy Moss wore a Patriots uniform. In a lot of ways, that might be true. Julio Jones is a generational talent. No one is saying otherwise. And if he were on his way here to Foxborough, I for one would have loved the deal. But we have to remember that just because you and I think a deal makes sense doesn't

necessarily mean that Bill Belichick and the Patriots brain trust are willing to feel the same way. The Patriots place a value on a player and they're not going to deviate from that, no matter who the player is. Just take a look at the fact that Tom Brady is no longer wearing a Patriots uniform, you'll get the point. With regard to Julio Jones, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported Sunday that the Patriots had in fact had discussions about acquiring Jones, but not at the price that the Falcons were asking. If that seems a little confusing to you, seeing that just two years ago, the Patriots parted with a second-round pick for Mohamed Sanu, I say to you, it's not exactly the same situation. This was a trade that was pulled off in-season at the trade deadline. The Patriots were desperate for wide receiver help. Tom Brady needed someone to throw the ball to.

And unfortunately, the Patriots just had to do what they had to do. In retrospect, not a good deal. I'm not going to sugarcoat it, but it was a deal that the Patriots almost had to make at the time. And to say that the two situations are comparable, just simply not accurate. That being said, having to surrender a second rounder and a fourth rounder for someone of Julio's talents doesn't seem like an insurmountable goal for the Patriots to get over. My thought process and my guess at this is that the sticking point was money. Because in order to acquire Julio Jones's services, the Patriots were going to have to part with at least the same if not better compensation than what Tennessee offered draft

pick wise, but also the Patriots were going to have to commit $38 million for a receiver who was 32 years old coming off of a season where he missed significant time due to injury. Granted, even though Julio did miss some time last year, he's been extremely durable throughout his career. It's likely that 2020 was just a blip on the radar screen and that he'll be back to his healthy self in 2021. But considering that Jones is on quote-unquote the wrong side of 30, that amount of financial commitment probably seemed a little too steep for the Patriots to take. Both Sports Illustrated's MMQB's Albert Breer and NBC Sports' Peter King wrote something very

similar in their analysis pieces on the deal, stating that the Patriots were, quote, never really serious about acquiring Julio Jones. I think they were serious, but I think they were serious only at their price. If that price was to their liking, I think they would have made this deal in a heartbeat. However, the financial commitment plus the draft picks just seemed like too much of a haul for Bill Belichick and the brain trust to make the deal. So as a result, Julio Jones will become a Tennessee Titan. What does this all mean for the New England Patriots? Well, despite what you'll hear in some certain circles of Patriots social media purgatory,

I think the Patriots have some more than capable pass catchers on this team. Talent that is more than adequate to work with the quarterback no matter who he may be this season. Cam Newton, Mack Jones, or Jarrett Stidham. But don't just take my word for it, folks. It's Monday, so you know what that means. Monster Green Wisdom and Counsel is back here on the pod. My good friend, the Green King of Sting, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself,

the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for Hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. And my good friend and I will discuss the Julio deal, why the fact that the Patriots did not make this deal may end up working out for them not only in the long term, but also in the short term this season in 2021. We'll also discuss the injury suffered in Friday's practice by Cam Newton and what it means for the Patriots quarterback room heading into next week's minicamp. Last but certainly not least, we'll talk about what all of this might mean for a potential contract extension or at the very least a reworking for cornerback Stephon Gilmore.

Folks, an action-packed agenda on the pod today. It's always a blast when Murph is in the house. And of course, because it's Monday, we rebrand today a hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday when today's episode of the LockedOn Patriots podcast continues. LockedOn listeners, when it comes to repairing or maintaining your vehicle, why would you spend 30%, 50%, even 100% more for the exact same auto parts at a chain store or a new car dealership?

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It is that time again. Time for some green wisdom and counsel. He is 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 count of murphy fisto himself the legendary thomas murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on locked on patriots thank you for coming to me in friendship and for joining me today, Don Murph. Always my pleasure, Michael. Always my pleasure. Got some terrible feedback last week after last week's Tuesday show,

and I had to bring it up real quick. People were very upset that I wasn't on Monday. We took the day off to honor our fallen heroes. But they were a tad bit upset. They said it screwed up their internal clock for the entire week by pushing me to Tuesday and Steve to Wednesday. So I'm happy to be here. I agree. It was very disorienting for a lot of us, myself included, who really rely on Mondays being for Murph. You know I love my alliteration.

Hashtag locked on Murph Monday is just more alliterative than Tuesday. So you know what? The planets are back in alignment right now. Everything is back the way it needs to be. And it is hashtag locked on Murph Monday. We make Mondays fun, bud. And that's exactly what we're doing here on the pod today. My friend, the Patriots are moving on from julio jones julio obviously being shipped off

to the tennessee titans from the atlanta falcons the compensation including a 2022 second round draft pick in 2023 and a fourth rounder for jones he signed a three-year 66 million dollar contract extension in 2019 the tit Titans are scheduled to inherit that contract. And as part of the exchange, Tennessee is going to garner a sixth rounder in 2023, and Atlanta is going to take on $7.75 million in dead money. Murph, when you look at that deal, before we get into what this means for the New England Patriots long term or why the weapons crowd of New England Patriots Twitter is so upset about the Patriots not landing a wide receiver of Julio's caliber and invoking the name of Mohamed Sanu saying Bill was willing to give up a second for Sanu,

but he wasn't willing to give up a second for Julio, which anyone with a rudimentary understanding of New England Patriots football knows that these are two incomparable situations. Right. So bottom line, my friend, when you look at the compensation, do you feel that from an objective point of view, is it just right? Was it a little too high? Was it not what you expected? And what do you think this says about the Patriots interest in Julio from the start to the finish of this thing? Yeah, I think we hit it on the head early on that for the right price, that it was okay.

The price point was not okay, people. This was not okay. They gave up too much for this man, for a man that's on the wrong side of 30, for lack of a better term. I thought the price that they gave up and the contract that they inherit does not justify the moves. And I'm pretty sure that that's what Bill Belichick was thinking at the same time. For the right point, for the right trade value, as for picks and the age of this team

and what it's going to take going forward. And, yes, people, a lot of talent has been drafted by Bill Belichick in the fourth round, in the second round. So don't miscount that. We're talking about a man who is over 30, who has had hamstring issues, and believe me, I'm somebody who's had hamstring issues. And they're bigger issues when you're no longer 24 years old. This is somebody at his position working the way that he does.

It would have changed the outlook of this team in a positive way, don't get me wrong, but maybe not in a direction as to how Bill has put together this roster and what he wants to do with it this year and going forward. So well said. Absolutely well said. And look, we've seen several names, reputable names in this business, say very similar things this morning, even a little bit yesterday. Albert Breer of Monday Morning Quarterback saying that the Patriots never really had serious interest in trading for Jones. And I believe their interest was serious from the get-go. I just believe, like you do, that the New England Patriots placed a value on Julio Jones.

They weren't going to deviate from that. they weren't going to get into a bidding war they weren't going to get into a back and forth with the atlanta falcons they were going to give up the price they felt he was worth and atlanta obviously never saw eye to eye with the patriots on that so because of that they move on peter king neither did julio boston so exactly and neither did julio julio wasn't moving off of his contract. And that was another sticking point. And we said this weeks and weeks ago, that Julio Jones at this stage in his career is not going to give up the cash that he feels that he's due. And this is what Bill does.

He's like, yeah, I'd be happy to bring you in, but you know, this is the, this is the price point where we feel you're going to be going forward because we're not paying you for what you did or did not do in Atlanta. Perfectly said. Absolutely. Perfectly said. And that's exactly what it is. And something I think that needs to be a point that people remember a little bit more as well, as this is not just about the back and forth between the Patriots and the Falcons organization.

Julio had a say in this as well. I know he didn't have a no trade, but you have to think that he was intricately involved in what was going on and knowing where he was going to be headed and knowing not necessarily where he was going to be headed, but knowing that wherever he was going, he was not going to move and budge off of his contract demands and getting what he felt that he was owed at the end of the day patriots i think looked at committing 38 million dollars to a 32 year old wide receiver and said price is just a little too steep we like what we've got we'd love to have julio here but at the same time it has to be at the right price it It has to make sense for both sides. We just spent a ton of money on Nelson Aguilar, on our two new tight ends. It didn't make sense to continue to spend money there. Right. It absolutely does.

At that level. Right. I do. I completely agree with you. And you've mentioned Nelson Aguilar. Kendrick Bourne is another player that the Patriots did spend, albeit not to the level of Aguilar. How is this going to hinder Kobe Myers going into his third year? Absolutely. It's going to make

N'Keal Harry irrelevant. Gunnar Islewski irrelevant. And these are guys that time and money and draft picks have been spent on. And drag me all you want, people. I still believe in Nikhil Harry. Yeah, and I

think in a lot of ways, you and I have kind of beat the Nikhil Harry drum a lot here on Locked On Patriots, much to our own detriment at times when it comes to the fan base and really absorbing some vitriol being hurled our way. But I still think there's something there when it comes to the fan base and really absorbing some vitriol being hurled our way. But I still think there's something there when it comes to Nikhil. I've said that about Sonny Michel.

I've said that about Nikhil Harry. The two veritable pin cushions when it comes to New England Patriots fandom and how much vitriol is thrown their way. But these are players that the Patriots targeted for a certain reason. And unless things just don't progress, which is still possible, I still think there's something there. And I think with the right season, the right players around the keel, and to a lesser extent, Sony,

but we're going to keep it on the receivers today. I do think that there is something there. And that does lead me quite nicely into my next question for you, because we talked about Aguilar coming in and born coming in and Jacoby Myers, you know, entering now the prime years of what he could become, maybe just on the cusp of beginning that. Nikhil Harry, hopefully coming into his own. Gunnar Roshelski, obviously, you know, big, you know, contributions in the special teams

game. But does he take a step up and be, you know, a factor in this receiver core? Patriots also having guys like Isaiah Zuber. Christian Wilkerson is still on this, this roster, Devin Smith, the rookie Trey Nixon. You know, obviously there are a lot of, you know, Marvin Hall just, you know, recently acquired as well. When you look at the Patriots receivers and Murph for all intents and purposes, sorry, Claire, we're going to talk a little tight-ended here. John O'Smith, Hunter Henry, I'm going to include in that because they obviously brought these two guys in for a two-tight end set to be effective. Sorry to use the word.

I apologize, Professor Chatham, for using the word as well, weapons with a Z. They brought these guys in to be effective pass catchers and to be a factor in the offense. When you look at the Patriots pass catchers, not just wide receivers, but pass catchers, Murph, how good of a position are the Patriots in? Is it necessarily doldrums like some people are out there saying without Julio or, oh, well, we missed out on Julio. Now we got to put all the eggs in the basket and go for OBJ. I don't know why this rumor is still out there, but it is. Help us help talk us back off the ledge,

because I still have a lot of faith in the Patriots pass catchers this year to keep them a contender. Look, what we're looking at right now is a group of pass catchers and weapons that is very diverse, that Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels are going to be able to use in a myriad of ways. This is going to drive opposing defensive coordinators mad, because there isn't that diva guy that has to have the ball all the time. There is talent at every single spot.

Now, is it all pro talent at every single spot? No, it's not because, and quite frankly, that's the reason over the years that you haven't seen all pros with, with Patriot next to their name because this offense is so diverse because it does not focus on one or two players. The fact that you aren't going to know what's going to happen when they're in 21 and 22 personnel on every situation and the ball is, yes, going to go to Julio Jones anyway. So let's make sure that we've got him locked down.

Would a pass catcher like that help? Sure. But I'm completely, completely on board the fact that the guys that we have brought in are going to be able to excel in the way that Bill and Josh are going to use them, all depending on the quarterback that's under center and what he's going to be able to do this year. Yeah, without question. So well said. And I know I say that a lot when you're on here, but you always do have a way of bringing things back to reality, bringing things back to a level-headed position. I know that's usually Steve's job, but you're doing a great job of it today, Murph, and I commend you for that. You're a very wise and considerate young man.

And, you know, that wisdom, that consideration, Bud, is desperately needed here in New England, not just when it comes to talking people off the ledge about not picking up Julio Jones, because there are some narratives out there surrounding two of the most prominent New England Patriots. Hear my good friend's thoughts on the immediate future of both Stephon Gilmore and Cam Newton. More when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, get all the latest news, odds, and info for all of your sporting needs, including Major League Baseball, the NBA, NHL, all of your UFC MMA action, and of course the NFL, with the only place that has you covered and the only place we trust.

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And it centers around working out an extension or at the very least a reworking of the contract for one Stefan Gilmore. Murph, when it comes to Gilmore, we want to talk business. You want to talk business, Murph? Let's talk business. He's entering the final season of his four-year contract that he signed back in 2017 we all know this Gilmore is counting 16.3 million against the Patriots salary cap that's the highest number by far on the team but as a result of some of the contract restructures that he's had over the last three seasons he's only scheduled to play on a salary of about $7 million this year.

And neither side is expecting that a four-time Pro Bowler, former defensive player of the year in 2019, is actually going to play on that deal. But the question is about negotiations, whether or not they can lead to an outcome that's going to satisfy both parties. Now that the Julio trade talks are in the rearview mirror, because Murph, you and I both heard that. We heard that Gilmore is going to be included in the deal. Oh, Atlanta wants Gilmore. They want Gilmore in a first or Gilmore in a second for Julio's services. Now that we know that Gilmore is not going to be included in those trade talks, folks, it's still possible he may be in other trade talks,

but we know obviously now he's not going to be a piece in trying to acquire Julio Jones. How much of a no-brainer is it? In my opinion, it's really a 100% no-brainer, but in your level-headed approach, because again, you're taking that level-headed approach today, and we love it here on Locked On Patriots, how much of a no-brainer is it for the Patriots and Gilmore to try to get

together, work something out, keep this man in a Patriots uniform? I think it's... No-brainer is an understatement. For one, Gilmore is still not at his peak from what we saw last year. That has a lot to do with the injuries that he

was going through last year. Bringing him back, extending him, keeping him happy with money is only a good thing for the Patriots and only a good thing for Stephon Gilmore. It solidifies his legacy as going down as not one of the best defensive backs to ever play the game.

And I say that with no tongue in cheek whatsoever. He is. But it solidifies his legacy as a Patriot. And going forward, I believe that that should be important to him and should be important to the Patriots. The roster that was built this year, you can tell that it was built in the event that this does not happen. But having the money to make this happen is just gravy.

It's Sunday gravy for a fantastic plate of pasta that Bill has put out here for our defense. There are a lot of guys on this defense that have been brought in that are able to get after the quarterback. That's going back to what I said about in the event that this doesn't happen and you do have to put a lesser human being at the cornerback position there. But we don't have to. Things can be manipulated and he can get his money and stay happy. The people of New England can stay happy because they can keep watching him make these fantastic plays for another two

or three years down the line. Get this done. Get it done now. It was one of the reasons we talked about price point with Julio Jones. Granted, Gilmore is 30, but it's different, and he's a different human being that has just not had those kind of issues with health concerns in the past. Yeah, and I think in a lot of ways, and Patriots fans may not want to hear this, or they may scoff at it, or they may look at things and say, well, it's only one side of the ball, and you can't You've got to have balance.

You have to be a little bit more offensive-minded. This team, this 2021 team, is built defensively. And that is no disrespect to the offensive weapons that the Patriots have on the field. Again, I've been clamoring to get a guy like Hunter Henry here for years since I stopped covering the Chargers. Since I started covering the Patriots, I just thought he'd make a great Patriot. The fact that I'm going to get a chance to cover him this year. There's a lot of ways to run a ball-controlled offense.

It is not strictly up the middle, four yards in a cloud of rubber pellets, people. This is a different animal. And I believe that that's the way they're going to go. But this is well-spent money. Anybody else I would consider it ill-advised to do at this age, but not with him. And we all saw what this defense looked like last year when he was not a part of it. Thank you. Very good point.

Very, very good point very very good point with all due respect to jc jackson who will be i believe in shorter order than not an elite corner in this league because he has all the tools to do it i don't think he's there yet but i think he will be very soon stefan gilmore adds a dimension to this defense that just allows everyone on this defensive uh you know the back whether it be the defensive backfield or anyone on this defensive unit to play their role as assigned and to be there and not have to overcompensate. You're right.

We saw last year what this defense looked like without him in the lineup. And, again, they've added some pieces there on the offensive side, and that's what I was getting at with Hunter Henry. John O'Smith is paired alongside him. I mean, to add someone like Hunter was something that I thought the Patriots would love to do to beef up their offense. They've added Jonu Smith. They've added Nelson Aguilar, Kendrick Bourne.

They're going to make more plays this year than they did last year. But this team, defensively, is their strength. And that's exactly how they built it. Beefing up the interior of that defensive line, challenging the edge rushers to be better at doing what they're doing by putting competent people in the lines that can allow them to play their positions as aligned. Getting reinforcements in the linebacker position and upgrading so much when you look at the pieces they've added, bringing back Kyle Van Noy, Matt Judon being a member of this team. I'm really excited to see what he can do. Dante Hightower coming back, despite some of the rumors that you hear out there that he's not coming back. I think we heard straight from his wife's mouth that this is probably not the case.

Look, bottom line, I don't know about those reports. Get out of my house. He wants him out of the house. Get out of the house. Go to work. Absolutely. And bottom line, I'm not impugning anybody's report, folks. I'm not saying that this source is not correct or this person is not being told this. I don't know what they're being told, and I'm not about to judge anyone. But bottom line, I expect Dante to be back. What I've heard is that he will be back. That could change.

Nobody knows for sure. But bottom line, if he's back in this lineup and he's even a tenth of what he was even just from a play calling and a quarterback of the defense type role that really does shore it up and stefan gilmore being back there is the key that is a glue to making this defense everything it can be you take him out of the equation i don't care who you replace him with that does take a hit on the defense. And that's where Bill Belichick is counting for his team to bail him out this year. If they have to win close games, low scoring games, this defense is built to do it.

And speaking of low scoring, my friend, that leads me quite nicely into my final question for you today. And we all heard Friday's report about Cam Newton leaving practice with a hand injury. Now, Cam has had his accuracy issues, his throwing issues. That's been his Achilles heel here for the last couple of years, definitely last year in New England. Ian Rappaport reporting over the weekend that Cam may miss some practice time as a result of this. Folks, I know you probably have all heard the reports out there, but just to give you a recap in case you haven't, about an hour into Friday's practice, Cam Newton was sidelined, went over purportedly with a hand injury, did not participate thereafter in practice. or that he injured it while throwing it. According to Phil Perry, our good friend over at NBC Sports Boston, Newton's injury didn't appear to be the result of any kind of hit or collision that he took.

Quarterbacks started a drill. They were avoiding bags being thrown their way to simulate pressure. Right after the drill began, Newton checked out, headed over to the team medical personnel, and he didn't return to practice. Murph, I'm not going to indulge into any conspiracy theories that are out there. You and I both know that there are conspiracy theories out there. Again, I'm not judging anyone, folks. That's not exactly what I'm doing.

But until I hear something concrete, I'm not even going to indulge into those. Not saying they're true, not saying they're not. Just that's not what I'm basing this off of. I'm only taking this at face value and what the beat reporters that were in attendance Friday are reporting if in fact Cam Newton did suffer this hand injury we know it's not a break so that's good but Ian's report that he's going to miss possibly up to several weeks as a result of this could be a concern for the Patriots how much of a concern should this be for Patriots nation? If Cam's going to miss significant time heading into training camp, is this a big deal?

Or as long as he's ready for camp, all systems go with Cam Newton. As long as, as long as he's ready for camp, it's all systems go once, once camp starts up, this is, this, you know, you have to look at it like, well, I'm glad it happened today and not, you know, three weeks from now or four weeks from now. Yeah, it's a deal because there are a lot of new faces here that he needs to get acquainted with and on the same page with. And it would be nice to have this time. But as long as he's ready for camp and things are going well and he's healthy then, then yeah, it's not a huge deal. What this does do is it gives Mac Jones, Jared Stidham, more time with the ones, and Cam Newton is the one that should be a tad bit worried,

because if Mac Jones is, you know, slinging it like nobody else's business and moving up this depth chart, then that's something that you have to think about. Jarrett Stidham, the reports out of camp last week was he looked fantastic. We're right back to Spiral Stidham talk on social media with what he's been able to do so i would if i was cam newton i would worry more than patriots nation should worry right now yeah and i think that's a valid point and look i definitely don't think that this puts cam in the number three slot i've

seen no no no that's not what i'm saying um oh no and that's and that's exactly what you're not saying and that's one thing that I do want to clarify. What Murph is definitely saying, folks, is that it is a situation where it allows Cam to rest. It allows him to heal whatever type of injury that he suffered, but it does allow for Mac Jones and for Jarrett Stidham to showcase what they can do, and we're seeing it. Reportedly, Mac had a pretty good practice.

He was, I guess, average. I guess is the best way to put it on Friday when the – Yeah, he hit those guys that were being guarded by air. Seven of nine completed, only checkdowns, sailing one intermediate throw to Jacoby Myers in the words of Henry McKenna of USA Today's Patriots Wire. Nearly got intercepted by Kyle Van Noy. And, folks, I said this on Friday's show to open it up. Kyle is right back into the Foxborough fold. Immediately he hit the ground and started doing push-ups when he missed this. This is Kyle Van Noy knowing exactly what needs to happen.

He's in that Bill Belichick mode again. It's almost like he never left. Really psyched to see Kyle back. I love covering him up here in New England. I'm so glad know, psyched to see Kyle back. I love covering him up here in New England. I'm so glad I get the opportunity to do it again. But I guess according to, you know, popular opinion of those that were in attendance, Jarrett really had the strongest practice out of the three quarterbacks on Friday. So it should get interesting. But you know what? It's good to have an embarrassment of riches.

It is. I'm tired of everybody playing off of one another. I'm a Cam fan and I want to see Mac and I want to see Jared fall on their face. So I want Mac to be the starter and I want to see Cam and Jared go away. I'm a Stidham fan and I want to see both of those guys go away and I want to see Stidham ascend to the throne. Folks, we're all Patriots fans. I've said this before. We're all Patriots. Like Robert Kraft said, a belittled happy birthday to Robert Kraft who celebrated his birthday over the weekend. But bottom line, that's where we should be. And having three quarterbacks playing well is good for the New England Patriots. It may not be good for certain sects of the fan base, but it is good for the New England Patriots as a whole. So again, folks, Murph and I are trying to bring us all together here in Patriots Nation and realize that everybody performing at a high level and at an optimal level on the practice fields, whether it be mini camp, training camp, whatever, this is an opportunity for all teams to do well.

And a lot of eyes are going to be on that practice field next week when the Patriots open mini camp in Foxborough, June 15th through the 17th Murph. What can I say, buddy? You lend the wisdom and counsel like no other. You are familiar here on locked on Patriots. You're back to your designated day. Hashtag locked on Murph Monday will always be the day. And you know, we apologize folks. Sometimes holidays come up, but, uh, but Murph is always going to be on Monday and we'll keep you uh you know regulated when it comes to your weekly schedules folks you should already

be following my good friend here but for any of our new listeners please follow the account of Murphy Fisto on Twitter himself at Team Murph 207 folks I can't say it enough the content that this man is putting out on E2G Sports is always point, click, learn material, some of the best baseball coverage anywhere in the civilized world. I don't say this because he's a dear friend of mine. I say it because it's true. Those retweets that you see going on all over social media from myself and other valued friends and colleagues, those aren't lip service, folks. Those are well-earned. Please check out the great work that he's doing and all the great writers over at E2G Sports. But of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you

not to miss one episode of One Patriot's Place with my good friend here, our resident voice of reason, who will be joining us tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots, my good friend, Steve Balistrieri. And how can we forget the Countess of Clasvers, Miss Claire Clasie Cooper. Buddy, thank you again, as always, honored and humbled by your presence.

No, always my pleasure, Bud. I want to thank you and, of course, all our colleagues that have been spreading the word about E2G. We've got some fantastic things happening, more great content coming up for you folks. And please keep listening. One Patriots Place, only on E2G Sports. Absolutely. Continue to listen. And in the meantime, folks, in between Mondays, don't forget to check that out. And Murphy can always hear his wisdom and counsel every Monday here on Locked On Patriots.

But, buddy, continue to stay safe. Continue to stay well. We look forward to talking ball with you here right again next week on Locked On Patriots. You too, my friend. Thank you for having me. Patriots fans, one down and a whole mess to go here when it comes to your weekly Patriots coverage on Locked On Patriots. And even though Locked On Patriots has you covered for all the news notes and analysis you need from Foxborough, get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast.

My good friend and colleague, 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 that we're just scratching the surface when it comes to your New England Patriots coverage here on Locked On Patriots for the week. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to and follow Locked On Patriots 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 my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most importantly, I thank you all so much for listening, for all of your great support, and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well,

always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.