Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Befuddled in Buffalo: Patriots Downed by Bills 24-21 - 11/2/2020

Episode Date: November 2, 2020

The New England Patriots dropped to 2-5 on the 2020 NFL Season with a loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Pats have lost four in a row, matching their worst skid since 2002. Joining host Mike D��Abate to break down this Week Eight matchup is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com. The duo discuss Cam Newton’s ups and downs, some questionable coaching decisions and the porous Pats run defense.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.MyBookieINVEST IN YOUR INTUITION. USE PROMO CODE LOCKEDON AND DOUBLE YOUR FIRST DEPOSIT. NEW PLAYERS GET UP TO $1,000 IN FREE PLAY - DESIGNED TO ADD MORE EXCITEMENT TO THE SPORTS YOU LOVE AND THE GAMES YOU BET. YOUR WINNING SEASON BEGINS TODAY...ONLY AT MYBOOKIE!BuiltGoVisit BuiltGO.com and use promo code “LOCKED,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order. 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. And yesterday, your New England Patriots were befuddled in Buffalo. And we'll break it all down for you here today 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.

Today's episode is brought to you by Bilt Bar. Go to BiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON to get 20% off your next order. Thank you all for joining me here on today's pod. Today is Monday, November 2nd, 2020. My name is Mike DeBate, 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 folks, because it's your team every day,

that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and greatly appreciated. Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. And while you're out there, not just kicking off a new week, but a new month in style out there on the Twitterverse,

please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Pats fans, we are just one day away from Election Day, and fear not, I'm not going to get into a political discourse here. But all while I was watching the Patriots take on the Bills yesterday in Buffalo, I kept thinking of a quote that I've always loved. A historical quote. It's from Thomas Paine from his famous pamphlet series, The American Crisis.

And the quote reads, These are the times that try men's souls. And I understand, you may think it's a little melodramatic of me to use that quote, considering how close we are to Election Day here in the U.S. But I think this could quickly become pretty poignant in Patriots Nation, because at 2-5, your New England Patriots are slowly but surely creating a time to try the fan souls. In the midst of a potential game-winning drive, Buffalo Bills defensive lineman Justin Zimmer punches the ball out from under the arm of Pats quarterback Cam Newton.

Fumble recovered by Buffalo safety Dean Marleau at their own 13-yard line with 31 seconds remaining. That sequence of events secured the Bills a 24-21 victory on Sunday over the Patriots and in the process may have severely hurt the chances of the Patriots not just competing for a division title but also for a playoff spot. All hope is not lost. There is still a chance the Patriots can right the ship here but unfortunately they're running out of time. But as you can imagine, there is a lot to break down in this Week 8 loss to the Bills. Not everything we saw on the football field yesterday was a disaster. In fact, far from it.

And here today to help me provide a little level-headed analysis in this one is my good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. And you can clearly bet that we'll be talking about Cam Newton in that game-ending fumble. But we're also going to be talking about a lot of the good that Cam did on the field yesterday. And folks, he did look a lot better yesterday than he has in the past couple of weeks. We'll also discuss the Patriots' coaching and play-calling strategy. Does it say more about their lack of faith in the offense or the defense? Steve and I will also discuss our standout players,

and of course try to decipher one of the biggest mysteries in New England right now. Why is Chase Winovich not seeing the field? So per usual on Monday, an action-packed agenda. Sit tight, settle in, and Steve and I will break it all down for you here on the pod in just a moment. But first, in order to analyze the game, you have to know what went on during the game. And we'll start with the action on the field. The Bills found the end zone on their first offensive drive of the game. Certainly didn't take them long. Bills running back Zach Moss, truly one of the stars of this game.

He'd finish with two touchdowns on the day, but he would be the one to cap Buffalo's opening drive, a 10-play, 78-yard drive with an 8-yard touchdown run. That would actually be the only trip beyond the goal line for either team for the remainder of the first half. Patriots continuing their scoring drought in the first quarter. Their first points of the day would come on a 43-yard field goal by Nick Falk. That would cut Buffalo's lead to 7-3. With just under two minutes left in the second quarter, Bill's quarterback Josh Allen dropped back, seemed to be looking for one of his favorite wide receivers, Stephon Diggs. Pass intercepted by JC Jackson, and all of a sudden the Patriots had new life.

The Pats took over in pretty good field position, and with no timeouts remaining, facing a 3rd-and-1 at the Buffalo 16, Patriots elected to have Nick Folt kick a 33-yard field goal, and this one was a bit of a surprise throughout Patriots Nation. I'll admit I was a little surprised at this too. It seemed like with 3rd-and-1, the Patriots had at least one opportunity to take a shot at the end zone and then settle for a field goal if they had to. But instead, the Patriots taking the surefire points and Buffalo would take a 1.76 lead into the half. Having won the opening game coin toss, Buffalo had deferred and they would get the ball to open the third quarter. That was a decision

that definitely paid off. Buffalo would open the second half exactly as they did the first, effectively utilizing five plays to advance 75 yards. Zach Moss once again finding the end zone for a short yardage touchdown, and Buffalo was up 14-6. With the third quarter drawing to a close, the Patriots would finally end their end zone drought. Damian Harris reminded everyone in the Foxborough faithful exactly where the end zone was, tore a 22-yard run through the Buffalo defensive front. That cut the Patriots to within 14-12, and then Cam Newton would connect with Jacoby Myers

for the two-point conversion. Just like that, folks, the Pats are right back in it, tied at 14-all. But the Patriots would immediately follow up this drive with a questionable decision. Jake Bailey lines up and executes the onside kick, which the Bills would recover. It's apparent that the Patriots were simply trying to catch the Bills off guard. Some might argue that they might have went to that well of trickery a little too early, but the fact of the matter is that Buffalo made

them pay for that decision. A 9-play, 45-yard drive that would see Josh Allen run the ball in himself, and the Bills were back up now 21-14. But in pretty impressive fashion, Cam Newton and the Patriots were not to be outdone. Newton would lead the Pats on a 7-play, 72-yard march downfield, and he would score on a quarterback draw of his own. Once again, the Patriots had tied the game, this time at 21-all. But the seesaw matchup would continue. Josh Allen continued to lead the Bills downfield and had them within an eyelash of taking a 28-21 lead, but the Allen pass would sail through rookie receiver Gabriel Davis' hands. Bills had to settle for a 28-yard field goal by Tyler Bass,

and they had now taken a 24-21 lead. So, with four minutes and six seconds remaining, it would now be on the shoulders of Cam Newton to orchestrate a game-winning drive in Orchard Park. And folks, it's something Cam nearly pulled off. The Patriots had successfully moved the ball all the way to the Buffalo 19, where Cam was facing a second and 10. He took the snap, followed a line of blockers to his left, and then all of a sudden, Justin Zimmer comes in, diving from behind, punched out the ball, which Cam was not cradling right, only using one hand to protect it, rolled directly into the safety Marlowe's arms.

Unfortunately, it was Cam's only turnover of the game, but Buffalo would then recover, drain the remaining time on the clock, and they would secure a 24-21 victory. Your New England Patriots dropped to 2-5, and they've now lost four in a row matching their worst skid since 2002. And no matter how you slice it this is a devastating loss both from a standings perspective and a morale perspective. From a fan perspective Patriots social media took this one in stride for the most part. I did see an awful lot of support for Cam Newton and I was pleasantly surprised by that. Look no one is arguing that Cam needs to protect the ball better in that situation, but to put that entire loss on his shoulders, especially when there was such improvement

in his play, I think was a little disingenuous. Still, some were all over him and calling for his removal from the position. Bill Belichick after the game said, Cam's our quarterback, that's the way it's going to be. So it's pretty safe to say that the Patriots are not going to be making a quarterback change. But what about the decision at the end of the half to kick a field goal on third and one? What about the decision to go for the onside kick tied at 14 when you still had a full quarter and a little left over in the third quarter to make something happen? Perhaps the most important question, what can the Patriots do to shore up

run defense that allowed 190 yards on the ground? As bad as that sounds, things may even get worse for the Patriots' run defense, who suffered not one but two significant injuries on defense yesterday. Defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, who's arguably their best run defender, did not return to yesterday's game after hurting his shoulder in the second half. Linebacker Juwan Bentley also exited the game after suffering what appeared to be a groin injury in the fourth quarter. As usual, not a lot of information out on the condition of either player just yet, but it's worth monitoring. And the loss of either or both players could create a lot more questions on that Patriots defense. Luckily for all of us today, our resident voice

of reason, Steve Balistrieri, is here to address that and much more. Steve and I talk Cam Newton, Damian Harris, Jacoby Myers, Josh Uche, and where in the world is Chase Winovich when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, at 2 and 5, I know you're all thinking the same thing. Hey, I can go out there and I can give the Patriots a boost. Put me in, coach. Sign me up. I'm ready to help this team win. I hate to break it to you folks, but even though the team roster looks a little. Put me in, coach. Sign me up. I'm ready to help this team win. I hate to break it to you folks, but even though the team roster looks a little bit thin right now, I still think the Patriots are better off with what they have because thanks to a lack of natural athleticism

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Patriots Nation, we continue to attempt to digest the Patriots 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. And to help me further break it all down is my Patriots Paisan, an amazing columnist for Patsfans.com, one of the best guys in this or any business. Steve Balistrieri joins me today here on this Monday. Welcome back to the Locked On Patriots podcast, my friend. Hey, Mike, thanks for having me. And a little bit earlier in the week than we're normally accustomed to,

but it's always a good day to talk football with you, even on the darkest days of fall as we're in the middle of right now. Absolutely. In any case, looking forward to talking over this game with you. And, Steve, what can we say? There's a lot of disgust in Patriots Nation right now uh two and five hope for the division is pretty much all lost um there's really I think a mere thread of hope for the playoffs and I'm probably being generous on that but there's still

a season to go and there's still more games to be played than the Patriots have played so let's start with the obvious Justin Zimmer knocking the ball loose from Cam's arm. There's a promising Patriots drive, potential game-winning drive goes all for naught. I, for one, really hate the fact that this play is going to define Cam's week because I thought he demonstrated a lot of improvements this week. I thought his reads were a bit quicker. I thought he made some better decisions. His throws looked sharper. It's obvious he put in the work to try to get better on the field. But as a quarterback, Steve, he's the leader of this team and he simply has to protect the ball better. To his credit, Cam's acknowledged that. But what I want to do is maybe talk a little bit about the positive side of Cam Newton and also some things that

concern you, Steve. On the positive side, what do you believe made Cam look better on Sunday? And what still worries you about his play on the field? Well, you know, it was better. Although we're not setting the bar too high. Because the past couple of weeks he's been really, really bad. But I think, you know, what made it better was the fact that he was actually a threat to run. And he did run. I thought he ran very well in this game.

Even on that last play when the ball was stripped, he was carrying the ball too loosely. But, you know, it's something. I watch all these mobile-type quarterbacks run with the football. I was watching Lamar Jackson yesterday during the Steelers game. I was switching back and forth. I was watching parts of that. And they all seem to carry it too loosely. So it's kind of like that double-edged sword where, you know,

they're going to give you some big splash plays, but you're going to have to live with some of the mistakes that come from that. Unfortunately, you know, this was a big one because it came at a key moment. I thought he ran the offense better yesterday. I thought he, you know, he's working really well with Jacoby Myers. I thought Myers had a pretty nice day. He ended up with six catches.

He had another one that was wiped out by a penalty. Damian Bird as well. Considering who he's thrown to, that's not too bad. I mean, you have a bunch of undrafted free agents at wide receiver. But some of

the, you know, I still think some of his decision making is taking too long. I think some of his decisions aren't really good ones, but it's going to be a work in progress because Bill Belichick has made it very clear that, you know, he's going to be the guy next week against the Jets. So, you know, they need to get better. I mean, and it starts with the first quarter.

I mean, you look at it, Mike, this team hasn't scored any points offensively in the first quarter all season long. And that has to stop. You're putting yourself behind the eight ball every week. And they need to start better. I thought in the second half they got the running game going. But looking at Newton, I mean, we're talking about him right now. I just think, you know, he needs to be better. He's still a little slow on things,

but I liked the fact that they put the ball in his hands and let him try to win the game. Now, did it come to fruition? No, it did not. But, you know, I will add one more thing to this. You and I talked about this before the season started. Because of the way the situation was, this is a team that we thought was going to be in a lot of rock fights this year. There was going to be a lot of close games down to the wire. And, you know, we said at the beginning of the season,

how they perform at crunch time will make a big difference between possibly being 10-6 and 6-10. And they've had three of those so far this year, and they've lost all three. And the difference between them and the guys

who they lost to yesterday, who are now 6-2, is that minor little bit of difference. Because I think even if the Patriots had won those three games, they're still a very flawed team at 5-2. And I think the Bills are the same way. They're 6-2. I think they're almost as flawed as New England. Yeah, I'm glad that you made that point about the Bills being flawed and the Patriots having their chances, despite a dearth of injuries that they had to go through in yesterday's game,

not only in-game but also coming into this game without being some of your top players on both sides of the ball. There's also that element of them being able to score on Buffalo. Their run defense continues to be porous. Their defense is not what we had thought going into this season. And the offense plays can be made against this Buffalo offense. And I think you saw that yesterday. So in a lot of ways, people coming off the rails and saying that, oh, the Patriots are so far below the rest of the teams that they're going to be facing in competition. I think the next time these two teams face each

other in Foxborough, you could see a different result. I'm convinced that the New England Patriots can definitely hang with Buffalo and they can make it a game. They just, again, like you said, Cam has to make better decisions. His decision-making was better this week as opposed to the last two weeks, but there's still a ways to go. I'm also glad you made the point about him protecting the football, Steve, and that's something that I think a lot of us fell into yesterday. You have to protect the rock better. You have to do this even in the way I asked the question. I insinuated that was the case, but with a lot of mobile quarterbacks, there is that penchant to hold it a little on the looser side. I saw someone put the

adage about holding it like a loaf of bread in a lot of ways I hate to say it but it does follow suit when it comes to that so agreed I think Cam would agree that he has to protect the football better but there were a lot of reasons why that game ended up being or the Patriots I should say ended up being on the opposite end of the winning side in this one. And the coaching staff, my friend, is coming under a lot of fire for a lot of decisions. One on the defensive side of the ball that continues to be a perpetual head-scratcher week after week. And we'll get to this one in a moment, folks. But two play-calling decisions that seem to be really sticking in the craw of our friends in Patriots Nation today are end of the first half,

Patriots deciding to kick a field goal on third and one from the 15-yard line. They had 12 seconds left. That's enough time for a shot at the end zone. Steve, it's my assessment that because Cam had been struggling so much with interceptions and sacks this season, I think New England took the easy points in that, saying we're going to go into the half only being down one, seven to six. Cam has been under pressure to make plays lately. That's been a little bit risky for the Patriots for the last couple of weeks. Even Cam said himself last week he was pressing.

I think Bill kind of took that away from him at this point. Not really worry about turning the ball over on important downs. live to fight another day and start the second half strong. So I'm not so much concerned with that one. But the other was the Patriots decision for the onside kick in the third quarter that ended up hurting the Patriots. But again, I don't know if necessarily that was the devastating decision that it seemed to be for so many Patriots fans. Steve, what was your take on these decisions and which one, again, in your opinion, do you believe deserved more criticism? Well, I was actually pretty, I was very surprised that they didn't go for it, like you said. You know, you're down around the 15-yard line.

You have 12 seconds left. There's plenty of time to take a shot at the end zone. And if it's not there, just toss it away and pick the field goal. That told me that they don't have the confidence that Cam can force it, you know, down inside tight quarters down there, that they don't have confidence in him right now. And the same thing can be said after they tied the score at 14, they kicked the onside kick, which I'll be honest with you,

I was shocked by that, which tells you that they didn't have any confidence in the defense at this point because Buffalo was chewing them up. And I don't know. You ask which one, they're both pretty telling at this point. I mean, you don't have faith in your quarterback and you don't have faith in your defense, which is supposed to be the strength of your team to stop the opposition, especially an opposition that hasn't run the ball well all

year and you've been running it down your throat, in which they ended up doing. I don't know. I think they both deserve equal amounts of incredulity, I guess you could say, because it's pretty telling how they feel about their team right now. Yeah. And I think when you start to see the team start to empty out these, these tricks or, uh,

they start to get a little bit, maybe not, I want to say too cute because that's really not the word I'm looking for, but maybe a little bit overthinking or a little over worried, I guess is the best way to put it for lack of a better term. You know, they start to overthink themselves. And I think you saw that at the end of the half. And I alluded to that in my asking of the question and that they may have looked at what Cam was going through the last two weeks and didn't want to put him in that position where he was either

sacked or put out or an interception or something to really kill the momentum of that drive, go for the short points. But it is telling that you're not having the confidence in your offense to be able to make plays. And that in itself can speak for itself. Steve, one more of these little, you know, nagging, annoying, you know, stats from yesterday before we flip the script and try to talk about some positives to take away from this game. We talked about this last week and we thought things would change.

It got worse. Chase Winovich continues to watch his playing time decrease. He was on the field for five snaps yesterday. That's only 9% of the snaps that the Patriots took. Chase was out on the field. At this point, are we beyond that it just doesn't fit our scheme argument? What are we missing? Why is Chase being used so sparingly? I think he's totally in the coach's doghouse right now. We saw a little bit of that last week where him and Bill were jarring at each other after he made a really kind of dumb penalty

on the hit on Jimmy Garoppolo. And, you know, Bill just lit into him. And then he was giving it back. I think there's a lot of frustration there. And I think he's way in the doghouse at this point. You know, in the first half, I was like, I couldn't believe he only played two snaps. And then in the second half, he only played three.

So, you know, and he's a guy I think you could make a legitimate argument the first three or four games of the season, he was probably their best defender on the field. I mean, we were raving about how he had made that big jump. And now, you know, he's totally in the doghouse. He's not playing. He's one step above a healthy scratch right now. And that's not good because he's a guy that we had said

they were going to have to rely on this year. And, you know, the play of the linebackers overall is not good right now. And, you know, now with Juwan Bentley, you know, he got banged up yesterday and he's not been right now. Now with Juwan Bentley, he got banged up yesterday and he's not been playing well. I think with Winovich, I just think it comes down to he's not setting the edge

and he's a distinct liability right now in the running. Yeah, I think you hit the nail on the head. I think the fact that his lack of ability to set the edge has definitely put him in the Belichick doghouse. But I think it's deeper than that. There's got to be something underlying that us mere mortals are just not seeing when it comes to Chase.

Because even if he's struggling, even if there's issues with either off-the-ball defending or picking up reads or anything of that type, you still have to figure that a guy like Chase Winovovich is better off on the field than off the field just that motor that ability to get after the quarterback try to make plays happen seems to be something that the patriots are just really deficient in right now they're really lacking it on the field and again it just continues to be a a head scratcher for me and sounds like for the rest of patriots nation as well because you saw so many of our colleagues in the media tweeting out after Chase Winovich on the field, five snaps. That was a very common theme after this game. And one thing that I think the Patriots are going to have to answer to

in the coming days, especially if the injury to Juwan Bentley looks to keep him out for any extended period of time. Steve, we've talked about the pressing questions of the day. We've talked about some of the negatives. There were plenty on the field yesterday, but the Pats did still have some bright spots from the week eight loss to the Buffalo Bills. In just a moment, I will start to seek the positive wisdom

and counsel of our resident voice of reason. We'll go over those silver linings and more when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, you've all heard the phrase, often imitated but never duplicated. I mean, is there a better phrase to describe your favorite football team in Foxborough? Six Super Bowl titles in just under two decades?

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Well, folks, all I can tell you is Built Bar is just that good. Go to BuiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON to get 20% off your next order. Don't delay. Do it today. Use promo code LOCKEDON for 20% off at BiltBar.com. Locked On listeners. Patriots fan Steve Balistrieri joins us here today on Locked On Patriots. And Steve, we talk about positives trying to pluck silver linings from a storm. And to me, the brightest spot yesterday

was damian harris uh it looks like he's going to be the focal point of the patriots offense and i think it's safe to say that sony michelle who is still currently on injured reserve is probably never getting his lead roll back i think we can kind of agree on that harris is taking advantage of his opportunities carried the ball 16 times yesterday 6.4 yards per carry I've always been a Sony guy you know that I really I was glad when they drafted him I thought he fit this scheme well but Harris just has another gear of burst that's something that Sony just hasn't been able to show consistently for lack of a better term you couple that with excellent contact balance he's been able to get some for lack of a better term you couple that with excellent contact

balance he's been able to get some difficult yards between the tackles and he can make yards after the contact he's pretty good at receiving the ball out of the backfield as well steven your opinion do you think harris is their best offensive player right now i think you can definitely make that argument. I mean, I was over the moon when they drafted this kid last year. And as you probably remember talking with myself and Murph, I was really high on this kid. He had kind of a redshirt year last year, which happens to a lot of running backs in the Patriots system. But, you know, the more he plays, I think the better he gets.

And if there was one negative about him yesterday, I didn't think they gave him the ball enough. I thought, you know, every time he ran the ball, he runs hard. He has very good vision. He keeps his pad level low. And, you know, one of the good parts about that, when you keep your pad level low, after contact, I mean, how many times have we seen Harris fall forward?

He gets that extra yard or two after contact as he's going down. I think that's huge because it turns potentially long third down situations into very makeable ones. And, you know, I just like everything about the way this kid runs with the football. I think he's, like you said, I think he's the guy from now on. I think he's only going to get better. And I look forward to them actually giving him the ball more and more as we go on.

I think, you know, only 16 carries yesterday. I would have liked to see him 20, 25. Absolutely. I would have liked to see him 20-25. Absolutely, I would have as well. And look, one of the things that I think is so unsung about Damian Harris, and something that I really was able to marvel at yesterday, is how he's able to see the seams that the offensive line is opening for him. And I want to give credit to the O-line for being able to do that. On a couple of his rips, you notice the offensive line playing in unison, really giving a couple of his rips uh you notice the offensive line playing in unison really giving

a wall of protection to him that's something that they've given to sony on occasion and i'm not necessarily knocking sony for that because there have been makeshift offensive lines that he's been running behind where he just hasn't been able to break free but there have been opportunities that damian is seizing that sony has been reticent to do. And I think in a lot of ways that's really set him apart. He is, he's ripping the ball. Well, he's getting off. He's, he's making his, his reads well, and he's getting burst again, that burst that I just don't see from any other runner on the, the roster right now. And I agree with you. I think he needs to be a bigger part of this offense. Another guy that I think needs to be a bigger part of this offense. Another guy that I think needs to be a bigger part of this offense,

he was another bright spot yesterday, and you spoke about him a little bit in the previous segment, and that's Jacoby Myers. I thought Jacoby drew some tougher matchups as really a top-two wideout yesterday. The Bills were zeroing in on him. He was still able to get six receptions, 58 yards, against a very good Bills secondary.

That secondary can still make plays. Maybe they've had their issues with injuries and whatnot, but there's still a lot of talent in that Buffalo defensive backfield. I thought his routes were very good. I thought his hands were very good. This is something that we've talked about several times with Jacoby is that hand and that route coordination. He seems to have that down.

At this point, do you look for him to be a much bigger part of the passing game for the Patriots? And could he be even a more reliable target for Cam than Nikhil Harry when he comes back? Well, that's a good question. I do think right now, I mean, he's got to be the go-to guy. And, you know, it speaks volumes again about the problems in the passing game when, you know, he's your go-to guy.

But getting back to your question, I think, yeah, we're going to see more and more of him. He runs very precise, good routes. He's not much of a threat after he catches the ball. I mean, we've seen that. He doesn't have that kind of speed, but he'll get open. He can find the open spots. And as you said, he has very good hands.

He uses his body well. And he approaches things from a quarterback's perspective, which is what he was. And, you know, so he knows the responsibilities. He knows what he's looking at with the defense, and that's a huge advantage for him. You know, once they can surround Cam Newton or whoever the quarterback may be with better, you know, weapons,

I think Myers will be that really, really solid third option. But for now, he's going to be the go-to guy, you know, until they start getting some of these other guys back. As to Nikhil Harry, Ito guy, you know, until they start getting some of these other guys back. As to Nikhil Harry, I just think, you know, they haven't really used Harry in a way like they're using Myers right now. I mean, most of Harry's stuff is really close to the line of scrimmage. And, you know, watching how they used Myers yesterday I this is what I want to see from Harry and then I think a lot of that's on the coaching staff but right now I think Cam really

trusts him and I think to answer your question I kind of danced on the fence a little bit there which I apologize but uh answer your question he'll be more trusted than Harry is when he comes back and I don't think you danced around it at all i think you actually hit it that on and i agree with you you have to go with the short hands right now and that belongs to jacoby myers and as much promise as we want to put on the keel harry and i'm not ready to put this kid out to pasture just yet that's going to anger a lot of our listeners and a lot of the fan base but I still think there's talent here but right now I agree with you Jacoby Myers has the hot hands he's running the routes well you have to go to him because he's going to be the one that's going to help you to advance the

offense so agreed and I think you answered that very well and that leads me quite nicely into my last question for you and that the defense also had a pretty up and down day there were moments where they looked pretty good I think JC Jackson has been phenomenal this year. I think his read on the Allen pass, picking it off, being able to provide stellar coverage has been phenomenal. But you touched on this a little bit earlier and the linebackers especially had a rough day yesterday along with the defensive front. They're having difficulty stopping the run. Zach Moss and Devin Singletary ran all over this team yesterday. Bentley continues to miss tackles. He may be banged up.

I'm going to give a little guff to my guy, Adrian Phillips. He's getting beat on several occasions. I think he had a rough game yesterday. Although, I'll cape up for a minute, folks, here. I think a lot of that is because they're at they're being he's being asked to be a full-time linebacker which adrian is not he's a hybrid linebacker he can play that role but he's not going to give you consistent pressure on that simply lacks the size and it's just that's not his natural position so i'm yeah i'm gonna give adrian a little bit of a

break there but he does deserve some guff because he was getting beat a lot yesterday. But the return of Josh Uche was encouraging. We saw him play 13 snaps. This is debut for all intents and purposes, and I thought very effectively. Made two plays on the ball that really showed his athleticism in space, his pass rush ability. Those are two things that the Patriots desperately need in their front seven um Steve do you believe that Uche can be the guy that the Patriots have been lacking at the linebacker position and in your opinion should we see more of him and Jennings in tandem in that linebacking

moving forward for the Patriots I think they have to I think think especially with Bentley being banged up, we'll probably see Jennings move more toward the inside. And then that way they can, you know, keep Uche out on the outside a little bit. And, you know, that was one of the things I was looking for with him being active because a guy like Josh Allen, who's very mobile, they don't have the athletic-type linebackers that can run with a guy like Allen. And, you know, we saw him on a couple of plays,

and again, it was very limited, but, you know, it's his first NFL action. He's been hurt, you know, for a good part of the season already, so he hasn't had a lot of practice time. I was very encouraged from what I saw from him. And, you know, he came as advertised. I think he's that kind of athletic guy that can go out and make plays. That's one of the things they lack.

This defense lacks some speed out there on the edges, and he's that kind of guy that can go out. He can rush the passer. He can get out on the flat, you know, and chase down these running backs and tight ends or whatever. But I'm really encouraged by him, and I think you're going to see a lot more of him than Jennings because they're just forced to.

I mean, they don't have the depth that they have. They've lost a lot of people. And, you know, we're going to have to live with them. They're going to make rookie mistakes. I saw Jennings make a couple yesterday, but he also made a couple of nice plays. And that's what happens when young guys are in there. You know, that's why Bill always relies on so many veterans. Absolutely. So well said. And again, by default, he's probably going to have to rely a lot more on rookies and younger

players simply because the personnel is just not there. Guys are either getting injured or they've opted out or they've left via free agency. A lot of the veteran leadership that this defense has had for so long is just simply not there anymore. And when that happens, then you have to give the keys to the kingdom to the young guys and see what they can do. And I think Uche and Jennings are going to be explosive players for this team. Might be some growing pains, folks, but the future is bright there at least. Steve, what can I say?

I always, always appreciate it when you drop by and at least lend some level-headed wisdom and counsel on a day where Patriots Nation desperately, desperately needed it. Before I let you go, Bud, where can all of our new listeners or our existing listeners as well find you on social media and what can we look forward to in the coming days and even weeks from the great pen of steve balistrieri well thank you for those kind words as always mike i uh really appreciate it and you know uh you can find me at patsfans.com. We do a podcast over there called Patriots 432. I also do one with our, you know, our angry big green friend there, Thomas Murphy, at One Patriot Place. But no, you know, I'm working on my report card for the week. Yes, I'm a glutton for punishment.

I'm re-watching the game shows right now as we speak. You know, trying to get a good feel for it and seeing where, you know, some of it was scheme, some of it was personnel, and as it's been all year. I mean, that's what I'm working on right now. And then after that, we'll start doing our deep dive into the J E T S jets jets this week. Hard to believe that the jets game is going to be a must win for the New England Patriots. I mean,

we just keep moving deeper and deeper into that category, but it is what it is. And I'm glad you touched on that. You know, I feel like I'm in rock this week, you know, watching all 22 and breaking down game film. Steve, this is the business we've chosen. It's a dirty job, but somebody's got to do it. And, you know, we'll definitely continue to do it as best we can. But thank you for lending your wisdom and counsel.

Again, you mentioned the green man. He will be here with me tomorrow on Locked on Patriots. Little trade deadline action going. And, of course, we'll continue to break down the 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills. But thank you so much for joining me today, my friend. Stay safe. Stay well. We look forward to talking ball with you again next week. One of these days, we'll break down a win.

Hopefully, it's going to be this weekend. Yeah, let's hope. Thanks again for having me, Mike. It's always a pleasure. Anytime. Pleasure is all mine, as always, my friend. Thank you. Have a great week.

And so, Patriots fans, we put Aftermath Monday in our rearview mirror, but there is still plenty to get to. We're not quite done delving into the deluge that was the Patriots' 24-21 loss to the Bills on Sunday. As you heard me allude to in my conversation with Steve Balistrieri, the legendary green king of Sting himself, Thomas Murphy, will join me here tomorrow on the hot seat, and we will continue to break down the Patriots' loss to the Bills. We'll also bring you the very latest news, notes, analysis,

and occasional opinion on trade deadline day. Will the Patriots be sellers? Will they be buyers? Will there be new members of this roster? Or will there be expats by the time Murph and I take the microphone tomorrow? All of these tantalizing topics will be addressed tomorrow, so to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, make sure to download Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts.

Subscribe to and follow us on platforms such as Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure you're staying locked in to Locked on Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Steve Balistrieri for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you all so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, stay safe, stay well,

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