Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Bill Belichick Back to the New England Patriots in 2023, Jerod Mayo, Jack Jones, Jake Bailey and More

Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots are on to 2023, and to put it mildly, there is a lot of work to be done. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. 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 and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:00:53 Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to, follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Please reach out to me. Feel free to let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL.

Starting point is 00:01:17 And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And folks, today's episode of Lockdown Patriots is presented by our good friends over at PrizePix. PrizePix is a daily fantasy made easy. Pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry. First-time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with the

Starting point is 00:01:48 promo code LOCKEDON. That's prizepix.com. Promo code LOCKEDON. Thank you so much for joining me here today on this Tuesday episode of Locked On Patriots. If you're viewing us on YouTube, you probably deduced that we did have some video difficulties and I apologize for those

Starting point is 00:02:04 folks. Did our best to try to get these ironed out as soon as possible but did not want to miss an opportunity to bring you the latest and greatest from Foxborough so rest assured we will have these video issues taken care of we'll be back in living color on Wednesday and in the meantime folks it is now two days

Starting point is 00:02:22 removed from New England season ending 35 to 23 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Highmark Stadium. Emotional day for both clubs. Definitely an emotional day for the Buffalo Bills. Got some great news out of Bills camp today. DeMar Hamlin, home, released from the hospital. The next phase of his recovery is about to begin. And whatever side of the coin you're on in terms of football fandom that is great news surrounding the NFL community today so happy to hear that

Starting point is 00:02:50 we wish DeMar the continued best wishes in his recovery and hope that he makes a full recovery but for the New England Patriots it was a somber day in Foxborough cleaning out of lockers to be done exit interviews to be conducted. And just the somber really, I use that term again, but it really was the type of mood that you heard all throughout the locker room, all throughout the New England Patriots fandom. And for any of you that were wondering the future of Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, well, he put that to rest. On Monday morning, we had the opportunity to meet with Bill via Zoom conference. It was very clear that he absolutely has every intention

Starting point is 00:03:32 of returning for his 24th season at the helm in New England. No matter how you slice it, folks, that is great news. You're not going to find a more savvy head coach than Bill Belichick out there. He's still the best there is in the business. And I know this was not the ending that we all wanted here in Patriots Nation for the 2022 season. But the right guy is at the helm to navigate the ship. The only question is now what moves need to be made.

Starting point is 00:03:58 And we asked Bill some of the very difficult questions that all of you have on your mind when it comes to navigating through the New England Patriots and look for every piece of information that Bill takes in and answers it vaguely or dances around it I'm not going to lie to you there was some of that today but he really hit the fact head-on that the outcome of this season was certainly not up to the expectation of anyone within the New England Patriots organization. Quoting directly from Bill here, our record is right around 500, eight and nine, a little less than 500, Bill, but bottom line, he's hitting it head on when it comes to his accountability. He said, nobody is satisfied with that. That's not our goal. We need to improve on it.

Starting point is 00:04:42 Accountability everywhere, starting with me, coaching staff, players, each unit, all the things that we will address, that process will probably start later today. And of course, he's talking about yesterday on Monday. But Belichick's prowess as an NFL head coach, folks, requires no embellishment. I mean, this guy's enshrinement in Canton became a mere formality long ago. Navigated, I think, the most impressive two-plus-decade run of success, the likes of which none of us are probably ever going to see again. Not only the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, but also the second-oldest head coach behind Pete Carroll. I still find that a little difficult to believe.

Starting point is 00:05:22 Carroll definitely does not act his age um but bottom line doing a great job for the seahawks up there carol is in the playoffs once again but the new england patriots will continue to be guided by bill belichick and like i said before this is definitely a good thing belichick season was not all dismal folks he did have some milestones in october moving past former Chicago Bears head coach and Pro Football Hall of Famer George Alice into sole possession of second place among all NFL head coaches,

Starting point is 00:05:53 and he continues his pursuit of the record of 347 total wins held by Don Shula. Belichick is also tied with Shula for first time, all-time among coaches, having led the Patriots to 19 playoff appearances you can bet Bill wants to hold both of those records by himself and he has a shot to do it next year this is something that I think Bill will continue to make every attempt to become the winningest coach in NFL history and also the winningest coach in playoff history. And if there's anybody that can do it, it's definitely Bill Belichick.

Starting point is 00:06:27 But as much laurels as I'm throwing at his feet right now, and he deserves them. And I'm definitely not saying that. Bill, I think, would be the first one to agree that there's a harsh reality in Patriots Nation right now. Once again, the Patriots are on the outside of the AFC playoff picture looking in. Finished the season 8-9, losing three of their final four games of the season. Second consecutive year they've done that. The Patriots have struggled during the time of the season in which they were nearly unbeatable in the past.

Starting point is 00:06:59 We remember the dominant Patriots teams in late November, early December. I can recall a few years ago writing an article about winter is coming and using a lot of Game of Thrones references. It really was the time of year where Bill Belichick and the Patriots stood up and put everyone else in the league on notice. Those days are not here anymore, but it doesn't mean they can't be there again. But the New England Patriots have to make this a smart offseason. They have to make it a productive offseason. And again, changes have to be made without any question.

Starting point is 00:07:32 And that change starts with an evaluation process, which, like Bill said, was about to begin and is beginning and currently underway in Foxborough between Monday and Tuesday and the rest of the week. There will be a lot of discussions being had, and I think I put it diplomatically, but in conjunction with that, he's going to be having some discussions with team owner Robert Kraft. And look, Kraft, for all intents and purposes, has not been shy about advising anyone that will listen that he is not happy when his team does not

Starting point is 00:08:06 qualify for the playoffs with the revenue that is put out and with the revenue i should say that is taken in in new england and with the amount of financial obligations that are being put out craft is a businessman he wants a very good return on investment and missing the playoffs two out of the last three years and being eliminated in the wildcard round in two of those appearances since 2019 and the New England Patriots having that there, it really is not sitting well with this ownership and with this organization. So that process of moving forward, they're going to devise that strategy. You have to think that's going to include coaching changes.

Starting point is 00:08:49 And here's where I had alluded earlier about Bill Belichick kind of dancing around the subject a little bit. Bill, as you would expect, was noncommittal when we spoke to him on Monday about any plans that are currently on his radar to make any coaching changes. But as much as we've tried to maybe polish the decision to replace Josh McDaniels with the combination of Matt Patricia

Starting point is 00:09:11 and Joe Judge, I still think these are competent football coaches, but this has not worked. It has just been a backfiring in terms of what Bill decided he was going to do, his intentions, and the product that was put out there on the field. So you really look now at the offensive coaching staff and what changes are going to be made. I know a lot of you out there are clamoring for someone like a Bill O'Brien to come in, right the ship. Cliff Kingsbury was fired from the Arizona Cardinals head coaching position.

Starting point is 00:09:42 He could be on the radar. Former Patriot, very well thought of by Bill. Great offensive mind. These are the types of coaches that you think that the Patriots would have their eye on. But again, always dance to the beat of their own drum in Foxborough. And hearing from different members within the organization, sources and people that we're close to and we've had the opportunity to speak with here on Lockdown Patriots and throughout New England Patriots media, is that you get the sense that this may be a little bit of a different situation than it has been in years past by

Starting point is 00:10:13 default. The New England Patriots cannot afford to continue status quo. And I think there's a realization this year among all parties involved, whether it be Robert Kraft, Bill Belichick, the residual coaching staff, the players, everyone involved knows that there have to be some changes. So bottom line, there are definitely things that will be discussed over the course of the next couple of days, not just on the offensive side of the ball either. We all saw the defensive situation. That was a very big positive for the Patriots this year. If you want to make the argument, and I think the argument can be made, a lot of solid defensive

Starting point is 00:10:53 performances were derailed by the offensive woes that the Patriots had. So you're not looking at major changes that need to be made defensively, but there were situations where the Patriots could have done a better job with play calling, assignments, whatnot. The defensive staff's going to take a look inward, and they might be a bit compromised, and I won't talk about that in just a moment as well, but the special teams continue to be an issue, and they will continue to be an issue, I think, if proper changes are not made. Cam Ackert is someone that I think is capable of being a coach in this league without any question about it, but he will at least, at the very least, need help. This needs to be addressed.

Starting point is 00:11:35 The New England Patriots had difficulty with decision-making in this area. They had difficulty with execution, and they looked ill-prepared at times and that's something that is a very difficult thing to see for a New England Patriots fan when this team has placed such a premium on special teams prowess in the past New England is going to have to be able to move past that so I expect there to be changes on the offensive coaching staff I expect defensive tweaks and I do expect there to be changes on the special teams coaching staff as expect defensive tweaks, and I do expect there to be changes on the special teams coaching staff as well. But one change that I don't expect to see is at the helm. I know some of you have made your voices very clear

Starting point is 00:12:14 that you think it is time for the Patriots to move on. I still assure you that having Bill Belichick at the helm is an asset rather than a liability, and I think they're going to prove that this year. So Bill will continue to build this team in conjunction with Robert Kraft and in conjunction with the players on the field and while it's a little early to start speculating about where certain players are going to be and how they're going to be assembled in the coming weeks and in the coming months as free agency and the draft kickoff we are going to speculate a little bit

Starting point is 00:12:44 about the coaching staff this week, and we are going to do so in just a moment because one member of this coaching staff is already in high demand. And if you can read between the lines, I think you know exactly who I'm going to be talking about in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, please remember that today's episode is brought to you

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Starting point is 00:15:38 as we talked about in the previous segment, is Bill Belichick. He will be back for Season 24 on the bench in New England. And again, folks, I have explained that I believe this is a positive thing, but ultimately it's going to be about the results on the field. Can the Patriots get back to the playoffs? I don't think the Patriots fans, I don't think the Patriots ownership is going to like missing the playoffs in three out of four seasons since Tom Brady took his talent down to South Florida. So in this regard, the Patriots are going to have to get back to the playoffs in order to right the ship. There's a sense of urgency in that area in Foxborough right now, and I think all parties involved recognize that. But one of the things that may be difficult

Starting point is 00:16:20 for the Patriots is putting together a coaching staff that is going to be able to complement the players they have on the field. We saw this year they did not do a very good job of that on the offensive side of the ball and they really didn't do a much better job in the special teams but one area where the Patriots were very sound on defense and one of the big reasons why is inside linebackers coach and de facto co-defensive coordinator along with Steve Velichek. That's right, I'm talking about Gerard Mayo. And despite the team's season-ending loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Mayo's defense was clearly the team's top unit in 2022. The Pats led the team with seven defensive touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:17:01 Excuse me, led the NFL with seven defensive touchdowns. Yeah, they definitely led the team with touchdowns. They led the NFL with seven defensive touchdowns. They definitely led the team with touchdowns as well. It felt like the defense was scoring more than the offense, but they also produced 30 takeaways, second only to the Dallas Cowboys, who had 33. Of the NFL's 11 defenses creating the most turnovers, only the Patriots second, and the Houston Texans at seventh missed the playoffs that's not something you want on your record but bottom line the fact that the Patriots defense was making so many plays really is a testament to that staff and Mayo really I think is at the top of those that deserve a lot of the praise there and when you look at Mayo you look at someone that looks like he's ready to take

Starting point is 00:17:46 that next step into head coaching and I know it's a difficult situation to bring up here in New England because Gerard is so well liked he was so well liked as a player continues to be well liked as a coach and it looks like he's well liked throughout the league folks too because the Cleveland Browns requested permission on Monday morning yeah not wasting any time in cleveland they're rocking with visions of gerard mayo coming in and revamping their defense they want to interview gerard for their vacant defensive coordinator position because the browns as you know or may not know recently parted ways with former coordinator joe wood, this would be an upgrade for Gerrard without question. He doesn't have the defensive coordinator title here in New

Starting point is 00:18:31 England, so it would mean an increase in pay, would mean a little bit more prestige. And it's an environment where there is stuff to work with. Chase Winovich playing out there in Cleveland. So Gerrard would go with a little bit of familiarity. But if you listen to what Gerrard has said in the past, he's looking for a head coaching position. And honestly, I think right now he looks to be in that vein. I think this is a guy that is ready to make that next step. I think if there is a move to be made and Gerrard is going to leave New England, it would be for a head coaching position. And for the past four seasons, Gerrard has served as one of the Patriots' top defensive assistant coaches.

Starting point is 00:19:12 Alongside outside linebackers coach Steve Belichick, he's been intricately involved in the defensive play-calling strategy and really, I think, carrying out the duties of an unofficial co-defensive coordinator, as I said earlier. His defensive play-calling prowess really shouldn't come as any surprise this was a duty that he held and he had the responsibility in his playing days in new england he was the on-field play caller relaying all of the information things that guys like dante hightower and juan bentley do now this is what gerard was doing way back when. And in 111 combined regular season and playoff games between 2008 and 2015, you can bet he's got a lot of experience doing that. And again, this wasn't the most satisfying ending to the Patriots season.

Starting point is 00:19:59 And I'm being diplomatic here, folks. Bear with me for a moment. But New England consistently ranked among the top teams in the NFL in total yards allowed, yards yielded per offensive play. That is really a testament to what Mayo was able to do and really, I think, a primary reason for the unit's success. So even though he's yet to hold a head coaching position, he's been considered for openings like that in the past.

Starting point is 00:20:24 The Denver Broncos still may show interest. They showed interest last year. The Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Las Vegas Raiders. He has been on the NFL media's annual watch list of rising head coaching candidates for the past two seasons. And he said this is his ultimate goal is to become a head coach in this league. So while Bill Belichick is advising that changes will be made or that he will be evaluating what this coaching staff does, in a lot of ways, that may mean having to replace someone like Gerard Mayo. And that would be a huge loss for this defense without any question, not just because of what Gerard brings to the table in savvy and ability to make the decisions necessary to put forth a real solid defensive game plan,

Starting point is 00:21:13 but his ability to connect with his players, teach them the fundamentals, makes him an invaluable part. So if in fact we are seeing the end of the Gerard Mayo era here in New England, yeah, it's going to be a bitter pill to swallow, but there's no question about it, folks. The Patriots will have to move on and make that change. Who would they bring in or who would they give the responsibilities to if Gerard has indeed coached his last game here in New England? You have to think Steven Belichick is going to be a big time candidate, but will the Patriots feel that a tandem or a combined approach, giving Steven a little bit of help may be the best option. And ultimately that may be the best option, but those are the types of discussions that

Starting point is 00:21:55 the Patriots are going to continue to have here in the next few days. But one thing Bill Belichick did let us know is that a couple of players who had some difficulty over the weekend, or I should say their difficulties were made public over the weekend, do still have a future here in Foxborough. I'm talking about cornerback Jack Jones and punter Jake Bailey. What does the future hold for the Patriots pair? We're going to discuss that in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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Starting point is 00:23:08 Pats fans, once again, I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Locked On Patriots, making us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. And Pats fans, Bill Belichick might be coming back for his 24th season gerard mayo may be leaving new england for greener pastures we hope he won't but it is possible but one thing that really struck i think a lot of us funny over the weekend and murph and i did not get a chance to get into this on monday's episode essentially because the story of the day was the Patriots' end of the season

Starting point is 00:23:45 and their 35-23 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Rookie cornerback Jack Jones and punter Jake Bailey being moved from the reserve injured list to the reserve suspended list. And this took a lot of us by surprise, not just among the fan base, but even in the media. These were two players that were already on injured reserves, so wasn't really a whole lot to think about or really even a whole lot to understand as to why their designation had to change. But ESPN's Mike Reese was the first to report that the designation for both of these players to the reserve suspended list reverted back to December 31st, meaning that two game checks would be in jeopardy for both

Starting point is 00:24:26 players, week 17 and week 18. And it also indicated that the reserve status wasn't just about the injuries themselves, that this was a quote-unquote disciplinary type action. And the more information that started to come out on this, the more you started to understand what exactly happened bottom line folks Jack Jones's agent Jamal Tooson was the first to comment on this with any type of direct connection to either of these players and regarding their suspension and he was very quick to advise that his client rookie Jack Jones was focused on recovering and getting back to help the Patriots as soon as possible. And I'm going to read you his statement verbatim. And he said, I'm aware of the situation involving my client, Jack Jones.

Starting point is 00:25:12 Jack is focused on recovering and getting back to help the Patriots as soon as possible. Regarding the suspension, it appears to be based on miscommunication regarding Jack's rehab process. And I'm hopeful we'll reach an amicable resolution for both Jack and the Patriots. So bottom line, when you look at this, it really was a little bit of a head scratcher at first. After all, injured reserve play, Jack was on injured reserve since December 31st. And this is a guy that really electrified the defensive backfield he had his

Starting point is 00:25:48 difficulties late injuries kept him from the field but he has a real high octane and aggressive style of play and that excited a lot of us here in New England thinking well here we go here's our next ball hawking cornerback and unfortunately down the stretch Jack's presence was not felt and really was needed uh with the New England Patriots they had some difficulty on the perimeter especially a lot of injuries guys like Jalen Mills were out Marcus Jones had his stint on the concussion protocol so Jack stepping up and being there would have been huge for this team but but alas, just the knee injury was too much to keep him out. 454 defensive snaps to close up the year, 30 tackles, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions, including one for a touchdown return against the Green Bay Packers. And with regard to Jack,

Starting point is 00:26:39 you definitely get the impression that the Patriots want to try to work something out there, get him back on the field, get him back in the Foxborough fold. So hopefully things will work out. We're probably a little bit relieved to hear that this was more based on his injury situation. Apparently the New England Patriots were not too thrilled with the fact that there was miscommunication between he and the Patriots on how the injuries needed to be rehabbed and some of the conduct that happened as a result of that. Can't shy away from the fact that Jack has had his off-field issues. We were glad to see that that was not a part of it. And according to Bill Belichick, Jack is someone that still has a future for this organization.

Starting point is 00:27:20 Maybe this was a teaching moment. I know Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer reported that that was used as a teaching agent. Maybe this is a situation where the contestuous. Bailey's situation was not related to Jones. These are two separate issues. They might be similarly related in that injuries and miscommunication regarding injury led to the suspension, but it definitely wasn't the same situation. And again, Mike Reese was the first to report through his sources that the team suspension was due in part to differing viewpoints on whether Jake was ready to return to game action or not Jake believed he was Patriots kind of believed he wasn't so at that point Bill Belichick comes to the podium says to himself no he's ineligible the time period elapsed we were all thinking that Jake was simply

Starting point is 00:28:25 placed on injured reserve or would revert back to injured reserve and all was well but that did not happen the suspension had financial implications for his new deal as well because don't forget Bailey in the offseason signed a four-year 13.5 million dollar contract included $13.5 million contract, included a $6.5 million fully guaranteed contract. That made him one of the league's highest paid punters. But if it's finance, you'd know we're going to the source of all knowledge. My good friend, Miguel Benz on the Pats cap himself, who was all over this right from the beginning, tip of the cap to the Pats cap, pun intended there, because Miguel is definitely on the money. Bailey standing to lose two weeks salary, which equates to $111,000.

Starting point is 00:29:09 A little bit over that. I'm approximating here, Miguel. I know you're going to have that rounded to the nearest penny. Check out at Pat's cap on Twitter. You'll find all of the breakdown and nobody does it better in the business as far as I'm concerned, but he does lose the fully guaranteed nature of his 2023 salary. And Miguel was quick to point out that this may make him a little bit more releasable

Starting point is 00:29:32 throughout the year, or at least the Patriots would think it's more financially palatable to part ways with Bailey in the off season. Now, Bailey's representation definitely sprung into action very quickly himself. Doug Hendrickson, his agent, also issuing a statement, and I'll read that verbatim. While Jake Bailey was on IR, he never missed a single treatment, meeting, or practice. He was hoping to come off IR to play last weekend. Jake was informed he was being suspended these last two games. This comes as a surprise, giving his full participation during injured reserve. We have filed a grievance to fight this unknown suspension. So not exactly

Starting point is 00:30:10 the greatest way to endear yourself to your employer if a grievance is filed, but again, it's Jake's right to do so. He feels he has a case, so does his agent. Nobody is arguing whether or not this is the right move. Obviously, they feel it is the right move, but I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to say this creates additional tension. So what does this mean for Bailey's future moving forward? Well, again, Bailey had been on injured reserve due to a back injury since November 19th. That was the last time that we saw Jake out there. He had been listed on the injury report a little bit and ultimately because he was placed on injured reserve had to miss the next four games return to practice on the 21st of December a lot of people thought that that was an indication that

Starting point is 00:30:57 he'd be back on the field pretty quickly but a couple of weeks went by game against the Cincinnati Bengals and game against the Miami Dolphins he's not activated and then all of a sudden it looked very possible not only possible but probable that he wasn't going to see the field again and can't sugarcoat it Jake was struggling this year had an all-pro tilt in 2020 one of the best punters in the league 2021 took a little bit of a statistical dip the three block punts struggled a little bit, but you still felt optimistic that he could right the ship. But this year, averaging only 35.3 net yards per punt,

Starting point is 00:31:32 that's last in the league among qualified punters. Really, I think a struggle for Jake Bailey this year. And maybe it was the back injury. Maybe it was the injuries he had that contributed to it. But if he is back in the Foxborough fold next year, he's going to have to come in motivated and ready to prove that he's still the all-pro caliber player that everybody saw in 2020. And again, Bill Belichick was very diplomatic about it today, did not want to get into too many issues, but did say that he believes that Jake, like Jack Jones, has a future here in

Starting point is 00:32:05 Foxborough moving forward. So ultimately, this is a convoluted situation, folks. A lot is going to be speculated in the coming days and weeks and months leading up to free agency in the draft. But hopefully, cooler heads will prevail here because there is a lot that both Jack Jones and Jake Bailey can still offer this team, especially with the punting woes that the Patriots have had this year. If they can get prime or close to it from Jake Bailey, that's still a pretty good leg

Starting point is 00:32:32 the last time I checked. So New England will continue to move forward and we will continue to move forward here on Locked On Patriots each and every day as we continue our evaluation of the offseason and all the Patriots moves still every day as we continue our evaluation of the offseason and all the Patriots moves still to be made. Tune in tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots when the illustrious Claire Classey. Claire Cooper will join me as she does each and every Wednesday for a little clairvoyance looking into the future and also to discuss the latest and greatest from Foxborough.

Starting point is 00:33:00 And now that you've made us your first listen here, folks, make your second listen. The Locked On Sports Today podcast. All the news you need from all the major sports, and they even give you a take of the day. My good friend Peter Bukowski does a phenomenal job with this podcast, so please make sure to check it out on the Odyssey app, on YouTube, or wherever you get your audio podcasts. While you're at it, smash that subscribe button for Locked On Patriots on YouTube and download, subscribe to, and follow us wherever you get your audio podcasts. Once again, I am Mike DeBate. Thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage today. Until tomorrow, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world.

Starting point is 00:33:43 Have a great day, everyone.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Bill Belichick Back to the New England Patriots in 2023, Jerod Mayo, Jack Jones, Jake Bailey and More

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