Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Bye-Bye, Bye: Mac Jones, David Andrews Among New England Patriots Must-Haves Moving Forward

Episode Date: November 14, 2022

The New England Patriots have some improvements to make heading into the second half of the 2022 season. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports, as the duo discuss the Pats key player to their stretch-run success, the team’s offensive line woes, and the performance of their fellow AFC East mates, the Buffalo Bills and the Miami Dolphins in Week 10.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONSimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnNFL to learn more.BlueNileMake your moment sparkle with Blue Nile. Go to BlueNile.com and use code lockedon to save fifty dollars on your purchase of five-hundred dollars or more.BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's bye-bye to the bye for the New England Patriots as they prepare for week 11 of the 2022 regular season. But how good a shape are the Patriots in right now? Murph and I are going to discuss that here today. Stay tuned. You're about to be locked into 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, of course, your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so please be sure to smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to follow Locked on Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So please be sure to smash that subscribe button. Download, subscribe to follow Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, folks, today's podcast is sponsored by PrizePix. PrizePix is a daily fantasy made easy. You can 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 promo code locked on. That's prizepicks.com, promo code locked on. Pats fans, it's been fun while it lasted. The New England Patriots definitely had a brief respite in the Week 10 season, enjoying their bye week, but they are back to work as of this morning. Monday morning, the Patriots are back in action, and because they're back in action,

who better to join me here today on a Monday than the guy that does every single Monday, the man that Mondays were created for here on Locked On Patriots, the only guest with his very own branded hashtag. Of course, I'm talking about the legendary Connor Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com.

Murph, thank you so much for joining me today, for coming to me in friendship, Don Murph. What a wild, wild Sunday for the NFL without any question. Just in case you can't see it, folks, I'm rocking my Minnesota State Screaming Eagles t-shirt here today. Yeah, you're damn right I'm trolling the Buffalo Bills right now. We're going to get it in while we can. Look, an instant classic, including one of the greatest catches I think I've ever seen.

I'm not going to speak for you, but Justin Jefferson is absolutely amazing. Murph, when you watched Sunday's slate unfold, specifically the Buffalo Bills loss to the Minnesota Vikings, also Miami Dolphins' victory over the Cleveland Browns, these two games particularly had a big effect or will have a big effect on the New England Patriots. Two divisional rivals, a lot on the line when it comes to these two teams, excuse me, these four teams, including the Jets, and not a lot of games separating them right now.

So Murph, in your infinite wisdom, I put it to you, my friend, which did more for the Patriots? Did the Dolphins' victory hurt the Patriots more, or did the Bills' loss help the Patriots more? The Bills' loss helped the Patriots more. It's just, you know, do the math. You know, as our good friend Pat Lane would say, you know, do the math. And it figures out Pat Lane, Pat's pulpit. People go give him a follow. It's, you know, anything that keeps you closer into the hunt in this division right now.

You know, everybody talked about the AFC West all offseason and how tough the AFC West was going to be. It's the AFC East that's the toughest division in football right now. And anything that keeps you within striking distance of first place with what the Patriots have in their pocket right now, which is three games, one, two, three, four, four games with people that they're chasing is the better thing. Yeah, without any question. And look, bottom line, you know, the Buffalo Bills, for all the trolling that, you know,

I know Patriots fans are going to be giving to that fan base this week, for the tribute to Hayden Fox that I'm wearing on my chest right now, look, there is nobody that thinks that this team is far from being over. They are right there in the thick of things. That is a very talented ball club on both sides of the ball josh allen's still a beast for him to be able to come back from fumbling at the one yard line to give the minnesota vikings the lead and then be able to come back and lead his team in the field goal range and be able to extend this into overtime shows the type of metal that he has even with the injury that he had so a lot of respect

for the buffalo bills but losses like this can pile up and one thing that i do want to point out and i think you know patriots fans buffalo fans need to keep in mind this is becoming a little bit of a trend with josh there's we were seeing interceptions turnovers happen with the buffalo bills especially the last couple of games these are almost like the shanks in golf or the shanks when it comes to hunting um they can show up at a time that is really inopportune and it can cause some difficulty for that team and it can cause openings for another team and that's exactly what i think the patriots are looking at right now they've got two games against the bills coming up one of them coming up on december 1st the home game against uh the the

bills at gillette stadium uh it's going to be another throwback game so you know the patriots the Bills coming up. One of them coming up on December 1st, the home game against the Bills at Gillette Stadium. It's going to be another throwback game, so you know the Patriots are going to be feeling their feels on that night. But it's going to be interesting to see how this division goes down the stretch. Really quick, from your observations, how impressed were you with the Miami Dolphins really taking care of business against the Cleveland Browns, now that we've talked a little bit about the Bills? You know, with what happened down in Miami yesterday, it was more of just the huge wealth of talent that Miami has surrounded this kid with. He's been fantastic since he came back. I think he's thrown 10 touchdowns with no interceptions

Since he came back from injury Tua came back from injury And that's impressive It is I've got to give the kid some credit But he is He's surrounded with some fantastic receivers His line is playing well and protecting him.

And their running game has also been taking off with the fact that teams are giving so much respect to their receivers, to the receiving core, that it's opened up a lot for the running game. And they've been able to do a lot with that. I was really impressed with the way that they came out there and just handled business against the Browns. This could have been a letdown game for Miami, but it wasn't. They didn't let that happen. Yeah, and credit to Mike McDaniel, who's really, I think, doing a good job of not only playing to the strengths of his team,

but also understanding the pulse of the locker room, really reviving with this team very well. And these guys are playing hard, and they're playing strong for him. And they're allowing him to be able to do what he does best, which is dial up very unorthodox and really, well, I don't want to say unorthodox because some of what they're doing is very straightforward, but also, you know, be able to dial up the types of creative plays on both sides of the ball that he knows his team is capable of executing. So we learned a lot about the Patriots competition over the bye week, but Murph, this is

Lockdown Patriots. Our fans, our Patriots listeners want to know what to expect from New England when they take the field this coming Sunday against the Jets at Gillette Stadium. That game is going to be huge for playoff implications, division implications, an awful lot on the line. And who would have guessed it before the season that this may end up being the Patriots' pivotal game in terms of determining where they're going or where they might be headed. Which player is going to help carry them to prominence? Well, Murph and I each have our own thoughts on that.

Sometimes they jive, sometimes they don't. But, folks, stay tuned because we're going to find out them to prominence. Murph and I each have our own thoughts on that. Sometimes they jive, sometimes they don't. But folks, stay tuned because we're going to find out in just a moment exactly what Murph and I think might be the catalyst for the Patriots' second half surge. And I say that tongue-in-cheek, folks. We all live in hope. Stay tuned. You're about to be locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast

once again in just a moment. But first, Murph, hard to believe that the holidays are less than two weeks away from starting. The holiday season, my favorite time of year. I know it's your favorite time of year, especially the Thanksgiving holiday. Fun, football, food. What more can you ask for? It's absolutely, it is tremendous. And this holiday, folks, find what you love at Total Wine and More.

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Drink responsibly. Be 21. Patriots fans, the legendary Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the Green King of Sting, the Dancing Destroyer, the Monster Master of Dis Fisto himself, the green king of sting, the dancing destroyer, the monster master of disaster, all rolled into one Thomas Murphy of E2G sports.com, kicking off the week in style on lockdown Patriots, as we always do. And Murph, we had a little fun at the expense of our Western New York brethren.

Of course, you know, I'm wearing the coach, Minnesota state, fictitious team folks. So I'm allowed to do that. But all kidding aside, of course, you know I'm wearing the coach, Minnesota State. Fictitious team, folks, so I'm allowed to do that. But all kidding aside, my friend, the New England Patriots now enter the second half of their season. I know with a 17-game season, it really can't be technically the halfway point anymore. It used to be 8-8. It was very easy. Now it's not. But nine games in the books, eight to go.

It's the unofficial halfway point in this season. And we've seen some great performances from some players that have really, really stood out really well. Ramondre Stevenson, obviously, on the offensive side of the ball without any question. Defensively, we've seen guys like Jonathan Jones, Jack Jones step up. Matthew Judon has been an absolute beast. And these are probably the prominent, prominent Patriots right now. But if the Patriots are to make a run for the playoffs and at five and four, even though technically they're in last place in the division, they're

very much alive in this division right now. There's not a whole lot of games separating these teams and a win against the Jets this Sunday would go a long way toward helping their playoff hopes Murph when you look at this team top to bottom offense defense special teams is there a catalyst player that you believe is going to help spark this second half or is this going to be something where it's going to have to be a complete team effort or it's going to have to be a unit um is there a guy that can bring it all together or are we looking at more of just they have to be better in every asset david andrews david andrews it's the linchpin yeah all right um the the patriots offensive line has struggled over the past two weeks without david and Andrews in there anchoring it. I tend to run home to mama when it comes to questions like this

and the success or lack thereof of a football team, and it is. It's the offensive line. If you don't have an offensive line, you just don't run. You don't run right, okay? And without David Andrews, the quarterback of this offensive line, you just don't run. You don't run right. Okay. And without David Andrews, the quarterback of this offensive line, it's center. They've been miserable. You've seen our man, Dr. Strange, take a step or two back without Andrews there on his right side, helping him out, letting him know what to do, pointing out what needs to be taken care of on each and every snap.

Without him, it's completely fallen apart with that unit. And without that unit, you don't have success in the NFL, and this Patriots team cannot have success in the NFL. For as great as Ramondre has been, it's even more impressive that he's been doing it with this line. Nobody is being hit more in the backfield than Ramondre Stevenson right now. And he is still toting the load here for this offense. Once the line gets right, then everything else will fall into place. Once Mac Jones feels comfortable back there in the pocket, you're going to see the happy feet leave.

You are going to see him be able to step up into the pocket and make throws that he's been kind of throwing off his back foot a little bit as of late, and not just because of the injury to his front leg. But that's it. David Andrews is the key. Everybody else on the other side of the ball is on page and on point on the defense. It's the offense that needs to get right. And without a offensive line that's right. It just doesn't happen. Absolutely. I really, I think that, uh, first of all, I think you're right on the money when it

comes to David Andrews and you've seen the difference in this offensive line. They've had their difficulties right along, uh, the turnstile or the revolving door or however you want to put it at right tackle has been a problem for this team. Trent Brown has not had the same season that he had a year ago. But Trent is still someone that is capable of giving you the type of performance you need. We've seen him give decent performances this year, and we've seen him struggle. So ultimately, I think having David back in the middle of that offensive line automatically puts people into position. It helps Cole Strange tremendously.

We've seen him look very much like a rookie the last two weeks, and I don't think it's that much of a coincidence that David Andrews has missed the last couple of weeks. Those two things go hand in hand, folks. So Murph, I think, has articulated this very, very well, and I agree with you. I think Andrews does have the opportunity to be that linchpin. I'm going to flip over, and I'm going to go to a different side of the ball. I'm going to flip over and I'm going to go to a different side of the ball.

I'm going to go to the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball. And it's another guy that's missed some time with injuries lately and really has not lived up to a lot of the fan expectation. But I think if he does come back and he comes back strong, it only makes this defense click more and more and more. And that's Barmore on the defensive line. To me, Barmore is the type of game changer that Andrews is on the offensive line. And I'm not comparing the two players. I'm not comparing the impact that Andrews has on this team, folks. Do not misconstrue what I'm saying.

David is a team captain. He has been for years. He's royalty on that offensive line. And David will be a Patriots Hall of Famer someday. And without any question, I think Christian has the chance to be that type of a player. We haven't seen that yet from him. We've seen seedlings of it, but we haven't seen that type of an output yet. But what Christian is able to do is draw the double team. And that's something that I want to give an awful lot of credit to Lawrence Guy and Devon Godchild because they have done a very good job in his

absence of trying to draw double teams away and allow guys like Matt Judon allow guys like Josh Uche also allow someone like a Dietrich Wise absolutely to get after the quarterbacks and Jennings coming off the edge may maybe the biggest benefit of that as, as well. But when you put someone with the skillset and the savvy in this defense, like a Christian Barmore and the youth and the athleticism that he possesses for a guy of his size, this is something that really could change the complexity of this defense,

make them more potent when it comes to defending against the run and make them even more potent when it comes to trying to defend mobile quarterbacks. Think about it from this perspective. If you've got Guy on one side and Barmore on the other with Godchild in the middle, and you're trying to contain some of the more mobile quarterbacks in the league, and I know a lot was made about Josh Allen's injury coming into this game. He rushed for 82 yards on Sunday. So there's no question about it. He can still extend plays with his legs and he's going to do that. They've got, you know, Tua coming down the pike. I mean,

you know, Zach Wilson can do it when he needs to. But when these guys are all together, it takes away a third of the field that they have to worry about. Okay. They don't have to worry about those, those mobile quarterbacks busting it up the gut because when things break down, it allows the guys on the outside to crush and contain, and they don't have that escape up front. Now Mike and I are talking about,

we're not putting down anybody that's out there now. It's just I agree with Mike. Barmore is that much of a game changer. And what you people have to notice, have to know is this is an injury that he's been dealing with since minicamp. Right. Okay. He's been dealing with this since minicamp. And being a human being as large as he is, this is not easy.

I didn't think he was going to get through the entire season dealing with this, and he hasn't. Hopefully these weeks that he's had off give him enough time to allow this injury to heal and he can come back and start playing like he was last season. He's still done a fantastic job while he was out there. There's a lot of stuff that you people don't see in the stat sheet on Monday morning that we see on Sunday afternoons. But being healthy, you're going to see more of those stats. You're going to see more of the block shed and him making that tackle and not the guy behind him doing it after a two-yard gain. There's going to be more of his pressuring the quarterback

and hopefully getting to a quarterback or two. And he'll be there when the Josh Allens try to run up the gut. And what week are we talking about here? Week 10? I mean, 14? Yeah. When they first, yeah. So, no, I agree wholeheartedly with you.

I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take over there. No, I'm glad that you did. And you articulated that perfectly. There really is not much left to say because you said it all. And I think you're absolutely right on the money. It does allow all of these players to play more in position. So for everyone out there that is said that, you know, Barmore has taken a step back, maybe regressed a little bit. I can understand the argument. I don't think you're necessarily wrong in that regard, but take a look at what impact he can have.

And when he's healthy, this guy is a game changer on defense. So I agree with you. If it's going to be Andrews and it's going to be Barmore, the Lions have to step it up. And you know what, Murph? What better way to have football come back to prominence in Foxborough than to do it with the Lions? Championships are won on the Lions.

They're won in the trenches. It is. It is the trenches. Yeah, and those guys really do an amazing job. And that only makes life easier for the skilled physicians, the tight ends that want to get into the receiving market, so to speak, and get into pass catching. The receivers definitely want to be able to do that. From Andre Stephenson, Damian Harris want to get going and get into pass catching. The receivers definitely want to be able to do that. Ramondre Stevenson, Damian Harris want to get going and get that running game on track.

And ultimately, the man under center, Mack Jones, wants to make life a little easier on himself. You do that with good play on the offensive line, and you also do it with a stout defense that keeps the other team off the field. So, Murph, it's always, always great, always exciting talking football with you, but we're not completely done yet, folks,

because Merck's favorite subject is going to be discussed next year on Locked On Patriots. We've alluded to this a little bit, talking about David Andrews, but we are going to – well, I'm not talking Turkey just yet. Calm down, buddy. Another week and a half, and then we'll be having all the absolutely yeah another but we will be talking turkey but not quite yet folks we're going to be talking some uh well we're going to be talking some meaty guys there's no question about it the offensive line for the new

england patriots probably the most malign unit on this roster right now they need to turn it up big time murph already said that he expects David Andrews to be the catalyst to the Patriots' return to prominence. But what does it mean for the other four guys and the reserves on that unit? Murph is going to lend his wisdom and counsel the way only he can when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up.

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PrizePix.com Patriots fans, the legendary Thomas Murphy has joined me here on hashtag Locked on Murph Monday getting you ready for the Patriots week 11 matchup with the New York Jets but we're still having a little fun coming out of the bye Murph and we do have our eye on those Jets and we will

be discussing them all week long here on Locked On Patriots. But, Murph, if we took a poll, which we didn't here on Locked On Patriots, and I think we may have missed an opportunity, folks. My apologies on that. But I think if we were to take a poll of our listeners and we were to discuss the most maligned unit on the New England Patriots roster, maybe with the exception of the offensive play callers or the offensive coaching staff, I think the offensive line would probably get the lowest grades. And, you know, it's hard to, it's hard to argue with the facts. It's been a rough year so

far for this unit. We talked a little bit about in the previous segments how Trent Brown has not really looked up to his, or lived up to his standards. David Andrews has had his issues with injury without any question. Cole Strange has had his moments where he's looked pretty good, and then he's had his moments where he's looked like a rookie.

And of course, the revolving door that happens on the right tackle position. The one that really has garnered universal praise, and rightfully so, is Michael Lueno at the right guard position. He's been tremendous. One of the highest graded players, a mid-season All-Pro voted by Pro Football Focus. But Murph, you see things us mere mortals don't see when it comes to the offensive line. Obviously, there are fixes that need to happen. The Patriots need to be better at identifying which type of offense they're going to be blocking for,

that they're going to be setting up for. Are they doing more outside zone? Are they using the inside gap with the pulling guards to be able to facilitate running and play action from Mac Jones or Bailey Zappi or whoever is throwing passes back there? Or are they simply looking to seal the holes and make sure that the quarterback is not pressured from second and third level blitzes from the secondary? It's not an easy fix, my friend. No. But I'm going to put this on your shoulders for just a second.

You're the offensive line coach of the New England Patriots. Yeah. How are you fixing this? What is the first step that has to be taken, and can it be done in the limited time the Patriots have left? Well, let's get health out of the way here. Everybody's got to get healthy. Right.

After that, it's continuity. Pick your five guys and send them out there okay and keep them out there other guys come in come in for a blow and that's it some you know cole you want cole strange on the left hand side next to the next to the two big men fine if he gets blown up do not rip him out after two blow ups okay don't have him second guessing himself, have him learn from the experience and move on. Get the five guys that are supposed to be out there, whatever five guys you want to pick and get them out there and keep them out there. All right. There needs to be less of the knee jerk pulling of these guys and switching around. You know, that's the other thing. Stop flip-flopping everybody on this team.

All right? Let them learn their job and do their job. They can't do one job for 18 snaps and then go do another job for the next six and then go back over. It doesn't work that way. All right? I keep telling you, Matty, call me. I'm happy to freaking sit down with you and tell you what it means to be an offensive lineman. All right. And only know that you have to know

your job and you have to be able to, it's one thing to be a defensive back and be able to move around and switch positions. It doesn't work that way with us. Our brains don't work that way. All right. You show me something, show me what you want me to do. Tell me what you want me to do and then let me go out there and do it. All right. And then don't pull me off the field three plays later and say, next time you're going in on the right hand side. All right. The brain cannot switch like that on the offensive line. We just can't. Mike was a defensive back. He was probably able to play cornerback, strong safety, off-ball linebacker if you asked him to. We don't do that. We don't. Once in a while,

if you want to get fancy with us, make us eligible, and we'll catch a pass for you. All right? But other than that, no. It's continuity. It's putting the same five guys out there every single snap for an entire game bar injury. Absolutely.

And that's one thing. I actually wrote about this over the weekend. I published a grades piece for the New England Patriots and kind of gave my thoughts on exactly what the performance was. And obviously the offensive line was really one of the lower graded positions on this piece. And that's something that I identified is that continuity and regularity is something that has been seriously lacking from this unit. You have a lot of plug and play pieces. Isaiah Wynn moving over, playing guard,

things work, and then all of a sudden you start to think things are going to work, and then they don't because they're in an unnatural position. Even though they may have played it before, they haven't played it recently, and this is something where offensive linemen need repetition. You need reps, you need that familiarity.

You need to know what the man next to you is going to do on every single snap and be able to depend on it. Right. All right? That's it. That's the bottom line. Okay?

And if we can't do that and we think that we have to overcompensate for something that we don't need to at that point in time, all right, then our assignment is in my quarterback's face. All right? Or my running back, because they are. They're my quarterbacks. They're my running backs. They're not the teams.

They're not the coaches. They're ours, all right, my running backs getting hit in the backfield. Absolutely, without any question. And, yeah, and I think that with the return of Andrews, like you said in previous segments, I think that will shore up some of the confusion as to where these guys need to be, what their assignments are going to be, and having to make flash decisions on the fly. That's a very difficult thing, but when you have a team captain as seasoned

as David Andrews in there directing traffic, it makes the job a little bit easier. One question that I do have for you before I get your final thoughts on the subject uh Yannick Adjust um 100% of the snaps uh last week against uh the uh the you know the the chat I mean this is a situation where you're looking at a a match-up that the New England Patriots excuse me the Colts folks I'm sorry but you know you're looking at a situation where Wynn has struggled. We talked about his mental availability, things of that nature. If the Patriots have to go the stretch with Yadni Kajus playing a significant amount of snaps at right tackle, can the Patriots do it?

Is Yadni up to the task? Wow. It's a tough one, I know. Yeah, it really is. See, the the thing is i've i've liked the kids since he was drafted i've been waiting for him to really blossom um i i don't think he can i don't after this amount of time and what i've seen i haven't seen the growth that we should have by now i really don't think that he can. Wynn needs to freaking get his head out of his ass, understand that his entire future

depends on these last games, or at least the next five years depends on these next few games. He checked out because he was upset that he didn't get a new contract. And now he's endangering his future deals. He might only, at the end of this season, he might only get a one year prove it deal somewhere else. And then you're right back where you were. So get it done now. Get it done now. I just don't think it just has it in him. But the offensive line mind trust really needs to get all these guys on the same page and make them understand it. I have a lot of faith in Billy Yates. Matty is somebody that just has too much on his plate.

Yeah, divided interest, I think, is – Yeah, to make these kind of in-game decisions. It's really, really difficult to be the play caller and the offensive line coach. So, yeah, I'm putting it more on Billy to get this fixed during in-game situations. But, I mean, pick a dance partner and dance with them. Yeah, absolutely.

At this point, it really has to be a situation where you provide this unit with some regularity, with some continuity. And look, it's important for all of the components as well. It's not just important for the guys that are on that line, but it's important for Mac. It's important for Romandre. It's important for the tight ends right now who are struggling in terms of blocking. And they want to get out and they want to be able to do what they need to do.

It really throws everyone off and it sets them back. And even setting them back just a peg really can be an issue for some of these teams. So you hope the Patriots put the right foot in front of the other to try to do this. You also hope that at least at some point during this break that Dante Skarniecki is home. I hope the Patriots call the consigliere on this. They need the wisdom in counsel, folks. I have no insight as to whether or not it happened or not. We all live in hope.

I'm hoping the same as you. So bottom line, my friend, it's always, always fun. And it's always an honor to join you on the microphone. I thank you for taking time out to join me here today on Lockdown Murph Monday. Again, folks, that hashtag exists for a reason. He's here for a reason. And we're going to continue to have him each and every Monday here on Lockdown Patriots. Before I let you go, bud, please let everyone know where they can find you and absorb your wisdom and counsel in all the great work that you do for E2G Sports.

Of course, you know, at E2G right now, I'm really concentrating on the Red Sox offseason and what they should be doing. I just put a new piece up on a couple of relief pitchers that I think that they should go after quite quickly. You know, don't slow roll this. Like you did last year. Please. Also. One Patriots place coming up this week. We've got the Jets back this weekend.

So of course. I asked the one and only Antoine Staley. Of the New York Daily News to come back. Do not miss that one. And of course you can follow me for anything else. On the Bird app. At TeamRF207. Please, folks, before we go today, Mike mentioned earlier about my love affair with Thanksgiving.

Go and look for the hashtag Thanksgiving for everyone. This is my mission in life every single year is to make sure that everybody has a happy Thanksgiving. You can help out. Just go and find that hashtag and see what I have to say about it. It's not that difficult, folks, to make one meal into two meals, to invite that lonely person down the street that lives by themselves, maybe somebody's great aunt or grandmother, you've got an extra plate that you can make at the house, bring them in. Like I said, look for, you know, two for one deals, a free turkey from your grocery store that gives you one for spending two, $300, you know, on your own meal. You know, the 10 for 10 deals. Last year, I put together a second

Thanksgiving meal for just $17. $17. It'll be a little more this year with the inflation. But for $25, you could actually give somebody exactly what you're eating on Thanksgiving and sitting down for, and they can take care of their family. Do not forget your local food banks, folks. Right. This is the most important time of the year. Absolutely. So well said.

And I'm not even going to try to add anything to that because you said it perfectly and you said it so articulate and so heartwarming, folks. Please, by all means, if it's within your means and your ability, right. So please try, even if it's simply passing along the word that is a help. And that's something that even a retweet or something, you know, you, you, that helps also if you don't have the means to do it, I'm not trying to put you out of anything, but you're talking to somebody who's, who spent some Thanksgivings alone in his youth. And I don't want to see anybody else have to do that. Absolutely.

And there's no question about it. It is a time for togetherness. And that is something that I wish all of us in all walks of life, in all sides of the aisle, remember this Thanksgiving. We are, at the end of the day, all remember this thanksgiving uh we are at the end of the day uh all on this earth for one purpose and um you know i just i i i agree with you on that my friends be the reason somebody smiles absolutely be the change you wish to see in the world or if i sign off every day saying that and i truly mean it from the bottom of my heart every day when i say that it's not just a catchphrase folks folks. It really is. If you want to

be the change that you wish to see in the world, it has to start with you. That's something that I think we can all identify with. Thank you, my friend, for your generosity. Thank you for reminding us all exactly what's important this holiday season.

Folks, 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. Now that you've made Murph and I your first listen, please make your second listen the Locked On Sports Today podcast. All the news you'll need

in all of the world of professional and college sports in less than 30 minutes, including the take of the day. So download, subscribe to follow Locked On Sports today wherever you get your podcasts. It's available on the Odyssey app, YouTube, and of course, all available platforms. And don't forget to smash that subscribe button

to YouTube as well for Locked On Patriots. On behalf of the legendary Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe, stay well. Folks, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. Thanksgiving for everyone.