Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Carousel of Kickers, Meyers Signs and New England Patriots Potential Training Camp Topics

Episode Date: June 18, 2022

While the New England Patriots enjoy a brief hiatus before the start of training camp, there are plenty of storyline brewing. Today, host Mike D’Abate welcomes Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of Pats Propaganda, as the dynamic duo discuss the signing of kicker Tristan Vizcaino, Jakobi Meyers future in Foxboro after signing his second-round tender and potential training camp storylines. (Originally Recorded: June 15, 2022)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!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Blue NileMake your moment sparkle with jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKED ON SPORTS listeners get $50 off purchases of $500 or more using code LOCKEDON.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There's a new leg at Foxborough, Patriots fans. An old friend re-ups for one more season, and what to expect when you're expecting training camp. All that today here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. You're about to be locked in to Locked On Patriots. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the 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 your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts and smash that YouTube subscribe button. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated.

Feel free to reach out to me, follow me, let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. Of course, Locked On Patriots is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network, and today's episode is brought to you by Blue Nile. Make your moment sparkle with jewelry from BlueNile.com. And Locked On Patriots listeners get $50 off purchases of $500 or more. This podcast exclusive includes engagement, so use the promo code LOCKEDON at checkout. Pats fans, training camp is almost upon us.

We're a little over a month away. The Patriots officially announcing that the first days of training camp will take place in late July. Announcement came yesterday, and as we anticipate training camp, we'll be breaking down all the storylines here on Locked On Patriots. Today is Wednesday, which means it's the middle of the week. I always

say virtue lies in the middle and it does with my esteemed co-host here today. Folks, you know her great work from PatsPropaganda.com and Full Press Coverage Patriots. You also know her amazing voice and interview skills when it comes to one of the best Patriots. You also know her amazing voice and interview skills when it comes to one of the best Patriots podcasts out there

anywhere in Patriots media, a Claire perspective, a Patriots podcast. Folks, she is the Baroness of Locker. She is the Queen of TE. She is the Empress of tight endage, the principle of positivity. Of course, we know her as the Lady of Lockdown, the Countess of Clas herself, Miss Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. Claire, thank you for joining me again from across the pond, as you do each and every Wednesday here on Lockdown Patriots.

Oh, well, thank you for having me, as always. Like you said, it's Wednesday. This is where I am of a Wednesday. This is where you can all find me on a Wednesday absolutely and Wednesdays Mondays may be made for Murph but Wednesdays were wielded in the yeah

I like the alliteration, Wednesdays were wielded in the image and the grace of Her Highness here who joins us each and every Wednesday and I say that tongue in cheek but i also say that with every bit of reverence it's always always a blast always my honor to share the microphone with you each and every wednesday and claire as luck would have it

new england there's never a dull moment there's always lots to talk about we're going to get into training camp in a little bit patriots releasing the official dates we'll go over those and your thoughts on what you'd like to see in training camp and we're also going to talk a little bit patriots releasing the official dates we'll go over those and your thoughts on what you'd like to see in training camp and we're also going to talk a little bit about jacoby myers signing his tender and returning to the patriots for one year does this mean that now he's a tradable asset or is jacoby taking that next step to being in new england long term we'll discuss that in just a moment but since the last time we talked, Countess, the Patriots officially added another leg to the stable in the New England Patriots kicking situation.

Nick Folk obviously signing the two-year, $5 million contract in the offseason. He's the de facto starter. I don't think there's anybody questioning whether or not Nick is going to do the kicking this year in New England. But what was interesting is that the Patriots had originally cut loose of Quinn Nordine and brought in Tristan Vizcaino, formerly of the Los Angeles Chargers. Tristan, interesting prospect. There's a lot to like there. You know, distance, experience, things of that nature. He's able to bring what he needs to bring to the table and really, I think, do a very good job of it. But at the same time, a lot of people were a little surprised that the Pats

were willing to cut loose of Quinn Nordine. We find out later his release had an injury designation. He's cleared waivers, so now he refers to Patriots IR. When you saw this transaction, what was the first thing that ran through your mind because I know you followed the kicking battle very closely last year we talked about it here on Lockdown Patriots it's a subject that we've talked about offline on other shows One Patriots Place for example what were your thoughts on Vizcaino coming in what have you learned about him that you hadn't known before and just your overall thoughts on what this means for Quinn Nordean as well well I think my initial reaction was of concern uh because at that point when there was the signing we weren't really aware of the whole Nordean injury issue or in you know the

underlying possibility that kind of thing so my initial reaction was just the concern of oh they're giving up on Nordean or Nordean depending on how you want to pronounce it and I was I was a little bit sort of bummed out in a way because I've been as you said we've talked about it before and I was quite interested to see what this kid had got um when he came sort of they um he reverted back to as you mentioned IR to me that's sort of like wondering if wondered if this was setting up for the future now yeah Nick Folk king of kicking he's he you know he's gonna be the top dog that's that's all fine and dandy bringing in um Viscano is maybe a little bit of assurance or insurance sorry insurance um for the fact of no maybe Nordin isn't quite ready. Like you said, it's an injury thing.

So maybe the 2022 season isn't going to be the season of Nordin. It's going to be continuing with Nick Falk, which is great. That's fine. It may be that they're looking at the future. Falk isn't getting any younger. None of us are, but he's kind of getting up there in his late 30s. So he isn't going to kick forever, unfortunately. none of us are but he's kind of getting up there in his late 30s so he isn't going to kick forever unfortunately none of them are but I'm wondering if this sort of the back and forth with Nordinis they've got to like this kid because they kept him last year

and I know that it's been a bit of back and forth on waivers and this that and the other but to bring him back on IR I think there's something in him that they see now it may be that he needs he's too raw because I have heard that before so it you know he needs more time to more discipline his skills that sort of thing and maybe this gives them the time maybe he is the future they're looking at it long term with we don't want to lose him because we know that we're molding him he maybe just isn't ready yet or he has that injury so he won't be playing this year and rather than risk having no backup they've brought in Viscano to keep you know to keep Falk maybe um season ready so rather than wearing him out in training camp and practice

that kind of thing they're they're bringing the you bringing the ex-chargers guy in to relieve some of the duties because maybe Nordin isn't going to be performing at all this year. Depends on his designation, of course. So I think it's, as I said at the beginning, it's a bit of insurance. It just sort of, you've got three stages of sort of present and future. You've got Nick Folk for now. You've got Viscano for sort of maintenance, a veteran kicker there, for the sort of the off-game duties, that sort of thing.

And so that going forward, you're looking at Nordin, is the future of the kicker just sort of not quite yet, maybe when Nick Folk's ready to hand it up. The one thing that struck me as a little bit curious in regards to Viscano but it does depend on how much they're going to really utilize him in game day is just how many teams he went through because when I researched this just before the show to have a look sort of into his background he went through the Bengals then the Cowboys and the Bengals and the Vikings and the 49ers then he went on the Bills practice squad and then the Chargers so this kid has been around he's bounced around now that can be a positive and a negative thing because you could look at

it on the negative of as in you know maybe he hasn't really got the stones and that's why nobody's really kept him I found it curious that the Bengals had him back so it's like well the Bengals must have seen something in him to bother having him back you know for a second time but then yeah they moved on and he went to the Vikings but there's also the positive of if he's bounced around teams he's gained experience within different systems and maybe he just hasn't found one to fit or he's just been the kid that's been in the wrong place at the wrong time I mean I know that we've mentioned it before it's completely different play position but the the sort of what I looked into in the tight end Troy Fumagalli he just he seemed to have some talent he seemed to have some skill but he just always

seemed to line up in a team at the wrong time there was always too much depth for him so he he never really seemed to get you know that full shot now granted he may not have got it because he didn't have it and the case may be the same for Viscano so it's a bit of a time will tell we haven't really had chance to see this individual really play out fully in a season but I think I don't really at this point have a concern in regards to the kicking situation I think he's a bit of insurance I think they've set themselves up well and um to look at Nordin maybe glad that he's back in the fold I was one of the you know one of his fans if you like or semi-fan maybe because I don't know that much about the kicking but yeah so I know there's a lot of love out there for Nordin and he's you know

he's got a leg as they like to say so I'm glad that he's back I was concerned that they let him go because I wanted to see I would have loved to have seen him sort of in an NFL full season situation and maybe that's where we still are maybe we've got this in the future so a little bit of sort of time will tell in regards to him I think he is a bit of the future sort of kicking for the Patriots um as as I said so yeah I think it's Vizcaino insurance is where we're at at the moment yeah good point I think if you're thinking Vizcaino folks at this point really I think the word that really encapsulates what I would bring away from this signing is camp body and maybe that's a little bit harsh because I think that

Vizcaino has a chance to hook on as a practice squatter this year because of the fact that the Patriots would love to have some insurance for Nick Fulton folks not getting any younger need to make sure that that kicking position is well stopped that there's no problems there Nick by all indications is in you know good condition but he was on the injury report last year a few times some people thought that maybe we might see Quinn kick in a game or maybe they may have to have some uh you know difficulty uh you know uh there as well when Quinn was on IR a lot of people were wondering well will Jake Bailey be taking you know kicks back there and whatnot so it's a precarious situation to go in with only one leg when there is a little bit of an injury situation. And I think that's why Vizcayano is coming in.

Bottom line, if you're heading into training camp, you need an extra leg. You need somebody that's going to take those reps off of Nick Fulk, not wear him out, not really kind of wear him down in a practice setting. You want to save what he can do for a game setting as well. So smart move bringing him in. You mentioned bouncing around all over the place. I think that's definitely something to monitor and keep an eye on when it comes to the New England Patriots, because that experience can work with you.

It can work against you. His in-game experience is suited up for one game with the 49ers, appeared for six games with the Chargers. The one game in San Francisco was in 2020 after he was drafted or I should say entered as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Washington in 2018. He got his first in-game action in 2020 with the Niners. Then in 2021 with the Chargers, appears in six games,

connected nine of 10 field goal attempts, and he also connected 12 of 17 extra points. Also has a punt to his credit as well so maybe a little bit of versatility is what the Patriots saw in him um I will definitely have my sharp eye on him in training camp we didn't get a chance to see much of Tristan it was more of a workout than him officially joining the team now he's in the fold so now we're going to see what he can do and that'll be interesting to see how many reps he gets, how many opportunities he gets, what his leg looks like. Distance is going to be something that we all love to clock.

We'll be sitting there taking notes, watching this kid, trying to split the uprights and see what he can do there. So I'm looking forward to watching him, but I'm glad that you mentioned Nordean, because, look, that legend of Quinn Nordean looked to grow last year by leaps and bounds. We watched his progression from being an undrafted rookie free agent, the only one the Patriots brought in last year. And he continued to dazzle everyone. When they started practicing inside the confines of Gillette Stadium, there was a period where Quinn Nordine had not missed one inside the stadium.

And everybody was wondering, is this the kid now that's going to supplant Nick Folk? And look at the year that Nick had last year. Tremendous season. But when you think about it, in training camp, mostly everybody, myself included, were ready to hop on the Nordine bandwagon. And I think that now when you see that kind of balance and some of the chatter that surrounded him in Michigan was that he's great when he's hitting all his kicks but the minute he starts to miss he gets rattled and you definitely

saw that last year and then we knew that he was also dealing with the abdominal injury I'm sure that was a huge factor hopefully giving him the time he needs to rest get back to where he needs to be will end up being something good for him in the future and I still look forward to possibly seeing him in a Patriots uniform someday. So the fact that he cleared, the fact that he reverts now is a positive, I think, for the New England Patriots if they want to keep him around. But I think if you're asking me how the kicking situation is going to look this year for the Patriots, absolutely 100 percent. Nick Fulk is your guy.

But I think Tristan Vizcaino is the guy that's backing him up on the practice squad. I don't know how much you're going to see of Quinn this year. That's just my opinion. I don't have any information on that. As we get closer to training camp, I'll try to keep you updated, all of you updated folks,

on all of the comings and goings on all the Patriots players, not just the legs that they're bringing into camp. Claire, it's always, always a blast talking kickers with you. We don't get a chance to do that that much, but you know what? We're all about diversifying our portfolio here on Locked On Patriots, and that is definitely something to speak about. And I know it's a position that's very important to a lot of you, and it is to us as well, but we're going to talk about another important position to a lot of you for a lot of various reasons and that is the wide receiver position Patriots made a step or I should say

a player made a step to remain in a Patriots uniform for at least one more season one of their more reliable receivers and that is Jacoby Myers did his signing of that one year second round tender ensure that he'll be in new england for the long term or is he on borrowed time now claire and i will talk about that in just a moment when we discuss jacoby myers but first claire summer is not really coming it's just about here june 21st is the first day of summer here and it's always the season where you want to make memories and if you remember correctly folks last week claire said she liked shiny things well the way to go ahead and to indulge in being able to acquire those shiny things is to visit our good friends at bluenile.com because you can celebrate all of life's special

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and it arrives in discreet packaging that will not give away what's inside. Shop stress-free and find your forever peace. Go to BlueNile.com today. Patriots fans, we are back here with the countess of class the empress of tight endage the lady of lockdown the principle of positivity and i'm not going to keep going folks you know all of the volumes of her uh her nicknames and she's earned every single one of them my good friend and esteemed colleague claire clazy cla, Claire Cooper of Pat's Propaganda and a Claire Perspective of Patriots podcast joins me here today on the pod.

And folks, don't forget, after you listen to today's episode of Locked On Patriots, make sure that you're smashing that subscribe button to the ultimate NBA mock draft. Starts tomorrow night, June 16th, with over 50 insiders. Nothing equals the ultimate NBA mock draft. The Locked On NBA Big Board Draft Experts plus the Odyssey Insiders.

The first pick in that draft, folks, is on June 16th. Search ultimate NBA mock draft and follow now so you do not miss a pick. And, folks, we have some great surprises in store for you. If you're an NBA fan, especially up here in New England, we know you're all following the Celtics. Definitely go ahead and smash that subscribe button to see what we have in store. You definitely want to check that out. The first pick of that Ultimate NBA Mock Draft, tomorrow night, June 16th. Claire, we talked a little bit about Patriots kickers in the previous segment, and it's always fun to kind of expand our horizons a little bit and talk a little bit about outside the box.

But one of the big topics this week has been whether or not Jacoby Myers would sign his second round tender that the Patriots placed on him right before the start of the league year on March 16th well on Monday we got our answer Jacoby signed the tender uh one year 3.986 million dollars thanks to our good friend Miguel Benzon the Pats cap for rounding that exactly to the penny as to what Jacoby will be getting this year it's a one-year deal keeps him in New England for that one year but already we're getting rumblings from fans media alike that this is basically the beginning of the end for Jacoby now he's under contract the Patriots can trade him away or that there's no way that these two sides will be able to come together on a long-term deal obviously Jacoby's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, he's working on a deal. He claims that, according to Adam Schefter's report out of ESPN, that there are two sides working on a deal, trying to come together with a long-term situation.

And we don't really know much about the negotiations. Everybody's being tight-lipped, from the Patriots to Jacoby. The most we found out was from Adam with regard to Drew giving him that information, that the two continue to work on a contract but no details or any parameters have been given yet I'm not going to ask you financial information because that wouldn't be fair we only have one financial expert here on Locked On Patriots and that is my man Miguel who will be joining me here shortly to you know break down all of the Patriots finances now that minicamp is done we're heading toward training camp but from a logistical standpoint Claire from an on-field standpoint when you look at Jacoby Myers you look at what he brings to the table his relationship with Mac Jones should the Patriots be doing all they can to keep him in New England or is this a

situation where you think that he may continue his career outside of New England what are your thoughts on the Jacoby Myers situation well firstly I'm glad that you didn't ask me anything remotely financial because Miguel would hate me because you had a very specific number there and I've written down just under four million so that's how you know numbers are specific I got it's all good you're still correct on that you know, numbers specific I got. It's all good. Technically, we're both correct. Just under 4 million. You're still correct on that. You know, Miguel would back you up. You're still right.

You know, if you said over 4 million, you wouldn't. Oh, no, no. Just under 4 million. So, yeah, I think the thing that's very typical about the situation now with Jacoby is when you look at the wide receiving core as a whole, it's quite well stacked. Now, it's debated if it's stacked with skill set, but it's stacked with bodies. It's got a quantity, even if you don't feel it's got quality, because you've got Nelson Aguilar, Kendrick Bourne,

Nikhil Hari for the moment. You've got Montgomery, Trey Nixon. They brought in Parker. There's Thornton with his speed and there's still Wilkerson so and that's not even mentioned in Jacobi Myers so you've got quite a stacked core and the thing is where does he sit in regards to skill set? Now there is the obvious relationship that he's got well with as you said Matt Jones he's been in the team for a while he knows the Patriots way so there's definitely pointers that he's got over some

of the names that I just dropped because of literal experience in the system the one thing about the um the sort of the one-year deal that's been signed as you as you sort of alluded to is it gives them time to work out a deal that makes each side you know happier so if Jacoby is looking for more money it gives the Patriots time to sort of decide if they want to pay him and also if they can afford to because there's you know the cap isn't crap as I know a lot of people like to say as we've mentioned it's you can manipulate it you can move deals you can switch deals but it still exists and there's still a limitation to how many dollars that they've got in that pile so it's all got to

be you know which which side's willing to do what they need to do you know to make everyone happy the other thing is in regard to the world receiving court they've got some you know they've got some big contracts in regards to nelson agalor now i know there's been talks between maybe fans maybe media nothing has actually been sort of verified it is just sort of speculation of if they'll move on from nelson agalor and that you know maintain releases sorry some some funds so do they need to do that to maintain jacoby and if they do that you know is that what they want to do? Do they want to sacrifice Nelson Aguilar for Jacoby Viles? This is, it's something else that we don't know.

It's something else that they, you know, that they're obviously looking into, but from a fan perspective, he, you know, he's a great Patriot. This is,

he's one of those individuals. Kendrick Bourne is another one. I know he hasn't been in the system for a long time, but they just sort of scream Patriots they've just got this attitude this you know aura around them that's positive to know that they want to be in the team so because you sort of get that from jacoby as well granted you're only getting what you're shown but because we get that sort of vibe from jacoby you know part of me just sort of think um in my in my opinion that that they will maintain you know something will be agreed and he'll remain a

patriot I don't really see him going elsewhere now that's not to say that he he won't or he shouldn't it's just that the fan in me just sort of sees him as there's an affection there for this wide receiver and I really hope that they they do maintain him you know he's he's got a he's a quality receiver a lot of people don't want to put you know WR1 in front of him so I'm a bit different in the respect of that because I don't think it always just goes on you know basic stats as to who you put as number one but you know everybody seems to have a different opinion on that matter but he threw for he sorry he received 83 passes for 866 yards and two touchdown receptions last year so he's a very

reliable wide receiver he isn't big sparkly puts out you know that kind of thing he's utilized in in a sort of secondary sort of way if you like for for one a better phrase, because obviously that's used on a defensive side, but from the terminology of the actual word, he's using a secondary sort of role. And the other thing is the Patriots have got some big contracts that they've got to fulfil in 2023. So there's that element of even if they want him back, is there a concern that they can afford to bring him back and is he going to want too much money because the wide receiver market as we saw this year

suddenly exploded um with christian kirk getting like i can't even recall the deal so please i apologize i don't have the numbers in front of me or in the back of my mind because that's how bad my memory is that's one of those times where you can just say a lot of money. That's sufficient. A lot of money. One receiver has been getting a lot of money this year. But, yeah, so is he going to demand more than he's kind of technically worth, if you like?

Now, I'm loathe to say that because that's another matter of opinion of what an individual is worth in regard to that. And it depends on what the team have got to enable them to pay. But yeah, as I said, I hope that he remains in New England. Looking at the wide receiver court, I can see why a lot of people don't think he's going to be. Excuse me. Because, yeah, there's a stacked list in front of us and there's a list of individuals that aren't that haven't been in the system that we haven't seen a lot of or we

haven't seen anything of and and there's also the fact that they drafted you know in regards to that position so there's a lot there that they that they've probably got that they want to see from. So even though Jacoby is, you know, a guaranteed entity, if you like, they know what he's got, they know what he can give. It's whether or not they feel there's really the space for that, even though it is a quality, so he's a quality player. So I think this one's an interesting one. And you could be on the different side of the fence each day because,

as I said, you've got a stacked core, but you've got a good player. You've got monetary issues, but you've got the movability. And then you've got the monetary issues going into 2023 in regards to contracts. So when you look at the scales in regards to it I don't think it's it's it doesn't seem as cut and dry as really we could hope it would be I suppose but yeah as a fan from a fan perspective I'm just sitting on the Jacoby to stay fence and there's probably more emotion in that than there is logic but hey I'm a fan I go with the emotion

over logic well I'm glad that you went with the fan emotion because there is a lot of fan emotion in me as well that would love to see him stick around selfishly I love covering Jacoby's very laughable very easy to interview and also very forthcoming in what he feels his strengths and his weaknesses are and that's something that's refreshing you don't find that a lot. So from a fan perspective, I'm rooting for the guy because I just happen to think that he's a good person, a good guy, and I really would love to see him succeed here in New England. And I know he loves to be here. He's told reporters that several times, that this is where he wants to be. So you'd love to see a

player be able to stay where they love to be. But at the same time, I do think that there are logistical reasons why it makes sense to keep him here long term first of all great synergy with mac jones you notice when mac was in trouble in 2021 he looked for jacoby myers more often than he looked for most of his other targets at the wide receiver position i think the only other guy that he really looked to more in trouble situations was hunter henry as a tight end. He looked for Kendrick Bourne a lot. I know people are going to scream at the screen and say, no, it was Bourne. Look at the numbers.

It was Myers more often than not. Now, in terms of being able to find connective scoring opportunities, that was Kendrick. No one is questioning that. And I think that's going to continue this year. But having guys that can eat up yards in the middle of the field go over make the catch the way they need to make it even if they're not getting yards after the catch sometimes you need to go for that surefire completion and Jacoby has among the surest hands in the NFL at doing that so you want to keep that continuity you want to keep your quarterback happy so if he's got a safety net like Jacoby Myers, who's very adept at being able to do it, why not do all you can to keep him in the fold? Some will say that Jacoby doesn't play the slot the to be used exclusively in the slot. He's going to

be a guy that's going to move around the field, get you the yardage that you need, get open and be able to make the catch. And even if he's not going to give you extra yards after that catch, he's going to help you to move the chains. That to me is his value. Also the value that he brings to the table is versatility and trickery. And I'm sorry, that does count for something. This kid is able to lock the nine yard carry last year, completed two passes for a combined 45 yards. He's now four or four as a passer for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his career. So if you see Jacoby lining up in a little bit of an unorthodox manner, that's going

to give teams something to consider. So I love the fact that he's here i love the fact that he's still able to bring that to the patriots um i understand that there's some concern about him possibly being traded if the patriots get the proper offer i think anybody except for mac jones theoretically is probably on the table in that regard so what do you do if you're the new england patriots well ultimately i think is probably on the table in that regard. So what do you do if you're the New England Patriots? Well, ultimately, I think you err on the side of caution. I think you count your blessings and your depth that you have at this position this

year. And I think you maintain it by keeping Jacoby in the fold. Is there a possibility he might be moved? There's always a possibility. Is there a good one? No. That being said, I don't necessarily know if that long-term deal that jacobi is seeking is going to arrive before training camp is over and before the season begins once that season

starts the patriots will break off negotiations that's generally how they do things i'd be surprised if they made an exception to that rule they've done it before folks it's not unprecedented but it's very very rare and i don't think they do it in this case so the chase is on now so to speak to try to get the patriots and jacoby's team led by drew rosenhouse in the same room at the same time and get them on the same page they can't do that jacoby may be headed for free agency next year and i think that would be a mistake on the patriots part but ultimately uh we'll let the chips fall as they may. But it's always good to see guys make that choice. And as Miguel said last week when it came to Jacoby's contract,

it was only a matter of time. I mean, he stood to leave in excess of $3 million on the table. If he didn't, you have to know that he was going to sign that no matter what, even if he was trying to hold out as long as he could for a long-term deal. The fact that he didn't hold it right out until yesterday's deadline maybe is a sign that these two

sides are ready to come together, but we'll see. We will see in the coming days. Claire, Jacoby Meyer's status is only one of the many storylines that we're going to be keeping our eye on right here in Locked On Patriots land as we head for training camp. We're going to start doing positional previews next week. Guess which one we're going to start with, Claire, next Wednesday.

But leading up to that, there are plenty of other storylines that may include positional previews, but not exclusively. The Countess of Clas is going to enlighten us on what she would like to see from her Belichickian crystal ball as she looks into it and training camp approaches in just over a month. But first, as we said before, folks, summer is already here. And with summer, you're going to need some food on the go, whether it be outings, business trips, wherever you happen to be traveling this summer, you definitely want some food on the go whether it be outings business trips wherever you happen to be traveling this summer you definitely want some food on the go and built bars are the perfect snack to take with you on family vacations throw them in your bags put them in your kids backpacks make sure that everyone has a bar so you are fueled for your summer adventures the best part about built bars they're healthy and delicious no more sacrificing delicious food for

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That's promo code LOCK15 at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, we're almost ready to wrap things up here on this Wednesday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast, always absorbing the Wednesday wisdom and counsel from the lady of Locked On herself, our resident mayor on Wednesday, the Countess of Class herself, Ms. Classy Claire Cooper. And Claire, we've talked about Jacoby Myers. We've talked Patriots kickers. But really, there's so many storylines heading into this year's training camp for the New England Patriots, whether you're talking the coaching staff, offensive line, Mack Jones, defense, Steve Belichick, you name it.

It's pretty much been discussed ad nauseum in Patriots media, including here on Locked On Patriots. But we always value your wisdom and counsel, Countess, because you do see things that us mere mortals don't see. When you gaze into that Belichickian crystal ball that you have somewhere there on the desk, I'm not sure where it is, but I know it's there. You're definitely locked into it. And when you go like this and you go and you look at the belichickian crystal wall what do you look at in terms of storylines you'd like to see resolved in training camp from start to finish what are your thoughts and what are your expectations for training camp canvas well mike there is there's obviously a new story that nobody's

touching upon there is the story that nobody is really paying attention to and that is the possible trade of devon assiasi and dalton keen and the return of ryan iso okay i'm joking folks calm down it was how did i know she was going there folks see that's what that's what exists in claire's belichickian crystal ball book it is that yeah that's that it actually it actually isn't a crystal ball. It's just a crystal ball with Ryan's face etched into it right there. In all seriousness, though. Oh, I'm serious.

That is almost a little bit of what I'm interested in. And obviously not to that extent. It is. It's seeing what is going to happen in regards to Asiasi and the concern over Dalton Keane having sort of injury issues still. As you mentioned on the show a couple of times when, when you saw it in, in, in, in minicamp that he was playing with the, the ones he was playing with the rookie. So there is, there is an element of curiosity, concern, you know, whatever you want to brand it with is if we're going to see Asiasi this year as he was a healthy scratch for the whole of last season so are we going to see this

kid play this year and are we going to see Dalton Keane be healthy enough to play so I am genuinely interested in that from not just obviously I know tight end is enthusiastic but from from a fan perspective I understand that other people are interested to see Asiasi because of this whole puzzlement that we had last season of he's a healthy scratch and he was a healthy scratch for a whole year. So going forward, I've heard good things in camp in regards to Asiasi. As you said, as I just said, you know, Keane, we're not sure. He may still have some injury health slash health issues.

So, you know, there's an even bigger question mark really over him you know unfortunately so it's a bit of time will tell and we may not even see this until the beginning of the season unless they of course get traded sort of or dropped so that's something that i'm interested i wouldn't say looking forward to i am interested to find out is come september 2022 is dalton keen and devon assiasi on that 53 man roster either of them both of them you know that kind of thing where we are going to see it when it comes to the te3 or you know whatever you'd want to call it because granted i know that hunter henry janu smith outstanding guys outstanding athletes you know and they've got contracts to boot in all fairness when it comes to money.

You need more than two tight ends. We know this. And that's not from a tight end enthusiast perspective. That is from a fan perspective. That is from a setting up the team in the right way sort of situation that you need more than two tight ends, particularly when both of those individuals have had injury histories in the past and have lost time um in the past in

regard to injury so that's something that i'm curious to see what you know what names are on the te core when it comes to september the other thing that i am quite excited about as well as interested in is the offensive line i am really looking forward to seeing who lines up what you know what happens with this offensive line how it evolves is trent is trent brown going to be a left tackle you know does isaiah win stay in new england does he is he used as um a trade commodity or you know a cap space releaser for one of the better phrase i know miguel probably won't like that one um so yeah are they gonna sort of move him along to release some cap space where's cole

strange gonna line up where's he gonna fit in um as we mentioned on one patriot's place and i know other people have been talking about he's just in haran and you've also got the the unseen entity that i'm really looking forward to see i'm hoping i get to see this guy in regards to drew dijale i'm in looking forward to seeing where he lines up and how he lines up, because I've heard very good things, particularly with him being, you know, like a number one draft pick in the CFL, moving on to the NFL, being released only to move on to the NFL. So he wasn't even released because of any concerns in regards to him.

He was released so that he could, you know, try his luck in the NFL, shall we say. So very interested to see that. So something that I'm excited about as I am always I'm always excited about the O-line I mean I always tag the tight ends on because they're the on the ends of the O-line so the O-line for me is very it's very interesting anyway so I'm looking forward to that I'm hoping that it's strong because it's something that's very key in regards to Matt Jones's development so you know we don't want a Joe Burrow situation where the poor guy spends more time on his foot than anything else so definitely looking forward to that I'm looking forward to how that evolves

how it transpires how the beginning of the season pans out particularly versus the beginning of last season where there was a lot of sort of shake-up in regard to the O-line. So I'm hoping that training camp and pre-season sets that O-line so that they know who, going forward in September, they are going to be utilising rather than the little bit of unrest that we saw at the beginning of the 2021 season where there was lots of swapping and changing. I'm hoping, looking forward to, excited about, all bundled into

one little coffee cup of fun that training camp and pre-season sets that out and we've got we've we know for definite who our o-line is come september so the other thing that i'm very interested by i keep using that phrase but you know i haven't got a better one unfortunately um is what's going to happen with the defense in regards to linebackers because it's a bit of a unknown entity as well in regards to McGrone, McMillan, Perkins the addition of Mack the sort of is there going to be a breakout of Uche because we haven't sort of seen what maybe anticipated we were going to see from him is is this year going to be his year is it a make or break year for him so as much as i love me some offense because i do i am a bit of an o-line girl a bit of a titan girl a bit of a you know a bit

of a quarterback i am a bit of an offense girl really when it comes to it i do find the defense very interesting always you know the the guys that have to line up and put their hands in the dirt and that sort of thing but because they didn't draft a linebacker which i was mildly disappointed of at the beginning in regards to the draft, because I did so much research when it came to linebackers and I thought they were going to get a linebacker. And there were some linebackers I really, really, really, really wanted them to get. So I was quite disappointed when they didn't get any of the linebackers. But then you sort of think, oh, yeah, well, don't forget that they they had three from last year that they never even used.

So these, you know, these are brand new shiny toys for us, really. They're not even out the packaging yet folks so yeah i'm i'm for another word of interested that i can't think of at the moment because i haven't had enough coffee today to to really expand my vocabulary but yes looking forward to interested to see what mcgroan macmillan perkins and how they utilize mac Wilson. Not Mac Wilson. The names just deluded me. Is it Mac Wilson? Have I written down the wrong name? You're right.

You're absolutely right. I had a moment. I let her struggle with that one, folks, for dramatic effect. I don't know if it worked. I'm going to put that little out now. So hopefully the live version that you see of that won't have that in.

But anyway. Yes. Mac Wilson and Joshua Uche. Yes. So I'm looking forward to seeing what they've got, version that you see of that won't have that in but anyway yes mac wilson and joshua yes so i'm looking forward to seeing what they've got how they work in the system because we haven't seen that we literally didn't have a year of really any of them barring a little bit of uche last year so looking forward to seeing how that works out so there's there is a lot to be excited to look forward to and to, yeah, just be interested in.

I'm going to do a drinking game, folks, see how many times I got out interested in this episode. But, yeah, looking forward to seeing what the season is in regards to that. And I think training camp and obviously pre-season will give us good insights in regards to the O-line, how much of the linebacker core they do utilise and how they set up the secondary is it all going to be safeties this year because you know they've got five linebackers so very much doubt it's all going to be safeties even though there's a lot of a lot of jest around that

the defense is going to be all safeties when it comes to the patriots and the offense is going to be all tight ends you know so yeah interested to see what's going to be going forward and viewers please write in and give me a better word than interested for the next show. Thank you very much. Well, with all due respect, Countess, and I will come to your assistance, I will come to your aid when it comes to the drinking game, and I'm interested, I'm interested. That was the question that I asked. So with all due respect, you really exactly I kind of did set you up for that. So you're really you're doing your job here. Don't worry about that. That's perfectly

fine. I'm glad that you mentioned that as well. I am glad that you mentioned the linebackers, because that is something that I'm definitely watching as well. I know you said that you're, you know, definitely an offense type girl. I am always intrigued by defense. And when I look at the defensive players, definitely corner is something that I'm looking at very closely. I had my eye on Malcolm Butler. I was very impressed by what I saw by Jack Jones earlier last week. Also, I'm looking at guys like Jalen Mills, Miles Bryant. You want to see who's going to make that next jump to kind of be the corner of the future here in New England and help to anchor that unit for a number of years to come.

And also who's here for the stopgaps is doing the guys like Jalen Mills and Malcolm, just kind of like setting the table for the future stars on this secondary. Or is it a situation where Jalen is a part of that future in the secondary and he's played very well. So those are the things I'm looking at with linebacker in terms of who we're seeing emerge. Mack Wilson is someone that we saw utilized in situational drills last week. I think you're going to continue to see that. And I'm looking forward to seeing how he fits here in the Patriots system.

Raekwon McMillan is another one that really, I think, took a big leap in terms of where he was last year and this year, obviously, the injury keeping him out of the entire season last year. But he's being used prominently in training camp, in mini-camp drills. If that continues in training camp, that's a big red flag to me in a good way. Now, I know red flag has a negative connotation,

but that's a big that's a big uh signal uh to me positive signal that the patriots have big plans for him and i'm looking forward to seeing what he can do and i'm glad you mentioned deja vu because that's a guy that not too many people are talking about for those of our listeners that don't know big offensive lineman from the canadian football league played for the winnipeg blue bombers won two consecutive gray cups with winnipeg up there um cfl western all-star during his second season uh this guy he spent time in the nfl as well in training camps and in practice squads had a couple of uh go around and uh not practice squads but he did have a couple of um go rounds in mini camps with the giants and the steelers so

this kid could be someone that's a dark horse to kind of make a run for a roster spot uh there's a lot to like about his game he's very uh um very durable uh in 2021 started all 14 games at left guard patriots definitely can use some help in that regard some experience at left guard of cole strange is going to be the guy can he be someone that comes in and nabs a 53-man roster spot or at the very least a practice squad spot? I'm looking forward to seeing this guy as well. So excellent job, Countess. Definitely bringing up some great, great insight.

Well, Bill does say the best ability is availability. And so if this guy's got that availability, then he's already a notch above some in regards to that so but yeah he's definitely something that I'm I'm looking forward to I'm quite excited to see and as you said it's a bit of a dark horse but he he's on my list all the time he you know that's a name that hits my list of you know to look out for so I'm very very interested there you go again to see what he can bring to the table this year. Absolutely.

And you definitely had it right. Actually, both Bills were very famous for saying that. Bill Parcells used to say that in his press conferences years ago about the best ability being availability. And Bill Belichick has definitely taken that lesson that he learned in all those years under Big Bill, as a lot of people like to say. Although I still think we got the main Bill. We got the better Bill here.

Oh, I'm going to set off a firestorm there. Yeah, I think I just set off a firestorm there. Leave the comments in that. Absolutely. But no, all kidding aside, two legendary coaches, and I have nothing but great respect for both of them. I just happen to think that Belichick is a better fit here in New England than Bill Parcells was when he was here as well. But, you know, maybe if Bill Parcells wasn't here, Bill Belichick wouldn't have been here.

So, you know what? There's drawbacks. There's good and positives to all of those sides, just like there is in every episode of Locked On Patriots. But one thing we can all agree on is we all love the wisdom and counsel of the Countess of Class each and every Wednesday. It is always my honor, always my privilege. It will continue to be for as long as I have this microphone to join you here each and every Wednesday. And again, thank you so much for your insight. Folks, it's not easy to be able to cover a team from across the pond and gain the insight and the intricate knowledge that Claire is able to gain, you know, from secondhand information sometimes, but she does it and she makes it her own. And the analysis that she provides is second to none. I'm honored to give you the platform to provide that. And as

long as you'll come back, we'll keep having you in your accountants so thank you so much folks definitely check out all of the great work that claire does each and every day whether it be written or column work for patspropaganda.com her and tom do an amazing job with that site you definitely want to check that out and don't miss the opportunity each and every time a new episode of a claire perspective a patriots podcast comes out make it appointment listening smash the subscribe button download subscribe follow wherever you get your podcasts you won't be disappointed great interview that she had with the legendary john rook of patriots folklore also the voice of my beloved providence college friars i hold john in the highest regard for that for that matter and this is great, great conversation between two great people.

So check that one out. Of course, do so after you checked out Locked On Patriots. And I thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Before we take our leave, Countess, for the week, any parting thoughts for our listening public? Anything you'd like to share, anything you'd like to plug before we speak next week? No, you've kind of done it for me, really. You've done my job for me.

So bravo there, Mike. Yeah, the main thing would be to please check out my latest episode of Eclair Perspective, as you said, that dropped last week with John, the legendary John Rook. We kind of ran over the sort of 35 minutes sort of semi-limit that I tried to hold because it was just too interesting we were just having too much fun and I just had too many questions so that that was a really that was a that was a good

it was good fun so I do hope you guys will go and check that out and next week there should be another one on its way so I won't name drop any guests as of it you'll just have to wait and see what you think absolutely and we're all waiting to see who that will be and definitely like i said appointment listening folks but definitely make an appointment to listen to claire and i next week because as i teased earlier positional previews start next week and it's going to be interactive folks we'll give our thoughts on the position but we also want to hear what you're thinking and in the final segment of each show next week we're going to be taking user questions your questions your comments your feedback on the tight end position here next wednesday when claire and i break it all down right on locked on patriots so until next week or until next time

i should say folks please continue to stay safe stay, be the change you wish to see in the world. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, once again, for staying locked into Locked On Patriots today. On behalf of Claire Klaas and Claire Cooper, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone.