Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Coaches Chat with the Countess: Patriots Coaching Carousel and Super Bowl LVI Thoughts — 2/9/21

Episode Date: February 11, 2022

The New England Patriots coaching staff will have quite a different look in 2022. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper, as the dynamic duo discuss the Pats hiring of Joe Judge, as well as taking a look ahead to Super Bowl LVI thoughts.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.GetUpsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get 25 cents per gallon or more cash back on your first tank.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, once again, it is Super Bowl week here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember that Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms. And today here on the pod, even though your New England Patriots are not in the big game, and I know I keep saying this all week long, just doesn't feel the same without either the Patriots or Tom Brady involved in the Super Bowl. Very rare that one of

those two entities is not. But here we are, the Cincinnati Bengals ready to take on the Los Angeles Rams. But it doesn't mean that the Patriots are not in the headlines, folks. There are still pieces of news coming out of Foxborough. And yesterday, a very interesting one coming out of Foxborough, and that's choosing to hire or rehire, I should say, Joe Judge, coming on as an offensive assistant, not special teams coordinator. I already have one of those in New England. His name is Cameron Atchard. What does all of the coaching upheaval in New England mean for the team heading into 2022?

Josh McDaniels, gone. Dave Sigler, gone. Bo Hardegree, quarterback's coach, he's gone. Now Joe Judge comes in. We need a little bit of clarity on what this means for the Patriots offense. Well, luckily for us here today, it's Wednesday, which means a visit from our resident lady of lockdown. She knows the Patriots offense very well.

Yes, I know she has a particular penchant for a certain position, but her knowledge is much more broader arching than that. And that's what we're going to talk about today. The wit, the wisdom that are a staple here on this pod. Of course, the voice and the accent that comes along with the package, but it is the wit and the wisdom that keeps her coming back each and every week from West Midlands in the UK. She is a phenomenal Pats writer for Pats propaganda and full press coverage

Patriots, where incidentally, she hosts her very own podcast, the Claire perspective, the Patriots podcast folks. Claire is a regular here on locked on Patriots, but her individual podcast is truly one of the greatest listens you'll have in Patriots Nation. I say it every week. If you haven't done so already, please smash the subscribe button.

Great new episode out on the presses this week. Andy Hart of WEI joins her. Great back and forth between these two. Excellent information. You will not be disappointed by listening to a Claire perspective and her podcast. She's also the third voice of One Patriot's Place alongside our good friend Thomas Murphy and our other good friend, my Patriot's Bison, Steve Balistrieri.

Ladies and gentlemen, please join me in welcoming the Empress of Tight Endage, the Baroness of Blockers, the Queen of T.E., the Principal of Positivity, the Countess of Clas herself, Miss Claire Clasie Claire Cooper. Claire, thank you for joining me here on the pod. Welcome back to your Wednesday home here on Lockdown Patriots. Well, thank you very much, Mike. I was going to say, well, it is Wednesday, so where else would I be? And no, there is no other place to be on a Wednesday. And I really do always look forward to Wednesdays here on the pod. I look forward to every day I get to talk about the Patriots for a living. I mean, that's really not a bad gig.

You really can't complain about that. But when you get to share the microphone with great guests such as yourself and Murph and Steve and just the opportunity to talk Patriots football with you is so important and such a great thing in my life. And I really, really always look forward to this. And we got a fun show to talk about today. I know it's kind of a low time for Patriots news. Patriots fans may be feeling a little left out of the Super Bowl conversation. Tom Brady's retirement is now over a week old. So we've had a chance to digest all of that. But there is some news coming out of Foxborough. And don't worry, folks, it is Super Bowl week, so you know what that means.

Every guest here on this pod is giving game predictions, what we can expect to see on Sunday between the Bengals and the Rams. Solomon Wilcox, former Bengals safety, joined me here on the pod yesterday, gave his game prediction. I haven't had an opportunity to do so. Check that out. Solomon was a phenomenal guest, and his insight is second to none when it comes to the analysis he provides for the NFL. Having played in one of these games himself for the Cincinnati Bengals, he knows all about what this means, not just for the city of Cincinnati, but also for the NFL itself. And the LA Rams are definitely a formidable opponent.

This is going to be a very good game. But Claire, this is locked on Patriots. We'll start with some Patriots news. And I alluded to this in your introduction. The Pats will have some turnover on their coaching staff this year. They usually do. At least one coach usually ends up moving on or some sort of movement happens with the coaching staff,

whether it be on the offensive side of the ball or the defensive side of the ball. Right now, not a whole lot of turnover on the defensive side of the ball, but the offensive coaching staff may look drastically different this year. And Josh McDaniels has taken the head coaching job with the Las Vegas Raiders. Bo Hardigree, who was his deputy in terms of coaching the quarterbacks, he goes off to Las Vegas and becomes Josh's full-time quarterbacks coach. This is an interesting dynamic for the New

England Patriots because now you have some coaches with some veteran experience on this staff, but when you run down the list of these coaches, none of them really had the pedigree or the resume to ascend to an offensive coordinator position. Guys like Nick Cayley, who coaches your tight endage. Nick does a tremendous job in that regard. But the resume is still being built to really build up to an offensive coordinator position. Mick Lombardi, who is highly qualified as an assistant, he's still kind of building his resume as well. The New England Patriots make an interesting move yesterday, and they choose to bring back

Joe Judge, who most recently had a two-year stint as the head coach of the New York Giants. Didn't go so well. Joe really didn't have the success there that a lot of people expected him to. But he comes back now as an offensive assistant. And that's interesting because Joe's specialty is special teams. Claire, when you look at all the moves that the Patriots have made on the coaching staff recently, the departures, the arrivals, the thought process of what's going to happen with the offensive coordinator position. What's been your biggest takeaway from all this?

And walk us through some of your observations on what you think of the Patriots coaching staff, the potential coaching staff that they might be assembling in 2022. Well, initially, to kind of like backtrack to the the departure of Josh McDaniels initially I wasn't sort of too concerned just like on the face of it because it was something that we sort of it was discussed it was in the works you know he he's done a good job for such a long time and kind of moving on he was always there was always that head coach job that he was looking to aspire to you could see that because obviously his departure and his return from the broncos and that kind of thing so and then there was the the fiasco with the with it with indianapolis that sort of thing so i don't think i was completely

shocked initially it was when the realization set in of how this could affect matt jones and that was the thing itself that significantly sort of felt heavy to me if you like I mean yeah I didn't want Josh to go at all no it's great to keep all your coaching that kind of thing but the thing that sort of worried me was the sort of lack of continuity for Mac in his offensive coordinator he's had his first year he had a successful first year I know obviously some people won't have the same opinion that he had a successful first year I know obviously some people won't have the same opinion that he had a successful first year and that and that's fair enough but my opinion was that Mac Jones's rookie year was was an extreme success we saw him grow we saw him develop we saw

him succeed we saw him fail as well but that's that's all in the process of his you know of his growth within the franchise that kind of thing so the thing, the point that worried me the most was that what it means for Mac Jones. Now, the introduction or the reintroduction, shall we say, of Joe Judge is something that is this to assist with the continuity of Mac's development. Now, I know obviously it's a different coordinator it's a it's a separate individual but he looking back on his time with New England he was with New England for a significant amount of time sorry and he developed he grew within within the within the franchise he moved from special teams assistant to special teams coordinator to the special teams coordinator slash wide receivers coach that kind of thing so he was in the system for quite a while before he moved over to being a head coach now the long stint that he had in New England was during

quite successful seasons he was it was between 2012 and I want to say 2019 I believe so you know six seven or eight years in the system is it a case of that this guy is a very good coordinator slash assistant slash coach you know whatever brand you want to put it but he just doesn't have that thing that it takes to be a successful head coach and it's not a slant on his coaching ability he just hasn't got that special set of skills that that you need for a head coach but that he has extremely successful select skills to being a sort of more specialist coordinator assistant coach that kind of thing I think the frustrating thing for the fans at this point is the lack of definition because like like you

mentioned he comes in as a offensive assistant and it's just quite broad and it sounds quite of a demotion and I'm pretty sure it's probably not it's just my opinion but I'm pretty sure it's not going to be so much of a demotion because I mean to quote Bill Belichick himself back in August he said Joe's a good football coach period all the things that a good coach needs to do Joe does he has a good understanding of the game so we can tell just I mean it's it's all about kind of, they always say that don't look at what Bill says, look at what he does. But that, you know, that's a ringing endorsement

when it comes to sort of from the level of Bill Belichick. So I think that it's a bit of patience to sort of see. I mean, Bill's a big fan of versatility and we get that. And perhaps he likes to leave it a little open so that guys can be what they're totally best at over sort of putting an actual label as in given a job role. So it may be that they're looking to bring Joe Judge in and seeing where he's going to develop, what boxes he can tick with the absences in the offensive coaching, that kind of thing. I'm in the mind of that. To me, I think Bill Bedershek, if he could get away with it, not having players with potential labels, he'd probably be all over that. I reckon he'd just have a team of football players and then he'd get them to do

whatever they're mostly good at doing he wouldn't have to give them any kind of label so I don't know if it sort of stems from that sort of mentality that he may have that judges coming in with sort of quite an ambiguous sort of brand label if you like now I know that a lot of people were talking it may just have been fans it may not be me it's just generally speaking in the whole twitterverse and patriots nation verse that a lot of people were sort of very in on the return of Bill O'Brien now even Andy mentioned this on my as you kindly mentioned my Eclair Perspective episode that was out on Monday Andy had written a column and he and he discussed it during my podcast that he felt it was Bill O'Brien or bust and I think that's because of his significant time in the

Patriots and also obviously he's you know he comes from that sort of old school system that they've got but to me I was looking at it and Bill O'Brien hasn't been in the Patriots system for something like 10 years because of kind of leaving to go and being head coach for the Texans and then kind of going back to do college that kind of thing so with his with his resume with his back and forth sort of thing I think that his five seasons were quite a while ago so I'm wondering if that had anything to do with the decision to bring in Judge over O'Brien now it could be a multitude of other reasons because it could stemming from money to Bill O'Brien didn't want the job. Judges did. That's you know, it can be as simple and basic as that.

And we will never really quite know. But with Judge leaving the Pats 2019, not not in a significant amount of time has lapsed in comparison to when Bill O'Brien was was in the system so I think looking at that is is maybe why they went that way versus the other way that I know a lot of people were sort of interested in and I wasn't against the kind of the whole Bill O'Brien thing but um a lot of in all fairness in regards to that he's he was kind of before my time as a Patriots fan so I only had sort of very basic things to sort of base that upon. But I mean, what's left in the pot at the moment, if we kind of take into consideration Judge now he's come in,

I mean, him and Matty P, Matt Patricia, I mean, they've had coaching experience. And as you mentioned, we've got Lombardi, Cayley, Judge will be in there and Troy Brown with the offensive knowledge it isn't as you pointed out a stack of experience within years whether or not you take into consideration the experience within the Patriots just generally speaking a lot of these coaches sort of are on a small amount of years that they've been in the system. Maybe not Troy Brown, because 18 years is quite a long time to have like an NFL experience.

But Kayleigh, he's done seven. Bricklow, who does the O-line. I hope I'm pronouncing that correctly. Three years. I mean, Lombardi, 11 years. I mean, I looked at their bios on the Patriots.com website and what their experience is. So it's still not a small amount. And then you've got Joe Judge with his 10 years kind of thing. So I don't know how worried I am looking at it. I'm not concerned with Joe Judge coming back. I looked at, like I said, I looked at his bio today and I think that in itself gave me some positivity just just on the bat just looking at numbers and I know that we always say don't just look at the statistics in regards to anything when it comes to NFL never just look at

the statistics because you aren't going to get the full picture and that's fair um but in this case a lot of the coaching is kind of so behind the scenes that it's very difficult for someone who is really just a fan as myself to get much knowledge when it comes to the coaching when you're only exposed to such a small amount. And the rest is your opinion on how you think the plays have kind of been called and stuff like that so I think a lot of it is difficult to to you know collate together an opinion from such a kind of an outside perspective but I mean the confidence that Belichick has in him I think to me is something that is significant and so that in itself kind of makes me a little bit easier the fact that we aren't getting a branding if he's offensive coordinator, it's always that niggle.

But like I mentioned, that's just Bill Belichick and that's just how he rolls with it kind of thing. Like I said, he doesn't seem to he likes the versatility. So let's hope that as long as he knows what's going on, that's that's the key thing and I mean good point Patriots and filtered mentioned yesterday about how there might be a guy in the ranks that like Bill Belichick Robert and Jonathan Kraft really like when it comes to kind of head coaching and that kind of um in point in the system and it may be that this individual needs to work and it needs to work through the systems and that guy might not even be like in the Patriots staff at the moment but it's obviously not information that we're privy to but it seems it's a case of trying not

to worry as a Patriots fan there's always that thing of looking ahead and looking too far ahead. And I think at this point, as long as they all know what's going on, that's the key. And it might look to the outside that it doesn't, we don't quite, they don't quite know what they're doing. But I'm pretty sure that it's not, you know, the sort of the quietness that we've had coming out of New England up until the announcement yesterday of Jojic I don't think we should be sort of there's plenty of time until the season commences so I think it's looking likely that we're not losing Gerard Mayo possibly because all the head that I think all the head coach spots are now filled I mean there's always a chance that he moves over you know he does a sideways move to a coordinator's position versus a head coaching position I mean there's always a chance that but you'd hope that he was he's happy here I think he has been quoted

as saying he's had his whole career in in New England he's he's playing career and his coaching career has been in New England so you'd kind of hope that that's something that holds weight and maybe we kind of won't be losing him because I know that that's another sort of worry of I think if you'd have lost McDaniels and Mayo they're quite like that they're ahead of the offense and sort of the unofficial head maybe of the defense then then yeah I'd be like yeah you know what Patriots fans that's fine just just start panicking it's okay start running around like the heads up hairs on fire because that's okay because we've lost both of our coaches so that's completely fine so maybe we'll be in a bit of a

different situation there but I think the game kind of rewinding and going back into the initial beginning of the conversation was more really about Joe Judge and and that kind of thing and I just think that it's yeah I hate to sort of repeat myself but when it comes to things like coaching Belichick has been I think I read this morning and I just want to get the numbers correct Bill Belichick has had it's his 22nd season in new england and it's it's his 46th in the nfl to me that just holds more grandeur than anything else now nobody's perfect no individual other than possibly tom brady because he's just a freak of nature but nobody is perfect and nobody's going to get it right all of the time but Belichick is an individual that is in the sport that is that gets it right a heck of a

lot of the time to create what has been created for the New England Patriots so I think to me if he thinks Joe Judge is the best man for the job then you know what so do I so that's completely fine I think the problem for fans is and I don't mean to speak broadly for fans but I think the issue is is that label that we don't have we don't currently know quite what judge is going to be doing and that's what's creating the sort of I don't want to say controversy that's too harsh a word but the unrest if you like we're not sure how it's going to all play out because as you said there's already a special teams coach so he hasn't been he hasn't come in and been branded of that bearing in mind that possibly would have been a slight step backwards for him because he moved up the ranks

within New England and he exceeded the special teams coordinator and became a special team slash wide receiver coordinator so you'd think you'd feel that if they put him back down as such as a special teams coordinator it might be not so good for him because it looks like a significant demotion you know you made your way up and now we're going to just bring you right back down right back down and I don't mean that in a detrimental way to anybody that is a special teams coordinator by the way so I just think that it's we maybe let's not worry too much on the labels I must admit I think I'd feel more reassured if they brought someone else in on the offensive coordinator side of it or the offense coaching side if they increase the depth shall we say um i don't think that would be a bad thing i know there's always the case of too many sort of cooks in the kitchen situation but to lose your

offensive coordinator who you've had for such a significant time, I think just creates a hole that may be bigger than just one person sometimes. So as long as they get the kind of balance, that's sort of what we would hope for. My main concern really is, as I said at the very beginning of my whole spiel that you guys have had to listen to, is the development of Matt Jones and I think that if Belichick has brought in Joe Judge because he believes that he is the best person to take those reins and to carry Matt for want of a better word carry Matt Jones through his second season as an NFL quarterback quarterback if judge is the best available person then that's great that's the sort of for me the biggest thing is don't stunt the development of your next kind of franchise dynasty creating whatever you want to call him quarterback that's that's the important thing don't dilute his abilities by bringing in a coordinator that sort of can't work with him, won't work with him well enough, won't be able to do the system.

That's the thing for me that's most significant at this stage. Now, I know I'm missing a broader picture and I appreciate that because at the end of the is very very key for the growth and the and the the success of the team um not to sort of state the very obvious so I apologize if I am it's just that that is the thing that's sort of ringing true in my head at the moment is go whichever way you want don't call your offensive coordinator an offensive coordinator bring in a couple of guys that used to be in the system bring in a new guy you know whatever you think works and whatever you believe is going to work the best and I kind of I hate to give that in Bill we trust but I

I really do that that's all that's all I can really say is because that is how it is he's the guy that's going to know and we just kind of put all our trust in him and and if at the end of the day if it's Joe Judge then that's fine by me I don't I think the only thing that concerned me was if if um Adam Gase was the guy because I wasn't sure if he was the guy and and um yeah and that's only talking from the fan experience of looking at what a storm that the Jets were and that kind of thing. So that's not really much experience talking there. And that's fair enough. It's just the most important thing for me, as I said numerous times now, is the Matt Jones situation.

And I just hope that whatever Bill decides to label it all, the transition can be made smoothly and hopefully just create the next success and I know that's what we all we're all just hoping for is just the increase of success and I just feel like at the end of the day if you look at the league if you were to look at who's been around for so you know for the amount of time who's the most successful you couldn't really put anyone else at the top of who should know that than Bill Belichick absolutely you're absolutely you're 100% right and look bottom line when it comes to what Joe Judge is capable of doing and it comes to his abilities as a head coach as an assistant as a special teams coordinator look everyone is always going to

remember him in New England for the prowess he showed on special teams. And that unit was ranked at or near the top pretty much every year that Joe was here from 2014 to 2019. He had that unit essentially at the top of its game and Patriot special teams were really the envy of the league. And a lot of that is due to some of the great play of guys like Matthew Slater and great kickers like, you know, Steven Kostowski that really helped an awful lot, but each and every player, Brandon King, the guys that have come through here that have been special team stalwarts have been guys that are always in the right position at the right time. That's not happenstance. That's by design and coaching plays a huge part in that. So Joe judge knows his capabilities as a coach. I would caution Patriots

fans, and I do get it. I'm not coming at Patriots fans for feeling this way, but I do understand that there are some hesitations, maybe a few qualms about him coming in and running the offense or being an offensive coordinator, because you're looking at the failures that he had in New York. Don't forget, that's as a head coach. That's not as an assistant. That's not as, you know, someone on the staff of Bill Belichick. That really shouldn't be held against him for the fact that he is a very capable offensive and special teams coach that is capable of coaching a lot of different areas. He did a phenomenal job with the wide receivers in the one year that he was able to coach them. Julian Edelman had nothing but praise for Joe Judge in the year that he

coached him as wide receivers coach in 2019, saying that he did a great job. His enthusiasm, his work ethic really rubbed off on that wide receiving core. And even though it wasn't technically the Patriots' best year for receivers, Tom Brady's final year in New England, it really, I think, inspired a lot of people in that locker room to give 100% of themselves every single day because that wasn't the most talented of receiving cores. There was a lot of upheaval and a lot of difficulty throughout that entire season.

Joe Judge was able to keep it together. Another thing to remember, and I'm glad, Claire, that you mentioned the development of Mac Jones, because ultimately that I think is what Patriots fans are most worried about. Joe Judge played quarterback at Mississippi State. He wasn't a phenomenal quarterback, but he's played the position. He knows the nuances of the position. And even though he spent a lot of time on special teams with Mississippi State, he still played the position and he knows the nuances of time on special teams with Mississippi State he still played the position and he knows the nuances of being a quarterback and what it takes to succeed one of

the things that I know the Giants were looking at when they looked at him as a potential head coach and ended up hiring him is the impact that he could have on a young quarterback named Daniel Jones who was the Giants starter Jones will eventually Daniel this time Daniel Jones will continue to develop under the new head coaching staff Brian Dayball is and really I think the ideal choice for him to be able to really try to pry a lot of what his potential is Joe Judge is someone that can get that potential out of Mac Jones so if the Patriots don't end up going the OC route, and I know there are reports out there where the Patriots are pretty much done. They're now, they may not look at an OC. I'm hearing that that's not necessarily the case. The Patriots are doing their due

diligence. This is a team that doesn't, um, they don't follow the league conventions in terms of filling out a coaching staff. They're not worried about going a couple of weeks after the Super Bowl, still trying to fill a position. They did it a couple of years ago with Greg Sciano. That didn't work out as the defensive coordinator, but they did bring him on a little late in the game, and a lot of people were surprised. But the Patriots always do their due diligence. They're going to make the move when they feel it to be best. And if it is in the team's best interest to bring in an established coordinator, Bill O'Brien, I think, is the obvious choice. I know Patriots fans grimace every time you say the word, and you mentioned it, Adam Gase. Again, his shortcomings as a head coach should not be something that's put on his shoulders when it comes to being an offensive assistant, especially when you have guys like Bill Belichick and Joe Judge to be able to keep him in check

a little bit. Gase does no offense. He does know that Erhard Perkins system that the Patriots love to run. So if that is indeed the case, that may not be the worst hire in the world, but I don't think the Patriots are quite done yet. But even if they are, again, that's just my opinion. But even if they are done, Judge has enough offensive acumen to make this work. And I think Patriots fans need to give it a chance, take a deep breath, look at what's

happening and see what can happen from there. And the other side of that is that Joe Judge is very close with Josh McDaniels. To be totally honest with you, Claire, I'm really surprised Joe didn't end up in Las Vegas with Josh. These two guys are very close. As a matter of fact, a source told me at the time when there was some confusion about whether Josh McDaniels might be the new head coach of the Giants a couple of years ago when Joe Judge took the job, that if Josh went to the Giants, there was really going to be one of those quote unquote, and this is the exact

quote that the source used, there's going to be a big boy conversation at one Patriots place in Foxborough because they're going to really have a difficult time deciding who gets custody of Joe Judge. Is it going to be Bill Belichick or is it going to be Josh McDaniels? Those two guys really held him in the highest of regard. I think the Patriots getting him back in the fold is a good thing. I don't think this is a bad thing. Joe is a great coach. Maybe he wasn't the head coach that a lot of people thought he was going to

be. He may be someday, but this is going to be an opportunity for him to be able to reset and then recalibrate in terms of his coaching career. Josh did it, came back, was a better offensive coordinator. I think it'll make him a better head coach this time around. But we'll see what happens. We always love talking football.

And there's always no shortage of talking football here on the New England Patriots, Locked On Patriots podcast. But there is a game to be played this weekend, Claire, and it doesn't involve Tom Brady. It doesn't involve the New England Patriots. Imagine the audacity of the NFL to hold a Super Bowl without one of those two entities just doesn't seem right. It doesn't seem fair. You know, the dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria.

Even a couple of years ago someone says oh well you know patrick mahomes and the the chiefs faced 49ers but who was the head it was the quarterback of the 49ers in that game jimmy garoppolo yeah there was always a patriot centric story there this time around i love i love love love sony michelle i always have i know i've gotten i've gotten my share of detractors here on this pod that really wonder why I liked Sony so much when he was here. But I really think that he was a solid runner for this. And I know the work ethic and everything that Sony put into trying to be the best he could be here. So that's why I pump his tires a little bit. I'll be happy to see, you know, Sony run the ball in the Super Bowl.

But what does the Countess think of this upcoming game on Sunday? Countess has an opinion, and we're going to get it in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Hey, Patriots fans. This is Mike DeBate, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast with an incredible app everyone who buys gas needs to know about, GetUpside. My listeners are earning cash back for every gallon of gas every time they fill up. Just download the free GetUpside app in the App Store or Google Play right now.

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BetOnline is your number one online wagering destination. BetOnline, the fastest and easiest way to wager on all of your favorite sports and play your favorite games. BetOnline, where the game starts. Patriots fans, the empress of tight endage, the queen of TE, the the Baroness of blockers, the Principal of Positivity, the Countess of Clas herself, the Lady of Lockdown here on Wednesday, Claire Clasie, Claire Cooper joins me here.

I'm getting pretty good at that. I'm actually able to say it in one breath. It's amazing the amount of nicknames, but you deserve every single one of them, Countess. Thank you so much for taking time out to join me today from across the pond, as you do each and every Wednesday here on Locked on Patriots. And we talked a lot about the Patriots coaching staff in the previous segment. And I don't know, maybe we gave people a little more to worry about. Maybe we calmed them down a little bit.

But, you know, bottom line, they're just going to feel however they want to feel about that, but we'll get back to Patriots business soon enough here on lockdown Patriots. There is a game to be played this weekend and it is interesting to say the least that the new England Patriots are not going to be somewhat involved, you know, prominently involved in this game, whether it be their involvement or Tom Brady's involvement, or like I said, before the break, a couple of weeks, a couple of years ago, Jimmy Garoppolo playing in the Superbowl. So there were always some Patriots stories to root for.

And yes, Sonny Michelle is playing for the Rams, but I don't know. I'm getting the distinct impression up here in New England that the Cincinnati Bengals are kind of more in the rooting interest for Patriots fans rather than the Rams. I think that, you know, people are a little bit, I don't know, maybe enamored lately with the Joe Burrow thing and his abilities. And look, Joe is, I am a huge, huge fan of Joe Burrow, a tremendous quarterback. I love what he's doing in Cincinnati. Got a good offense around him. That's a defense that can make plays. They're capable of winning the game if they need to. It's going to be a good offense around him that's a defense that can make plays they're capable of winning the uh the game if they need to it's going to be a good game against a los angeles rams team that is stacked with talent from top to bottom uh they're well coached i think this is going to

be a good game on on sunday when you look at this game you look at what you're looking forward to because again we're all football fans at the end of the day. Yes, our concentration is always going to be on the Patriots, but the Super Bowl is beyond just the game. I mean, it really is. I've said right along, it really is the equivalent of a holiday here in the United States. All over the world, really, it's become a global phenomenon. What are your thoughts on this game what are you looking forward most to see on sunday when the bengals take on the ramps well this is this is a hot head thing for me into kind of you know who to root for that kind of thing it seems like it's a bit of an underdog story in the bengals and i think there's a big connection for me personally and I can imagine probably quite a few Patriots fans with the late great Chris Wessling of NFL Network and the Around the NFL

podcast it makes me kind of want to root for the Bengals because it's that link to sort of you know that it was his team and that kind of thing and they finally got there and the fact that he's not here to share it he is kind of quite devastating so I think there's quite a few fans of the NFL podcast the Iranian NFL podcast who are possibly Bengals fans in tribute to the you know the late Chris Westing so to put that to one side with the heart thing I mean they have a great quarterback as you mentioned in Joe Burrow but their whole line can seem so weak I mean that kid has hit the grass more often than a lawnmower I mean he was sacked 51 times in the regular season

according to ESPN and Brandon Allen who stepped in for him four that's 55 sacks in the regular season by his O-line now I looked at comparison statistics I thought well that's quite a big number but in comparison it might not be so let's kind of delve into this so I picked just a handful of different teams for no real significant reason other than I looked at Matt Jones obviously being a Patriot and he was sacked 28 times in the in the regular season we did have some o-line issues earlier in the season as well so that was you know that's then you look at um i looked at tom brady because of the patriot thing obviously um he was sacked 22 times in the regular season and then i just kind of thought well that's how let's grab a snapshot of the you know just the rest of the league I just picked the Cowboys at random just because

and Dak Prescott was sacked 30 times in the regular season so then I started to look at the teams that weren't so good and you know taking into consideration the New York Jets and things like the Jaguars and Zach Wilson was sacked 44 times so he's getting close and then Trevor Lawrence 32 times and then to look at the rounds being the competitors Matthew Stafford was sacked 30 times in the regular season this is all regular season I didn't take any postseason I just looked at the regular season because obviously not every team got as far as the other team so to do it in comparison so 51 times in a regular season is still quite significant and i mean yeah it's you know it's other teams i mean brady was sacked less than half that amount of time so and they were knocked out before they got there so that's you know that's another thing

that is something that concerns me about the bengals is that you just you can't have that happening to your quarterback you can't get him beaten up that many times it's just not good he isn't gonna last you very long you know you're not gonna be able to play with your nice shiny toy for very long if you keep smacking it against the floor it seems kind of obvious so my heart is rooting for the Bengals because of the whole underdog. Joe Burrow is very good because of the Chris Westing connection, as I said. But then my head kicks in and says, hang on a second. The Rams are really good.

They've gone 12 and five. They seem to be doing so well lately. It's like, yeah, they're sort of top of the league, that kind of thing. So can you really just sit there thinking that the Bengals are going to win but you know I don't know there's this thing I just even though logic would suggest that it's gonna the Rams are the dominant team really they've got more of it together you know they've got more of a veteran quarterback that kind of thing who has was only sacked 30 times in comparison it's just I still really can't particularly with the way that they came

back in the divisional round as well you know it's just can't seem to count them out um I don't want to I mean emotionally invested into which team as a Patriots fan as a pure Patriots fan I don't think there's anything really either way because neither of them it's not like a divisional thing I mean for example if the Bills had gone on to to make it to the Super Bowl I wouldn't care who was against them I'd be rooting for them basically it wouldn't matter who was against the Bills I'd be rooting for them so wouldn't necessarily be the logical choice but i would i would always root against like the divisional that kind of thing so yeah in regards to that it's as a as a pure patriots fan it's like oh

whatever you know whoever wins it's just nice you just enjoy the super bowl even though it's on a stupid time over here and things like this it's's just enjoy it for what it is. Kind of think, yeah, not complain. No, I'm not. I'm not complaining at all. I'm like, yeah, if anybody knows, there's no moaning going on here. But no, but in all seriousness. I'm struggling to really come to the conclusion of who I think is going to win, simply because my heart and my head can't kind of can't get onto the same page in, in, in this case. And when you said that you wanted me to talk about the Superbowl and you would kind of ask me who, who I thought it was like, Oh, I'm so indecisive. All of you guys listening now know how indecisive I am because it's so obvious.

And if you've listened to more than one episode of me, it's really, really obvious. So, you know, there you go. You wasn't going to just get an easy, Oh yeah, I think that's that kind of thing but i think see that's what we like about this it's kind of where you go on the journey with you while you're talking we're like okay that's it she's going to make the decision we know it's coming we just don't know when you know how to make the decision you just don't know how to hold the decision no that's all kidding aside no no seriously folks it really is it's a lot of fun we we have claire on for much different reasons than that i'm just having a little fun with her

you just have you just have me on the boat fun at me so i can just be the butt of all the jokes now yeah hey yeah um but no seriously going back to the Super Bowl um fortunate I suppose the one thing um in regards to like like you said the Patriots aren't in there isn't any link to the Patriots in the Super Bowl to sort of root for it means that kind of you can just watch the game to really enjoy a game of football because like you said it's an event it's this big thing it's this once a year you get your halftime show that kind of thing it's something to it gives the opportunity to celebrate football just in general and I mean that in itself is is great I mean I think I've voiced a few times now occasionally on the show that I'm just so grateful that we've had that we

had the season of football and that we had the, even though I know the previous season was very up and down, we still had a season of football in 2020. And that was a bit of a saving grace for me. I think I mentioned before that I don't think I've gotten through those kind of, those two years without football there. So the fact that we've got this ability to celebrate the sport in its entirety, that kind of thing. And as Patriots fans, we, you know, we haven't got that added pressure of the Patriots need to win sort of thing you haven't got that added pressure of it's your team sort of thing you can just sit back and be like I'm just going to enjoy this for a really good game of football and I think um that's going to be the case I think we're

going to have just my opinion a really good game of football I think we're going to get a really good game out of these two teams I think even though for their highs and their lows for their positives and negatives and for the the issues that the Bengals have had on their airline that kind of thing I think this is going to be an enjoyable game to watch and I think we it's great that we get to as Patriots fans we get to just enjoy enjoy it and we can root for one side if we really want to but it doesn't really matter because we haven't got the emotional investment that sort of thing so yeah I think if you're going to narrow me down to having to say who I think is going to win I'm still struggling even now because I want to say the Bengals

but the fact that the Rams have been doing so well just keeps pulling me that way but I just think that the Bengals have been scrappy and they've got this far and I think it would just be yeah it'd make for a great story wouldn't it I mean it'd be lovely for the Rams to win the Super Bowl in their own house and things like this and it'd be the second second team in a row to win the Super Bowl at home and this that the other even though I think they're not officially the home side or something I think I read on social media um that from the seeding and stuff they're not but I I might be wrong so please don't quote me because yeah I might be completely incorrect in in that respect but I think both sides to win would make a lovely story um and I know this isn't that's what it's

about this is sport it's not a case of that it's not all about happily ever after and stuff like that but I'm a hopeless romantic as a few people know um with my fiction writing and stuff like that so I think I like to see the romance in it and I think the the way that that would create a lovely story would be the Bengals would be the journey that they've been on and um I think it does always pull me back with that Chris Wessling connection and stuff like that so bomb line at the end of the day still trying to eke it out because I just don't know which one that I think is going to win. But I'm just, I'm going to, yeah, I'm just going to go for it and say it's going to be the Bengals. The Bengals are going to be the Super Bowl champions of 2021

season. Well, I think in a lot of ways, you've endeared yourself to Patriots Nation. Like I said, the background of what I'm getting from a lot of Patriots fans and people in the region is that they're looking forward to seeing the Bengals be able to maybe do it. The Rams have had their shot a couple of times. They've won, you know, a, a Superbowl, you know, not, you know, it's, it's a little while ago now it's over 20 years ago, but at the same time, the Bengals are still a team that has been long suffering a lot of difficulty with the fan base, a lot of upheaval. And for them to be at the level that they're at, talking to Solomon Wilcox yesterday and hearing the joy that he has and the pride that he has in watching his team ascend to this level,

he knows what it's like for the city of Cincinnati and the region and Bengals fans all over the country to be able to watch their team in the Super Bowl. It doesn't happen that often. And Joe Burrow has really, I think, captured the attention of the country in terms of not only his play on the field, but just the swagger, the style. Everything about it does look like this is going to be a pretty fun game on Sunday. And you are indeed correct. Technically, the Cincinnati Bengals are the home team in this, even though it's in the stadium.

Look at me getting technical things right. It is. Even though it's in, you know, it's just, it's funny to think about it. I mean, most people would look at it and go, how does that happen? But seating and, you know, selection process of, you know, the host teams and whatnot. You know, obviously when they selected Los Angeles, they didn't know that LA, the Rams were going to be in the Super Bowl this year. But, you know, here we are. And I think this is going to be a fun game. You're

right for Patriots fans. This does not have a dog in the hunt, so to speak. Yeah, there will be some people like me that are happy to see Sonny Michelle get a crack at the Super Bowl again, but not a whole lot. I mean, there's not going to, there's not that real emotional investment in either team. The way even you had with the 49ers a couple of years ago with Jimmy Garoppolo still has a lot of fans up here in New England and a lot of people that want to see him do well. It just doesn't have that same type of feel,

but it doesn't mean that it won't be a fun game. It will be a fun game coming up here on Sunday. And of course my game prediction I'll give to you on Friday. I'm not going to do that just yet, but Claire did give her game prediction. She's going with the Bengals in a close one. And I can't say that I necessarily disagree with her. I'm not going to give away too much, although I probably just did, but that's the way it goes. Claire, what can I say? I thank you so much for taking time out to join me here today from the other side of the pond, the wisdom, the wit, the counsel, all the information, especially on the Patriots coaching insights and your take

on the Patriots coaching carousel that's going on in Foxborough, something that I truly appreciate. And again, spot on as usual. Before I let you go today, my friend, please let everyone know, listening out there in the Locked On Patriots Twitterverse, listening verse, where they can find you, where they can interact with you and what you have coming up from the great pen and the great voice of Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. Yeah, of course. As ever, you can find me on patspropaganda.com.

That is where you'll predominantly find my writing. It's a bit quiet now, the off season. Myself and Tom Schumel, as we're looking at what we're going to put out put out content wise that kind of thing so we're in a little bit of a team meeting stage but please keep your eyes out that you know that's it's always active so Pat's Propaganda is always there and also don't forget to get your great off-season t-shirt those tight endage and those I like tight ends and I cannot like t-shirts they are still available at the moment so head on over to patspropaganda.com and nab yourself a t-shirt please do full press coverage i i my podcast declare perspective you will find on fullpresscoverage.com under full press patriots monday's episode as you four

mentioned earlier today that was out on monday or may have hit tuesday morning depending on which time zone you're in but yeah i had I had the lovely Andy Hart of WEI Boston and that was good fun. So please do check that out. As you also forementioned, I am the third voice on One Patriot's Place with Steve Balistrari and Thomas Murphy. And we are there for you each and every week

at One Patriot's Place. We have now gone live. So you can find us if you want to see our faces, you can do that. I don't know if I'd suggest it, but you know us if you want to see our faces you can do that i don't know if i'd suggest it but you know if you want to that's fine you can you can join the fun and the chaos it's usually every tuesday morning but we haven't got a set schedule at the moment but please keep your eyes peeled on twitter for any of the show times but that is each and every week for

e2gsports.com absolutely and again every time claire puts voice to microphone pen to paper folks i can't stress enough it's always always point click learn enrichment entertainment material smash the subscribe button to a claire perspective a patriots podcast and definitely there's great work on that's propaganda including those t-shirts which i can assure you are great great gifts coming up for this time of year. Yeah, it's not the holidays, but you can treat yourself. And the Patriots will have some tight endage in 2022. They still have two of the best in the game coming back.

And we're going to talk a lot about the Patriots tight ends and all of the positions, including where they may go on the draft each and every Wednesday here with Claire. But as for today, thank you so much for joining me. We look forward to talking ball with you again next week. And don't forget, folks, two weeks from today, Locked On Patriots goes live on YouTube. Claire and I will be coming at you not just over the airwaves, but also video as well. So exciting stuff coming down the bike. All kidding aside, Count countess thank you so much for joining me today a blast as always no thank you so much for having me and for listeners for

having me back each and every wednesday it's greatly appreciated i have loads of fun so thank you guys as well