Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Comfort, Not Controversy: New England Patriots Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe; Return of Tight Endage

Starting point is 00:00:00 Zappy fever is the best thing that could have happened to the New England Patriots, but not in the way that you think. The Countess and I have you covered, so settle in. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots

Starting point is 00:00:49 a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your firsts in every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated.

Starting point is 00:01:11 Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And as you can see, folks, it is Wednesday, the midway point of the week, and we need a little midway wisdom and counsel. And that's exactly what we're getting from our good friend, a columnist extraordinaire for Pat's Propaganda,

Starting point is 00:01:38 as well as the co-host of One Patriots Place, which is a podcast we all know very well here on Locked On Patriots for our two good friends, Thomas Murphy and Steve Balistrieri. But most importantly, she is the host of her very own Patriots podcast, one of the best listens you'll find anywhere in Patriots media. She is the Countess of Clats herself, the Empress of Tight Endage. Claire Clatsy, Claire Cooper joins tight endage. Claire Clatsy, Claire Cooper joins me here today. Countess, thank you so much for joining me from across

Starting point is 00:02:09 the pond. You're welcome. It's Wednesday. Where else would I be? Absolutely. Wednesdays were made for the Countess here on Lockdown Patriots, and they were also made for a little clairvoyance. And we're going to get into that in a little bit folks because the clairvoyance meter broke off on sunday big time predictions and she definitely nailed each and every one of them but of course folks please remember that today's episode is brought to you by linkedin jobs linkedin helps you find the candidates you want to talk to and they help you do it faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash block on NFL. And, Claire, if I had told you that a rookie quarterback comes into New England,

Starting point is 00:02:52 takes the reins from the incumbent starter who has to go down due to an injury, completes 51 of 70 passes for 596 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, really the bulk of that done in two games worth of work i know he had most of the uh the snaps in week three against the uh the green bay packers but we're looking at a juggernaut that is absolutely ripping zappy fever through new england right now most of the way people would sit there and say, you know what? Kid's playing well. We're winning 2-1 in his games, 2-0 in his starts. Mack was struggling coming out of the break,

Starting point is 00:03:36 didn't look comfortable in this offense. It almost seems like a no-brainer. Hit the road, Mack. And all of a sudden, now Zappy Mania comes in, and he's going to take the reins. But you and I both know that it's not quite that simple there's a lot of nuances determining who is going to be your starting quarterback so when you look at the situation i think i may have tipped my hand a little bit when i introduced this segment in the show but what are your thoughts on the quarterback situation right now in new england is this a good thing for the New

Starting point is 00:04:05 England Patriots is this a competition that we're dealing with here or is there something maybe that the fan base is not getting here what is your take right now on what's going on in New England when it comes to Bailey Zappi and Mac Jones well primarily Mike I think it's a good thing because as Patriots fans we could look at this and say, Matt Jones was reasonably successful last year, you know, in his rookie season. So we've got someone that's the number one quarterback, if you like, who's relatively successful. He's got good positive traits that we see as a Patriots quarterback. And if you kind of mark Zappi as number two particularly while Hoyer is on IR that sort of thing and you look at Zappi potentially he was brought in as the future backup anyway so if you look at

Starting point is 00:04:50 it like that what we've seen is we've got a really good number two as well if you like I mean the thing with Zappi is that that kind of maybe a sort of driving the fans wild in regards to Zappi fever the symptom of the fever might be expectation because Zappi was fourth round pick so the expectation on him was lower than it would have been when they you know when they drafted Matt Jones because he was a first round pick and kind of unfortunately I think and sometimes it's slightly misplaced but where you are drafted is is kind of what gains to the expectation of what you should produce, that sort of thing. So Zappi being the fourth round pick, as I said, low expectations.

Starting point is 00:05:30 So all of a sudden you've got a kid who didn't really know how good he was. You know, some people say he's a little bit short. I think he's something like six foot one. So as a short person myself, I find that a very difficult thing to say. But I understand in relativeness of quarterbacks, he's kind of not that tall still feels crazy to me, but yeah, that aside, um, he, you know, he's, he's got a little bit in regards to the limit of his height and,

Starting point is 00:05:54 you know, he's not the most mobile quarterback. He's, he's not, not mobile, but again, like Mac, he's not the most mobile. Um, and there's, there's concerns in regards to his arm depending upon who you talk to um he seems to have you know a good arm and good accuracy but i know that it's been commented before that he hasn't necessarily got a strong arm but again like matt jones these are the same sort of things that we heard in regards to when matt jones came in and and the one thing that ticks the boxes for both of these quarterbacks is their football smarts.

Starting point is 00:06:28 And I think that's why they were drafted by who they were drafted, as in the Patriots, because that seems to be a Patriot way. What they look for in quarterbacks, how they look at developing their quarterback is they start with the smarts and then they go from there. So as a Patriots fan, as I said, to me it's not much of a controversy because it just seems to me as you've got your number one quarterback out on an injury, which obviously is terrible, and your second ring, if you like quarterback,

Starting point is 00:06:59 even though he was technically third, seems a decent quarterback. A lot of people will shout will shout yeah but it was against the lions yeah but this yeah but that and you can only play who you're put in front of sort of thing you can only play to your to your schedule type thing so you can you can say the ifs and buts and candy and that's type thing forever but just looking at what he how he's performed so many people have said poise that word has been bandied about so much and quite frankly it should be because he did he did show great poise and and he's worked within the system well he did the things that they needed him to do like ball security and you know that not taking too many scary risks as a rookie that that kind of thing so Zappi's been successful

Starting point is 00:07:42 so we've got a successful number two shall we say so for me it gives breathing room for matt jones to not have to rush back from his injury which is a good thing because the last thing you need in this industry is to force a guy back onto the field to aggravate the initial injury or to be not mobile enough in in his case with it being his ankle to to cause a secondary injury because of something else. He's not quick enough to move out of the way of certain blocks that he would normally be able to. So he's limiting his own ability, and then that could cause something worse.

Starting point is 00:08:17 And the guy could lose years out of his career rather than weeks. So there's all these sorts of things to look at when you sort of call for Mack to return or, you know, to keep Zappi in. So personally, from my perspective, I don't see it being a controversy because to me, Mack is still the number one quarterback. Yes, Bailey Zappi has shown some success, but he's still, you know, the fourth round,

Starting point is 00:08:44 second string, if you like third string depending on what you want to say quarterback so I think it's a little bit quick to give the kid two and a half should we say um three games two and a half three games and all of a sudden commit to well he's number one he's a franchise quarterback he's now leading the team, that kind of thing. So, yes, the future may hold that it turns out that Bailey Zappi evolves into a better quarterback than Mac Jones. Of course, there's always chances of that and this is something that we can't foresee

Starting point is 00:09:16 and isn't in my tea leaves, folks, and just so you know. We're going to get to those tea leaves in a minute. Yeah, we're going to get to those, but there was no Zappi in the tea leaves. I just see, as I said, my perspective is it stops Mac having to force himself back. I personally don't think there's the controversy of

Starting point is 00:09:36 if he doesn't rush back, he's out of a job. And I think that the likes of Bill Belichick, the likes of Joe Judge, the likes of Matt Patricia have seen enough of the NFL to realize that just because Bailey Zappi has given them two and a half, three good games, possibly four, depending on who starts with the Bears, that he's not suddenly replacing the kid who they've got as their number one quarterback so I think they're smart enough to sort of see everything see the whole picture and I just think that's maybe what people are not guilty of if you like I don't really want to say that they're guilty but for want of a better word because I can't think of one right now is being guilty of just looking at the small sample and and catching the zappy fever as you said and being like well he's been really successful. That's great. And Mac had, you know, started off slow. So, oh, that's not so great.

Starting point is 00:10:27 That kind of thing. So we need patience. Patriots fans, you need patience and control. But we're passionate people. So it's difficult to warrant that patience and that control because we're so passionate. But, yeah, I don't want to repeat myself. But I think it is personally me. I don't want to repeat myself, but I think it is personally me.

Starting point is 00:10:46 I don't see a controversy. I see it as a great thing that Zappi is good. We've got two decent quarterbacks as far as I am concerned. So, you know, let's just be happy. Don't worry, be Zappi. I think that's good. I didn't want to go there. That's all right.

Starting point is 00:11:04 I went there. I'm far from the first to say it and I won't be the last. We've heard them all the pursuit of zappiness. You know, I've gone, come on, get zappy really showed my age there. But bottom line, I really think that you've added a great amount of perspective to this argument. And I say that no pun intended. But yeah, maybe a little pun intended because of your podcast. But look, I think that's what this argument right now, if you want to call it an argument, I'm not calling it a controversy. I think that's what this argument right now is lacking, is perspective. I wrote about this for Sports Illustrated a couple of days ago and immediately started to get labeled as a zappy hater, things of that nature, getting comments. And, you know, the Twitter DMs about, oh, you're just you you're blinded by Mac and this kid is exactly what the Patriots need.

Starting point is 00:11:49 I'm extremely impressed with what Bailey Zappi has done. Not just the statistics that he's put up. I mean, you look at the numbers, just as numbers from Sunday, 24, 34, 309 yards, two touchdowns. He's the first quarterback since Sonny Jorgensen did it way back in the non-superbowl era to post two back-to-back games as a rookie quarterback with 100 plus passer ratings that's an extremely extremely impressive uh debut for the kids so all the credit in the world not just these statistics but also what he does out of play action. He really runs that well. He's orchestrating some big play, you know, yardage gains. He really is able to, I think, take this offense

Starting point is 00:12:30 and really mold it into his own image. So a lot of good stuff there. But I think people are forgetting how good of a rookie season Mac Jones had last year as well. And that if Mac comes back into the offense they're running now, and I'm sorry to say it, folks, it's not the same offense now that they were running in week one and week two they were trying a lot of new stuff they were doing a lot of experimenting if Matt comes into this offense now I think the ceiling's even higher

Starting point is 00:12:55 for where these guys can go yeah I agree and I think that the points that you made in regards to Zappi's numbers yes not I'm not trying to take anything away from him. He was very successful and he looked very good. But you're also looking at a very small sample size as well. It's two different things. Absolutely. Yes, he's successful. Yes, he's good.

Starting point is 00:13:17 But it's a small sample size. And I'm not a yeah, but kind of person. It's great that he's had success. I just think it's the blowing it into something bigger than it really is right now you know come to the end of the season when we've got some more under our belt maybe we've got some more of Zappi or we've got Matt back like you said in this in this offense I'm really glad you mentioned that because that is definitely key then look at it just give yourself a little bit of um you don't make many

Starting point is 00:13:46 decisions when you go and buy something most of the time people do a little bit of research in regards to you know which thing they want cutting it's just sort of a bit of that really we need a little bit more research on bailey zappy we need a little bit more um just to really see if he is and again i'm not saying i'm not being an anti-zappy I think he's great and and it's you know it's fantastic that for me it's just fantastic that we've got a good number one and possibly a good number two so absolutely and that's something that I think and again fans need to keep in perspective A quarterback controversy is not something that is designed to pit one guy against the other. And I think that in a lot of ways, that's exactly what you're seeing.

Starting point is 00:14:31 And some of it is fueled by the media. Some of it is fueled by the fans. I blame Twilight personally, because you've got Team Mac and you've got Team Zappy. And it's really, it's Team Patriots, folks. That's what we should be focused on. And matt chatham put this very eloquently in his tweet very shortly after the game and that this is not a quarterback controversy folks it's a quarterback luxury and that's exactly what i wrote about for sports illustrated even before seeing matt's tweet was this is a matter of comfort for the patriots you have two quarterbacks that are capable of coming in and running this offense and it's the offensive changes as well that bailey has definitely um benefited from and and that's obvious that's

Starting point is 00:15:11 something where you look at the patriots offense in week three as to week four week five as things are progressing along all of a sudden you're looking at now really at the fourth week the fifth week in the sixth week i think you're seeing the pulling guards are coming back you're seeing gap runs incorporated the patriots are able to spring free and utilize the running game that's opened up play action and because you're getting better blocking on the offensive line you're getting offensive play caller matt patricia who's getting a little bit more comfortable maybe he's not as bad as we all thought prior to the season. And you look at some of that, he's allowing Bailey to manage the short and intermediate areas of the field.

Starting point is 00:15:53 And this is something the kid is doing very well. He's only averaging 6.4 depth yardage per target. That's not exactly lighting the world on fire in terms of seeing some of these completions that he's getting. And I get to those in just a minute because one of Claire's favorites was on the receiving end of one of those. But he's generating the big play off of play action. So even though it's an effective situation for the New England Patriots, they're coming back to a place where I think no matter what happens with Bill Belichick's decision, they're bargaining from a place of strength.

Starting point is 00:16:21 And I think that is a great thing for the New England Patriots. So that may be the reason why Zappy fever is the best thing to happen in New England in quite some time. Like how I bring it all together there, Cliff? Yeah, I think it's perfect. Well, we're going to bring it all together in just a moment, folks, because you can see the smile on my co-host's face this morning. She cannot wait to talk about our next subject.

Starting point is 00:16:44 And it does lend in to the prowess of bailey zappy in this game because hunter henry and johnny smith resurrected folks they were definitely involved in the passing game and it brought a huge smile to claire's face and i'm sure a smile to all of yours as well but claire is going to give us her perspective and her wisdom and counsel the way only she can on tight endage when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, these days, every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best qualified candidates available,

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Starting point is 00:17:52 hires versus their leading competitors linkedin jobs helps you find the quality candidates you want to talk to and they help you do it faster post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Patriots fans, the illustrious Claire, classy Claire Cooper, joins me here today of a Pat's Propaganda and also a Claire Perspective, a Patriots podcast. Claire, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about zappy fever and some of the feelings that are gripping Patriots Nation right now.

Starting point is 00:18:32 And we gave our perspective on why the Patriots are bargaining from a position of strength with two capable quarterbacks once Mac is back healthy. But there was another dynamic duo that was unleashed on Sunday and I know you've been waiting a long time for this we have all been waiting a long time for this the Patriots tight ends were definitely a huge part of the Patriots offense on Sunday and it looked great to see these two guys doing what they do well. Yards after the catch, chipping in, giving, I think both had a solid day of run blocking.

Starting point is 00:19:08 I know PFF may not agree with Jonu, but I looked at some of the tape. I think he did a better job than he's getting credit for. Hunter was right in there. He looks much more comfortable. Claire, you see things us mere mortals don't see when it comes to tight endage. I say it every week, but it is true.

Starting point is 00:19:24 So as you were watching this game, watching this progress, I know you saw John who's big catch and then you saw Hunter's touchdown. After the yelling, the wailing and the screaming stopped, what were you looking at in terms of why the new England Patriots all of a sudden looked a little bit more comfortable incorporating the tight ends into the offense? What were your thoughts on what this means for that position going forward as a key part of this team's scoring capabilities? Well, after the yelling and the screaming had stopped, I had to then find my notebook that I'd flung. So then I had to find that. Then there was the the barrage of tweets which was lovely from people like oh classy Claire is she okay and let somebody check on Claire and things like this

Starting point is 00:20:09 which was amazing I loved it thank you so much everybody that did to you all it was great but yes after after all that had calmed down and you sort of get back to being professional yeah you touched on it earlier when we discussed the quarterback is I think a lot of it has got to do with the way that they may be the Patriots have kind of changed their offense back to how it sort of would was sort of thing in regards to like last year that kind of thing and and two things because they're utilizing Hunter in the same way that they did last season even more so he's he's blocking he's more successful and I know that in um I believe it was in a press conference. I think it was Henry that said himself that he'd been working on it.

Starting point is 00:20:49 Oh, Bill Belichick, I can't quote now, so I do apologise. Actually, both of them did. Hunter mentioned it. It was both of them. All right, OK. You're right. Yeah, they said that he'd been working on it. So I thought it was both of them.

Starting point is 00:21:00 So, yeah, he's been utilised much more in the way that we have seen hunter henry be utilized last season because that was successful and i think a lot of that does go back to as you as you said the fact that they've sort of almost reverted back to some of the offensive ways if you like that they used to i mean hunter he was in something like 90 percent 97 percent of the of the offensive plays of the game. And he did plenty of decent blocking, as you mentioned, in regards to what PFF has said. So, yeah, his skills in that regard are developing.

Starting point is 00:21:36 It's needed in regards to the sort of few weaknesses that we've seen on the offensive line that I know they're working on. I know the offensive line is clicking much better now that Cannon is in there, that sort of thing. But he's still being called upon to ascertain those blocks and he's been more successful in them. So that's great. That's a good positive that he's working on that. And maybe now the offence calling, play calling, playbook,

Starting point is 00:21:56 however you want to brand it as, has moved along and clicked to how to use Jono Smith as well, because it did sort of seem earlier in the season, the Patriots couldn't quite click on how they were going to use the Titans. If they used them in the way that sort of was successful for Hunter, it was very unsuccessful for Jono. And then likewise, when they sort of were trying to incorporate the way Jono Smith plays, they weren't very successful in utilising Hunter to the best of

Starting point is 00:22:25 his abilities, as one tight end may, you know, said once. So yeah, I think maybe that sort of, as time has gone on, as the offence has gone on, and it's evolved, and then maybe re-evolved, if you want to say, rather than reverted, re-evolved back into more successful ways. It's taken with it the fact that they sort of see how to utilize smith as we saw in the game and you know utilizing hunter the way that we've seen before the way that we know is successful so i think the key in that aspect is that re-evolvement of the offensive plays of the offensive use you know of the offensive usage of the two tight ends. So I'm just hoping that, I know we've already covered quarterbacks,

Starting point is 00:23:09 but I'm just hoping that if when they bring Mack back, when Mack does return to the offense, they don't then revert back to what was at the beginning and don't tend to utilize. I think if they continue the role that they've got going, if you like, I don't think it matters if it's Zappi in or if it's Mack in If they continue the role that they've got going, if you like, I don't think it matters if it's Zappi in or if it's Mack in because of the similarities of the way those two individuals play anyway. I think as long as they utilise the rollingness of the offence,

Starting point is 00:23:35 if they keep it going the way that they have, I think regardless of which QB is in, they can be successful in the way that they utilise the tight end. So I'm just sort of waiting, you know, just hoping and waiting for more. More tweets, more touchdowns, more tight end catches. I just love it, love it, love it. More tight endage. That's it.

Starting point is 00:23:53 More tight endage. Yes, more tight endage. Everybody's got zappy fever. Claire has got a fever. No. And the only prescription is Mahanta Henry and Jono Smith. I've got to have it. It's so true. It's good. Oh, Jono Smith. I've got to have it. It's so true.

Starting point is 00:24:07 It's good. Oh, we've let him do his. Oh, no. It's all gone to pot now. No, no, no. Nobody wants to hear my walk-in. Trust me. No, no, no.

Starting point is 00:24:15 I've already been told I talk too much as it is. If I start with these impressions, things could get really ugly in a hurry, folks. A lot more than they already are on this side of the camera. But in any case, I'm so glad that you mentioned reverting back because I don't think the Patriots are going to do that. I think they're on to something here. And I think they're on to something here in terms of utilizing these players to their strengths. And I think you articulated it perfectly. It's a back-to-basics approach by Matt Patricia. He's getting these guys involved, utilizing them for what they're great for. And Hunter Henry is someone that is a traditional wide tight end. He's got excellent route running skills, great ability to box out on the block. So these are the ways that you can use him effectively. Jonu is a red zone threat, but he can also be a middle-of-the-field threat like we saw on Sunday. Bailey Zappi's pass to him was right on the money. That's a 17-yard pass that John O. Smith turned into a 53-yard gain.

Starting point is 00:25:11 That's 36 yards after the catch. That's impressive. Even Hunter's touchdown was a short yardage gain that Hunter found the scene, basically found clear sailing to the end of the end zone. And that's not really something that happened by happenstance hunter picked up on that bailey read it perfectly these guys are in perfect sync right now as is uh you know um zappy with janu but janu and hunter both kind of hinted at this in post-game press conferences and remarks since this game saying that you know we're still

Starting point is 00:25:43 learning ourselves as an offense and we've been making improvements each and every week. It goes deeper than the quarterback position. And I think that's why you're going to see the tight ends get involved a little bit more, not just that, Claire, but also I think the fact that they're getting effective and they're getting competent blocking from their offensive line, something that didn't happen all the time last year. And John, who was press gagged into helping that area and he was helping out a lot especially someone even like a Nikhil Harry was going in and throwing blocks in the run game the Patriots don't need to utilize

Starting point is 00:26:15 a lot of their skill position players like that anymore because they've got guys like Michael Wayne who's doing an amazing job quietly having a phenomenal season over at the right guard position. And Marcus Cannon coming in and really, I think, stabilizing that line where Isaiah Wynn has struggled and he continues to struggle, folks. And Murph and I talked about that on Monday. But ultimately, I think because everyone else is playing their role, it's going to allow the tight ends to play their role. So fear not, Countess.

Starting point is 00:26:44 I don't think the tight ends are going anywhere. If anything, I think they're only going to get better, ends to play their role so fear not count us i don't think the tight ends are going anywhere if anything i think they're only going to get better whether mac is throwing on the ball or whether it continues to be zappy i think they're on to something regardless of who is the quarterback so good stuff when it comes to the tight endage folks and we're happy claire's happy and if claire is happy that means that her prognosticative prowess, I like that one, you like the alliteration, that is going to be at its peak because, folks, we're about to read the tea leaves a little bit in just a moment. We're about to get clairvoyant, and the clairvoyance is going to be flowing in just a moment when

Starting point is 00:27:18 we wrap up this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. But first, let me tell you a little bit about one of our great sponsors here on the Locked On Podcast Network, and they're our good friends at betonline.net, your number one source for your football betting information this season. You can find all the latest player developments, team matchups, news, podcasts, in-depth articles, and analysis on every game you can find. And as always, BetOnline remains your continued source for all of your sports wagering information and includes live betting and up to the minute scores for every

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Starting point is 00:28:04 So head over to BetOnline.net or use your mobile device to learn more. BetOnline, where the game starts. Patriots fans, the illustrious Claire Klazik. Claire Cooper joins me here today, as she always does each and every Wednesday on Locked On Patriots. And Claire, we've had a lot of fun

Starting point is 00:28:23 talking quarterbacks, tight endage, even broke out a little walk-in impression. It's been a good day so far. But our day is about to get even better, folks, because seeing that the Countess of Clas herself is such a prolific prognosticator, we introduced a new segment here last week on Locked On Patriots, and it was a rousing success. And I say that with every bit of sincerity.

Starting point is 00:28:46 That's right, folks. You've been waiting for it. It is here. It's time for a little clairvoyance. And you got to get some music or something like that to kind of beat this, you know, segment up a little bit. I'm working on it, folks. But bottom line, it is the wisdom and counsel.

Starting point is 00:29:02 It is the ability to see the future of my co-host here that makes the segment what it is the wisdom and counsel it is the the ability to see the future of my co-host here that makes the segment what it is last week claire was pretty wisdomous to lack of a better term not only did she predict the patriots 30 to 10 victory which was dangerously close to that 38 to 15 final we saw in cleveland she was right on the dime and predicting the Taekwon Thornton Jet Suite touchdown. So, once again, we ask you, the Countess of Klaas, to gaze into your crystal ball. Read the tea leaves, Countess, please, for the sake of all of us here in Patriots Nation. And let's take an early look at the Patriots Week 7 opponent, Monday Monday night football coming up against the Chicago Bears well I'm very displeased because I don't like these late games because with the five hour time difference I am very displeased with these these late games I mean I know obviously a lot of people

Starting point is 00:29:58 like them to be in prime time and I fully understand the kind of the commercial aspects of that for me it's hard going when it's like a one it's a 1am start and stuff like that so yes I will admit Monday Night Football I am displeased however we'll check the tea loose shall we folks but no in all seriousness I mean an early look at the Bears the one thing that kind of stands out is how a quarterback that they took that was kind of pitted to be fantastic. He was really clamoured for that kind of thing. Lots of people, lots of Patriots fans wanted him at the Patriots.

Starting point is 00:30:32 He's just really seemed to have struggled in his development. And the main thing that I can see is that he struggles to get rid of the ball. And unfortunately for him, that's something that the Patriots can definitely exploit and you know really work on force the turnovers in regards that they've got a good strong defense um Matthew Judon is a thing of quarterback nightmares as I wrote in my game recap for Pat's Propaganda so yeah he is definitely out there with Dietrich's wise I mean if you've got these two guys coming at you I mean you're going to get rid of the ball really quickly but it's going to be semi-unsuccessful so you know it's going to take a lot so I think that even though he is a good quarterback in

Starting point is 00:31:13 maybe not the best situation I mean the the Bears as people is this probably isn't news for people but I pulled up my PFF stats and stuff like that my ESPN stats um and the the Bears are ranked 31st overall at the moment uh Patriots are ranked 12th the defense 31st for the Bears and the offense 31st for the Bears so the Patriots are looking at 15th and 17th so you know they're middle of the of the pack kind of performance if you like so really on paper when you look at it if there was a blowout with the lions you'd really predict it doesn't take that it doesn't take the tea leaves to tell you folks that you know there's a good chance that it's going to be a kind of blowout it should be now will it be is another matter entirely because we're talking about the nfl and

Starting point is 00:32:02 nothing is predictable when it comes to the NFL really however a lot as a lot of people do believe I think this is a game that the Patriots can win regardless of who they've got in at quarterback if it's Zappi or if you know if Matt comes back that kind of thing I'm going should we let's just check let's just check for prediction have we got a prediction in here folks okay okay i'm not gonna i'm not gonna drag it out any any longer um i've got patriots 31 bears 9 31 to 9 who am i to argue with the tea leaves at this point folks i mean she has been right on the money this is is excellent. This is something that I think is definitely a good thing for the New

Starting point is 00:32:49 England Patriots. It's definitely a good thing for their fans. And, you know, if the Pats keep playing the way they've been playing, it's very hard to, you know, argue the contrary on this. I think New England right now is in a very good position to be able to build on some solid improvements they've made on both sides of the ball, folks. I know Claire and I have had a lot of fun talking about the offense, but the adjustments they've made on defense on this team and the emergence of players like Dietrich Wise and Kyle Duggar, who are absolutely playing all over the field, playing shutdown football.

Starting point is 00:33:22 The cornerbacks, you know, really, I cornerbacks you know really i mean you know jack jones marcus jones have done a great job of you know blending in with solid veterans like jonathan jones jalen mills it really really is a joy to watch this team on defense right now the last couple of weeks because they've shut down not only one but two of the top rushing teams in the nfl all right you want to give them a pass on Detroit I don't think so because I still think Jamal Williams is an excellent runner I know they were without DeAndre Swift but you can't say that about the Cleveland Browns they had Nick Chubb they had Kareem Hunt those guys were at full strength and the Patriots were able to shut them

Starting point is 00:34:01 down using a solid strategy and having guys like wise and uh matt judon come over and help out in the run game they're without lawrence guy doing this imagine when lawrence comes back he's healthy and ready to go so um i really i like what the tea leaves have to say keep those flowing claire because we love the clairvoyance and um you know we'll definitely be on the lookout and on the watch for uh you know some uh some big plays or something to uh to hang our hat on and something we can all tweet at claire on on monday night and keep her up past her bedtime as well so one more i reckon i i want a hunter henry touchdown but i foresee a Jonu Smith touchdown.

Starting point is 00:34:47 A Jonu Smith touchdown. Write it down, folks. She predicted Taequann Thornton last week. This week she's getting Jonu. The tea leaves have spoken. Claire has spoken. And the clairvoyance right now is about to leave us for the week. But at the same time, folks,

Starting point is 00:35:04 you will carry that clairvoyance into Monday night's game. And fear not, because here on Locked On Patriots, we are going to continue to break down the Patriots Monday night matchup with the Bears tomorrow. Crossover Thursday with Lauren Cox, host of Locked On Bears, going to be a real fun one. And to close out the week in style here on Locked On Patriots, our good friend and predecessor Mark Schofield drops by the pod and he's going to give his thoughts on the Chicago Bears. Bailey Zappi, Mac Jones, Justin Fields, you will not find a better expert in the world than my good friend Mark on quarterbacks. And we're going to talk a lot about the Pats and the Bears.

Starting point is 00:35:35 So please continue to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. And now that you've made us your first listen, please make your second listen. Our good friends over at Peacock and Williamson. They give you all the latest information on the NFL site-wide. And they do it in under 30 minutes. Definitely download, subscribe to, follow wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to download, subscribe to, and follow Locked on Patriots.

Starting point is 00:36:04 And smash that subscribe button on YouTube count us. It is always my honor. My humble pleasure for you to join me on the pod each and every week. Thank you for lending your wisdom and counsel the way only you can. And thank you for being an amazing guest here on locked on Patriots. We love having you and we can't wait to have you join us next week here for more tea, leave reading more clairvoyance, more tight endage, more everything.

Starting point is 00:36:29 We just can't wait. So in the meantime, folks, please continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. On behalf of the esteemed Countess of Clas herself, Claire Cooper, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone.

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