Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Thursday - New England Patriots vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week Four — 9/30/2021

Episode Date: October 1, 2021

It’s Crossover Thursday heading into Week Four of the the 2021 NFL Season. Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and David Harrison of Locked On Bucs as they preview this matchup between the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the return of Tom Brady from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro Massachusetts on Sunday, October 3.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.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. 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. Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Thursday, September 30th, 2021, and it's time to cross the streams Buccaneers style. Right here on your daily home for news notes and analysis, infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. And today's Crossover Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast is brought to you by RockAuto.com.

Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com today and tell them Locked On sent you. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this Thursday episode of the pod. And as it is throughout the entire Locked On podcast network, today is Crossover Thursday. And boy, have we got a highly anticipated crossover in store for you today. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots

for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL.

And while you're out there doing some Thursday traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, we are just mere days away from the most anticipated regular season game in Patriots history. Maybe the most anticipated regular season game in modern NFL history. Former Patriots quarterback, franchise legend Tom Brady brings his Buccaneer crew out of Tampa, which incidentally also includes former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, into the friendly confines of Foxborough, Massachusetts.

The Bucs prepare to storm Gillette Stadium as your New England Patriots load up the muskets and prepare to defend the wall here in New England. It is the Patriots hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday, 8.20 p.m., October 3rd, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. Patriots-Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football. And this one is going to be a hot ticket, no question about it. Aside from the wave of emotion we're all going to be feeling when we see Tom Brady take the Gillette Stadium field wearing a different uniform,

it's going to be a very good game on the field. After all, the Bucs are not defending Super Bowl champions for no reason. This is a team that is sound on offense, stout on defense, We'll be right back. not impossible. And today here on Locked On Patriots, it's time to cross the streams with our good friends over at Locked On Bucks. My good friend David Harrison, fellow colleague here at the Locked On Podcast Network, also fellow colleague at Sports Illustrated, joins me here today as one half of the hosting tandem of the Locked On Bucks podcast. David and I will break this one down from a Patriots perspective and from a Buccaneers

perspective, and we'll talk about the type of action you can expect to see on the field Sunday night when these two teams do battle. Like a scene out of Pirates of the Caribbean, the Buccaneers swords against the Patriot muskets. Crossing the streams, locked on Bucs and locked on Patriots, when this Crossover Thursday episode continues. Hello again, Patriots fans. This is Mike DeBate with an incredible app everyone who buys gas needs to know about. Get Upside.

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So don't delay, do it today. Download the free GetUpside app and use promo code touchdown to get up to 50 cents per gallon cash back on your first tank use the code touchdown when you download get upside locked on listeners if you did not have october 3rd this coming sunday circled on your calendars you might not be doing this whole NFL fandom thing correctly. Arguably the most anticipated regular season game in recent memory, the New England Patriots welcome back the prodigal son, or sons I should say, are a couple of returns coming on Sunday,

but they will be bringing the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Foxborough as the Bucs and the Patriots hook up on Sunday night football, 820 p.m. Sunday, October 3rd, Foxborough, Massachusetts. This is the definition of main event, folks. And here today on Locked On, it is Locked On Crossover Week. And, of course, Locked On Crossover Thursday means a visit from our good friends at Locked On Buccaneers. My name is Mike DeBate, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. And joining me as co-host of Locked On Buccaneers is my good friend, David Harrison. David, it's always my honor, always my pleasure to share the microphone with you on crossovers such as these, especially for this one.

Yeah, no, I appreciate you, my guest. Always great talking to you as well. And I mean, again, everybody would be lying if they didn't say this was a game that everybody was anticipating. And it's finally here. It's the week of. I know that we've got a lot of products getting ready to churn out for fans and for consumers of this type of content to, uh, to check out. And this was, you know, one of the crossovers this year, absolutely looking forward to for, for both reasons for, for both sides of this competition. Yeah. Without any question, uh, as the late great gorilla monsoon would say the time for the talk is just about over. And, uh, this has been one

that's been brewing since March 17th, 2020. We knew that Tom Brady eventually was going to come strolling back through the doors of Gillette Stadium wearing a different uniform. On that day, we weren't quite sure just yet. It was still a few days before we learned it would be wearing Tampa Bay colors. But at the same time, it's going to be a bittersweet moment for Patriots fans.

And also the return of Rob Gronkowski, another beloved New England Patriot. A lot of great contributions here to the franchise, arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history, certainly the greatest tight end in Patriots history. A lot of emotions on Patriots fan sides without any question about it. But I think what Patriots fans would like to hear from you today, David is how's life with Tom and Gronk down in Tampa treating you? Yeah, it's been great. I mean, you know, it's one of those things that when news starts to gather

that Tom Brady in Tampa is a potential reality. I mean, listen, going back to December of that season before, we pretty much knew that Jameis Winston wasn't going to be returning unless the Bucs just couldn't find another quarterback. and if you recall that offseason that was a year where there were there were several options kind of on the table either through straight up free agency or or through trading for a veteran quarterback or then even moving up for a rookie at the time so i mean there were a lot of options pretty much you know like james coming back and drafting a guy were pretty much the last two options and i think bringing back james coming back and drafting a guy were pretty much the last two options and i think

bringing back james was right above drafting a rookie because ba uh bruce harron just wasn't interested in starting over so you knew veteran was the way i thought they wanted to go by the end of it it was basically down to tom brady and teddy bridgewater and you know uh without getting into all the specific details basically teddy was kind of in a holding pattern say okay well let's see what tom does and if tom doesn't go to tampa uh you know it was uh i don't want to say it was for sure but it was most likely that teddy was going to end up in tampa um once everything was pretty much settled with tom he got the green light he ends up in carolina now he's doing good things for denver so things worked out for him uh you know not as well obviously but honestly like through january

and i think early february tom brady to tampa was kind of a pipe dream. But I kind of started talking to James over at Lockdown Bucks. I was like, honestly, man, when you look at the landscape, other than maybe geography, which at the time we didn't realize Florida was actually as attractive to him as it was. It was a lot of people assumed L.A. because of the whole Hollywood thing. And that makes a lot of sense, you know. But looking at rosters, like if you're looking for the opportunity to continue to win, you're looking for a situation where you come in and you have weapons uh that new england wasn't able for one reason or another to provide then tampa really seemed like a good fit and obviously he agreed and then

you know the brady effect on media the brady effect on players i mean it just it was instantaneous because i mean uh we you know we've been trying to give guys like chris godwin all kinds of burn from the from really the day they entered the NFL, and it just really didn't catch on outside of the Tampa media circuit. But as soon as Tom Brady hits ground, everybody, Lamonte, David, Chris Godwin, there wasn't a Buccaneer that wasn't on ESPN or NFL Network at a given time. So it's been a crazy ride. And then to watch the team kind of circle around him during the season and go through some of the

struggles and the trials and tribulation really it's it's been nice to watch the Buccaneers fan base go from a group that kind of puts the L button you know on top of a game as early as the first quarter if something goes wrong to being a fan base that even last week against the Los Angeles Rams it's like oh you know there's nine minutes you're down 17 yeah Tom could do this time to pull this out you know what i mean it's it's nice to see that optimism even though it you know obviously didn't happen it's not always going to happen but it's nice to see a fan base kind of turn that different that different color from time to time um and you know gonna ride that ship as long as we can because i know patriots fans are looking forward to getting back to those days uh and i mean've got a good young quarterback yourself.

Talking to Pats fans, it's a feeling that you guys aren't unused to. In your media circle, Mike, I'm sure that you're not unused to all those things. It might actually seem a little quieter for you these days with Tom out of there. It's been a trip. It's been a lot of fun. Looking forward to doing it for as long as Tom will play,

which apparently is another five, six seasons. So we've got some time. Yeah. I mean, Bill Belichick was asked about that this morning about whether or not he was surprised by the prowess that Tom continues to show. And Bill Belichick basically said, very honestly, I'm not surprised by anything Tom does. He's a great player. He's takes good care of himself. He plays hard, plays the right way. And he's talked about playing until he's 50. And if anybody can do it, it's him. And I completely agree with that. Having the opportunity to have covered Tom Brady up here in New England was truly one of the greatest honors I'll ever have professionally. He was always the height of professionalism, but he was always amazing to cover. He always had you on the edge of your seat. And you mentioned being down in the fourth quarter,

being down in the third quarter, and always having that mentality that Tom's going to pull this out. He can do this. He can keep you in a game. Believe me, 28-3 is not just a punchline up here in New England. It really gave people so much,

I don't want to say, well, I will say it, optimism in every situation that allowed Patriots fans to believe that they were never truly out of a game. And it wasn't just that moment. That moment really solidified it for everyone. But you can go back to the first Super Bowl that the Patriots won and John Madden telling everyone that Tom Brady should take a knee. He led the team down, got them in the field goal range and did it on the biggest stage in what was essentially his rookie season. I know he had a clipboard year in 2000, but for him to do what he did that season was truly remarkable and something Patriots fans do miss. They still feel it. There's still an element

of Patriots fans. Every time you watch a game, and I hear this a lot from our fan base, there's still that element of when they're down. Yeah, they can still pull this out because there's still that specter of TV 12 that hangs over Gillette stadium. And who knows, maybe Mac now can assume that, but he's still very young and I think it's a lot to put on his shoulders. So, um, we know that life has been exciting down in Tampa, David. Uh, we know that the super bowl championship last season, the champagne still tastes good. Even the following few days, there's no question about it. We know that very well here in New England, and it will continue to, as it should. It was an exciting season. But on the field, Tom Brady has really changed the complexity of the way this team does business

on the field. There's still elements of the running game that are squarely on the shoulders of Bruce Arians, and that's something that obviously is there. But the passing game is something that Tom Brady has brought. And Belichick actually did describe this a little bit earlier when we spoke to him in the media today and said that there are times where he's able to look at things and you almost know the play that's coming because it's very similar to what Tom did here in New England. that there are times where he's able to look at things and you almost know the play that's coming

because it's very similar to what tom did here in new england you could almost call everyone from the flare control to the protection very similar to the way the patriots have done it i will say this though it's one thing to know what's coming it's another thing to stop it and very few people if any have been able to stop tom brady How much has that confidence exuded into the rest of the Buccaneers' offense with TB12 calling the signals? Yeah, I mean, it's huge. You can kind of see it in the calmness, even after, say, a mistake. That's sometimes where it almost kind of shows more,

is that when there's a mistake, you used to see this Buccaneers team kind of stroll off to the side of the field and kind of hang their heads. And, you know, you'd see, you know, quarterbacks and leaders of the team trying to hype everybody back up. It's okay. Let's learn from our mistakes. Let's get back out there. You know, but you kind of always got the sense that it wasn't, you know, there just wasn't a lively group of guys sitting on the sideline over there and the defense would come on the field.

And oftentimes it was, it was almost like a, here we go again, type of, of mentality. But now, you know, kind of with the evolution of this team, with what they've gone through, I mean, you see players out there, you know, you'll see a guy like Chris Godwin fumble the ball on the two-yard line, and, you know, he runs off the side of the field. He doesn't hang his head. His head is up. He's coming to the sideline. You know, the coaches talk. The players talk. They get to the bench. And there's no real down kind of look on the face or the emotion from the player outside the immediate reaction.

You know what I mean? And then when they get on the field, you watch the route running and you watch the execution of the play and everything else. And those players are itching for the opportunity to go out there and make it right instead of almost itching for the opportunity to not be put in another position to make another mistake and then the defense goes on the field and says look you know that this is our turn it's almost like a like an opportunity like hey look uh the tom brady led offense made a mistake guys let's go out there and pick them up so that we can have our moments kind of show everybody and that's what i think you saw during the playoffs a lot uh and during the super bowl is one there were some there were some drops and i didn't mention chris godwin specifically for a

reason uh didn't have the Godwin specifically for a reason, didn't have the greatest postseason run in NFL history or anything like that, did have some uncharacteristic mistakes. And then some of those things led to situations where the defense had to kind of clamp down. You even go back to that game against the New Orleans Saints, it was really the defense that kind of finally snuffed the life out of the Saints in that playoff game and then against the Green Bay Packers. I mean, that's a game where a you know, a lot of people remember it

as a Buccaneers win and there's some big plays, but it's really a relatively close game when it all comes down to it and outside of a Matt LaFleur coaching decision and a couple of defensive stops for the Buccaneers in the second half, that's a much tighter game than I think people realize. And then the Kansas City Chiefs. I mean, if you're as a defense, if opposing fan bases are going out there taking credit away from Tom Brady because he was carried by his defense, that's something that I mean, you can kind of hang your hat on.

So having a quarterback over there on the other side of the field, it's almost like a lot of people would expect people to say, oh, you know, we can we can accept the mistakes. We can relax a little bit because Tom's got us if we need them. But instead, what it's really done is kind of made the defense want to step up even more to to make sure they get some credit even though tom is on the other side of the ball and then on the offensive side just kind of that mentality of despite my mistakes despite my deficiencies i'm going to go ahead and be a playmaker for this team and that really i mean you go back to tom being benched in michigan that's always been the mentality he's carried that's the chip he's carried on his shoulders since before he joined the NFL. And then all everybody did, honestly, including Bill Belichick, did by drafting him in the sixth round was just make that chip even bigger.

And that's why it's still there all these years later with, you know, seven Super Bowl titles and everything else, almost 600 passing touchdowns in his career. He's still, you know, in my eyes, I tell people this all the time. He's still that you know, in my eyes, I tell people this all the time, he's still that six-round draft pick. He's still that guy that got benched in Michigan, and he's still out there looking to prove every single person wrong for what they said, and he's not going to stop until, you know, in my opinion, if he has the option, he's not going to stop until everybody who passed on him in the NFL draft has retired so that their careers end before his does, and I think that includes Bill Belichick. It may. It very well may, and look, there's no question about it. When Tom puts his mind to something, he's able to accomplish it, whether

it be individual feats, and he's going to accomplish one this weekend in breaking Drew Brees' record, which I don't think could have been scripted any better. I don't think a Hollywood script could have been written that would have allowed a better scenario than for Tom Brady to come in and break a revered record against his former team, against his former coach in the stadium he helped build. It really is an amazing story. Just one of the amazing stories that we're going to be covering this weekend and not for anything. And I say this with every bit of reverence for Tom Brady, because there's very few, if any, that respect Tom more than I do in terms of New

England media fans. I've been very vocal about my affection for Tom and that'll always continue, but it's not going to be just about Tom Brady this weekend. The Buccaneers have a very formidable team on both sides of the ball. And once again, we asked Bill Belichick today about Todd Bowles' defensive schemes with Tampa Bay. And folks, this is a very solid defense. Patriots fans know it well. They've studied Tampa, kind of like New England South in a lot of ways. I think a lot of people have kept their sharp eye on Tampa Bay. And you know that from the Dominicans, Sue and William Golston at the defensive ends to Vida Vea, the nose tackle, Jason Pierre-Paul, Devin White. You mentioned Levante David, Shaquille Barrett.

I'm already tired from mentioning the amount of talent that they have. I haven't even gone into the secondary, which now is sporting a player that Patriots fans know very well in Richard Sherman. And Bill Belichick was very effusive in his praise for Todd Ball's defensive scheme, saying that you guys down in Tampa mix it up. You do enough to keep your opponents off balance. When you get into your base defense, there's a lot of rush. They add in the defensive backs. They play a variety of zones, mix in some man, some pressures.

In other words, they do enough to keep you honest. David, when you look at this defense and how the patriots are situated on offense what are you looking for on the field this sunday i'm looking for a a much better performance than we've seen so far from the buccaneers defense i say that with a pretty significant grain of salt so i mean really every single week uh this this season there's been a significantly different defense on the field than what we've seen the week prior. And, you know, and that kind of goes for every single team. Every team, you know, deals with injuries and players in this time.

But, you know, just coming in from week one, I mean, early in the week one game in South Cowboys, the Buccaneers, you know, they're already without their starting strong safety. Then they lose their number two corner and their starting nickel. So, I mean, I know not only is Sean Murphy bunting their number two outside guy, but he's also their number one inside guy. So you almost lose two players in one injury with the loss of Sean Murphy bunting. Then you go to week two and Jamel Dean is back, but now you have the readjustment to now, or not Jamel Dean,

Jordan Whitehead, the safety is back. But now Jamel Dean is playing on the outside, and they've got to figure out a new starting nickel, and whether that's going to be Mike Edwards, Ross Ross Cockrell and guys getting used to an entirely new uh system and new way of playing then they go to the Rams game and you're missing your most experienced off-ball linebacker and Kevin Minter a team captain uh Jamel Dean now goes down so now you're without your second and your third uh outside cornerbacks and you're still without your starting nickel and it's just it's it's kind of just one thing after another for this defense.

And when you look at the secondary specific, that's the youngest part of this defense. It's the most inexperienced part of the group, and that's where they're most vulnerable. That's where they've always been most vulnerable, even going back to last season. That wasn't a secret. You look at Tyree Kill and what the Kansas City Chiefs did

in that game against the Buccaneers. You look at how the Saints defeated the Buccaneers both their games the key to scoring against that defense is and always will be avoiding the pass rush and getting to that secondary how do you do that well that depends on your team and what most teams are doing 2021 is they're trying to get the ball out faster that's where you enter richard sherman a very intelligent savvy veteran who knows how to play aggressively but intelligently so when people are trying to throw the ball get it out quick he's the kind of guy and he's at the length and he's still got enough short area quickness uh even in his veteran days that when you try to do those kinds of things uh he's gonna he's gonna be able to take advantage of them so you know i've been telling bucks fans

you know all week uh that you know giving up 34 points when you're missing your top two or two of your top three corners and you're missing your most experienced inside linebacker and one of the team uh defensive captains you know giving up 34 points to matt stafford and everything they have everything they have in los angeles isn't the worst case scenario and a lot of teams would do a lot worse missing the same pieces of their defense but that being said they should be coming into this game a little bit healthier richard sherman we don't expect to play uh jamelle dean is practicing so potentially he's going to play even though he had that injury last week, Kevin Minter is now back, and this group has another week.

This will be the first time that their defense almost comes into this game healthier and more equipped to handle their opponent than actually less equipped like they have been the entire rest of the season. And again, that mystique. Everybody's talking about Tom Brady against the Patriots and Tom Brady returning to New England. It's all on the offensive side of the ball for the Buccaneers. This defense wants to come out there and show on Sunday night football that,

hey, you guys didn't talk about us all week and we deserve some press. So this is a team that this is a unit on the defense that's looking to make something happen. And they got a rookie quarterback on the other side of the line of scrimmage that they're going to try to confuse. They're going to try to put pressure on. I'm telling you right now, you're going to see at least two DBs blitz several times against Mac Jones. And if he's not ready for it, it's going to go to put pressure on. I'm telling you right now, you're going to see at least two DBs blitz

several times against Mac Jones, and if he's not ready for it, it's going to go really, really bad. That's how Mike Edwards got two pick sixes against the Atlanta Falcons. So Taubo is going to be bringing that against Mac Jones, and it's really going to test his ability to read the field and react to what they bring him. Absolutely, and for an offense that has been under constant pressure, that is definitely a great piece of information, And I think you're right on the money. Wouldn't it be amazing if all of the offensive, I guess the best way to put it, David, is all of the offensive publicity that is being heaped on Tom Brady and the Buccaneers offense going up against the Patriots defense and Bill Belichick, the defensive mastermind.

Wouldn't it be amazing if we were talking about Monday morning, how this one came down to the Tampa Bay defense and the New England offense and those two units really being the two that had the greatest battles on the field on Sunday night. Stranger things have happened. I'm not saying it's going to happen, folks, but it is possible. David, you've provided a great amount of insight when it comes to the defending Super Bowl champions. But this wouldn't exactly be a true crossover unless we flip the script and you put me on the hot seat. In just a moment, folks, David Harrison, co-host of Locked on Bucks, will take over the command.

I like that. That sounded pretty piratey. He'll take over the command and seek my wisdom and counsel on all things New England Patriots when this Locked On Crossover Thursday continues. Locked On listeners, we're back and better than ever. All eyes are on the gridiron as teams are back to start another football season. As always, BetOnline is your number one spot for all the pro and college football action this season. With a new updated site and interface, even more odds, props, and contests, BetOnline.ag continues to be the number one source for everything football. Head to the website or use your mobile device to sign up today to receive your 100% welcome bonus.

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RockAuto.com He is Mike DeBate. I am David Harrison, both of us of the Locked On Podcast Network. I host Locked On Bucks. He hosts Locked On Patriots. On Twitter you can find us at MDebateNFL. That's M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. I'm at DHarrison82. And Mike, not only that, but editor of Patriots Maven for Sports Illustrated.

I recently joined the Sports Illustrated family of websites. So happy to be a part of that group and looking at guys like you and then other people like Patricia Trena as well, Locked on Giants, as an example for how to conduct myself under the flagship. So a huge matchup like we've already been talking about, and obviously quarterback is going to be the main focus of this whole conversation. But I want to start it off with Mac Jones, and just because Tom Brady's going to get all kinds of love, all kinds of press.

But listen, Mac is doing some good things out there in New England. You know that. I don't have to tell you that. Granted, they're 1-2. Not a great game against the New Orleans Saints recently, but, I mean, you look at a lot of rookie quarterbacks and the amount that they're putting on Mack. He hasn't had a 300-yard passing game yet. I'm sure that's probably coming.

I don't know if it'll be this weekend. But going back to draft season, Mack was one of my favorite quarterbacks here, and I was kind of in that camp of people are taking a little bit away from Mack Jones and that Alabama success versus giving him too much credit or giving the other weapons in that camp of people are taking a little bit away from Mac Jones in that Alabama success versus, you know, giving him too much credit or giving the other weapons and the offensive line too much credit there back in his college days.

I looked at him as the second quarterback that I would take if I were an NFL team looking for a rookie to start this season behind Trevor Lawrence. So to see Mac Jones doing well, and, and honestly it could be kind of a Jay Cutler situation. People will forget that, you know, going back to that year's draft class,

Matt Leinart and Vince Young go ahead of Jay Cutler. But Jay Cutler actually ends up having the most successful NFL career out of all three of them. Granted, not a Hall of Famer by any means either. But I really like Mac. I like what he's been able to do to a certain extent, kind of putting it in that rookie light. How do you feel that Mac has done for the Patriots so far?

And, I mean, as much as you can after three games, how does the future look with your new quarterback? Oh, I think the future is bright in New England for their new rookie quarterback. Look, when Mac was selected number 15 overall, and I'm with you, I was one of the very few you remember in the chat rooms when we were doing our ultimate division crossover here on the Locked On Podcast Network. When I chose Mac Jones at number 15 overall, I got some laughter in that room. A lot of people did not like that decision and didn't think that it was warranted or didn't think that it would actually happen. And people mostly figured that, well, this is just the case of the best player available

or doing it for publicity. But there was a valid reason for it. And that is Mac Jones is at his best when operating the type of offense that the New England Patriots want to run. A timing-based offense predicated on quick, accurate throws where only the receiver can get them and being able to deliver the ball quickly and accurately and reading the pre-snap, you know, very quickly as well. Mac did that so well during training camp. It's one of the big reasons why he beat out Cam Newton for the starting job. The problem is, David, is up until this point, Mac has been under constant duress. He's been pressured on his dropbacks just Sunday alone against the

New Orleans Saints, pressured on 17 of his dropbacks and was hit 11 times, taking two sacks. If you're any quarterback, that is going to throw you off of your game, that's going to make it impossible for you to develop the type of rhythm that you can have in order to adequately lead an offense. Unfortunately, Mack hasn't had that. Now, some of that has been due to right tackle Trent Brown being out of the lineup. He's been nursing a calf injury for the last really three games. He left very early in game one against the Miami Dolphins. Hasn't played in a game setting since, and the Patriots have paid the price for it.

Justin Heron, Yasser Durant have come in. They've tried to do what they can to anchor that right tackle position, but they've had difficulties. They've been beaten very easily, and as a result, the left side of the line, Isaiah Wynn's been letting up more pressures than he's used to because of that David Andrews has been kind of trying to play in a couple of positions and compensate for some of that and it's been difficult the Patriots offensive line has not quite lived up to the expectation that a lot of people had for it which was a top

five unit in the NFL. With Trent Brown back, and we don't know whether or not he's going to play this week yet, but he is out on the practice field this week, so we're hopeful that he will be able to go. But if that's not the case and he's going to have difficulty, you mentioned this in the last segment, that Tampa Bay defense is going to be licking their chops about the opportunities they're going to have to put pressure on Mac Jones. Line up, use the safeties, bring the blitz,

do what you need to do to keep him off balance, and that would be the key to victory. If Mac is going to be successful, he has to get the ball out of his hands quickly. He has to be able to read the opposing team's defense, but he also has to utilize his weapons in every aspect of the field. Don't become too reliant on the running game. Don't become too conservative. Maybe take a chance or two against this Tampa Bay defense. Keep them a little bit off guard in terms of what you may be able to do. That's going to be a tall task, but Mack has shown a poise and an ability beyond his years to rise to the occasion. I don't think the moment's going to be too big for him.

Ultimately, it's going to be a tough road for him. But the future is really where Mac Jones is going to shine. And in my opinion, the future is pretty bright in New England. Yeah, I like what you said there. I don't think I think the Rams, the Rams and the Cowboys have all kind of shown that your best chances against his Buccaneers defense is to come out swinging. You know what I mean? Like you can't you can't come out playing defense on offense, trying to just keep them from making plays and expect to make plays yourself.

You got to go out there and you got to give yourself your best chance to make a play. And I guess kind of hope for the best. It's not really a great offensive game plan, but that's kind of where where you are sometimes with this Buccaneers defense. And look, they've got three sacks through three games. Last year, this time, they had eight sacks through three games. So they're definitely looking to get back on track. But they also got, I think, if my memory serves, they have 16 hits on quarterbacks through three games outside of those three sacks, whereas last year they only had like seven.

So they're hitting the quarterback. They're just not sacking the quarterback. So Mack definitely in for a challenge. But let's get to the storyline. We danced around it enough, and I know that's my fault but obviously tom brady coming back to new england rob bronkowski coming back to me to new england even a little bit of antonio brown coming back to new england uh i mean what's the atmosphere around you know uh the patriots uh right now and i mean even the media room like a lot of you guys covered tom brady and rob for a really long time

what's the what's the atmosphere with you guys out there and doing your thing and then the fan base especially? Well, it's interesting. There's a lot of anticipation to see Tom come back. Obviously, the enormity of the story is going to continue to be the prevailing theme up here in New England, and it has been all week long. What's going to happen when Brady comes back in?

How emotional are the fans going to be? Is he going to hear boos comes back in how emotional are the fans going to be are is he going to hear boos and smattered in with some of the cheers what's going to happen during the game how is that going to react is Tom going to let his emotions get the best of him spoiler alert folks Tom never lets his emotions get the best of him but at least not negatively and you know how is Rob going to be able to handle this? There's an awful lot on the shoulders of both of these guys as they come back to the franchise that really put them on the map in both cases. And you can make the argument that they're equally as responsible for helping to put the franchise on the map. Certainly Tom Brady, and almost certainly with Rob Gronkowski. I put him up there in the top echelon of New England Patriots during this dynasty era of guys that really will be the indelible face of the franchise for many years to come.

But ultimately, it's going to be about the game itself. And I think now that a lot of the stories are being filtered through, you're starting to see at least media circles that I'm running in focus on the game focus on exactly what we can expect to see on the field and Tom is someone that never lets the moment get too big for him he never has so that's why I said earlier spoiler alert he's not going to let his emotions get the best of him he's going to be ready to uh to play this game now at the same time he's going to be going against a coach that knows him better than anyone else he's ever played against and i don't think that's a stretch of the imagination to say that bill said it earlier he knows what brady is going to do and what his tendencies are tom has

said multiple times this week i know what they're going to do i know what's being said in that room i know how they're going to prepare for me so it's going to be the ultimate chess match between these two to see who gets the upper hand and ultimately I can't wait to see it to me it's a toss-up and it's going to be a fun one to watch but there is definitely much more positive much much more positive feelings toward Tom Brady than any negative I've seen very very few negatives up here he's still beloved in this region and he always will be yeah i'm good friends with a few patriots fans and then all of them kind of say the same thing that they're a pats and a tom brady fan and uh so they they're really not gonna lose in this game either way uh they're just excited to see tom you know back in new england even if it is an opposing uniform it's it's gonna be interesting i'm i'm curious to hear you know the crowd i mean

uh not for another but nobody's attending that game for cheap. You know what I mean? Like everybody paid a pretty penny to attend that game for a reason. And so I anticipate he's going to get some love. I don't know. But it's going to be interesting to hear because even, you know, when players return, usually sometimes it's like in the beginning, they get a little bit of love and all that stuff.

But then as the game goes on, you know, the fan, the fandom kind of takes over. It's like, all right, you're on the other team. Now I'm not cheering for you. But I almost kind of wonder, like, if if i don't know like if if if tom and grog cook up for a touchdown during the game i don't like it might sound like a home game in there with all the past fans it'll it'll be interesting it's going to be fun i don't have nothing i don't think it's anything really you know you can compare other greats returning to

their teams but i don't think the nfl has ever seen anything uh quite like this one um but let's give the defense some love right we talked about the Buccaneers defense getting some love. Let's talk about the Pats defense. The Buccaneers coming into last week against the Rams had nine straight games, scoring 30 points or more, 10 straight games that they had won going back to last regular season. And the Rams undid both of them. They held them under 30 points for the first time, like I said, after nine games, and then broke that winning streak as well.

What are the chances you have the Patriots keeping them one under 30 points and then keeping this game to where Mac Jones and that offense can win coming off of a 13 point performance against New Orleans Saints? I don't know how high optimism is, but what does this defense bring that maybe you saw the Rams doing it's a Buccaneers that helped them be so successful in week three? Well, one thing the Patriots defense can do is mix it up when it comes to looks and exotic looks and bringing pressure from the left side. We all know from Tom Brady's extensive history, the only way that you can attempt to try to throw him off is to bring pressure from his blind side. And that's something that the Giants were able to do in those years. That's something that, you know, the Chiefs have tried to replicate. That's something that we've seen the Packers try to do and teams that have had successes against Brady. And there haven't been many of the books, but there have been teams that have given him difficulty. The Broncos, obviously,

that's what exactly what you have to do. So the Patriots are going to attempt to do that. Now, what does that mean? That means probably a heavy dose of the linebackers and the Patriots are going to attempt to do that. Now, what does that mean? That means probably a heavy dose of the linebackers, and the Patriots do have versatile linebackers that can rush the passer and drop back into coverage. Not completely sure about the status of Juwan Bentley for this game. He has actually been one of their better coverage, versatile linebackers in getting to the quarterback and then dropping back into coverage. He's nursing an undisclosed injury right now.

We're still awaiting at the time that we're talking the first injury report that could be telltale to see what might be an option for him there as well. But Matt Judon has been everything as advertised without any question about it. The dynamic that he's brought to this team and the ability that he's been able to provide in that that pass rush and also the run defense has been excellent. He really, I think he's had the opportunity to be their top defender on nearly every snap. And it's not something that is by happenstance. This is by design. Judon can get to the quarterback.

Two and a half sacks last week, two tackles for a loss, three quarterback hits. The only one to consistently put pressure on jamis winston so he's going to be looked for to have a big game kyle van noy now all of a sudden becomes uh very powerful as well because in the patriots three four set he's that linebacker that comes up and acts as that second defensive end and tries to get after the quarterback so this is what i expect the Patriots to do. Easier said than done. If Tom Brady has time and his offensive line can give him the time, this is a Patriots secondary right now that has difficulty on the outside, especially the outside corners

beyond JC Jackson. JC will probably be matched up probably against the top target. I look for him to be on Evans or I look for for him to be on godwin but rob gronkowski is going to be a very difficult cover for this secondary and you know the receivers that they have such as antonio brown you know different weapons that this team has can get some separation from some of the outside corners namely guys like jalen mills and joan williams if they struggle in this game it's going to be a long day for the Patriots defense because Tom can carve up a secondary. We've seen him do it for years, whether it be in New England

or whether it be in Tampa. You can make the argument there's nobody better at being able to do it. Yeah, absolutely, and a lot of weapons to deal with there. Mike Evans coming off his first 100-yard game of the season, went from 25 to 76 to 100 and just keeps going up. If that pace continues, he's looking for 125-plus. And then Chris Godwin last week with some solid catches and yards and then a rushing touchdown, his first of the career.

So, obviously, a lot of versatility on that side of the ball for the Patriots' defense to match up against. And that kind of leads me to my final question, Mike. We know some of these names. Some of the guys you talked about, Matt Jud i think you know it's a very popular name i know nikhil harry returned to practice uh on on wednesday i'm not sure how big of an impact he's gonna have mac jones is obviously somebody not that everybody knows but who's who's a patriot that you're looking for uh listen last week sosa cremenja's you know dug down in his in his bag of

tricks and pulled out to sean jackson who had less than a dozen snaps with the Rams offense up to that point, and picked him as the player to watch for the Rams there to face the Bucs. And he exploded all over his former team in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. So who do you have your eye on in this matchup, offense or defense? Does it matter whether you think could have a big day and help the Patriots be competitive in this game? Well, obviously, if the Patriots are going to be competitive, they're going to have to put the ball into the end zone because, you know, Tom Brady and the Buccaneers are going

to get their points even against a defense that could give them some type of exotic looks or some type of difficulty being the prowess that is Bill Belichick. But the Patriots need to execute in the red zone. Guys that I look for to have a big game, I would probably say the two tight ends that the Patriots have brought in to be those effective weapons, whether it be John O'Smith or Hunter Henry, one of them, or if not both need to have a pretty good game on Sunday in order to give the Patriots that element in the red zone to be able to put the ball into the end zone. They're lucky enough to get into the red zone several times against Tampa Bay. They need to utilize these guys. And one of them needs to

step up, if not both. But the guy I'm looking at right now is probably going to be Nelson Aguilar. And Kendrick Bourne had an amazing game on Sunday, one of the very few bright spots for the New England Patriots. But like we talked about earlier, David, if the Patriots are going to be successful, they need to start taking some deep shots down the field i know patriots fans and some patriots media listening to this are going to roll their eyes and say yeah how did that work out last week they didn't connect on them but eventually these need to connect and if you're going to take your shots it's got to be against the tampa bay secondary as good as it is it right now is the opportunity that the patriots may have to catch tampa off guard and maybe put some points on the board so if they're going to take deep shots down the field agalor is going opportunity that the Patriots may have to catch Tampa off guard and maybe put some points

on the board so if they're going to take deep shots down the field Aguilar's got to be the target and he's got a good synergy with Mac Jones so look for that connection if they falter going to be a long day for the New England Patriots offense yeah I mean and listen for any past fans or past media out there rolling their eyes about that take listen I'll double down on that I'll tell you right now the New England Patriots come out and say well it didn't really work last week so let's not take the deep shots this week against the Buccaneers defense you're only playing into Todd Bowles's hands trust me you need to take those deep shots even if they don't hit you just need to spread them out to keep them honest and keep Antoine Winfield uh back there in the deep end of the

field or else you're gonna have a whole mess of problems uh on your hands they're in the box with the Tampa Bay Bucs defense so yeah perfect take and Nelson Aguilar I was I was thinking I was like Mike's gonna say either Nelson Aguilar or he's gonna say Johnny Smith those were those were the two guys I was going back for so so you basically said them both uh so we're definitely on the same page there again uh Mike debate host a lot on Patriots podcast editor of Patriots Maven for Sports Illustrated Patriots expert so again Bucs fans if you want to be an expert on your team, you got to know the enemy. Mike is the guy to go get all that enemy intel from. Find him at both those publications and on Twitter,

at MikeDebate, that's M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. Mike, appreciate you, brother. Look forward to our next conversation. Not sure when that's going to be, but I look forward to our next conversation whenever that is. And, you know, good luck this weekend. Enjoy the festivities, brother. I wish i could be

there it's definitely one of the games i had circled on my schedule but unfortunately my schedule is preventing me from going so uh enjoy the festivities man enjoy the moment uh and then uh good luck and and kudos to all the reads and the listens you're about to get following this will do and um always my honor always my pleasure to join you here on the mic. Wish you could be joining me up in Foxborough for this one on Sunday. But in the meantime, my friends, stay safe, stay well. And we'll definitely hook up at

some point for another crossover, even if it's just to talk some more Rob and some more Tom and some more Bucks Patriots drama, because you know it's just starting. But no, this one's going to be a great one, and I really hope it lives up to all of the billing. I have a funny feeling it will, but, you know, we just live in hope.

We just hope for a good game on Sunday. Absolutely. Thanks, Mike. Thank you, David. Just like that, Patriots fans, another crossover Thursday in the books. But fear not, because there is still plenty of Patriots Bucks coverage here to come on Locked on Patriots. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action,

download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked on Patriots podcast on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots as your first listen of the day. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend David Harrison, host of the Locked On Bucks podcast, for helping

me to cross the streams here on this Crossover Thursday episode. But most importantly, I thank each and every one of you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.