Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Thursday: Patriots, Dolphins Set to Open 2020 NFL Season - 9/10/2020

Episode Date: September 10, 2020

It’s Crossover Thursday! The 2020 NFL Season is about to begin. Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Kyle Crabbs of Locked On Dolphins as they preview the season opener between the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Sunday, September 13th.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.ManscapedGo to Manscaped.com and use code LOCKED to get 20% Off and Free Shipping. Manscaped is #1 in men’s below the belt grooming and offers precision-engineered tools for your family jewels.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get $10 off your first order.cbdMdRight now you can try the amazing duo of CBD Freeze and CBD Recover topicals and everything else cbdMd has to offer. They’re offering all our listeners 25% OFF your next order at cbdmd.comwhen you use the promo code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.MyBookieINVEST IN YOUR INTUITION. USE PROMO CODE LOCKEDON AND DOUBLE YOUR FIRST DEPOSIT. NEW PLAYERS GET UP TO $1,000 IN FREE PLAY - DESIGNED TO ADD MORE EXCITEMENT TO THE SPORTS YOU LOVE AND THE GAMES YOU BET. YOUR WINNING SEASON BEGINS TODAY...ONLY AT MYBOOKIE! 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 into the Locked On Patriots podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Today is Thursday, September 10th, 2020, and that means only one thing, folks. Football is back. The 2020 NFL season kicks off tonight, and this season. Get football on your time with NFL Game Pass.

See all the action from every game with full game replays. You can also replay an entire game and catch all of the plays in just 45 minutes with condensed games. Go to NFL.com slash Game Pass to start your free trial today. NFL Game Pass, where football never stops. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation. My name is Mike DeBate, 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, comments, and feedback always welcomed here on Locked on Patriots. Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. 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 L-O underscore Patriots. At long last, the day we've all been waiting for has arrived. As NFL football fans, we've been waiting for the opening of the 2020 regular season. And at some points throughout the year, folks, it looked like it might never happen.

Well, it's happening tonight. The defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the Houston Texans. And even though your beloved New England Patriots will not be opening the season until this Sunday, there is still a great deal of anticipation for tonight's game. After all, the Chiefs are beginning their quest to defend their Super Bowl title. Here in New England, we know a thing or two about that. Within the past two decades, the Patriots have attempted to do so six times. And they know how it feels to have 31 other NFL teams vying for what they currently have. And unlike last year when the Patriots were defending Super Bowl champions,

this year they are one of those 31, vying for what would be their seventh Lombardi trophy. And the Patriots will commence that quest this Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, 1 p.m. Eastern, as they host the Miami Dolphins. And if it's game week, you know what that means here on the Locked On Podcast Network, the return of the crossover. And joining me here today on this crossover Thursday is Kyle Krebs, host of the Locked On Dolphins Podcast. And I'm sure that most, if not all of you, know Kyle's great work covering the Dolphins

and also the great work that he does with the DraftNetwork.com. And today Kyle and I will be discussing what you can expect to see from both teams on both sides of the ball when these two division rivals hook up on Sunday afternoon. Each of us will make the case as to why the two teams that split their season series last year in 2019 are much different than the products that we'll see on the field in 2020. Is there a little Fitzmagic in store in the Foxborough Sun this Sunday afternoon, or will Cam usher in the Newton era here in New England with a victory? Of course, you know I'll do my best to lend a little New England wisdom and counsel to all those down in South Beach, and when it comes to Miami Dolphins insight and analysis, Kyle is second to none. It's my honor to share the microphone with him

to kick off the crossover series here on the Locked On Podcast Network, and both Kyle and I hope that listening to today's podcast, even if it's possible, gets you even more excited for this divisional matchup between the Pats and the Finns. But before Kyle joins me here on the crossover hot seat, there were some newsworthy notes shared from Foxborough yesterday, and it started with some movement on the practice squad. Yesterday afternoon, the Patriots announced that they had signed offensive lineman Corey Levin to the practice squad,

and that in order to accommodate Levin's arrival, they were forced to release tight end Paul Quisenberry from the practice squad. Now, Levin will add some depth and experience on the offensive line. He's 26 years old, originally entered the NFL as a sixth-round draft pick. We know all about those here in New England, don't we? I know, folks. I know he's down in Tampa. That was then.

This is now. New season. But again, back to Levin. Sixth-round draft pick in the 2017 NFL draft out of Chattanooga, drafted by the Tennessee Titans. And that seems to be a common theme for the Patriots lately. They seem to be stockpiling a lot of Tennessee Titans on their practice squad. I don't know if it has any correlation, but Levin will bring some size and, again,

some experience to the offensive line. He also brings a great deal of size. He's 6'4", 307 pounds, spent two seasons with the Titans, did start a game in 2018 at left guard. He was then released by the Titans at the end of training camp last year. Was claimed off of waivers by the Denver Broncos. Now the Broncos released Levin and signed him to the practice squad. He remained there until being signed to the Chicago Bears 53-man roster in late November. Spent the rest of 2019 with the Bears.

Entered 2020 training camp with the Bears. But then ultimately was released on September 3rd, 2020, and now he finds himself in New England. So all in all, this will probably be a depth signing, but it is interesting to note that the Patriots are looking for additional bodies on the offensive line, even though they're currently carrying 10 linemen on the active 53-man roster. Big premium being placed on offensive linemen this year in New England, and with a new quarterback and likely a new offensive system, it's probably a smart move by the Pats. As for Quisenberry, he had really been

a feel-good story since signing with the Patriots on August 22nd. He had been a former Navy midshipman where he played mostly on defense, was out of football for quite a while, actually served his country for a few years in the United States Marine Corps, and then looked to re-enter the world of professional football when the Patriots brought him in during training camp. Quisenberry was officially listed as a tight end, but if he was going to make any impact with the Patriots at all, it was likely going to be at the fullback position. But at the end of the day,

it appears that the Paul Quisenberry experiment has run its course. And while it is theoretically possible that the Patriots could call him back at some point, right now, at least in my opinion, it looks to be highly unlikely. But if we're being honest, neither Levin or Quisenberry was ever going to be a factor in Sunday's game. We're worried about the players on the active 53-man roster. And because yesterday was indeed Wednesday, that means that the first official injury report for your New England Patriots, as well as the Dolphins, were published. And at practice yesterday, there were two Patriots that did not participate. Offensive lineman Yanni Kajus listed with a knee injury. And cash me inside linebacker, that is, Malawiah, also listed with a knee injury.

Those that were limited included wide receiver Julian Edelman with a knee. Fellow wide receiver Gunnar Roschowski with a foot injury. No, folks, the foot did not make that man a gunner yesterday. And defensive lineman Chase Winovich with a shoulder injury. Now, it should be noted that it's still far too early to determine if these injuries will have any impact on these players' status for Sunday's game. Today, on Thursday, the Patriots held another midday practice session, and according to those in attendance observing, Chase Winovich was once again present but limited. It also looked like both Julian Edelman and Gunnar Ryszewski were out there, possibly limited again, but of the two players that were absent on

Wednesday, only one continued to be absent on Thursday. Cash Malawiah returned to the field, and there were very little details on exactly how much he practiced, but he was indeed out there, and according to ESPN's Mike Reese, had a New Jersey number at number 48. Offensive lineman Yanni Kajust, still presumably with a knee injury, was absent for his second straight day. He was the lone player not spotted at practice. So, take this for what you will, Pats fans. When it comes to Kajust, his being out for the second straight day definitely doesn't bode well for his chances of being active for Sunday's game. As for Edelman, Gunner, and Winovich, I think it's more workload management, but worth

keeping an eye on nonetheless. Obviously, another injury report will be released on Thursday evening, and we'll share those results with you tomorrow right here on Locked On Patriots. But today is Crossover Thursday, and in just a moment, Kyle Krabs, host of Locked On Dolphins and I, will take a deep dive into this matchup on Sunday when the Patriots host the Miami Dolphins here in the friendly confines of Foxborough, Massachusetts. But first, I need not remind any of you that the 2020 NFL season has indeed arrived. And this season, get your football on your time with NFL Game Pass.

You can catch every snap from every game with full game replays and see all of the plays in just 45 minutes with condensed games. You can relive all the gutsy calls, the crazy catches, the wild comebacks, and the breakout stars from every game every week. It's all the action, all the football you can handle, all in one place. And NFL Game Pass is the only place you can replay every game all season long. You'll also learn from the league's best players with over 40 NFL Game Pass film session episodes. Go inside the game from a player's perspective as they break down the game's concepts and techniques.

Learn from the best like Deshaun Watson, Stephon Gilmore, Devontae Adams, and many more. NFL Game Pass also provides access to the entire NFL Films archive. Go to NFL.com slash Game Pass to start your free trial today. NFL Game Pass, where football never stops. Hello to all of you fans of both the New England Patriots and the Miami Dolphins. Welcome to your crossover Thursday edition of Locked on Dolphins and Locked on Patriots as both teams get set to kick off the 2020 NFL season Sunday, September 13th, 1 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

My name is Mike DeBate, host of the Locked on Patriots podcast. And of course, my counterpart today is Kyle Krabs, host of the Locked On Dolphins podcast. Kyle, pleasure is all on this side of the table, my friend. Happy to be talking football with you today. Yeah, there's not too many times I can say I'm thankful to sit down and talk with a Patriots fan. But Mike, this is one of those times. I'm excited to talk about this matchup with you here today and uh hopefully dig into uh what we teased in the pre-show is going to be a very

fascinating matchups for a whole slew of reasons absolutely and you know I echo your sentiments uh although it's harder and harder for New Englanders to dislike the Dolphins. Now that Brian Flores is patrolling the sidelines down there, he is still as respected and loved as ever up here in New England. One of the great guys in the business. And you guys got a good one down in Miami. And I know you're taking good care of them down there. And that means a lot to us. So, of course, these two teams split the 2019 season, Kyle, their first meeting in week two of 2019, 43 to nothing, new England win pretty self-explanatory. I won't rub that in

because you can get back at me by bringing up the second half of that meeting. And the second time around the Finns knocked the pats into the wildcard playoff round when Ryan Fitzpatrick tosses the five-yard touchdown pass to Mike Kosicki with 24 seconds remaining for a 27-24 victory at the end of the 2019 regular season. Now, Sunday's matchup should be a great one. These two teams know each other so well. And seeing that Miami are the visitors in this one, we'll start by putting you on the hot seat first. Kyle, as I said said Brian Flores has built quite the impeccable reputation in Miami and it's certainly no surprise here in New England anyone who knows Brian had the privilege of covering him like I have here in New England knows that he

leads by example hard work respect he commands it by giving it and much like Bill Belichick he's known for his defensive prowess now Miami's defense is an experienced unit, even though four of their projective starters were brought aboard during the offseason. Of course, Emmanuel Ogba, linebacker Shaq Lawson, cornerback Byron Jones, and a guy that Patriots fans know very well, Kyle Van Nooy at the linebacker position. He stands out among the quartet considering he spent the last three and a half seasons here with the Patriots. And he's projected to see considerable time on the defensive edge, recently named a captain as well. But Miami's secondary is much improved too. Byron Jones obviously being brought in. Nice compliment to Zabian Howard at corner. And former Patriot Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain holding the forward at safety. So Miami's defense all of a sudden looking a lot more formidable and a lot more admirable.

Kyle, in your estimation, are Miami's defensive improvements enough to make them a contender? And how might they attack the Pats offense on Sunday? Yeah, I don't know if I would be ready to peg this team as a contender just because there's so many new pieces. If they start the season fast, I think their team identity is quite clear. On the defensive side of the ball, they want to play in your face press coverage. They want to play a lot of man-to-man,

and they want to generate a lot of pressure looks in pre-snap and then create confusion in the post-snap. That should sound very familiar for Patriots fans because it is a New England Patriots blueprint through and through. And the Dolphins kind of embracing, and I think it was telling that they went out and spent a lot of their investments in free agency on the defensive side of the ball and went with a lot more rookie youth on the offensive side of the ball. They want guys that can execute and get this defense to a point

in which it can function at a high level. And Mike, another guy Patriots fans will be very familiar with, Elandon Roberts. He's another guy who's going to play a very large role, another defender who was named a captain for the Dolphins. So he's been very vocal in camp. Obviously his relationship with Flores and Kyle Van Noy has helped him seamlessly step into a role here as a piece that's them to. And I think the blueprint is very clear. What they're going to try and do is test a lot of these new Patriots weapons, whether it's at the tight

end position, they're going to try and play in your face and funnel and let the lesser guys beat you much like how Bill Belichick has persistently tried to force teams to try and beat him in a lot of matchups over the years. Excellent insight. And I'm glad that you mentioned Elandon Roberts, de facto fullback for the New England Patriots last year as well. He's very versatile. So if you do need to use him on the offensive side of the ball, he does have that experience. But Roberts is a very vocal leader. He's very stout at being able to defend the run and someone that can help in pass coverage as well. I don't think he ever got quite the credit he deserved for being the past defender

that he was here in New England. Miami, again, got a couple of good ones in Roberts and Van Noy, but there are a lot of good pieces on that defense. And even though I do agree with your assessment that it might be difficult to label them as a contender at this stage in the game, that's a formidable defense with a lot of budding talent that can be a real factor for many years to come in the AFC East and all over the NFL. Flipping the script a little bit and talking about that Dolphins offense. And Kyle, obviously the drafting of Tua Tagovailoa

is a glimpse into Miami's future. And for the time being, Ryan Fitzpatrick seems to be a pretty capable steward. He's going to start his 13th game against the Patriots. That's the second most among quarterbacks during the Bill Belichick era. And he has significant offensive weapons on that team, whether it be Jordan Howard running the ball, Devontae Parker and Preston Williams catching it, or Mike Gusecki at the tight end position. And I'm generalizing here. There are levels of depth below that as well for Miami. But I think one of the key additions on offense for the Dolphins, at least in my opinion, is Chan Gailey coming in as offensive coordinator and the experience and a new look offense

that I think he's going to bring to the equation. Gailey's offenses have had some success against New England defenses. He's averaged 17.3 points per game versus the Patriots throughout his career. In your estimation, once again, what should New England be, as I like to say on Locked On Patriots, keeping their sharp eye on this week when it comes to Miami's offensive attack? A little bit of cat and mouse game here in the build-up to the actual contest. Miami releases a depth chart earlier in the week, and people are freaking out, and they're like,

wow, Durham Smythe is the tight end one, and I can't believe Mike Gusecki's not. And the Dolphins released it at 21 personnel, a traditional I formation, inline tight end, fullback in the backfield. That was the personnel grouping that the death chart had listed for Miami. But if you've seen Changeli's offense, they don't run that style of play. And, you know, you mentioned the long track record of experience that Changeli has had

and Ryan Fitzpatrick has had against New England. This is a team that's going to run 11 personnel. So there's going to be one back and one tight end on the field. They're going to have three wide receiver sets. They're going to horizontally stretch and space the field. And what I do think is interesting and what Miami can test New England with is, is we have seen throughout the course of this off season in this summer, less reps in all of the fundamentals, because we had to ramp everybody up in a very short amount of time to get ready for the season. The Dolphins have a lot of size at the skill players, whether it's Jordan Howard, Mike

Isecki, Devante Parker, Preston Williams, all those names that you mentioned, they're going to stretch the field horizontally and they're going to challenge you to tackle them in the open field. And they've got big bodies. So if the Patriots are a little sloppy and I know they've lost a lot of their second level guys, they lost Patrick Chung for the season. There will be some opportunity for Miami. If they're going to make noise against new England, the way they're going to do it is they're going to isolate one-on-one situations. They're going to find soft

spaces and get the ball into that area quick. And they're going to dare you to come up and challenge them with consistency in the open field. Absolutely, and I agree with you. Bill Belichick said earlier this week that when Ryan Fitzpatrick comes to town, you always have to be prepared for every incarnation of Ryan Fitzpatrick. And when he plays the Patriots, he's usually on his game. But I like the way that you have categorized the way that he may utilize the weapons, the way that Chan Gailey may call this game, how the offensive line is going to play a huge role in the Dolphins being able to advance the ball and also the offensive skill positions, them being able to come up big and make plays.

It's something that Miami was able to do quite nicely in the second game against the Patriots. Not so much in the early round when they faced each other last year in September, but it's a new year in New England. It's a new year in Miami and it's a new year in the NFL. And these two teams are ready to kick it off. Folks, we are just scratching the surface when it comes to our prognostication on this Sunday season opener in Foxborough. In just a moment, Kyle Krabs and I flip the script and I will take my turn on the New England hot seat. We keep our friends close and our enemies closer when this Patriots-Dolphins divisional crossover continues. Locked on listeners, when it comes to transportation,

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Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. RockAuto.com. Kyle Krabs of Locked On Dolphins here, joined by Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots. And we are digging into everything related to Dolphins at Patriots. Week one, the 2020 NFL season is here. And Mike, as I look at all the changes that the New England Patriots have endured throughout the course of this offseason especially, I'd be curious now that things have settled a little bit, we've had the chance to work our way through training camp.

What are some of the prominent surprises for New England coming out of camp that maybe either weren't expected or players stepping into roles? Who are the new names that might surprise Dolphins fans based on being used to seeing so many of the same familiar faces for the Patriots that won't be a part of the picture in the here and now for New England? Well, there have been a lot of surprises in New England. I think Miami's biggest surprise is not seeing number 12 under center, which is something that's a surprise for everyone when you look at the New England Patriots. But you start with number 12 and you start with number one when it comes to the answer to your question. And that is Cam Newton. Cam Newton was quite the pleasant surprise this year in training camp.

That's very odd to say about a former NFL MVP with the pedigree and the resume of Cam Newton. But he's come in and commanded the respect, the attention and the loyalty of his teammates in such a quick, short order. He's the type of guy that players enjoy playing with. He's the type of player that loves to get his teammates involved, and you're seeing it. The energy that he brings to the practice fields is something that's been electric, and teammates are really, really starting to bond with Cam.

On the field, he's showing the ability to be able to roll out, to facilitate the passing game, something that I don't think he gets enough credit for, the ability to extend plays with his legs. That's a dimension that New England quarterbacks have not had in quite some time. And I say that with every reverence to Tom Brady, but it just wasn't a part of his game. Cam does bring that to his game. And you have to recognize and respect his ability to be able to do that. So I've been very impressed by what I've seen with Cam.

Another guy that I love to sing the praises of on Locked On Patriots is Gunnar Ryszewski. And anybody, any Miami fan listening to this that's a fan of Spaceballs, I love to put out the meme, who made that man a gunner, dark helmet standing there. If you've seen the movie, you know what I'm talking about. But all kidding aside, Gunnar Ryszewski has come in quicker. He's come in heavier. He's come in more looking like a pro wide receiver. He's been very quick out of the block. He's able to utilize that between the numbers passing game to his advantage.

He could be a factor this year in the Patriots receiving game in the running game. It's a little bit tough for me to say this, but Damian Harris, who is actually on injured reserve and will miss this game, we won't see him for at least three weeks. But Damian has really come up big and really made strides to almost challenge Sonny Michel for the number one running back on this roster. He has an adept knowledge of being able to find holes. He can be that early down back, that sort of feature back threat, but he's also very adept at catching the ball out of the backfield. So he's been a nice, pleasant surprise on the defensive side of the ball. Two guys really stood out for me. One is the rookie safety,

Kyle Duggar. Everybody expected Duggar to come in and make contributions, but he's really adapted and found a niche within this defense, and he's learned it very quickly. Even Bill Belichick has remarked about how quickly Kyle's been able to adapt to this defense, learn it, and be able to be in the right place at the right time. You mentioned Patrick Chung earlier, and Duggar has really emerged as the type of safety that can cover tight ends, that can be physical, even drop up into coverage and be that hybrid linebacker that Patrick Chung was at times. So he's been a pleasant surprise.

Another guy that's really taken a lot of advantage of the opportunities he's been given is second year defensive tackle Byron Cowart. Cowart is someone that came in last year, kind of a lumbering type body, was pretty good at the pass rush, really wasn't very adept at having quickness to stuff the run. He's come in this year and taken the place of not only the departed Danny Shelton, who is now in Detroit, but also Bo Allen, who hasn't seen the practice field at all due to injury.

He's come in and be a pretty adept tackle in the middle of that interior defensive line. So those are the guys that have stood out for me. And if Dolphins fans are looking for surprises on the field, I'd keep an eye on those four names, even though Cam is going to get the lion's share of the praise and the coverage. He's still been a very pleasant surprise considering the situation he had to come into. Mike, I'm glad you spent a lot of time focusing on Cam because one of the big curiosities that Dolphins fans have is how this Patriots offense is going to look and try to weaponize Cam Newton. few stops that he had along the way that was not in New England was when he went to Denver and he had an opportunity to prioritize a quarterback that had a running dynamic to his game in Tim Tebow. And of course, that's not to compare Cam Newton to Tim Tebow, but rather you think about Tom

Brady style of play. You think about how Carolina had so much success with Cam Newton for so long, utilizing him in the power run game for the quarterback and in the zone read game. How excited does Josh McDaniels feel to be able to implement some of these new pages of a playbook that really he hasn't had a chance to touch in all over a decade? Very excited. And you can hear it in Josh's voice. And look,

there were no two people on this Patriots coaching staff and roster that were closer as player and coach than Tom Brady and Josh McDaniels. There was a tremendous synergy between these two guys, but Josh is looking at this now as a new challenge and the ability to expand his play calling duties. And that's something that I think you're going to see not just on Sunday, but throughout the year. I mentioned facilitating the passing game, giving Cam the option of being able to get it down the field or extend plays with his legs, utilizing play action. I think that's something that a lot of people don't believe will be a part of the Patriots' arsenal this year.

I think Cam is very adept at being able to do that, and he has one of the best pass-catching backs in the league at being able to facilitate that in James White, especially at the beginning when Cam is still learning this offense, still molding this offense in his own image. I think he's going to rely heavily on guys like James White that can catch the ball out of the backfield and then move it downfield, and it gives the team another dimension at this point. But Josh is a very unique and very creative play caller. You're going to see some mix-ups. You're going to see some situations where it may disguise and look like Cam is going to take off. And you may see him drop back and pass. Maybe even trick plays you know Josh is definitely not shy about throwing those in we've seen him do that effectively before

we've seen situations where it hasn't worked to his advantage as well so I'm sure he'll pick his moments when it comes to that but I think this opens up a lot for Josh to be able to to make plays the biggest question mark on offense Kyle is the receiving core and whether or not they're going to be up to the challenge. Julian Edelman is the lone known commodity on this roster, but he's 34 years old and he's already dealing with some wear and tear. Nikhil Harry, Demir Bird, I expect them to be the top complementary options in the passing game.

But as well, you look at these guys and there's not a lot of battle tests there. Damir Bird is coming off of one season where he was pretty prolific as a receiver. But prior to that, he was known primarily as a special teams guy. Can he carry the load? Nikhil Harry missed half the season last year and was very ineffective. He's going to have to come in and really step it up in order for the Patriots passing game to be effective. And you've got a lot of inexperience at the tight end position. So to me, that's the only question mark with Josh. I think he's going to have to be careful at the beginning, really make sure these guys in camera on the same page before he starts opening up the playbook. In the meantime, again, I look for play action. I look for the running game to

facilitate and I look for Cam to take the ball himself into his own hands at times. I don't think there's any shame in that. And I think Cam is still capable of doing it. Mike, how big of a loss do you feel the opt-out of Donta Hightower can be for this Patriots defense when you consider some of the other pieces they lost this offseason? That was a tough, tough loss for the Patriots. And one of the big reasons why is not even so much because of the prowess that Dante brings on the field. And he does. He's one of the best at his position. But when you look at the leadership that he provides

in being the defensive signal caller, essentially the quarterback of that defense, that's a very tough loss for a unit to take. And especially knowing that younger players like Juwan Bentley, who has a lot of promise but doesn't have a lot of field experience, linebackers, rookie linebackers like Joshua Uche and Anthony Jennings that are coming in and now expected to be significant members of this defense and really show their range and their flexibility, that's something that is a concern. In terms of how, especially guys like Usha and Jennings, who are really going to take on the actual role itself of trying to help quell the loss of Dante Hightower, I think it's going to be interesting to see.

Bentley can carry the load of being the offensive, excuse me, the defensive signal caller. We've seen him do that in the past. But it's a lot to put on a guy's shoulders to have to shoulder all of the load. A lot is going to be placed on the rookies. And I think what you're going to have to do is watch how the Patriots respond to different personnel groups. Chan Gailey is very well known for running different personnel groups, so this is going to be a pretty big litmus test for the New England Patriots,

a very diverse and a very adept Dolphins offense at being able to run so many different types of plays. They've got receivers. They can utilize the fullback. They've got different types of running backs, tight ends, all types of skill sets that you can see with the Dolphins. They're going to throw it at this Patriots defense. So it really is going to be a trial by fire for guys like Uche and Jennings and Bentley to really be able to take that role this weekend. If they can withstand this punch early on, then I think they have a shot to do something special and maybe even carry the load in Dante's absence. But they will miss his veteran leadership.

There's no question about it. That's one thing that can't be duplicated. And there you have it, folks. That is the good word on the New England Patriots, the good word on the Miami Dolphins, this week one matchup quickly approaching. I'm sure one of us will certainly be very gentle with their trash talk come Monday morning, Mike. But I wouldn't be surprised if I got a DM from you in a Patriots win scenario. And I wouldn't be surprised if I end up sending you a DM in a Dolphins win scenario. So a little friendly divisional rivalry here in the AFC East, all in good fun, especially

a game that's so early in the season when we are just happy and thrilled to have football back as a part of our weekly routine. I am Kyle Krabs with Mike debate, and we are very thankful that you guys have cars of time out of your day to listen to this special crossover between Locked On Dolphins and Locked On Patriots. And we hope you guys the big game on Sunday. And folks, trust me, you will not want to miss it. We crossed the streams with Kyle Krabs today here on Crossover Thursday,

but tomorrow. To close out the week in style is someone who not only knows the Miami Dolphins organization quite well, he also has some valuable insight on the current Patriots starting quarterback, Cam Newton. One of the most talented journalists in the business who spent time on both the Miami Dolphins beat as well as the Carolina Panthers beat, Antoine Staley joins me tomorrow on Locked On Patriots and we will discuss the Pats-Dolphins matchup, why Cam Newton's performance

in this game might just help to set the tone for the 2020 season, and of course I will provide my prediction on Sunday's game. So in order to ensure that you do not miss a single episode of Locked On Patriots, download us wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Spotify. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Just make sure that you stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate.

I thank my colleague Kyle Krabs of Locked On Dolphins for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's Crossover Thursday episode. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a part of your daily New England Patriots coverage. Stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.