Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Thursday - Patriots, Seahawks Prepare for Battle on SNF - 9/17/2020

Episode Date: September 17, 2020

It’s Crossover Thursday on the Locked On NFL Podcast Network! Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks as they preview the Sunday Night matchup between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks from CenturyLink Field.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.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!NFL Game PassThis season, get football on your time with NFL Game Pass. See all the action from every game with full game replays.Go to nfl.com/gamepass to start your free trial today. Door DashRight now, our listeners can get $5 off and zero delivery fees on their first order of $15 or more, when you download the DoorDash app and enter code LOCKEDON. 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, and welcome to Crossover Thursday 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. Locked On listeners help support your local businesses. Whether they're your corner stores, coffee spots, or favorite shops, local businesses have always been on your team supporting you and your community.

But right now, more than ever, local businesses need our support. So let's be there for them. The next time you go shopping, make the choice to shop at local businesses and look for the contactless symbol and tap to pay with a contactless visa to help support your community because where and how you shop matters. Visa, everywhere you want to be. Official partner of the NFL. Greetings and salutations to all you New England Patriots fans and all of you Seattle Seahawks fans. We know each other well. The joy of victory, the agony of defeat.

Two cups of water from the same well. One fan base fondly remembers, Malcolm, go! The other is still wondering why you didn't just run the ball. That's right, everyone. I'm talking about Super Bowl XLIX, a polarizing event for both fan bases. But one thing is for sure,

there is a lot of respect among these two proud franchises. But fear not, today is not a day to delve into the past. Because on this Crossover Thursday, and this upcoming Week 2 matchup here in the 2020 NFL season, as the Seattle Seahawks get set to host the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. 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 are always welcomed and greatly appreciated here on Locked On Patriots. Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And as the great Don would say, while you're out there making that Twitterverse, an offer I can't refuse.

Please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots Nation, thank you again for joining me here today on this Crossover Thursday episode. A special welcome to all of you in Seahawks 12 Nation joining us here today. Because here in New England, we're on to Seattle, and your New England Patriots will hit the road for the first time this season

when they travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks on Sunday Night Football. 8.20 p.m. Eastern, 5.20 p.m. Pacific. CenturyLink Field is the place, as the Patriots and the Seahawks will meet for the 19th time overall in their respective histories, and for the first time since the Patriots and the Seahawks will meet for the 19th time overall in their respective histories, and for the first time since the Patriots fell 31-24 in a game that just also happened to be played on Sunday evening. That was on November 13, 2016 at Gillette Stadium. And of course, I already got my Super Bowl XLIX jab in, but the Seattle Seahawks also got the last laugh the last time these two teams played at CenturyLink Field.

October 14, 2012, that was a 24-23 loss by the Patriots to the Seahawks. And it should be noted that the team that wins on Sunday night will have broken the historical series tie between these two franchises, each holding nine wins apiece. And it seems like every time these two teams play one another, it is an absolute barn burner. And that's just one of the topics that I will be discussing today with Corbin Smith, host of the Locked on Seahawks podcast. Corbin is not only a good friend of mine, but he's also one of the most respected and

dialed in members of the Seahawks beat covering the team for SI Maven. The depth of his knowledge on the Seattle team is second to none. And I, for one, cannot wait to share the microphone with him in just a few moments to break down both the offensive and defensive strategies of both teams heading into this Sunday night matchup. But before we officially complete the crossover and Corbin joins me here on the pod in just a moment, Patriots are never shy about making some roster news, and they did so on Wednesday. If you happened to check out yesterday's pod, you'll know that we opened up the Locked On Patriots mailbag, and one of the questions came from our good friend, the Wizard of Benzon

himself, the Pats Wizard of Benzon himself, the Pats cat, Miguel Benzon. And Miguel's question surrounded the 53-man roster and who might fill the final spots, especially as the Patriots get set to head into this Week 2 matchup with the Seahawks. Now, we knew that one of those spots was going to belong to kicker Nick Folk, who, as we discussed yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, was indeed signed to the 53-man roster. However, we weren't quite sure who was going to get that next spot.

And based on Wednesday's practice reports, I had speculated that it might be former Patriots offensive lineman James Ferentz, who was observed practicing with the Patriots on Wednesday. That would indicate one of two things. Either Ferentz had been signed to the 53-man roster, or the practice squad. Well, on Wednesday evening, we found out that the 31-year-old Ferentz was indeed signing with the Patriots practice squad, and his addition will add some much-needed depth on the offensive line. Also being signed to the practice squad was quarterback Jake Doligala, formerly of the Cincinnati Bengals. And folks, Doligala is a solid practice squad addition. Definitely not short on size, 6'7", 242 pounds. He's got a very good release

and a pretty nice touch. With Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, and Brian Hoyer already above him on the depth chart, I don't expect Doligala to see any meaningful action on the 53-man roster this year. Of course, that's barring any injury, but Doligala should be a welcome addition to the practice squad. So that leaves one spot open on the Patriots 53-man roster. And as much as I know that all of you in Patriots Nation were hoping that it was going to be a big-time wide receiver like an Allen Robinson or an Odell Beckham Jr., the Patriots did exactly what I expected them to do, promote from the practice squad. And they did just that when they took the advice of our great green friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, who was the

first to sing the praises of cornerback Miles Bryant. And this was a great signing for the Patriots. Miles had himself a great training camp, almost to the point where he was considered a dark horse by many members of the media to make the 53-man roster during initial cuts. That didn't happen as he was a roster casualty, but the Patriots made sure to act swiftly, scooped him back up, added him to the practice squad, and now Miles Bryant joins the 53-man roster. And the fact that Bryant was the guy at a position that the Patriots are already considered

to be more than well-loaded only speaks further to the level of respect that the Patriots have for his skill level and his savvy on the field. It also might just be an indication that the Patriots are looking to go heavy on defensive backs this weekend. Could this be a tip of the hand in terms of the strategy they might employ to try to contain one Russell Wilson, who is not only one of the best quarterbacks in the league, folks, but he also earned the highest appraise from Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, who when he spoke to the media on Thursday morning had nothing but glowing things to say about Russell Wilson, calling him, quote, a tremendous player, stating that he thinks that Russell Wilson is underrated by the media and the fans, and finally offering what I believe will end up being the quote of the

day when it comes to the Patriots and Seahawks, saying, quote, I really don't see anybody better than this player. I assure you, everyone, that is not just empty praise coming from Bill Belichick. That's not him pumping the tires of some 0-10 team that he has to make sound like a formidable opponent. He means every word of it. Russell Wilson is the real deal, and the Patriots are going to need anything and everything available to them within their arsenal to be able to go into Seattle, contain their prolific quarterback, and also be able to match up with a very talented roster on both sides of the ball. The silver lining for the Patriots, at least at this point, is that they seem to have a pretty full arsenal when it comes to health.

The first Week 2 injury report was released on Wednesday evening, and the Patriots did not have one player that didn't participate. They did have a handful that were limited in their availability, and that includes defensive tackle Adam Butler with a shoulder issue, linebacker Brandon Copeland listed with a knee, as is wide receiver Julian Edelman, fellow receiver Nakiel Harry is listed with a shoulder, and last but not least, cornerback Jonathan Jones listed with a foot issue.

Returning to the football field on Wednesday in full availability were tight end Dalton Keene, who's been nursing a neck injury, and on defense, cash me inside linebacker Cash Malawiah returning to a full participant after nursing a knee injury. How about that? Come on, folks, work with me here. I need a meme, at least until Gunner comes off of IR. But I digress.

Even though we should be keeping an eye on some of those that were limited in their availability, no one's being held out of practice, which means everybody is at least mobile and capable of suiting up. And like I said just a moment ago, they're going to need it. Because again, the Seattle Seahawks are going to be a very tough test. But don't just take my word for it. That's why we conduct Crossover Thursday. And in just a moment, Corbin Smith, host of the Locked on Seahawks podcast,

will join me here on the hot seat and will break down anything and everything related to this upcoming Sunday night matchup. But first, to say that 2020 has been a tumultuous year, Lockdown listeners, is truly an understatement. We're all feeling extra stress and strain. We're all feeling extra aches and pains. It doesn't matter if you're a professional athlete, a stay-at-home parent, or you spend eight hours a day in an uncomfortable office chair. Everyone needs support to make it through the day.

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Once again, that's CBDMD.com promo code LOCKEDONNFL for 25% off your purchase of superior CBD oil products from CBDMD. Hello to all you fans of both the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. Welcome to your Crossover Thursday edition of Locked on Seahawks and Locked on Patriots as both teams get set to do battle on Sunday night football in week two of the 2020 NFL season. Sunday, September 20th, 2020 at CenturyLink Field. My name is Mike DeBate, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. And of course, my counterpart today is Corbin Smith, host of Locked On Seahawks. Corbin, the pleasure is all on this side of the table, my friend.

Happy to be talking football with you today. I'm looking forward to this matchup. It seems like every time the Seahawks and Patriots get together, which obviously is not very much being out of conference, but every time they get together, there's a crazy finish. And I just have a feeling that we're heading towards another one of those instant classics coming up on Sunday night, even if it's a much different cast of characters on both sides of the sideline.

Yeah, I feel that you're right on the money there, and I think you're on to something. These two teams always are electric when they hook up. and even though we won't be hearing Malcolm go anytime soon sorry Seahawks fans I couldn't resist Super Bowl 49 is polarizing for all of us but at the same time this one does have the makings of a great great matchup on Sunday and Corbin your Seattle Seahawks are fresh off of a 38-25 victory over the Atlanta Falcons. And where better to start than the reigning NFC player of the week, Russell Wilson. And apparently the Seahawks brass has been paying attention on social media because they hashtag let Russ cook on Sunday.

Wilson completed 31 of 35 pass attempts for 322 yards and four touchdowns. All while also leading Seattle with 29 rushing yards on three carries. There literally is nothing that this man cannot do on a football field. He's definitely going to be a formidable force to stop, but he is facing a pretty decent Patriots secondary, and I say that tongue-in-cheek. They're among the best in the NFL, and beating the Pats via the pass isn't exactly the easiest task in the league. So knowing the Seattle Seahawks,

the way you know them, Corbin, how might they look to attack this Patriots defense? And can Russell Wilson play iron chef for the second week in a row and really cook against this Patriots team? So I'm going to upset some Seahawks fans when I say this, because I can tell you, if you're looking at social media, just the celebration from Seahawks fans, seeing Russell Wilson getting to throw the football so much early in the game against Atlanta and just cooking up a real scrumptious meal there with 332 passing yards, four touchdowns, 143 quarterback rating. Him going out there and just doing what he did and the fashion that he did it by being able to throw the football so much early.

That's just not something that Pete Carroll and his coaching staff have allowed Russell Wilson to do. But I think they are going to lean on the running game more this week. I think they have to because you mentioned the talent that New England has in the secondary. Stephon Gilmore coming off being the NFL defensive player of the year. You've got the McCourty's. There's just so much secondary talent there, and I agree with you. That to me is still the best position group on that football team in New England, and despite the weapons that Seattle's got with Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, they might have Philip Dorsett back this week to play against his former team, Greg Olson, Will Disley. I mean, Russell Wilson's got weapons all across the board, but Chris Carson is one of

the best running backs in football. Carlos Hyde ran for over a thousand yards last year with the Texans. Travis Homer is a really solid young third down back. They've got the weapons there in that running game that the Patriots didn't have to worry about when they played the Dolphins last week. And obviously, there's a big difference between Russell Wilson and Ryan Fitzpatrick as well. So you're going to have to worry about better quarterback play, better receivers, and a much better ground game. So I expect you're going to see Seattle come out.

And I'm not saying they're going to run the ball 50 times. But I think that is going to be a much more balanced attack out of necessity. I think if they want to win this game, they cannot be one dimensional. You need to lean on that ground game more than you did last week. Yeah, I would definitely agree with you on that. And actually this question was put to me yesterday here on locked on Patriots when I opened up the Patriots mailbag. And a lot of our listeners were writing in saying, we want Russell to test us through the air. We want to force him in the pocket. We want to make him throw the football.

And I looked at how the Seattle Seahawks ran the football last week against the Atlanta Falcons. And if you look at just the raw stats, you look and you say, well, okay, 84 yards on only 20 carries. Most of that came from Russell Wilson. I even fell into the trap a little bit. Well, maybe this is exactly where the Patriots want the Seahawks to go. Maybe they want them to run the football.

Maybe they're going to try to shy away from having Russell test that secondary and seeing some of those weapons that you mentioned, be able to get looks in the open field and get open. But when you look at the type of attack that the open field and get open but when you look at the type of attack that the Seattle Seahawks can put on this Patriots team you mentioned that Carlos Hyde Chris Carson they didn't average neither one of them average four yards per carry against the Atlanta Falcons but it was the type of defense they were facing against the New England Patriots they do have a chance to make some noise, especially when you look at the interior of the defensive line,

which Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler have been solid without question for the Patriots. But Byron Coward is relatively new in that role that he's playing in that traditional middle nose tackle. They're without Bo Allen, who is on injured reserve. So if they can try to get some running track up the middle, especially against linebackers like Juwan Bentley and Brandon Copeland, who played very well on Sunday, but they're facing a different type of Seattle running attack. So I would agree. I think Seattle's going to try to run the football, and I think that may be where the Patriots run into some difficulty, at least trying to contain them. On the flip side, Corbin, Seattle's defense may not have the star power

of the former Legion of Boom, but it still features a considerable talent, especially at the middle linebacker position. All-pro Bobby Wagner is still one of the perennial stars of this team, and they also added a strong safety the Patriots fans know pretty well, a former New York Jets first-round draft pick, as a matter of fact, and that is Jamal Adams. the Patriots fans know pretty well. A former New York Jets first-round draft pick, as a matter of fact, and that is Jamal Adams. And our colleague Joe Marino of Locked On Bill said earlier this week,

with all due respect to Greg Williams, Jamal certainly doesn't look bored in Seattle. He looks like he's having a pretty good time playing in the Seattle defense. They did surrender quite a few yards against Atlanta last week, but I think they proved to be an opportunistic unit that's capable of making life hard for this Patriots offense on Sunday night. That being said, the Patriots showed a new look, a new dimension to their offense on Sunday. And let's face it, it is all about Cam Newton and the impact that he's had on this Patriots defense, excuse me, on this Patriots offense. This ground game looks very formidable.

As a matter of fact, I have affectionately dubbed them the New England Transit Authority, which is not gaining as much traction as I hoped, but we'll digress. Bottom line, when you look at this Seattle Seahawks defense and you look at the way the Patriots are now employing the ground game as a formidable part of their offense, how might they look to attack that independent of just saying, oh, we have to keep Cam in the pocket and force him to throw the football? What could Pete Carroll and this

defensive brain trust in Seattle throw at the New England Patriots to kind of throw them off their game plan? So, you know, you look at what they did to the Falcons last week. There was a lot more blitzing than I think people anticipated. And part of that's just because of how ridiculously good at it Jamal Adams is. I mean, I'm not exaggerating when I say this, Mike. When they got him, they made that trade. I already knew that this guy was a really, really, really good football player. And I thought that the trade was worth the two first round picks.

After watching what he did last week, you might want to just throw an extra first round pick in there just so the Jets don't feel ashamed. That's how good he looked out there. His ability to just do everything, blitz off the edge, play in coverage, smack people in the run game, the energy that he brings, he does so much fun to watch. But I think what fans have to be ready for, they are not going to be doing that every single game. It's just like they're not going to be letting Russ cook to at least the extent that they did last week. There are going to be games where it is not as wise

to bring the pressure, at least off the edge. This looks to me like a game against Newton. Something that they've had some success against him with in the past when he played for the Panthers was sending their interior linebackers and letting Bobby Wagner get after him. And there's some risk to that, especially when you've got a healthy Cam Newton, because if you do send that blitz and you don't get home, you're creating extra gaps for him to be able to tuck and run.

So there's some risk to that. I don't think they're going to be as aggressive sending people off the edge in this particular game. I think they're going to sit back just a little bit more. You're going to be aggressive with your run fits because you have to be to stop Cam Newton with those design quarterback runs, the power, the counter, option plays, different stuff like that that are going to be in the toolbox for the Patriots to run with him. But my biggest concern in this game, looking at how Atlanta was able to run the ball the first couple of drives, the stats don't paint this picture. It looks like the Seahawks completely shut down Atlanta's run game. But the first couple of drives, they were getting carved up with inside runs. There were some big gaps there.

And so that would be my concern in this game is, are they going to be able to withstand what New England's going to bring schematically in the trenches? Are they going to be able to hold up physically in there against those inside runs, especially if Cam Newton's doing those keepers? Bobby Wagner is going to be the huge key. If he's able to get up there and make plays and the line plays well enough that linemen don't get their hands on him, that's going to help them tremendously. If linemen are able to get their hands on Wagner and KJ Wright, you might have yourself a real difficult evening coming up

if you're the Seahawks defense, just because I'm not so sure that that front line, at least the way they played last week, is going to be ready if New England really brings their A game with their run game. Yeah, New England's run game definitely predicated on the strength of what Cam Newton brings to the table. But also, they have very formidable runners in that backfield, guys that can get open, guys that can break for pretty big yards when they need to. Sonny Michel was not as effective as I think people wanted him to be on sunday only carrying uh for 37 yards 10 carries but he did hit the holes a little harder than he was in 2019 he's

showing a little bit more spring in his step when he's hitting the holes and attempting to break for big yards james white could end up having a big game if Cam decides to open up the run game by a play action. It allows a guy like James White to catch the ball out of the backfield and go for pretty big yards after the catch. Rex Burkhead will continue to be employed in that. And undrafted rookie free agent J.J. Taylor, they're calling him Little Dion up here because of his resemblance and his game's resemblance to that of Dion Lewis,

who played in New England a few years ago. He could be a factor here as well. So a lot to like about the Patriots' run game. But for Patriots fans, there's also a lot to be concerned about when it comes to the offensive and defensive prowess of the Seattle Seahawks. And Corbin, you have provided a great amount of insight when it comes to that Seahawks' prowess. But this wouldn't exactly be a true crossover

unless we flip the script and you put me on the hot seat. Folks, in just a moment, my colleague Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks and I will talk about the Patriots' plan of attack, what Cam Newton's arrival has done to this New England offense, and what the New England defense may look to do to try to contain Russell Wilson. All this and more when this Locked On Cros crossover Thursday between the Patriots and Seahawks continues.

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Go to nfl.com slash game Pass to start your free trial today. NFL Game Pass, where football never stops. Welcome back to Crossover Thursday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. I'm Corbin Smith of Locked On Seahawks. Excited to team up today for our crossover with my good friend Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots. Patriots and Seahawks, they're not division rivals, but they might as well be because every time they've gotten together, it has been a barn burner. Two of the three games they've played since Pete Carroll came to town in 2010 have been

decided by less than three points. These teams, when they get together, it's a ferocious battle, and I'm expecting much of the same on Sunday night when they meet at CenturyLink Field in primetime. We were talking last quarter a lot about Cam Newton, and that's where I want to kick off this, kind of grilling you about this New England Patriots team coming into this game. Because Cam Newton, obviously a much different quarterback than Tom Brady. Rob Rang, my co-host, and I were joking about this yesterday. What would life have looked like if we saw Tom Brady out there running quarterback power or trying to run read option?

You know, different stuff like that. There are a lot of new wrinkles that Cam Newton brings to this offense. And last week, finally got to see that on the game field a little bit. Just based on this one game and of course training camp as well what have you seen so far from cam newton how similar does this passing game look compared to what we've seen over the years with tom brady at the helm and the run concepts they're doing with him how do you anticipate that that's going to play out going against the seahawks defense well the run concepts in the zone reads that the Patriots have been employing is definitely

a new dimension to this Patriots offense. And I'd be lying if I said that, oh, well, yeah, it looks somewhat similar to what they did under Tom. No, it doesn't really look that much similar, folks. I mean, what Cam Newton can do on the field in terms of being able to extend plays with his legs, having your defense or any defense, especially the Seattle defense, respect Cam's ability to be able to run as well as beat them through the air.

This is a dimension the Patriots haven't had in quite some time. Now, look, that's said with no disrespect intended to Tom Brady, who was one of the most prolific quarterbacks in NFL history and ran this offense, this Erhard Perkins type offense in New England better than anyone possibly could have. But Cam is providing that extra oomph on the ground that the Patriots, again, haven't had in quite some time. He carried the ball 15 times last week against Miami. Many of them were designed runs,

ended up amassing 75 yards and a pair of touchdowns. But he was actually quite efficient through the air. And if you take a look at what the Patriots are doing in terms of the passing game, that's where the similarities come in. And you can see Josh McDaniels play calling at work and some of the things they used to do with Tom. A lot of the passes that Cam was able to complete, a lot of them came on slants and shallow crossers. And these are things that Tom was able to do well.

And you're seeing that take flight under Cam Newton. I think the Seahawks are going to be more prepared for Newton, the runner without any question. So to me, the Patriots passing game is going to be asked to do more in week two, Julian Edelman shook off an early drop, looked like his normal self after, uh, and he looked to be, uh, in pretty good form when it came to his synergy with Cam Newton. I look for that combination to be something that Cam looks for in the early goings of this game, especially if he starts to struggle a little bit. Julian Edelman was a fairly effective security blanket, if you will, for Tom Brady.

I think he could do the same for Cam Newton. So I do look for Julian to get his touches. Nikhil Harry is also going to be targeted, And I know Patriots fans are going to be rolling their eyes when I say that, but look, Nikhil Harry actually had a pretty decent game on Sunday. He caught five balls. It only accounted for 39 yards, but it helped to advance the game and it helped to advance that series. Unfortunately, he did have a fumble through the end zone that made him a public enemy number one when it came to the New England Patriots social media accounts on Sunday. But even Cam Newton today in his press conference said that it wasn't really indicative of the type

of game that Nikhil Harry had, which leads me to believe that he's going to be targeted this week as well. The New England Patriots also didn't use the tight ends all that much. All they did was complete a 25-yard pass to Ryan Izzo, who had a very good game on Sunday. I look for guys like Devin Asiasi to get more involved. I think you're going to see him get a few more touches. Izzo may get his touches as well. The rookie Dalton Keene still listed on the injury report.

He's still nursing a neck injury. We're not sure if he's going to be able to go in this game, but I think that the Patriots are going to try to challenge Seattle through the air, try to show that Cam Newton is capable of airing it out and beating you with his arm. But at the same time, I don't expect them to abandon the run game that a lot of people are saying they're going to. It's working so well. It's not something that's unsustainable. They can sustain it, but they have to have a balanced attack. And I think you're going to. It's working so well. It's not something that's unsustainable. They can sustain it, but they have to have a balanced attack. And I think you're going to see that more with the Patriots this week, especially because they're facing a much better defense than that of Seattle.

It seems to me like the general consensus is right now, there's been plenty of Patriots fans that have been reaching out to me on social media this week because, you know, the Patriots have a very passionate fan base and they like to try to get into the skin of beat writers, apparently. But it seems like the general consensus is, after seeing what the stats looked like against the Seahawks, that a lot of Patriot fans are feeling, oh, man, the Falcons threw for over 500, blah, blah, blah. This is a great opportunity for the Patriots maybe to replicate that. That just doesn't seem to me like that is what they're going to be doing with this offense builder on Cam Newton. There's going to be more emphasis

on the ground game. Not that they're going to run 42 times again like they did last week, but I think as you mentioned, trying to get the ball to Nikhil Harry a little bit more. Julian Edelman, that's a matchup that I'm concerned about just because Marquise Blair has looked so good in his limited time at slot corner, but this is going to be his biggest test yet against one of the better slot receivers in the NFL. Flip over to the defensive side of the ball here, because to me, this is maybe the biggest question mark for New England. They've got that incredible secondary, but they had so many losses in free agency and then COVID-19, all the opt-outs, losing Dante Hightower. You mentioned

how well the linebackers played last week. I would think that the biggest concern they've got, obviously Russell Wilson's a phenomenal talent, and you don't want him to do anything close to what he did to the Falcons last week or you're going to be in trouble. But we talked about this a little bit last quarter, the Seahawks' ability to run the football. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde, no offense to the Dolphins running backs, but they don't have anybody that's even close to being the caliber of those players. And you can tell by some of the things Pete Carroll said earlier this week, he is chomping at the bit to run the football. Fans are not going to like that, but he is chomping at the bit to get Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde going, get some of that downhill running game. How concerned are you with that linebacking group?

They looked so good last week against a Dolphins rushing attack that is inferior to what Seattle is going to bring to the table. Without having a player the caliber of Dante Hightower, how concerned are you with trying to slow down Seattle's two big running backs that are so good between the tackles, especially with some of the injuries you have on the defensive line? That's going to be an ultimate game changer, in my opinion, I think, is can the linebackers of the New England Patriots be able to stack up

and prevent the ground game up the gut the way Seattle is predicated to be able to do that? Juwan Bentley and Brandon Copeland, like I said in the last segment, were very good at doing that against Miami's runners. But what they're facing this week is a lot better than what they faced last week is the best way for me to put that. Carlos Hyde, Chris Carson are different types of runners, and they will be able to hurt you if the linebacking core is not able to come up front and give some help

to that interior defensive line, which played very well last week against Miami. They were able to hold Miami to 3.2 yards per carry for the game. But again, that's with the Miami Dolphins running attack. That's with Jordan Howard and, you know, a Matt Breda that really was not as prolific on third down as they hoped he would be. I think guys like Byron Cowart, Adam Butler, Lawrence Guy do need to step up, and they're going to have to be formidable. Something you saw the New England Patriots do last week was move hybrids all around the field. One guy in particular that I thought had a phenomenal game was Adrian Phillips,

the former L.A. Charger that I covered when I covered the Chargers, you know, back in the day for Cover 32. He is the type of player that can play all over the field. We saw him do some very special things all throughout this game. And he really is the type of guy that can play all over the field. He really did play, I think, that hybrid linebacker position to a tee. And he's going to be someone I think the Patriots are going to rely on very heavily in order to provide some extra coverage with the linebackers to be able to cover not only tight ends but also assist with helping to stuff the run. So in my opinion, that's what the Patriots might end up doing in terms of trying to keep the Seahawks at bay, but it's going to be a tough road without any question.

There's a lot of great players on that Seattle offense, especially with the running game. The Patriots are going to need to be on their game in order to contain it. I think that may be one of the tougher matchups they're going to face. Kind of going off what you just said about Adrian Phillips, who by the way, I've always thought is a very underrated player. I thought he was quite good in the secondary for the Chargers when he was playing there. Kind of a guy that's just kind of been under the radar for a long time. But if you are going to bring him up there and he's going to be playing that money linebacker type role where he's coming up and he's playing in the box consistently, you kind of have to pick your poison a little bit there because even with the Patriots'

secondary as talented as it is, DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett are dynamic playmakers, and if you're only going to go single high regularly and you're opening yourself up for some of those verticals, that could be a little bit of an issue, which leads me to my next question. How are the Patriots going to muster more of a pass rush in this game when you're going up against a pretty mobile quarterback in Russell Wilson? You only had one sack and five quarterback hits last week against Ryan Fitzpatrick, who's much more of a statue than Russell Wilson is. And that's an area that I've got circled here where I'm wondering, how is New England going to try to find ways to get after Russell Wilson?

Because if you're going to be playing that extra guy in the box and you're not able to get home on passing situations, Russell Wilson, I don't care who's in your secondary, he is going to find a way with all the weapons that he's got to carve you up. So I guess I'm kind of looking at where the pulse is with this pass rush right now, because that looked to me like an area that didn't necessarily stand out last week in the season opener for New England. Yeah, I think that's another area that definitely concerns me. And you mentioned the pass rush. And in the game against Miami, you saw guys like Chase Winovich, Derek Rivers, Dietrich Wise really kind of emerge from

that edge rush role and really be able to get after the passer. That's not going to be so easy for them to do with a mobile quarterback like Russell Wilson, who you mentioned has a tremendous amount of weapons at his disposal to be able to utilize them and be able to make you pay even with a very strong and a very formidable secondary like the Patriots have. Not to mention that the offensive line that the Seattle Seahawks are employing is better than they were last year. I mean, they're probably an average offensive line, but they're good enough to be able to provide Russell the extra time that he's going to need to be able to essentially, like you said, pick his poison, be able to determine whether or not he wants to air it out or whether he's going to utilize the ground game to take it to the New England Patriots. concern me. I think Lockett is probably, or I would assume is probably his most reliable receiver. He's so speedy in the slot. He can get downfield, move the chains as well as anyone. And DK Metcalf to me is developing into a really legitimate deep threat.

So you've got Stefan Gilmore now, obviously in the, in the, uh, the secondary, and he's going to be able to, you know, basically cover everyone. I'm sure he'll probably get Metcalf, or Bill Belichick could bracket some type of coverage with either some combination of Jonathan Jones and J.C. Jackson, maybe even a Jason McCourty, or Gilmore with some safety help at times being able to cover these guys. The Seahawks being deep at tight end worries me a little bit as well when it comes to Greg Olson, Will Disley, Jacob Hollister,

the former Patriot in there as well. I think Jawan Williams in the secondary might be shadowing him for a little bit. But ultimately, it is going to be difficult to get pressure on Russell Wilson. I think what they'll do is they'll rely more on secondary coverage, but definitely look for guys like Winovich, like, excuse me, Derek Rivers, and also Dietrich Weiss to be let loose a little bit and maybe be able to get after the quarterback, try to get some pressure on him and win those battles with the offensive line. And in the middle of that attack, I think it's going to be a guy named John Simon

who doesn't get an awful lot of press when it comes to what he does for this Patriots defense, but he's always right in the thick of things when it comes to being the director of that pass rush. So in a lot of ways, he may be the key. You might not hear his name at all, but he's going to be directing traffic and getting those guys into position to be able to make plays on the ball. But all of this sounds great on paper. It sounds great in theory, but it's another thing to put it into practice. And a guy like Russell Wilson makes it so difficult for that to happen. So we're only three days away from this game. And there's obviously some uncertainty out there about the smoke out of the Pacific Northwest. I can tell you that it is getting a little bit better out here.

There are some optimistic reports. So we're going to assume this game is still going on as planned on Sunday night at CenturyLink Field. You and I are not going to make any score predictions here, but generally, what are you thinking going into this game? How are you feeling about New England's chances traveling out to Seattle? You don't have to worry about the 12s, no fans in the stands, so that's a nice advantage that you have making this long road trip. How do you feel about New England making this trip out to Seattle and having a chance at getting a victory? I would say I'd feel fair, I guess is the best way for me to put it. And that probably sounds like a cop out folks, but you know, I think that the Patriots are coming in

playing with a lot of swagger and a lot of confidence, especially on the offensive side of the ball. They're playing with a little bit of house money when it comes to what Cam Newton and this running game can bring as a dimension to this New England offense. Now, there are still some question marks there. If the run gets shut off and Seattle is able to contain Cam, keep him in the pocket, then all of a sudden the aerial game becomes vital. It becomes something that the Patriots will need. Not necessarily abandon the ground game, but they'll need to utilize the air a little bit more. Can guys like Nikhil,

Harry, Jacoby Myers, Dummy or bird, these guys that were, you know, signed in the off season for the Patriots to make plays when needed. Can they come up big? Can the tight ends come up big for the Patriots and make some plays down the field?

So that's a concern of mine on offense, but ultimately if they stick to the ground game and they try to play the game and keep the ball in Cam Newton's hands, I like their ability to at least be able to move and put up some points. But what really worries me is being able to contain the Seattle offense and just the versatility and the numerous ways that a guy like Russell Wilson can hurt you, especially with all the weapons that he has around him. Patriots defense is really going to need to be stifling on the run. Their linebackers are going to have to protect the middle, stop the running up the gut and allow the secondary to be able to get back into coverage to make plays. So I do feel pretty fair, like I said about their chances, but I'd be lying if I said I

felt very confident or overconfident. You simply can't do that because of the respect that this team and I have for the Seattle Seahawks and how great their players are. You said fair. I'm going to say cautiously optimistic is where I would sit with the Seahawks. And this is my viewpoint. I think New England is a talented football team. I think they're going to be in the thick of things in that AFC East division. Bringing in Cam Newton really changed things because I thought this was going to be a team that was hovering in that 6-7, maybe 8-win range with Jarrett Stidham as

quarterback. But with Cam Newton coming in, I certainly could see this being a team that can get to that 10-11 win threshold. If he's able to stay healthy and they're able to get this offense built around his strengths, which looks like they are on their way to doing, because you know there's a lot of defensive talent in New England. I just look at the weapons that the Seahawks now have around Russell Wilson and the fact that they were able to put up 38 points last week when Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde, I mean, Carson had two receiving touchdowns. Basically, those two guys, they should be really fresh going into this game. They only got 13 combined carries between the two of them last week, and you know Seattle is going to be good at running the football. They've got the personnel to be able to do it. They really liked some of the offensive linemen they've added.

Rookie Damian Lewis up front at the guard spot looked really good run blocking against Grady Jarrett the other day. Pass protection, he wasn't terrible. He had a couple holding penalties, but really encouraging first game from him. They really like what that kid brings to the table. Brandon Schell is familiar with the Patriots because he's played against them twice every year. Being in New York, they think he's an upgrade to the right tackle position. So I just look at their weapons on offense, and that's why I'm cautiously optimistic here. Stephon Gilmore is a guy you kind of want to stay away from, but even with the rest of the talent that's secondary,

Russell Wilson right now is just playing on a different level. And so that's the reason I'm cautiously optimistic, but I would not be surprised at all with Bill Belichick being on the sidelines and the defensive talent that New England has that they could come in and pull the upset. So there you have it, Patriots fans. Corbin Smith, host of the Locked On Seahawks podcast, and I, offering our wisdom and counsel

on this upcoming Week 2 matchup on Sunday Night Football between the Seattle Seahawks and your New England Patriots. And Corbin is a wealth of knowledge on anything and everything related to the Seattle Seahawks. I highly recommend following him on Twitter at CorbinSmithNFL and also following the great work he does for SI Maven. That work can be found on

SeahawkMaven.com. Corbin is a great friend and a great beat reporter. I always enjoy sharing the microphone with him and I hope you enjoyed our look into the Pats and Seahawks on this Crossover Thursday episode of the Locked on Patriots podcast. But we're not quite through with our evaluation of the Seattle Seahawks just yet. There's still some X's and O's to examine and some QB's to break down.

That's right, folks. We're talking quarterbacks. And that means to close out the week in style here on the pod tomorrow, I will be joined by the quarterback whisperer himself, the host of Merit is here in Locked On Patriots, and my good friend Mark Schofield of USA Today's Touchdown Wire. We'll be talking Cam Newton, Russell Wilson,

and we'll continue to break down this upcoming Sunday night football matchup. So to ensure that you do not miss a single episode of Locked On Patriots, please be sure to download us wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us on Spotify. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Corbin Smith for joining me here today on this crossover episode to break down a little Pats and Seahawks. 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. Until tomorrow, Pats Nation, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.