Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Thursday: Patriots take on the Chargers in Week 13 - 12/3/2020

Episode Date: December 3, 2020

It’s Crossover Thursday on the Locked On Podcast Network. Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and David Drogemeier of Locked On Chargers as they preview this Sunday’s afternoon showdown between the New England Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA on Sunday, December 6, 2020.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! EchelonRight now, you can try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. Go to EchelonFit.com/NFLBuilt 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 20% off your next order.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!BuiltGoVisit BuiltGO.com and use promo code “LOCKED,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order. 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 Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Thursday, December 3rd, 2020. And because it's Thursday, that means only one thing. Once again, it's time to cross the streams 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 Patriots is presented today by Pepsi, made for football watching. Thanks to a lack of natural athleticism or commitment or overbearing sports parents, fewer than 1% of 1% of 1% of people will ever play professional football. But instead of entering the NFL, they've joined another league, the League of Football Watchers. No question about it, this football season is different, but Pepsi is here to get you ready for game day, no matter how you watch.

Pepsi is the refreshment you need to power through any game day. Because Pepsi isn't made for those who play the game, it's made for those who watch it. Pepsi, made for football. Watching. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation. Thank you for joining me here on yet another Crossover Thursday, Week 13, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers. 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 because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much encouraged. 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-B-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.

Pats fans, it's that time again. Time to cross the streams with my great colleagues here at the Locked On Podcast Network. And I look forward to each and every one of my crossovers. I really enjoy sharing the microphone with the great team that we have here at Locked On. But I'd be lying if I didn't say this one was a little extra special. I've had this matchup circled on my calendar for a while. After all, Sunday is going to feel like a little bit of a homecoming for me. The Los Angeles, then San Diego Chargers were my first assignment on an NFL football beat, and because of that, there will

always be a great interest and maybe even a little fondness at which I look at the Chargers and their organization. Don't get me wrong, folks, you know where my allegiances lie, and they are 100% in Foxborough, Massachusetts. But the Chargers are a team that I do keep my sharp eye on from time to time. And here on today's crossover, it's my honor to share the microphone with my good friend and colleague, Dave Droegemeyer, host of the Locked on Chargers podcast. And we'll take a deep dive into this one from both a Patriots perspective and a Chargers perspective. I'll put Dave on the hot seat when it comes to subjects like Justin Herbert at the quarterback position, as well as the supporting cast that Justin has on the offensive side of the ball. What makes them so potent and what makes them so versatile?

Of course, you can't talk Chargers without talking some defense. And Chargers defense does not exist without Joey Bosa. But they do have a formidable front seven and a very good secondary. What types of coverage can Cam Newton and company expect to see out on the field on Sunday? And last but not least, Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn has come under fire a little bit lately. In fact, some have said his job might be in jeopardy.

I'll ask Dave about his opinion on Anthony Lynn's job security and what it means for the Chargers on Sunday, for the remainder of the season, and even beyond. And then, to make sure that we've properly crossed the streams, we'll flip the script. Dave will put me on the hot seat, and we'll talk a little Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore, the Patriots' run game, and what we can expect to see from the Patriots from a game-planning perspective. Folks, an action-packed cornucopia of information on the docket today here on Locked On Patriots. Always love to do these crossovers.

And shortly, Dave Droegemeier and myself will cross those streams as we bring you Crossover Thursday between Locked on Patriots and Locked on Chargers. But before Dave and I share the microphone, let's take a quick health check on your New England Patriots. And of course, Wednesday afternoon is the week's first injury report. And we all know that usually the Patriots injury report reads like a list of usual suspects. Same names keep popping up week after week. But yesterday, one particular name popped up on the injury report

and it caught everyone's sharp eye. I'm here to tell you that I don't believe you have to worry too much about that. Because that player in question was still on the field, just limited in participation. Let's start with those that weren't on the practice field yesterday for the New England Patriots, and it only included one name, but a big name, Anthony Jennings. Jennings was listed as not having participated with an illness, so we don't quite know whether this will affect his status for Sunday, but keep in mind that Anthony has played all but one game this season as a rookie. He played 14 snaps on defense

last week, nine snaps on special teams, and of course, we all know about the blindside block, which I still think is a ridiculous call. But even though you don't hear his name continuously week after week, Anthony is a big part of what the Patriots do on defense and on special teams, so keep a sharp eye on that, because it could affect the Patriots' coverage in both those units. As for those limited in their participation,

well, it is a list of usual suspects here. it could affect the Patriots' coverage in both those units. As for those limited in their participation, well, it is a list of usual suspects here. J.J. Taylor continues to be listed with a quad, Matthew Slater with a knee injury, Juwan Bentley with a groin injury, Kyle Duggar with a toe, and of course, kicker Nick Folk with a back injury. And before I move on to the story of the day,

a big congratulations to Nick, who for the second time this year was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. And for someone who most didn't even expect would be on the team this year, Nick has truly been amazing. One of the most consistent Patriots players in the 2020 season. He's gone 19 of 21 on field goal attempts, a 90.5 accuracy percentage. Of course, his longest of the year has gone 51 yards, and this was from someone that wasn't expected to be trusted anywhere past 40 yards. Well deserved, Nick. Congratulations.

You've earned it, and I was happy to see that. Okay, back to business, folks. The player that I'm talking about, as I'm sure you've all guessed, is Cam Newton. He was listed as being a limited participant on Wednesday with an abdomen injury, and this raised some eyes because Cam is not one of those usual suspects. You don't see his name on the injury report all that much. And naturally, it raised a few eyebrows. On Thursday morning, Bill Belichick was asked about Cam's placement on the injury report, and he responded by saying, quote, depending on how it goes, if there's an adjustment we need to make, we'll make it, end quote. And of course, as you can imagine, social media took this very calmly and very well.

Of course folks, I'm saying that tongue in cheek. Social media started to swell with rumors that this is Bill Belichick's way of saying he's moving on from Cam Newton, gonna put in Jarrett Stidham. Bill's trying to tell us that Cam's injury is more serious than we thought. But before you all start to get nervous, I wouldn't put too much stock into those comments. Having heard what Bill said and the context with which he said it, I don't think you read too heavily into this answer. It's my opinion, and it seems to be the consensus of much of the media contingent

here in New England. I want to give Doug Kyatt from Nessun some credit here for being one of the first to go on record for saying, I think that Bill is referring to the injury report. Meaning that they'll continue to monitor Cam's health throughout the week, and if they need to amend the injury report at any time, they will do so. I don't think it means that they're ready to make an amendment to the starting quarterback position.

So before you get nervous at seeing all the SZN Twitter accounts explode over the course of the next 24 to 48 hours, keep in mind that Virtue usually lies in the middle. I'd keep an eye on Cam's health, but I wouldn't keep a sharp eye on it just yet, as I think right now the Patriots are doing just what they said, monitoring it. And to end our health check on a high note, two New England Patriots are now moving closer to seeing the field once again. Two prominent Patriots rookies. Claire, are you listening? This one's for you. A pair of rookie tight ends. Of course, Devin Asiasi has returned to the practice fields. He's trying to make his way back from a stint on injured reserve.

And on Wednesday, tight end Dalton Keene was also seen on the practice fields. The Patriots could definitely use some help at the tight end position, starting this Sunday in my opinion. And unlike the preliminary news on Cam Newton right now, my sharp eye is closely affixed on both of these players. I think if one gets activated over the other, it might be Asiasi over Keane, because he was brought off of injured reserve earlier. But make no mistake about it, help is definitely wanted and needed at the tight end position,

and hopefully it's on the way in the form of one of the Patriots' two top rookies. So now that we've checked in on the health and well-being for your New England Patriots, it's time to cross the streams. And in just a moment, Dave Droegemeier, a member of the hosting tandem of the Locked On Chargers podcast, will join me here on the hot seat where we'll talk anything and everything Pats and Bolts. And of course, tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots, we'll continue to break down Sunday's matchup, and it'll be my honor to be joined by Fernando Ramirez, Chargers reporter for Sports Illustrated,

continuing to dissect this matchup, and of course, I'll take my weekly gaze into that Belichickian crystal ball and give my prognostication for the outcome on Sunday. So be sure to stay locked in to Locked On Patriots for that one, but before we get to Friday, it's time to cross the streams here on Thursday. Week 13, crossover Thursday, Locked On Patriots, Locked On Chargers,

when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, breaks in the action always make me evaluate what I've accomplished and what still needs to be done. And no matter how much remains on your to-do list, you need the energy to accomplish your goals.

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these two proud franchises are set to write their own L.A. story this Sunday, 425 p.m. Eastern, 125 p.m. Pacific. The New England Patriots invade SoFi Stadium to take on the Los Angeles Chargers in week 13 of the 2020 NFL season. It's crossover Thursday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. My name is Mike DeBate, host of the Locked On Patriots Podcast, and joining me is my friend and colleague, Dave Droegemeier, host of Locked On Chargers. And Dave, it's always an honor and a privilege to join you on the microphone for these crossovers. Absolutely, man.

I was going to say, I was talking to Daniel, one of my other co-hosts of Locked On Chargers, and I was saying Mike DeBate has one of the absolute best voices on the Locked On Podcast Network. So it is always a pleasure to talk a little bit of football with you. So I hope you are doing well, and I hope your Thanksgiving went well with family. Oh, thank you very much. Yeah, I did. I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

I hope you and yours did the same. You guys do an amazing job with locked on chargers. I'm a huge fan simply for the reason that first of all, you guys put on a great show first and foremost, but second of all, I've got a little extra interest in the chargers. I spent some time on the chargers beat as we've discussed in the past. So it's a franchise and a team that I do keep a close eye on or a sharp eye, as I like to say, and you guys always do a great job. So it's my honor to join you here today on the pod for this

crossover. I've had this one circled on my calendar for a while. And Dave, this one might not be the top of the conference juggernaut that it once was when both Tom and Phillip were the quarterbacking these two teams. Times are different, but these are still more than two capable football teams. Each, I believe, is better than their record indicates. And I think we're in for a great matchup on Sunday. But much like my New England Patriots, I'll tell you what, I'm going to defer until the second half. So let's start with the hometown team. We're going to put you on the hot seat first, buddy.

And where do we begin? But Justin Herbert, outstanding since replacing Tyrod Taylor, went down with the injury in week two. He's thrown 23 touchdowns against only seven picks while completing better than 66% of his passes. Dave, those are impressive numbers for any quarterback. But when you factor in that he's a rookie, it makes it slightly more impressive. And just kidding, folks, I assure you, I'm definitely a fan of Justin's. And he's also passed for more than 3,000 yards. I think one of the main reasons why the Chargers currently own

the second-best passing attack in football. This was to be Tyrod Taylor's team this year, and when we had our crossover earlier this year in anticipation of this matchup, we talked a little bit about Tyrod Taylor and what he year. And when we had our crossover earlier this year in anticipation of this matchup, we talked a little bit about Tyrod Taylor and what he'd bring to the table. But now that Justin has apparently taken the reins of this team, in your opinion, how impressive has he been deeper than what just the stats tell us? How really has Justin Herbert made the Chargers his own that's a great question Mike but

I mean I think when you look at Justin Herbert I mean you you knew all of the measurables was there I mean you saw all that at Oregon six foot six 237 pounds can run very athletic rocket arm can throw it 60 yards flat-footed I mean all of that stuff was not up for debate it was all you know the question marks were the mental processing how how he handles pressure. And it seems like to me, those two things that were his biggest question marks are now two of his biggest successes. I think you look at his ability under pressure. He has a passer rating over 110 when he is being blitzed. So it is incredibly impressive to see that he's been able to make the right decisions and he's been able to kind of champion his own development as

well. I mean, he reached out to, you know, quarterbacks coach in the off season. I've said that a couple of times on the crossovers, but I mean, some of the, sometimes these guys take for granted the fact that they're, you know, an NFL quarterback or, you know, now they're a professional, but Justin Herbert did not do that. I mean, he knew that he had a couple of things that he needed to work on. To his credit, he did that. And for him, we all knew that he's very athletic and that he has the arm to match, but we didn't know if that stuff was going to manifest itself so soon

against NFL caliber talent. So that was the biggest question mark for me. I mean, the way he's able to face the blitz and he's able to go through progressions now. I mean, I think that really is the two biggest feathers in his cap as a professional. Absolutely. And you said it perfectly. I think Justin coming into a situation where he was expected to be able to learn a little bit, maybe hold a clipboard a little more this year, come into ease into his role, knowing he was eventually going to be the starter, but being able to learn from a guy like Tyrod Taylor, who's very well versed in an Anthony Lynn offense. We've seen them together in Buffalo. We know that Tyrod's

a very good quarterback when he's able to do what he needs to do. But for Justin to step in and do it, heard Bill Belichick say on Wednesday in his press conference and his meeting with the media that Justin Herbert was, quote, outstanding. And I have it on good authority that the Patriots spent a lot of time fawning over Justin Herbert and what he could possibly do in a Patriots uniform. Of course, the chargesgers beat them too. Imagine Justin, we have been in a Patriots uni and what he could do with Josh McDaniels and with Bill Belichick. But I think the Patriots landed on their feet a little bit about the fact that I have spent time on the Chargers beat. I covered the Chargers once upon a time for Cover32.com. A lot of your listeners may not know that or may not remember that. But one of the great joys I had of being on the Chargers beat was to watch the emergence of two players in particular, Hunter Henry at the tight end position and Austin Eckler at running back.

And these guys have really become key cogs in the offense that the Chargers run. I said yesterday on my show on Lockdown Patriots that these are two players in particular that I expect to present some matchup problems for the Patriots. But Hunter and Austin are not the only offensive weapons that the Chargers have. Keenan Allen, Mike Williams, they form a pretty potent receiving tandem. Austin's been injured. Their running backs have still been effective in trying to run the ball. If you will, Dave, please enlighten my listeners on what makes this LA offense so diverse and so potent. So I think it's just the collection of talent. I mean, and really how they have picked certain players

to really go out and do certain specific things. Like, obviously, you know, Keenan Allen, and I'm sure most people out there know how amazing of a route runner he is and how he can get open pretty much against any corner. And that's definitely going to be a matchup. I am very much looking forward to watching him against Stephon Gilmore. And, yes, we will talk about Stephon Gilmore a little bit more. He is truly one of the best corners in the NFL.

But it's because they have so many people that can do specific jobs. I mean, Keenan Allen gets open. He's a first down machine. Mike Williams is a jump ball monster, has an incredible catch radius. He can pretty much out jump anybody. You got Hunter Henry over the middle of the field he's just very a very sure handed uh tight end he catches most passes that get thrown his way and he's also a very good run blocker he's just a very good football player for hunter henry he's just

he's a guy that you know he's a complete tight end you know you don't lose anything most of the time you know you got a tight end that's kind of, you know, better suited for one skill set or another, but I mean, to Hunter Henry's credit, he's very well-versed in both avenues of the tight end position. And then you got a couple of guys that are just fast. I mean, that can just absolutely run, absolutely run, uh, and they can burn down the football field and Jalen Guyton and Tyron Johnson. And they're pretty much their only, their only job on this offense is to stretch the field. I mean, they both run four 340s. These guys can fly.

So their job is to open things up for the underneath stuff, for Mike Williams and for Keenan Allen to get open and to eventually throw the big shot because they do. I mean, Jalen Guyton's stat line is pretty ridiculous. He has, I believe, four catches of 50-plus yards already, and that's just absolutely unheard of. But they have guys that do specific jobs on this offense, and a big key that you talked about is Austin Eckler.

Having Austin Eckler back is a huge win for the Chargers offense because not only is he a very efficient runner, he runs about five yards a carry, he's one of the better pass-catching running backs in the NFL. And, of course, with the Patriots, that's a huge part of their game plan and has been for many years. So they know how valuable a very good pass-catching running back can be. And to have Austin Eckler back, I think he just helps be a key cog in that offensive machine to help keep things moving around.

But the reason why this offense is so effective is because everybody kind of knows their job, and they go out there and they execute their job with, you know, the exception of the offensive line. Absolutely. Such great. And I'm glad that you mentioned Eckler because he's a player that in practice, when I got a chance to cover him for the Chargers, really was one of those guys that, again, folks, I really I enjoyed my time on the Chargers beat. I'm not saying I didn't, but I'm New England born. I'm New England bred. I have a tendency to imagine players that I covet in a Patriots uniform.

And Eckler was one of those because he's such a dual threat runner. He can be dangerous on the ground, but he's one of the best receiving backs in the league. Like you said, he can be a favorite of Justin when he's pressured. And in my opinion, I think the Pats are going to need to put a legitimate cover guy on him in order to try to slow him down on Sunday. That's going to be a big problem. Hunter Henry obviously is going to be a big problem for the Patriots to be able to cover. And he's another guy I really enjoyed covering during my time covering the Chargers.

I think he might be the toughest cover in the game for the Patriots. Bill Belichick talked up Hunter tremendously when he spoke to the media on Wednesday. You know when Bill starts pulling out the fact that he played for Pulaski Academy and Kevin Kelly down in Arkansas. You know Belichick's done his homework on a guy, and you know he's got his eye on him and really, really respects his game. Bill Belichick was effusive in his praise in the press conference. I mean, talking about several of the Chargers players, I mean, I thought that was kind of uncharacteristic.

I mean, he usually doesn't talk that much at the press conferences. It's usually pretty short answers. Isn't that right? Yeah, really short answers. But 600 words were transcribed with pelichick uh making comments about the chargers and he does not throw that praise around haphazardly bill will say his requisite to try to give his opponent uh you know respect that they deserve you know like we're playing a good team they're good on offense good on defense you know special

teams we're going to need our best effort that's how it is you're playing a good team he uses the word explosive a lot bill likes to do that i think that's one of his favorite words but when he is intricate in his details about teams it usually indicates that he there's a lot for him to like there and i think he sees a lot in this offense and even in the defense which we're going to get to in just a moment with joey bosa calling him quote a one-man wrecking crew. That's hard to argue. But the Patriots have struggled to cover tight ends. That's why Hunter worries me in this game for the Pats.

I think they're going to need a platoon of defensive backs to do the job properly. I think you may see Kyle Duggar mixed in, maybe Jawan Williams, maybe even a J.C. Jackson flanking him in coverage at times. So that's going to be interesting. But speaking of the defense, we'll talk about the defense of the chargers. I think there's still a very formidable unit. Front seven has had its challenges stopping the run, if we're being honest, but they do have Linval Joseph up front.

He's a veteran run stuffer, knows his, you know, his position, plays it well. Justin Jones, Jerry Tillery in the front of the linebackers. Of course, you've got Denzel Perryman there. Kenneth Murray, the rookie, a guy I had prognosticated that might be a good fit for the Patriots. Yushanin Owusu, obviously, he was out for Sunday's game against the Bills. Been a little banged up, but the secondary, too, is something that I think has given a lot of,

or taken a lot of pressure off of that front seven. They've been excellent this season, 10th in the league, allowing 222.5 yards per game. Chris Harris is still one of the better cover corners in the league. Casey Hayward, solid guy I covered when I was there. Nasser Adderley, Ray Sean Jenkins, Jaleel Adai, they're very capable in the safety position. And again, of course, you've got Joey Bosa in that edge rush. Seven and a half sacks, I think well on his way to probably amassing at least 10 or more, which it'll be the fourth of the fifth season that he's able to do that, which is just amazing. Dave, how might we expect to see the Chargers defense try to keep the Pats offense in

check on Sunday? Yeah, so like I talked about earlier in the crossover, you know, the Patriots love to throw the ball to the running backs. And of course, with Cam Newton at the helm, you got to always be aware of his ability as a runner. I mean, he is another running back for this team, and he actually has almost twice as many rushing touchdowns as he has passing touchdowns this year. So that's the big key is to make sure to you want Cam Newton to try to beat you. I mean that and with his arm, not with not not with his legs, because he's already proven throughout his NFL career that he can beat anybody with his legs. He is truly one of the best rushing quarterbacks in NFL history. I mean,

I think the numbers back that up, but yeah, you want to make sure and key in on the running backs, James White. I mean, just an incredible player, very versatile, just torched the Chargers the last time they played them in the, in the playoffs, which was ugly. Tom, Tom Brady had a field day against the Chargers because they were playing zone. And, you know, of course, Tom Brady had a field day against the Chargers because they were playing zone. And, you know, of course, Tom Brady eats zone up for lunch. But, yeah, that's going to be the key. Big key for me is do your absolute best to really key in on the running game because the Patriots run the football more than most teams in the NFL. So the team, the goal here on the defensive side for the Chargers is to absolutely try to smother the running game and force Cam Newton to make the throws to beat you. Because

this year he's already shown that when he is forced to throw the football, that's when Cam Newton is not at his best. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm sure we'll get into that a little bit more in the second segment and some of the difficulties that Cam has had in the passing game and the reasons for that. And that's something that I think the Patriots need to address this weekend, because I really again, I look at the Chargers with a three and eight record and I say they could easily have a winning record. If some of the questionable decisions maybe at the end of the games might have gone a different way. And that leads me quite nicely into my last question for you. And Dave, Anthony Lynn's performance in the head coaching seat has been under the microscope as of late.

In fact, some have speculated that he might even be on the hot seat. I know you guys have been talking about this a lot this week on your pod. And when I covered the Chargers, I was covering the Chargers when he took the reins in 2017. There was a lot of optimism with Anthony Lynn coming in. He's got a reputation as being a great offensive mind, but his situational decisions, again, in the clutch, have come under fire this year. In your opinion, at 3-8, is this just being chalked up to a tough year for Anthony, or might we be seeing the end of Anthony Lynn on the Chargers bench?

Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot of built-in excuses that are out there for this football for Anthony, or might we be seeing the end of Anthony Wynn on the Chargers bench? Yeah, I mean, I think there's a lot of built-in excuses that are out there for this football team and for every football team, quite frankly, with COVID affecting the fact that players did not have a full off-season program. They've had to go through all these protocols, and they've had to really be as malleable and be able to adjust as much as possible. But at the end of the day, I mean, this business is about winning football games, and Anthony Lynn right now has not been doing that good enough. In the last couple of years, the Chargers in one-score games are, I think,

3-16 or something along those lines, which is just absolutely not getting it done. Now, the possibility I'm thinking here is, you know, we had Daniel Popper of The Athletic on yesterday, and he talked about all those questionable game management decisions that, you know, you just brought up as well. And, you know, that's a big factor in how the Chargers are losing these games. He says that Anthony Lynn is coaching not to lose when you're supposed

to coach to win and that's the the biggest thing for me now the only uh scenario i think where he doesn't lose his job and at the end of the year is if they fire gus bradley first and i think the reason that there's some pressure on gus bradley is because he hasn't shown an ability to adjust on the fly. And I mean, every coach out there, if you, if you want to be successful,

you have to be able to adjust to your opponent. I mean, yeah, you want to dictate and you don't want to let your opponent dictate to you what you're, what you're going to do, but you still have to adjust. I mean,

adjustments are a part of the game. And if you're not doing that, you got to have, you got to find a coach that is going to do those things. And Andy Lynn wants the defense to be more aggressive and for Gus Bradley his scheme is just not built that way his scheme is to is built to limit the explosive plays and and try to get pressure with four which just doesn't has not been working so that I think right now Anthony Lynn's seat is very hot I think right now, Anthony Lynn's seat is very hot. I think Tom Telesco's seat is also getting quite warm, the Chargers general manager. But I think Gus Bradley's seat is probably the hottest of them all. So if Anthony Lynn does keep his job, it's because they let go of Gus Bradley. But honestly, I think the likeliest scenario at this point, if the Chargers lose a couple more games, I think they might clean house and get rid of everyone.

Yeah. And unfortunately, you know, sometimes good things come to an end in Los Angeles, but there's a great core of young nucleus there that can really contend for many years to come. I think Los Angeles is on the cusp of something big. And I think you're seeing that, especially with Justin Herbert and some of the great young players that they have. Dave, I thank you. You've provided such a great amount of insight when it comes to the Chargers, current information when it comes to the Chargers. My listeners a moment, folks, Dave and I will talk about things from a Patriots perspective as

these two teams prepare to do battle in Sunday in the City of Angels. More with Dave Droegemeier of the Locked On Chargers podcast and me, Mike DeBate of the Locked On Patriots podcast when this crossover Thursday continues. Locked On listeners, if you're looking for a Sunday pregame show that talks about every this crossover Thursday continues. every Sunday morning with hosts Cody Rourke and Ross Jackson. Follow and subscribe to Locked On Live on Twitter, Facebook, Twitch, and YouTube. And don't forget to turn on notifications to be notified when the show goes live every Sunday morning at 11 a.m. Eastern. Brought to you as only we can do it here on the Locked On Podcast Network. All right, everybody.

We are back with the crossover on Crossover Thursday. Of course, I am David Droegemeyer, Locked On Chargers. He is Mike DeBate. And, of course, of Locked On Patriots. And you can find him on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-F-P-C. Make sure and hit him up on social media. He is a great follow. Any Patriots information that you need, he's going to have you taken care of.

But, hey, let's go ahead and get into some Patriots talk, okay? My Chargers fan base, I've talked to you offline. The Chargers fans don't particularly care too much about the Patriots, but I think it's more just envy than anything else. I mean, we've seen them win so many championships and take the Chargers out of the playoffs so many times that just, it's a little bit hard, but anyway, we're going to put that behind us. And, you know, I think, you know, we'll start with this. Do you think the game plan here for the Patriots is just going to be to run

the ball down the Chargers throat? In a way, I think you're probably going to see the Patriots try to do that. Look, they're predicated on being able to run the ball. It's what they do well. It's what they do best. And it's also the best way for them to be able to take a guy like Joey Bosa out of the game or not really out of the game because you never take Joey Bosa out of the game. You can try to neutralize or marginally disrupt, I guess, is the best way for me to put it, when you take a look at what they're able to do in terms of game planning. The Patriots will definitely attempt to run the ball. It begins and ends with Damian Harris.

He's their lead dog. For the second straight game, though, he failed to reach the 50-yard mark, and that was against a banged-up Arizona front last Sunday. Teams are starting to stack the box and force the Patriots to adjust. I think you're going to see Los Angeles do that this week. But other than a few occasional quick hitters toward the edge, the Patriots haven't really been able to consistently get the ball on the ground and get a ground game on track. I think Damian Harris is going to have to have a big game. I think a guy like James White is going to have to have a big game, third downs, watch him catch the ball out

of the backfield. And I also look for Sonny Michel to get some touches in this i know he's a hot button player when it comes to the patriots fan base not a whole lot of love for sony this year or even in previous years because player people have a tendency to think that he was either you know drafted too high or that he's a bust he's always. But the last time these two teams played, you recall in the 2018 AFC championship game or the divisional round, I should say, uh, Sony ran for over 120 yards at three touchdowns. Now I know it's a different circumstance and I know they're different personnel, but Sony does know how to find seams against this team. And I think you're going to see him get a few touches. I don't expect that type of run from

him. And I don't expect that type of yardage from Sony, but I think you're going to see him get in on the act. And if the Patriots do that with Harris, Michelle and white playing well, that's their best option to be able to try to neutralize what Los Angeles does well on offense, which is a lockdown secondary and a very good edge rush and even linebacking core that can get pressure on the quarterback. Switch things over to the defense here for the Patriots. I mean, we saw the Dolphins and the Bills try to disguise their, you know, their, their pressure and disguise what they're going to do on defense. And that kind of had some, uh, some positive effect against Justin Herbert.

Do you anticipate that the Patriots are going to try to do the same thing? Yeah, I think the Patriots are going to try to do the same thing? Yeah, I think the Patriots are going to try to do essentially what they did with Kyler Murray last week, creating pressure up front, making him uncomfortable throughout. Don't forget, Bill Belichick has a reputation of being able to make young quarterbacks uncomfortable in the pocket, give them looks that really confuse them a little bit. I think you're going to see the Patriots try to throw a lot of zero blitz at Justin. I think Justin is going to be able to handle it a little bit better simply because I think the supporting cast that he's going to have around him is going to be a little bit more

adept to being able to beat some of these guys in the Patriots secondary. DeAndre Hopkins, an excellent wide receiver, no question about it. But the Patriots were able to force Kyler into situations where he felt he had no chance but to run the football. I think you're going to see the Patriots do that. But they do. They have a lot of holes right now where they're going to have to be able to plug. And we talked about this in the previous segment. The Chargers have a ton of weapons on offense. They can beat you through the ground with an Austin Eckler. They can put Austin out and flex him out wide or even have him into a running back screen and have him catch the ball out of the backfield and go for big yardage. You can also count on Keenan Allen, Mike Williams

to be able to make pretty big catches. Hunter Henry at the tight end position is excellent at being able to make plays. So Patriots are going to have matchup problems this Sunday. One of the things that they may have to do is utilize that zero blitz, try to confuse Justin Herbert and make him a little bit more uncomfortable in making some of those throws. The Patriots can do that defensively. Then they have a good shot at this on Sunday, but if they can't and Justin starts picking his targets, it's going to be a long day for the Patriots in Los Angeles this weekend. Yeah. Well, I talked about Stephon Gilmore a little bit in the previous segment, and it's because I have tremendous respect for him and his game. I mean, he's just a great corner.

And last week, he shadowed DeAndre Hopkins pretty much the entire game. Do you anticipate that he is going to shadow Keenan Allen in this one? I would say yes, based on the way he played last week. I think Stephon is definitely their best option to be able to shadow a guy like Keenan Allen in this one? I would say yes, based on the way he played last week. I think Stephon is definitely their best option to be able to shadow a guy like Keenan. And again, having covered Keenan in the past, his game is very similar to DeAndre. And it's not necessarily that I'm comparing the players like for like, but in terms of their impact on their offense, it's very similar. So to me, Stephon is going to be the guy that's going to draw that coverage he held DeAndre Hopkins to 26 yards last week I know DeAndre ended up getting 55 few of those extra was when Therese Hall was dropped in into pass coverage that's their middle linebacker the guy

that is kind of you know been like a backup middle linebacker for the Patriots he was on the practice squad just a few weeks ago so having him cover one of the best wide receivers in the league is certainly not fair. I don't think you're going to see that again this week. I think you'll see Stephon Garner a lot more of the lion's share of that simply because I think one game back he'll be feeling better. He'll have his legs back under him, and I really think he's starting to come into his own again.

But don't be a bit surprised to see some switch-ups every now and then. J.C. Jackson likes to get a crack at the number one option, and he may get a crack at Keenan Allen a little bit this week. But I like J.C. on Mike Williams. I think that's going to be a better matchup for the Patriots. But ultimately, yeah, Stephon Gilmore is going to draw the unenviable task of being able to shut down one of the best wide receivers in the league. Like I said before, definitely looking forward to watching that matchup all game long for sure. But switching to the offense for the Patriots, I mean, we got to

talk about Cam Newton. And I mean, for the Patriots, I mean, they were kind of looking to see who they were going to put out there at the quarterback position. And, you know, they didn't sign Cam till late. But, you know, up to this point, do you think that Cam is in their future plans or are they looking to try to address the quarterback position another way? You know, I think the jury's still out on it. No, that sounds like a cop-out answer, but I think the Patriots really like what they have in terms of leadership, in terms of work ethic, in terms of fit with the organization. And I think they like Cam's skill set for the most part. Look, he's been enigmatic, I think, at a lot skill set for the most part look he's been enigmatic I think at a lot of points this year overall he's looked good at times and then there

were times like last Sunday when he didn't look so good 9 of 18 passing for 84 yards two interceptions not gonna get the job done took three sacks he only rushed for 46 yards and his quarterback rating was 23.6 that's simply not going to get it done in this league. But at the same time, you look a couple of weeks ago, and he's throwing for 350 yards, and he's looking like a very capable quarterback that can beat you on the ground and through the air. Virtue lies in the middle, I like to say, and I think that's probably where it is with Cam right now. I think he's showing a lot of sound fundamentals. I think his footwork is something that is always a work in progress. There are times where his footwork has been very accurate. On Sunday, it happened to look terrible

against the Cardinals. But the thing that I really look at with Cam Newton in the area that he needs to improve the most in is holding onto the football a little bit too long. He's simply doing that far too long. And the Patriots really have to, or I should say he has to work on that in order for the Patriots to be effective and be able to do what needs to be done. He's fixating downfield on balls he doesn't end up throwing. And in a lot of ways, sometimes that can work to your advantage. Sometimes it doesn't. But if he doesn't

end up pulling the trigger on those passes i think you need to see cam get a lot better pocket feel uh much better movement and he's got to improve so that way the pass rush that has been getting after him and causing sacks and bad decisions doesn't get into coverage charges have one of the best in the league at getting after the quarterback in Joey Bosa. And if Cam's holding on to the ball like he did last week, an average of 5.1 seconds when he was taking his sacks, that's not going to get it done. Joey Bosa is going to eat that alive. So the Patriots have to work on getting the ball out quickly. If they do that, they've got a chance. As for long term, it's going to really end up how he plays down the stretch.

Ultimately, I think the Patriots would like to make something work with Cam, but if he's not showing it consistently on a weekly basis from here on in to finish the season and maybe into a playoff run if the Patriots get lucky, then they will look elsewhere next year. Well, I mean, I like to finish most of my crossovers by simply asking, what do you think is going to end up deciding this football game on Sunday? Ultimately, from a Patriots perspective, I think it comes back to Cam being able to get rid of the football, make quick decisions, and avoid turnovers.

When the Patriots have avoided turnovers, they're a very difficult team to beat. When they turn the ball over or they're taking unnecessary sacks, giving short field to their opponents, it's become the kiss of death for the New England Patriots. So if the Pats are going to have any success this weekend, get the ball out quickly. They're going to have to get after the passer, get some pass rush on Justin Herbert, confuse him at the line of scrimmage, throw some zero blitzes. If they can combine those two elements, I like the Patriots chances in this one. But if either one of those struggles, the Chargers have more than enough weapons on

both sides of the ball to make this one a one-sided affair on Sunday. So I'm going to shy away from giving my prediction. I do that on Fridays. But I really, at this point, I do. I like the Patriots slightly, but I think the Chargers are going to give them all they can handle in this game. I'll be looking forward to watching this game on Sunday. Mike DeBate, always a pleasure hooking up with you to get these crossovers done.

And best of luck to you and to the Patriots after Sunday. Absolutely. You as well, my friend. This is one I've looked forward to for a while. Keep up the great work. And again, everyone, thank you for tuning in today. Enjoy the game on Sunday. Just like that, Patriots fans, we are almost through the work week,

but here on locked on Patriots, there's still one more show here to get you ready for game day in style because tomorrow here on the pod, Fernando Ramirez, who covers the chargers for sports illustrated, will join me here on the hot seat as we continue to break down Sunday's matchup from a chargers perspective and a Patriots perspective. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, subscribe and follow

Locked On Patriots on platforms such as Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts. Wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you're staying locked into Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank Dave Droegemeier of Locked On Chargers for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's Crossover Thursday episode. But most of all, I thank you all so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Until tomorrow, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.