Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Tuesday: Patriots Set to Host Washington Football Team in Preseason Game One - 8/10/21

Episode Date: August 11, 2021

It’s Crossover Tuesday on Locked On Patriots. Join hosts Mike D’Abate and David Harrison, host of Locked On Washington Football Team as they preview this week’s preseason showdown between the New England Patriots and the Washington Football Team from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts on Thursday, August 12, 2021.Support Us by Supporting Our Sponsors:Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.ButcherBoxButcherBox is offering our listeners 2 five-ounce lobster tails and 2 ten-ounce ribeyes for free in your first box! You can only get this special deal when you sign up for a new membership at ButcherBox.com/LOCKEDON.StatHeroStatHero, the FIRST Ever Daily Fantasy Sportsbook that gives the PLAYER the ADVANTAGE. Go to StatHero.com/LockedOn for 300% back on your first play. 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. It is Tuesday, August 10th, 2021, and it is Crossover Tuesday 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 RockAuto.com.

Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com today and tell them Locked On sent you. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this first crossover of 2021 episode of the Locked On Patriots Podcast. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots Podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

And you know that phrase, your team every day, means that your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much encouraged. So please share that feedback, send it to the internet, by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Tuesday traveling through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, it is T-minus two days until your New England Patriots open the 2021 preseason

by hosting the Washington football team this Thursday night from the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. And for the first time in over two years, the Patriots will host competitive football in front of a packed house at Gillette Stadium. And all of us connected to your favorite team in Foxborough cannot wait for this to happen. Whether you're a fan, media member, a player, a coach, the front office, team owner Robert Kraft, everybody is excited to have football back in Foxborough in front of the Foxborough Faithful.

And even though the Patriots have partaken in 12 practice sessions open to the public, two of which have been inside Gillette Stadium, having preseason game action is just going to hit a little bit different. And in that regard, today here on Locked On Patriots, we're bringing back the Locked On crossover concept. My friend and colleague David Harrison of Locked On Washington football team, will be joining me here on the hot seat in just a moment. We'll discuss this one from a Washington perspective and, of course, from a Patriots perspective.

All this to help you get ready for Thursday night's contest. But before my good friend and colleague David joins me here on the hot seat, we start with the news of the day, and it regards Patriots tight end Hunter Henry. We all know that during Sunday's practice, Hunter left the practice field after suffering what appeared to be a shoulder injury while participating in a blocking drill. He got looked at by trainers, eventually walked off the field and has not seen practice since. Well, ESPN's Mike Reese was the first to report on Monday that Henry was scheduled to undergo an MRI. Today, his colleague at ESPN, Adam Schefter, reported that Henry will

in fact miss a couple of weeks as he rehabs the shoulder, but that the injury is not considered serious. Big sigh of relief when it comes to the New England Patriots. Big sigh of relief when it comes to Hunter Henry. Of course, we all know that the prolific tight end tandem of both he and John O. Smith is expected to revitalize the Patriots' tight end position this year. That 12-man personnel and the play-action schemes that these guys can dial up is truly a thing of beauty. I've witnessed some of it at training camp, but we haven't even scratched the surface yet.

And it looks like Hunter Henry will be available and ready to go when the Patriots get set to kick off the regular season September 12th at Gillette Stadium against the Miami Dolphins. But Adam's report also confirms that we won't be seeing Hunter Henry make his Patriots in-game debut on Thursday night. But what about the action we will see on the field? Well, in just a moment, David Harrison, my friend and colleague, co-host of the Locked On Washington Football Team podcast, will join me here on the hot seat as we cross the

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I'm Mike Debate. Joining me now, editor of Patriot Maven on SI.com, host of the Locked On Patriots podcast here at the Locked On Podcast Network on Twitter at MDebateNFL. That's M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. Mike, glad to talk to you. We've talked a lot in the past,

specifically because of Tom Brady and my other job here at the network covering the Buccaneers, our first time talking together with a Washington football tie-in. So I'm looking forward to that conversation. But how have you been this offseason, and how excited are you for football to be back? Very excited for football to be back, David, and it's always a pleasure to join you, whether it be talking Bucks and Brady or whether it be talking the

Washington football team. If I'm getting a chance to talk Patriots on the other end of it, you know I'm excited about it. But bottom line, it really has been an amazing offseason for the Pats. It's been an exciting one for the Patriots. Definitely a lot of anticipation and a lot of optimism in the air for New England. But ultimately, we'll see how this team ends up doing on the field. But personally, it's been better this year, obviously, than 2020. I think everybody can probably say that, most people anyway. Hopefully, we continue to move in the right direction.

But it's just great to have football back, fans in the stands. It feels a little more real this year than it did last year and that's always a good thing yeah absolutely i was actually i was just on a radio show here in the dmv talking about the washington football team and i kind of got asked about my my thoughts on it and like you just said it feels more real because last year you know a third of this football equation that being the fan base was kind of missing uh from the whole thing and that just didn't feel right so good to see fans getting back in camps you know across the league as much as they possibly can then looking forward to seeing them in the

stands of course now i'm gonna jump right into the quarterback conversation with you mike because obviously you know most important position on the field and there's a lot of i don't call it drama but just a lot of conversations surrounding the position there in new england and here's how i want to frame this if coach belichick owed you a favor that he could not refuse he wasn't allowed to turn you down and for some reason you decided to waste that favor on you deciding the starting quarterback of the new england patriots for the entirety of the 2021 season, obviously health allowing. Would you choose it to be Cam Newton or Mac Jones? Right off the bat, you're hitting me with the offer I can't refuse. I love it. I absolutely love it.

You give me an opportunity to do the Godfather voice, David, I'm already excited. But that's actually a very, very tough question. Seeing both of these guys in camp has really been a joy. Cam has really come out showing a greater amount of command this year, showing a little bit more poise in the pocket, showing a little bit better understanding of the playbook and what Josh McDaniels is expecting of him. McDaniels actually explained this a couple of weeks ago when he spoke to the

media saying Cam understands the why now, not just the what he has to do, but why he has to do it, why the ball has to be in a certain spot, and what he needs to do to get this done. So he's been an impressive, you know, improvement in camp. Mac Jones has really shown a lot for a rookie. His ability to lead receivers open, to make the pre-snap read. Yesterday in particular, he ran a near flawless two-minute drill, methodically taking the team down the field. Dare I say, a little Brady-like on that move. I know a lot of people raise their eyebrow or roll their eyes on that, and I'm not comparing the two because they are two different quarterbacks

with two different styles, but it almost was reminiscent of that in a way, in the way that Tom used to be able to just lead this team down the field. You know as well as anyone, you saw him do it in Tampa Bay all last year, into the playoffs, into a Super Bowl title. To get to your offer you can't refuse type, I would probably say that best case scenario for this team is that Cam Newton starts the season and plays well throughout the season. I think giving Mac an opportunity to learn from Cam Newton, to be able to absorb his poise, his ability to lead the team, his ability to command the respect in the huddle, is something that will help Mac down the line. He's still very impressive, but he is still a rookie.

And in a lot of ways, he's still growing into his own. It's never beneficial for a team that expects to contend right out of the gate to have a rookie quarterback start. And in that regard, I would probably say that I would choose Cam Newton right now over Mac Jones slightly because I think Cam has shown more command. And his experience is the deciding factor here. But Mac is definitely ready to take the reins probably sooner rather than later. Yeah, I mean, I agree with everything you just said there, and it all makes a lot of sense. Obviously, like you said, if you're a team expecting to compete

either for a playoff spot in the playoffs, however you want to word it, you typically don't want a rookie strike. Rookies start for teams that are rebuilding. They might have a few pieces, but they're not really. I mean, everybody in the building is going to say they're looking to compete, obviously, for a championship championship but the realistic side of it and the outside view of is going to be that they're not really competitors but a lot of people looking to see what the patriots can do and obviously the development of cam newton in the second year

with this franchise the development mac jones just in general is going to be an ongoing process or project but we're going to get our first look nationally at the two with this version of the New England Patriots on Thursday night against the Washington football team. What kind of play situation do you expect from Newton and Jones on Thursday night? Is it going to be Jones running the twos, Newtons running the ones, or are we going to see a mixture of the two with the ones, or how do you think that's going to break down?

Well, Mac's been getting a good amount of snaps with the ones in training camp. I expect that to continue on Thursday night. I think Cam will definitely get the snaps out of the gate. I think he'll be the guy to lead the team to start the game. I do believe that we will see the starters play a little bit. I think Bill Belichick kind of alluded to it, saying that this is an opportunity for everyone to grow. And with one less preseason game this year, one less opportunity to showcase what you can do. So the guys that they're sure about probably will get some time. I don't expect

them to get an awful lot of time. I expect Mac to get the lion's share of the playing time on Thursday night. And in that regard, he'll get a few snaps with the starting unit. He'll be in there mostly with the twos see what he can do about mixing it up and then probably in the latter part of the game to preserve his health obviously and probably his psyche a little bit he'll hear in the reins over to brian hoyer who'll probably finish things up at the quarterback position but this is going to be a great test for mac jones especially that talented secondary that was Washington has and their ability to be able to box out as good defensive team, a very deep defensive team, not just the starters, but also the twos,

even some of the threes are caliber starters in a lot of other teams. This is going to be a great test for Mac Jones, Cam Newton and all of the Patriots starters on offense. Mike debate on Twitter at MDABATENFL, editor of PatriotMaven on SI.com and host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Joining me here on the Locked On Washington football team podcast. Mike, a little bit more about the quarterback.

I know there's plenty of other things to talk about New England Patriots, but this quarterback situation is just incredibly intriguing to me. And this one's going to be a little bit trivial. Is Mac Jones really wearing number 50 or is that a camp number and he's at a roster number? And if he's wearing 50, I feel like there's got to be a story behind this. Well, you know, Bill Belichick is doing his best Frank Costello from The Departed, basically telling you that no one gives you anything. You have to go out and you have to

take it. It's a staple of a Bill Belichick team to be given higher numbers to a rookie. In other words, they'll have to earn their way onto the roster, even their draft status, whether they be a number one pick like Mack or whether they be a sixth rounder or an undrafted rookie free agent, you're coming in on the same plateau. You're a rookie. You have to earn your way onto this roster. By the time Mack takes the field on Thursday, that number 50 will be gone. Earlier tonight, he ended up playing a little bit in an in-stadium practice is the best way for me to put it. It wasn't really a walkthrough. It wasn't really a scrimmage or anything to that effect. It was mostly just an opportunity to work out. Mac was still wearing the number 50 jersey, but by the time things get going, I look for

the rookie numbers to probably be officially assigned on Wednesday. And then at this point, it'll probably be a situation where Mack will be wearing his new number on Thursday. A lot of speculation that it will be number 10, the same number that he wore in Alabama, but we'll find out eventually. That's not set in stone just yet. be number 10 the same number that he wore in alabama but we'll find out eventually uh that's not set in stone just yet thank goodness because i mean honestly i'm not against this whole new number thing as much as some people are but something about seeing a quarterback wearing 50

just bothers me i don't know why um i feel like there are some linebackers out there who probably get mad about it as well i just it just doesn't look right. Aesthetically pleasing. And speaking of, of not looking right. Um, a little bit of, again, it's probably more trivial than anything, but I mean, I found it while I was getting ready for this interview. So I got to ask you about it. Cam Newton's nickname for Mac Jones is Mac and cheese and Bart Scott going on the record saying that Cam Newton is essentially body shaming Mac Jones. Is that how you take it? Do you think that's how Mac's taking it? Because everything else I'm reading about the Patriots says that Cam and Mac have a

very good relationship and Cam is mentoring the young quarterback. So what do you think of that? I'm going to say quote unquote storyline. Yeah, I mean, everyone's entitled to their opinion. Bart can believe whatever he wants to believe. But everything that I've seen, everything that I've heard being around this team is that that is a fun-loving nickname that Mack actually thought it was funny that the two of them do have indeed a good relationship. So everything that you've seen, David, is actually the way it is. These two are helping one another. Cam is acting

as a great mentor to Mack Jones. Mack is really absorbing and respecting what Cam brings to the table in terms of experience, and I what Cam brings to the table in terms of experience. And I look for them to continue to work together like that all season long. Look, the ribbing is going to be there. You know, Cam, you know, obviously with the nicknames, he gives nicknames to all players and mac and cheese is obviously one that's going to stick. A little cosplay, a little dress up went on in the Patriots locker room last week, and Mac apparently put on a pretty good, from what I hear, we didn't see it, but from what I hear, a pretty good impression of Cam Newton,

and Cam actually thought it was great. He was the biggest fan of it of anyone in the room. So for anyone that's sitting there telling you that there's a budding feud between these two, there's a friendly competition. between these two uh there's a friendly competition i mean cam wants the starting job and so does mac i don't think either one would deny that but they realize the good of the team is the most important thing and that's the way they're going to play it this year absolutely and i mean again i'm not there i'm glad you have that take on it because i felt like that's kind of a whole lot of nothing uh again like

i mentioned there are other players outside of cam newton and mac jones on this patriots roster unfortunately for everybody new england julian edelman is no longer one of those players but there are plenty of candidates kendrick bourne who for my sake because he's on my dynasty fantasy roster would love if he's becoming the new number one of course you got nelson agalor and keel harry you've got the tight ends johnny smith hunter henry and i know know Hunter Henry is injured, right, I think. But who in your mind is stepping up right now? And there's still plenty of time to go, but who in your mind is stepping up right now to be the new kind of number one

guy there in Foxborough? Well, Nelson Aguilar has really turned the most heads in terms of consistent play all camp long. He's been that consistent wide threat that the Patriots haven't had in quite a while. Someone who can run the deep route, create a good amount of separation, not only get open, but also make catches in the open field. I know a lot of people are going to point to the drop issues that he's had, but Nelson kind of corrected that last year in Las Vegas, and the New England Patriots are utilizing him in the right way. Now, Nelson hasn't really gone

through a lot of reps in the last couple of days. He mispracticed a couple of days ago, returned, basically walked through yesterday. Wasn't really a participant on Tuesday night either. So you look at what he's doing, from what I hear, it's not a situation that kept him out for any type of recurring or concerning injury, probably just time management, but he looks to be the number one at this point. Nikhil Harry has been the story of camp, David, and it's amazing. Just a few weeks ago, no one would have seen this coming, asking for the trade, basically

being shamed out of New England by the majority of the fan base who really had a lot of vitriol thrown in his way the last few weeks. But Nikhil has come in. He's looked solid. He's looked like he's more comfortable in this offense. He's looked like he has a greater understanding, a better synergy with Cam Newton, really developing a nice relationship with Mac Jones. But the bottom line, David, is he's engaged. And that, I think, is something that Nikhil may not have had the last couple of years.

If the New England Patriots and Nikhil Harry come to a realization that their best bet is to remain united this year, then I think Nikhil could be a very solid number two and number three option as a wide receiver for this team. Jacoby Myers obviously is going to be a catch machine. He's going to be your volume catcher, not much in yards after the catch with Jacoby. But if you throw it his way, he's going to go up and get it. He's one of the best on the team at being able to do that. And you mentioned Kendrick Bourne. I like what I'm seeing out of him.

Very solid in the slot. He can align outside. A lot of people forget that about Kendrick. Very versatile. Again, I really can't wait to see some of these guys go up against some of Washington's secondary. Not sure who we're going to see tomorrow night, but looking forward to seeing Jimmy Moreland, Derek Forrest, Troy Apke,

Benjamin St. Juice, who I really looked at as a possible option for the Patriots in mid-rounds for a cornerback position. This is going to be a fun matchup, and I'm really looking forward to it. Yeah, absolutely, you and me both, brother. One of the more interesting storylines to me as an outsider is also the running back situation. I've seen some people writing, even suggesting that James White and Sonny Michelle could be bubble players. Has it really gotten that far with these guys that they're legitimate bubble players or do you think that's a little overblown? How do you look at this running back group right now? The running back group obviously is going to be, I think, the strength of the Patriots offense, not counting the offensive line, which I'm so impressed with, and I continue to be impressed with on a daily basis. But in terms of skill position or scoring position players, running backs definitely are stacked from top to bottom. Damian Harris, he'll continue to be your feature back. I don't think there's anybody that's questioning that.

I don't look for that to change. Damian's performed very well in training camp. Sonny Michel, I think, has played his way back into this rotation and back onto this roster. I had thought that he was going to be a bubble candidate, maybe even a trade candidate prior to training camp, but he's running with more of a purpose. He's running with more power, and he's reinvigorated that ability to catch the ball out of the backfield that we saw from him so well in the University of Georgia. I'm impressed by what I've seen from Sony. A lot of times on Locked On Patriots, but I've been called a Sony Michel apologist. People say that, you know, I'm, people say, you know, I'm carrying his Gatorade, but I've always found that in, in Sony. And I've

always known that there was something lurking below the surface that was going to allow him to be a very strong piece of this offense. If the Patriots don't move him that was going to allow him to be a very strong piece of this offense. If the Patriots don't move him, then I look for him to be the number two option. And judging by what Bill Belichick had to say on Tuesday morning about James White, I don't think he's going anywhere. He came back here for a reason. He's one of the heart and soul players of this team. A very tough year last year for those Washington fans or those football fans listening to this that don't know, tragically losing his father and his mother seriously injured in a car accident very early in the 2020 season it really set James back in terms of his ability to move

forward and even when he came back he was still an inspirational leader performed very well on the field but never quite found the rhythm that he needed I think he's going to be better this year because of that and also he's not going to be the focal point of some of these defenses the Patriots have other options now last year the defensive back almost exclusively covered James White to prevent him from being able to catch and run with the ball downfield I think teams are going to have to game plan for other guys, meaning that James may get more open looks. Based on that, he's not going anywhere. He's going to be a big part of this offense this year. Yeah, I have to be honest.

I mean, James, you know, seeing his name as a potential bubble player, that was the more surprising of the two, even though both of them could be considered surprising. I mean, hey, not for nothing. I mean, I love, you know, Washington's going on in the backfield as well. But if the Pats need to move Sonny Michel after this game, I would not be upset to Washington's going on in the backfield as well, but if the pads need to move Sony Michelle after this game, I would not be upset to see Sony Michelle land with the Washington football team. Yeah. I think, you know, there's a possibility, you know,

and you never know, maybe, maybe the two sides will talk a little bit. We see that in baseball all the time. I'm sure it happens in football too. I mean, Hey, look after, after Thursday night, they're not going to see each other again until maybe the Super Bowl in February. I mean, if you're New England trading a potential playmaker, I think you're willing to take that gamble if trade talks do happen. Mike DeBate, editor of Patriot Maven on SI.com, host of the Lots On Patriots podcast here at the Lots On Podcast Network

on Twitter at MDebateNFL. That's M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. Mike, last two questions for you here on today's episode. I appreciate you again, spending time with us, uh, preseason, you know, guys love seeing those starters get out there. The first round draft picks the notable guys that have changed uniforms, stuff like that. But then usually by about the second half, some of the fans get a little bored, especially the ones that aren't in the stadium, stuff like that. So what are some reasons for even Washington football team fans, anybody to be interested in watching the depth guys on this year's Patriots roster? Well, there were a few guys and we've talked about some of

them on the offensive side of the ball, whether it be someone like a Kendrick Bourne or Jacoby Myers, who I think Myers is probably more of a first stringer, but you know, guys like that, that could end up getting some playing time. The rookies have a chance to be able to play as well. One guy that I would watch in the running back core for the New England Patriots is rookie Ramondre Stevenson to see if he gets any playing time on Thursday and even deeper into the preseason. Patriots have a tendency to red shirt their rookie running backs. They want them to learn. Running backs coach Ivan Fierce has been very critical of Armandre's, not performance, but his progress throughout training camp, stating that he's doing everything they're asking him to do, but he needs to do

everything better. That's not as much of a backhand compliment as it sounds. That's kind of Ivan's method. So maybe there's a method to his madness. He's a guy that I would watch on the offensive side of the ball, see if he can get the job done on defense. The Patriots are probably going to show you a few looks from the starters, but don't look for them to give away too much. The guys you'll probably want to keep an eye on are some of the backup defensive linemen, maybe some of the backup linebackers, two names in particular that I would keep my eye on on Thursday night. Carl Davis, a backup defensive tackle, has had a phenomenal camp, winning a lot of one-on-one pass rush drills. He's been a good addition since coming over from Jacksonville last year.

Concussion problems prevented him from finishing the year. But now that he's a depth option and not being called upon to be a starter, I think he could be an interesting person that could latch his way onto this team. In the linebacking core, Juwan Bentley is someone that really, I think, is primed for a bounce-back season after a subpar 2020. He was asked to take over the mantra for Dante Hightower, and that is a daunting task for anyone. He did it to the best of his ability, but might have been a little bit over his head. This year, with Dante back, Matt Judon, Kyle Van Noy back back in the fold he's going to be able to settle into a specialized role and I think he's going to thrive outstanding then of course Mike every uh every guest every crossover guest is getting the same question because I just I I enjoy hearing the outsiders opinions um what are

your thoughts on this 2021 Washingtonhington football team from a total season outlook not just the preseason but just kind of what they've got going on with some of the new players the draft picks as best you know them and then ryan fitzpatrick because again nobody expecting you to be an expert on all things wft but you're a smart football guy and you pay attention to the league you've obviously paid attention to ryan fitzpatrick on and off as well what are your kind of thoughts on what's going on in the nation's capital here football wise i'm very optimistic about what's going on in the nation's capital here football wise? I'm very optimistic about what's going on in the nation's capital. I love what this team did last year defensively. I think they were one of the more underrated teams in the league last year. And I think there's an opportunity for this to be one of the best

defenses once again, in the NFL. I mentioned the secondary earlier, Jimmy Moreland, Derek Forrest, Troy Apke, Benjamin St. Jesus, again, someone I'm looking forward to seeing. I hope I get a chance to see a little bit of him on Thursday. This is a talented secondary, but you look at guys like Chase Young, Montez Sweat. This is a team that is stacked from top to bottom on defense, whether it be the interior of the defensive line, the linebackers or the secondary, they can make things happen. Jamin Davis was someone that I would have salivated to get in a Patriots uniform, just a complete defender. And I think one of the steals in the draft, really looking forward to seeing him on the

offensive side of the ball. You mentioned Fitzpatrick. He's a guy that Patriots fans know very well, and he's got a great amount of success here. Bill Belichick spoke to the media on Tuesday and really sung the praises of Ryan Fitzpatrick as being a very versatile quarterback, throws the ball well, but someone that can put his head down, be very tough, get yards after the catch, he'll throw a block or two. This is someone that can really, I think, meet you in a lot of ways. So looking forward to seeing him. And then of course, I think we'll probably see a lot of

Taylor Heineke tomorrow night as well and see what he can do. I think there's been a lot of eyes on him as there probably will be a lot of eyes on Mac Jones on the Patriots side. I really think that this is a team that's on the cusp of doing something special. And it'll be fun to see the schemes and the plays that Ron Rivera has in store for Bill Belichick on Thursday night. Absolutely. Absolutely. Very, very intelligent, smart, thorough analysis of the Washington football team from my guests here today, Mike debate. And listen, if you're a Washington football team fan who likes to be a smart NFL fan,

just in general, your source for Patriots news analysis and take should be Mike debate on Twitter at Mike or at M debate, NFL, MDA, BAT, E NFL. Of course,

also the editor of Patriot Maven on si.com and host of the locked on Patriots podcast. Mike, look forward to you barring any trades or anything that bring us back together. Look forward to talking to you in February in preparation for Superbowl 56. David,

it's been my pleasure. It's been an honor. Enjoy talking football with you. Enjoy the game on Thursday night. And hey, who knows? Maybe another crossover in February is in store for us. Stranger things have happened. Yes, sir.

Very much. Thank you, Mike. Thanks, bud. Just like that, Patriots fans, we are almost halfway through your work week, but we haven't even begun to scratch the surface on some great Patriots coverage still to come, including a special pregame edition of the Locked On Patriots podcast on Thursday. So to be sure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify,

the Odyssey app, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend David Harrison for his time as Insight and for crossing the streams with me here on this Crossover Tuesday episode. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until next time, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Have a great day, everyone.