Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Wednesday with Locked On Texans - 11/27/19

Episode Date: November 27, 2019

It’s Crossover Wednesday! Join host Mike D’Abate as he breaks down Sunday Night’s matchup between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans. He and John Hickman of Locked On Texans to discuss the game from a Pats perspective and a Texans perspective. Finally, the duo offer their predictions for this battle in Houston. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful. It's your Thanksgiving Eve Crossover Wednesday episode of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. This episode is brought to you in part by Away. Away creates thoughtful products designed to change how you see the world. For $20 off a suitcase, visit awaytravel.com slash locked on and use promo code locked on during checkout. If you're listening on the go and you can't visit away right now, you can find this and all other offers from Locked On sponsors at lockedonpodcast.com slash offers. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and today I will be joined by John Hickman of Locked On Texans, and we will be previewing Sunday night's matchup between the Houston Texans and your New England Patriots.

This Sunday, December 1st, 8.20 p.m. start time for Sunday night football, and the Texans are in the lead for the AFC South Division with a record of 7-4 thus far. They're also a team, folks, that the Patriots have beat in the last four regular seasons. New England last traveled to Houston to play the Texans in 2015, with each of the last three meetings taking place at Gillette Stadium. Now, the Patriots will try to extend their NFL record to 10 straight seasons with at least 11 wins if they can secure a victory over the Texans this week.

Such an amazing feat for this team and this franchise. And the old adage is, folks, winning never gets old, and it really never does. And the Patriots have certainly done a lot of it over the past few seasons, especially since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady got to town. Simply amazing. But before I magically teleport you to today's crossover episode, I just wanted to take a moment here on this Thanksgiving week, and this Thanksgiving Eve specifically,

to thank each and every one of you for making Locked On Patriots a part of your daily listening routine. Since taking over from my friend Mark Schofield on August 7th, I've been honored to bring you your daily dose of news, notes, analysis, opinions, and the occasional bad joker impersonation. You guys

are really good about humoring me on that, but you've also made me feel so welcomed with some of the great feedback that I've received, and I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's truly an honor to be a part of the great team here at Locked On. I'm so blessed to be a part of the Locked On Podcast Network and to be hosting a daily podcast of a team in the New England Patriots that I have covered and continue to cover, but also a team of which I've been a fan of my entire life.

That does not get to happen to everybody, and I'm team of which I've been a fan of my entire life. That does not get to happen to everybody, and I'm truly grateful to have been given that chance. But last and certainly not least, I am so thankful to all of you listeners out there. Each and every download, subscription, kind message that I receive, it means so much to me. And your support makes this show and all of the great shows across the Locked On Podcast Network possible. So whether you're a new listener or a longtime listener, I appreciate each of you very much,

and I sincerely wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and enjoyable Thanksgiving holiday. But there is a game to be played on Sunday night, and despite the holiday, the coverage never stops. Well, I shouldn't entirely say that. A quick programming note here. As you all know, tomorrow being the Thanksgiving holiday, there will not be a Thursday episode of Locked On Patriots this week. However, I will be back on Friday, and I look forward to returning to the microphone to bring you all of the latest on the Patriots' matchup with the Houston Texans.

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and we thank them for sponsoring the podcast. And hello to all you fans of the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots. Welcome to your Crossover Wednesday episode here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. My name is Mike DeBate. I am the host of Locked On Patriots, which of course is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDAVATEFPC. And be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter as well at LO underscore Patriots. And I'm John Hickman, John Sports Guy Hickman. You can follow me on Twitter at some sports guy representing the Locked On Texans and the listeners fan base here in Houston. Follow us on Twitter. Like us on Facebook at Locked On Texans.

Mike, I'm excited. Blessed to be on the other side of the mic with you, even though we're apart from one another doing this crossover show today because where our teams are leading their division, one team is 10-1, one of the best defenses we've seen in a very long time. The other

team, every week there's a heart attack that you can have. There's a risk of having a heart attack when you watch the Houston Texans because of a plethora of other things. But Sunday night primetime NBC, it's about to go down. Absolutely. It really will. And I do believe this is going to be a good game and one that's going to live

up to the hype. These two teams always seem to play each other well. There's a good history there, of course, between Bill O'Brien, the head coach of the Houston Texans, and Bill Belichick, obviously the head coach of the New England Patriots. Bill O'Brien was his offensive coordinator up here in New England for a little while. So these two teams do know each other pretty well. And again, it is a little bit of a dynamic, and I think you touched on that, you know, John. Usually we see the Houstonxans come in playing such strong defense that's usually the key for their team it's a little bit different this time around the texans still have a pretty good defense i'm definitely not disparaging them

there but their offense tends to be their strength led by deshaun watson deandre hopkins names that are definitely giving new england patriots fans a few fits here. So, you know, that will be the case. But the Patriots' defense this year has been the stalwart of their team, and they're playing extremely, extremely well. And John and I will break down that key matchup a little bit later on in today's program. But once again, we thank you all for joining us today here on Locked On Patriots and Locked On Texans. Thanksgiving Eve, busiest travel day of the year. So if you are traveling, please be careful, please be safe. And we're honored that

you took time out of your day to listen to us here on the Locked On Podcast Network. But John, let's get right into it. And the Houston Texans defense right now is without one of their key components in J.J. Watt, who is out for the year. And the Patriots' offense has not been moving the ball as prolifically as they have before. When you take a look at what the Texans' defense would need to do to shut down Tom Brady and some of the weapons that the Patriots have on offense that necessarily haven't been playing up to speed but can still be dangerous when needed, how do you look at this matchup from a texans defensive standpoint and say this is how we can disrupt tom brady well i think the patriots and as a lifelong fan of this team in new england i think the patriots have allowed themselves a

window of getting beat that we've never seen in the 20 years of Tom Brady playing. And that's him being the reason and the liability that they can lose games. Right? We look at how bad this offense is. Yes, there's a lack of receiving threats. Yes, the running game isn't good. You haven't had Isaiah Wynn, who is a stud, but he's been out due to injury. And on top of that, your leader, Tom Brady, well, he isn't the same.

That's like if you go into a war with your captain, over the course of years, those wars take a toll on him. And you can look up one day and say he's not the same guy. Right? His throws aren't as good. His touches is gone. He's not able to really hit guys. Now, granted, they're without credible receivers.

Nikhil Harry, rookie, he's playing. He caught his first touchdown. I've been big on him. I've been wanting to see him play football for a very long time. Of course, you have O'Rellob with Julian Elliman, but you're out-grunk, right? You're out guys that are good because they're playing around other talent. And now we can see the cheek in the army for this Patriot team for the first time in a very long time and ever. Tom Brady is the weak link. So the Texans have to exploit that. Yeah. And I think one of the big keys about that has been Brady's inability to be comfortable in the pocket,

his ability to be forced from the pocket, and how teams are being able to disrupt what he's so good at being able to do, which is taking time to read defenses and pick them apart. Tom Brady has often been quoted as saying, at this age, when he sees a defense lining up, it's almost like the majority of the time he has the answers to the test. He's seen it all. He's done it all. But it's one thing to be able to see it and recognizing it it and another thing to be able to go out and actually execute it and that's something he

has had difficulty with doing this year now granted there have been some factors and you mentioned a few of those John it was his lack of wide receiver continuity Muhammad Sanu obviously was out on Sunday so was Philip Dorsett Nikhil Harry Jacoby Myers were two guys that he relied on pretty heavily they're rookies and of course they're going to make rookie mistakes. We saw them make a couple of drops, especially against Dallas on Sunday. So those are the issues and those are the ways to me, if you're going to disrupt this Patriots offense, it's get linebackers in coverage, rush the passer, make sure that Tom Brady does not have the opportunity to be able to make throws. I know Bradley Roby and Jonathan Joseph, they've missed time due to injury at the cornerback

position, but if they can get back into coverage and the front seven and the linebacking core of the Houston Texans can create pressure and make Brady uncomfortable, those types of coverages are things that the Texans can exploit. So I agree with you. That's the way for them to be able to attack it and be able to go at them. On the flip side, John, the Patriots running game has really not been all that effective. And that's actually another reason why I think Brady has struggled, because he hasn't been able to set his feet, rely on a prolific running game to get things going.

Whereas in a couple of years past, he's had that option, he's had that ability, whether it be going back to Deion Lewis in the backfield, and then last year, Sonny Michel having a much better season than he's had this year. When it comes to the Texans' defense, they've allowed 108 yards per game on average on the ground. That's middle of the pack. That's not really, that's not poor. It's not tremendous, but it's roughly right in that center of the league. J.J. Watts' absence certainly has, you know, hurt the cause, I think, in terms of the Texans being able to defend against the run. And the Texans have been able to allow those chunk plays, which is why I think that their total is a little bit more,

because when they're consistent run defending, they're actually a pretty good team. Do you look for them to continue that and try to shut off the run this week, or do you think really it comes back to being able to just defend the pass and keep Brady uncomfortable in the pocket? I think they definitely stick to the run defense. Why? Because you're so damn good at it. And why? The Patriots aren't really good running the ball right now. Sonny Maceo had a very good season last year came into this season with big expectations and

I know because not only do I follow him but I've had I had him on my fantasy team and well he hasn't done much of anything so they're definitely going to continue to shut that down as a player you never want to lose a game because you stop doing what you're good at. As a team, you never want to do that. And with the pass, we have dealt with injuries. We brought in Conley, Vernon Hargraves, who had a big pass breakup this past week. Roby, he's been in and out of the lineup. Lonnie Johnson, Jr., the rookie cornerback.

So we've dealt with injuries, and then Jonathan Joseph is getting old. I'm not banking on our defensive backs, our secondary, to in one week of finally having the opportunity to play with everybody, if everybody's going to be able to play Sunday, because there's still injuries that people are questionable, whether they're going to play or not. Game time decision, who knows? I'm not putting so much weight on the secondary to come into a game where you're

not going into Foxborough, but Foxborough follows, right? This is the first time you've played these guys at home since I believe 2010 was the last time you actually won against the Patriots. No, we're not going to put you in a position of predicting where your back is against the wall playing against Tom Brady with the first time you actually get some continuity together. I'm not banking on that. Yeah, and I think you're absolutely right.

I think in terms of what the Texans are going to be able to employ, that looks like the best strategy for them. And, you know, again, it's a Patriots offense that is not prolific the way it has been in the past. And you mentioned Rob Gronkowski. You mentioned his absence. You know, definitely lacking some productivity at wide receiver. They've been better a little bit each game, and they're starting to find, I think, their identity as a team and as an offense a little more each week. But the Patriots have taken longer to do so than they have in the past, and I think that's one of the things that's hurt them. If I'm a Patriots fan, that's what I'm looking to do. You mentioned the secondary being banged up. That's where the

Patriots are going to have to attack Houston if they hope to put points up on this team. Tom Brady, again, if he can get some time back there, he still is capable of making throws when he needs to make them. His game, his field has shortened, but at the same time, he's able to get completions and put the ball in the hands of people exactly where it needs to be, and that's one of the things that Brady is so good at. So I look forward to a pretty good Patriots offense versus Texans defense matchup, but the gem of this game, John, and I think you agree with me, is going to be a very prolific Houston Texans offense against the top-ranked defense in the NFL in the New England Patriots. And that's something the Pats fans haven't been able to say in a while.

We're used to singing the praises of our offense here in New England, but the Pats defense has been phenomenal. And John and I are going to break that down in just a moment. Once again, you're listening to John Hickman and my debate, hosts of Locked On Texans and Locked On Patriots, respectively. And, John, we talked a lot about the Patriots' offense going up against this Texans' defense and how Tom Brady might be able to put points up on this defense. But ultimately, I think, and I think you're in agreement with me, is that this game is going to be won by the Patriots' defense going up against the Houston Texans' offense,

and which one of these prolific units is able to win that battle. When it comes to the Texans' offense, we know Deshaun Watson has been playing at an MVP caliber level. Yes, there have been some hiccups along the way, but he's played at such a high level and been such a dynamic force in the league this year offensively. DeAndre Hopkins is one of the best, if some will make the argument that he is the most prolific wide receiver in the NFL. From a Texan standpoint, when you take a look at this Patriots defense offensively, the strategy, especially Billy O'Brien, who was an offensive-minded coach. How do you see the Houston Texans offense being able to attack a very stingy Patriots defense? Got to get the ball out of space, Mike.

Right? I mean, we have to get the ball out of space. And with that being said, we saw the Patriots struggle with Lamar Jackson. Why was he so good against the Patriots after they had shut down just about every quarterback they've played? Well, because he is quick and decisive at making his moves and getting out in space. The Ravens this entire year has been amazing at getting their guys in space. Whether it's been a lineup of three tight ends, which now we have Jordan Thomas back, maybe that's an area that we can really use to exploit the Patriots defense or just help

us out getting three tight ends on the field, attacking you in that formation or using Will Fuller. We saw how much of a difference Will Fuller makes when he's on the field for the Houston Texans last week against a very good Indianapolis Coast defense. Get him out of space. He's one of the fastest players in the league. Allow him the opportunity to not only catch the ball, but catch it in some space so he can make moves.

With that being said, I think the point of attack for this offense, the Houston Texans, against this defense for the Patriots, is in the middle of the field, and that's through the linebackers. Yeah, absolutely. Stephen Gilmore is playing out of his mind right now, so I don't trust anything going his way at a consistent rate for an entire game. and that's through the linebackers yeah absolutely more is playing out of his mind right now so i don't trust anything going his way at a consistent rate for an entire game yeah when you take a look at what stefan gilmore has been able to do in terms of taking away exactly what the other team

does best you have to think he's going to be matched up against hopkins and you have to think that he's going to be pretty effective at doing so now again that's no not to hop knock to Hopkins. He is a great wide receiver, and if there's anybody that can get yards and make a cornerback look bad, it's DeAndre Hopkins. So Stephon Gilmore is going to have to be on his game, play one of his best games that he's played all year in order to be able to shut him down. But you mentioned the linebackers, and I think that is such a key of why the Patriots have been so good this year on defense.

That 3-4 look that they love to employ is something that could give Deshaun Watson some issue. Then the Patriots, if they can keep their linebackers running free, getting after the passer, that allows a linebacker, a second linebacker like a Jamie Collins, to even drop back into coverage. They love to play the zero blitz in New England. And even when they show blitz, they'll do that. They'll drop the linebacker back into coverage, they'll allow the secondary to play lockdown coverage, and then they can allow the other

linebackers to get out and be able to rush the passers. So to me, that's going to be one of the key elements in being able to employ that system and try to stop a very, very tough Texans defense. And that's going to be a tough matchup for the New England Patriots without question. Well, I'm sorry. Oh, sure. Please, by all means. And I have a question for you, Mike. Everything you just said is true. I watch these guys play football and they win games before the game starts. Right. If the game is at noon, they win the game at 1057 because they've already outsmarted you. But I just want to revert back to the Ravens game. Deshaun Watson can play very similar to Lamar Jackson, not because we hope to do it because we've seen it happen before. And going into this game, one thing that everyone has been critical of Watson, especially here in Houston and the media here in Houston, it's just holding the ball too long.

Right. When they played the Ravens, Deshaun Watson was sacked on a play that he had the ball in his hands for 10 seconds. The average time per sack against the Ravens was six seconds, a little bit over six seconds. So dancing, the team that we're going to get ready for, that we're preparing, the team that we're representing right now, the Lockdown Podcast Network, the Patriots, you cannot dance because they're built to continue to play their job, right? Do their job, play their role. The sun has to be very quick.

If I'm going to throw the ball out, throw it out. Now, if I'm going to take off with the ball, take off with the ball. And what that'll do, we'll pressure this defense, pressure this good linebacker, Corey, Jamie Collins has played out of his mind this year. Pressure this to get uncomfortable. And then now you can attack them with the running game which you're pretty good at you're averaging a little bit of over 130 per game the ravens were able to

dominate the game because they ran the ball good the ravens were able to dominate you houston because they ran the ball damn good there's no reason why that formula for the ravens game against the patriots or what they did to us shouldn't be implemented going into this game. Yeah, absolutely. And I think you hit the nail right on the head in terms of what Deshaun Watson needs to do. Be quick. You can't let the Patriots set their game. That's one of the reasons why I think the Patriots have been, I don't want to say ineffective, because that's really, I think, a poor choice of words on my part.

But one of the reasons why they've struggled a little bit in stopping mobile quarterbacks and stopping prolific running backs. Carlos Hyatt is that type of power back that has, he's had some success against New England, but, you know, that's the type of running back that the Patriots have struggled to put the clamps on. Despite some dominance on every, really, every level of defense, the Patriots only rank 23rd in average yards per rush. Hyde averages just under five yards a carry. He's given the Texans some balance, while Duke Johnson has been a very good third-and-down specialist for them.

I think that provides that change of pace back that really is a part of a great running game. Deshaun Watson can make plays with his legs. You mentioned that before. So the Patriots' front seven, I think, is going to have its hands full. And that's the reason why I think the linebackers and the secondary will need to be very, very much on their game. The Patriots had some success trying to control Zeke Elliott, who had come into the game being very prolific as a runner. I think the Texans is going to be a little bit more difficult for them because they deal with the read option. They deal with those looks that have given the Patriots some fits. So I think they're going to need a big game from Kyle Vannoy, Dante Hightower, even John Simon,

former Houston Texan, is going to need to be solid in setting the edge. They want to prevent those big plays against the Texans that have really, I think, helped Hyde to get some things going in the recent weeks keeping Houston's ground game under wraps is going to go a long way I think towards shutting down the Texans but that's going to be easier said than done because this offense can move the ball and they have so many weapons to do it very much so and I expect the tight ends to be a big part of this game right we got Jordan Thomas back who missed you know every game outside of the last game activated him off IR he was a guy last year

that had four touchdowns really helped establish this tight end group now Fels comes in and he's been an amazing red zone target which is the point I'm making. The best way to win this team, win against this team, is to make sure you're scoring points and scoring the ball in six instead of threes, right? The Patriots are never a team you want to leave around. You have to get rid of them early. We've seen times where the Patriots are just lingering around down 10 points when you've had opportunities to put them down 21.

Now they're only down 10 going into the second half. How many times have we seen that story? Right? That's not enough. Absolutely. They would have to attack this team in the red zone, be efficient in the red zone. In the area where you're doing pretty good for yourself, you're over 60% in the red zone this year. The Patriots are much better at defending the red zone.

So that's a challenge that you have to accept and receive. But the Texas can get it done. Fails is going to be huge in this game. And allowing your tight ends to just be a part of the game plan effectively is what can make a difference. Absolutely. And I think you said that perfectly. And that's going to lead us into our game predictions, which will be coming up. John and I will break down exactly what you can

expect to see, and we'll offer our take on exactly what's going to happen in the action on Sunday night. But first, I just want to say listen up to all of you past, present, and future MyBookie players. During Thanksgiving week, MyBookie is offering a risk-free bet on the Bears and Lions game. Simply choose a team against the spread for up to $250. If you win, congratulations. You've got extra holiday spending money. But if you lose, congratulations to you as well, because MyBookie is going to give you all of your money back. It's a no-brainer, because you literally cannot lose. It's all risk, all gravy. It doesn't matter whether you're an experienced player or a first-time customer. MyBookie welcomes all to come play, so quit waiting around and sign up today. Do you find yourself wanting to sports bet but still have lots of questions?

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and Mike DeBate, hosts of Locked On Patriots and Locked On Texans. And John, it's been an honor to share the microphone with you here on Thanksgiving Eve. It's been a blast. You've given us a lot of insight. I hope I was able to give your listeners maybe just a little tidbit of insight on the New England Patriots. But we've arrived at that time, my friend, and it's prediction time.

In your opinion, what do you believe we will see play out on Sunday? Not going to put you on the spot to put a score up there. If you don't want to just yet, feel free to throw it in, but if you don't want to, no worries. But what can you expect from the Houston Texans offensively and defensively, and what do you expect to happen on Sunday? I expect the Patriots to have a little bit of trouble containing the run. And if the Texans use them correctly, I think the Titans can be a big part of this game.

Phelps has six touchdowns on the season. Atkins has four. That's ten touchdowns combined. That is a very good productive number for your tight end core that doesn't feature a main guy like a Kelsey or Ertz. And even going into the Baltimore game, they struggled with the tight end core that doesn't feature a main guy like a Kelsey or Ertz. And even going into the Baltimore game, they struggled with the tight end. I think this is a part of the game plan. I think with that being said, there's something about a defense that can just

take you out of games. We've seen offenses be able to take teams out of games, but those games normally end in shootouts, right? This defense is for real. A defense like this will put fear in a team's eyes because of how great they game plan, how great they can throw so many different schemes and coverages at you. But I know this is dramatic. I'm going to go the Texans win this game by four points.

I don't think that's necessarily dramatic at all. I think the Texans present a lot of problems for the New England Patriots. And, again, you mentioned before in our broadcast that this is a type of offense that gave the Patriots such difficulty on defense when the Baltimore Ravens played the New England Patriots. Deshaun Watson is capable of playing a Lamar Jackson type game, and I think that could be an issue with the New England Patriots. The problem that I have with that is that when Bill Belichick has seen the opportunity to make adjustments and be able to defend against teams, I think he makes just enough adjustments to be able to do it this time around.

I'm not saying that the Texans aren't going to put up points. I believe they will. But at the same time, I believe that the Patriots are going to be able to find their offensive groove a little bit more than they have in weeks past. I think Isaiah Wynn being back in that offensive line helps to solidify a little bit of what Tom Brady is able to do, give him a couple of more seconds to be able to make throws, and ultimately I think it's going to help the running game. We saw Sonny Michel run with a lot more pop than he has the last couple of games. A lot of that was on Sonny, and I credit him for that, but a lot of that was because of

the looks that he was seeing and the holes that were opened up and not having to worry about a lack of bodies on that offensive line. So I like the Patriots again in a close game, like you like the Texans in this one. I actually have the Patriots winning this one. Believe it or not, I have them winning this one 32 to 28 over the Houston Texans. I think both teams are going to be able to put up some points and I think it's

going, this one might come down to the last, you know, a couple of possessions. So this is going to be a good one on Sunday night and I think this one might come down to the last couple of possessions. So this is going to be a good one on Sunday night, and I'm looking forward to it. Mike, I will say this. As a guy who studied this man for a very long time, you made a point. Bill Belichick played the Ravens, played Lamar Jackson, got a blueprint, and he is the king of laying down blueprints right like you can't he truly is you can't give him a look one time and beat him with it twice that's why the entire league has shut

down with the the uh rounds we're doing shows you how to beat them now look how bad they are you have a guy in bill belichick that's the king of time management clock management knows the rules knows everything here in houston bill'Brien he's trying he's learning you know he's he's still on a tricycle trying to get to the bicycle I like that he's on one wheel killing you in any way he wants to that's ultimately going to be the decision uh how who make this decision in this game. Yeah, I do. I agree with that. Bill Belichick is that good of a coach.

So that is what gives this Patriots team a notch over not only the Texans, any team they play. Yeah, it's true. And I think that that is one thing that always is seldom said, but often thought. And, you know, listen, he does get a share of accolades. And I'm not going to sit here and pretend that Bill Belichick does not get his share of praise when the Patriots do a great job. But he is so adept at being able to adapt to any type of offense or defense that's thrown at him. He's able to find ways to do it. And again, I think that gives the Patriots the slight edge. But again, this is going to be a great one. And Houston is definitely capable of pulling out a win here, especially being at home. They're going to be playing. They're definitely coming off of a couple of weeks removed from a pretty bad loss to

the Baltimore Ravens. The Patriots are coming off of three weeks removed from a bad loss to the Baltimore Ravens. So this is going to be an interesting game. and I think we're both looking at it. And again, it was our honor today to join you and for you guys to take time out of your schedule to listen to us here on Locked On Patriots and Locked On Texans. Please be sure to follow us and listen to us each and every day here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. On behalf of John Hinkman from the Houston Texans, the Locked On Texans podcast, I'm Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots,

wishing you all a very happy, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving to you and your families, and thank you for making the Locked On Podcast Network a part of your daily and weekly routine. Have a great day and a happy Thanksgiving, folks.