Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - David Andrews Back at Practice, The Return of Smith and Henry and More New England Patriots Talk

Episode Date: November 23, 2022

Less than 24 hours after being feared lost for the season due to a thigh injury, New England Patriots center David Andrews was back at practice. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper of Pats Propaganda and FPC Patriots. The dynamic duo discuss Andrews’ presence and what it means for the Pats, the potential for increased usage of tight ends Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, and take an early look at the Minnesota Vikings.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONSimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnNFL to learn more.BlueNileMake your moment sparkle with Blue Nile. Go to BlueNile.com and use code lockedon to save fifty dollars on your purchase of five-hundred dollars or more.BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

just when you thought he was out, he pulls you back in. David Andrews back on the practice field on Tuesday. What does it mean for the Patriots Thursday night, Thanksgiving night matchup with the Minnesota Vikings? Stay tuned. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. 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,

and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so smash that subscribe button and download, subscribe to, and follow Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Today's episode is brought to you by our friends at LinkedIn Jobs.

LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidate you want to talk to, and they help you do it faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. And folks, a lot to talk about today on this Wednesday midweek episode, Thanksgiving week episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me.

Let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And as you can see, it is midweek and she is back here, folks, in her rightful place.

And always lending the wisdom and counsel the way only she can. Columnist extraordinaire for PatsPropaganda.com as well as FullPressCatspropaganda.com as well as fullpresscoveragepatriots.com where she hosts her very own patriots podcast a clear perspective folks one of the great listens in patriots media if you haven't checked it out already what are you waiting for please do it i highly recommend it but you can always find her here each and every Wednesday as well.

The illustrious Claire Classey. Claire Cooper joins me today. Claire, thank you so much for joining me from across the pond. Oh, well, thank you very much, as usual, for having me on the show, and happy pre-Thanksgiving to everybody. I know it's a little bit early, so yeah, happy Thanksgiving. Absolutely. We always appreciate that, Claire. Thank you so much. And, you know, it's a happier mood here on the pod this week. Murph and I took the microphone on Monday and we were excited without any question. Murph loves to watch, you know, for a green guy it always is when the patriots take out the jets especially on thanksgiving week you get butt fumble you know uh it's all good but the new england patriots 10 to 3 victory over the new york jets was a big one for the pats because it moved them to six and four keeps them in playoff contention now all of a sudden they're two games over 500 they're above the jets in the. So this is something that is very important for New England. And they face a tough test coming up this Thursday against the Minnesota Vikings.

But first counts, there are definite things to talk about by no stretch of the imagination. And we're going to get to what I teased to open the show today in just a minute. And that is the incredible toughness of David Andrews. But wouldn't be doing my job unless we gave a tip of the cap to Patriots rookie return specialist Marcus Jones, who was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance on Sunday. Eighty-four yards to the house. Just an incredible week for the kid. And really, I think the start of so many special

moments for him in a Patriots uniform Claire before we get into the logistics of you know Sunday's matchup what it means and also a little bit into Thursday night's matchup what was your reaction as you watched Marcus dart down the field and head toward the end zone with less than five seconds remaining it was one of those things it was a little bit like um almost like you were watching kind of like a movie because it was like that was the one thing that they needed like as you said there was like five seconds left well as he finished there was five seconds left but it was like the last few moments of the game you know what can be done to win this you know win the matchup and stuff like that and there he is kind of zipping

down down the field kind of missing blocks this that the other and it's like every each step was like oh oh more more oh my gosh he got further he got further you know because usually they you know they get taken down or they get blocked or whatever and it was just he kept going and he kept going and he kept going and then it was the end and it was the end and he was like, you've got to be kidding me. They needed that. And then he got it. So it was just, yeah, I'm sure that the whole of Patriots Nation were probably on their feet or whatever by that time, if you hadn't, if they hadn't left, because yeah, we won't mention how kind of great the game was prior to that moment.

Yeah. We won't talk about that because we're moving forward so we won't go over there but yeah it was sort of it was surreal that is definitely the word if I need to sum it up in one word it was surreal because it as I said it was so needed it was so good that kind of thing and then and then they weren't and it was like ha so ha, so there you go. 14 and O J E T S. 14 in a row. 14 in a row is definitely impressive against any NFL team. And look for all of the stuff that the jets are catching this week,

especially quarterback, Zach Wilson, who I'm sorry to say it folks brought a lot of this on his himself. The new England Patriots definitely can feel, they can feel very, you know, happy and very proud of that accomplishment and being able to, you know, to show that type of resilience in a game that really was there for the taking and not a whole lot of offensive production really, I think is something that this team is going to, you know, desperately need.

And we're going to get into how the Patriots might be able to get some better offensive production this coming Thursday and beyond with one of Claire's favorite subjects. We're going to talk a little tight-ended in just a moment, folks, but we're going to start off with another one of your favorite subjects, and that is offensive line. And Claire, amidst all the excitement and the hoopla that surrounded Marcus Jones punt return there was really I think a Paul that could have been cast over this game with David Andrews going down with a thigh injury he leaves the field it did not look good I mean obviously I mean anybody watching that game or in attendance saw David being helped off the field by you know trained

team personnel that were trying to, you know, help alleviate the pain. He couldn't put any weight on the leg. Just a really, really scary situation. You hear almost immediately following the game from reputable sources that he's going to be out possibly for the rest of the season. You're thinking at this point, here we go. It's next man up, James Ferentz, Cody Russo.

These guys have to you know round into shape and then all of a sudden the reports start to trickle out 98.5 sports subs scott zolak says i think this might be a bad report he might be he might have a chance and then all of a sudden ian rapaport's report comes out from nfl network saying that he has a chance to maybe be back this season practice comes on Tuesday and there's David Andrews standing out there much to the surprise of everybody obviously the news that's coming out now is that the MRI results coming back show that this is an injury that David feels he can play through still early to determine at the time Claire and I are recording this folks to determine

whether or not he's going to suit up for Thursday but just an amazing turn of events for the New England Patriots first of all are you surprised that David is able to do what he does given his leadership his toughness and what type of impact can this have on the Patriots not just for Thursday but even beyond having him in the lineup I mean to be honest obviously we weren't sort of made completely privy to what the injury was that kind of thing so yes initially looking at it it looked really it looked really bad as you mentioned so then you sort of concern that he's going to be out for for a long period of time now on the flip side of that if there's any patriot that is going to be super tough it's David Andrews I mean if there's any patriot that's just going to rub dirt on it and carry on it's David Andrews. I mean, if there's any Patriot that's just going to rub dirt on it

and carry on, it's David Andrews. And that's of nothing negative against any other Patriot whatsoever, any other Patriots player. It's just that this guy, like, he just eludes that sort of sense of toughness, of strength and things like that. And that's another thing that sort of makes him so invaluable to the Patriots and to the offensive line is because he's so stable. He's this kind of calming, you know, presence, this pulling together stability.

And he's just so damn good at his job. You know, at the end of the day, there's no bones about it. He's an amazing centre and stuff like that. So surprised that he's I'm sort of not surprised that he's kind of not over his injury obviously and again we don't know the severity of the injury but he almost doesn't surprise me because of the kind of guy the sort of the kind of player that David Andrews is yes we was looking at or when we were looking at the the situation of him being out for the rest of the season kind of it dashed all hopes of the offensive line getting good you know putting it together

sorting it out whatever because it really sort of it spreads out from the centre and we know that David Andrews being a captain that sort of thing he is he you know he's the nucleus of that offensive line and he's important so him not being there is a really big deal, particularly when we're looking at an offensive line that is suffering so much with skill set, carouseling, you know, the shuffling around. It's just, it just can't get that gel quite right. For whatever reason it may be, you want to blame the individual players. You want to blame the moving of the players. You want to blame the individual players you want to blame the moving

of the players you want to blame the coaching you want to blame dare i say the lack of coaching and you know you want to blame the fact that it's a defensive guy on an you know on an offensive situation you know whichever one of those it's still at the end of the day it's still an o-line that's not really working and to lose as i said it's nucleus of david andrews was concerning um i hope he doesn't come back too soon and cause himself some sort of excessive of damage because he's too good a player to sacrifice his future for the next couple of games if he was to sit the vikings game out i wouldn't be at all concerned I'd almost be happy because I just want him to be okay at the end of the day a season is a season you know but the guy's got

a life as well so um you know I'd almost be okay if he sits out the Vikings game as I said but having him there is also such a reassurance such a stability and And the way that it's got a runoff effect, particularly in regards to Cole Strange, that we're pretty certain now that when Andrews isn't in, Cole Strange doesn't seem to be able to kind of like peak performance. And that's unfortunate. And I really hope that he's got it kind of,

he's got the facilities within himself, Cole Strange that is, to kind of rise above that. I'm hoping that it's just like, it's the elements of it's his rookie season. He's, you know, he's still making his way, that kind of thing. And he can get the strength without having to have David Andrews at centre,

you know, being able to deal with, if it is Ferenc and that sort of thing. So mentioning Ferenc, actually, I know that he's been, from what I understand, he's been working really hard what i understand he's been working working really hard so you know i don't want to take away from him it's just we know that when the o-line's there it is better with andrews at center and it it's unfortunate it's a given that's how that's kind of how it is and that's how it's going to be and it is a shame because i do

understand from what i've read and stuff that friends he's working really hard and he worked really hard on the offseason because he knows how key Andrews is to the offense. So, and he knows that they're like big shoes to fill and he's been sort of trying to step up to do that. So, you know, you kind of want to give him kudos for that, you know, really for trying. So, yeah, hopefully he's back as soon as he's okay for him. I suppose a bit of an on-the-fence, kind of wishy-washy answer. But that's really what I'm looking for. Because you want this guy for the future. You want him to still be able to build the offense around.

But if you're just looking at the Vikings game, it's like, oh, it's the fingers crossed that he's okay. Absolutely. Absolutely, without any question. And look, you're talking about a guy that is so vital to what this team does logistically, especially along the offensive line. And I think you articulated this very well, the impact he has on a rookie like Cole Strange at the left guard position, always keeping him in position, always making sure that he knows where he needs to be. Michael Wainu has also acknowledged this as well on the right side, a little bit more

of a veteran presence there for Mike but still a young player and you're talking about someone that relies on that savvy veteran a six-time team captain like david andrews being in the middle all of a sudden it shores up run you know run blocking it shores up pass protection it makes sure that mac jones has that security under center that he needs to be able to make complete throws. And over the course of the last few games, you're looking at Mac Jones having an average of anywhere from 2.1 to 2.8 seconds to get a pass off before the pressure engulfs him and collapses the pocket. I don't care who you are.

You're not going to be able to get a pass off in that time if you're Mac Jones, if you're Bailey Zappi. You know, I would say if you're Tom Brady but I've seen him do it several times so I mean Tom is on a different level I'm not going to start comparing these guys to Tom Brady but at the same time I think fans have to understand that there is such a complementary nature of the way offensive football is played and it starts on the old line David Andrews keeps that in line but the spiritual the spiritual leading that he gives to this team the emotional lift that he provides and the leadership that he provides in that locker room to me is just as

important as anything he does on the field maybe with the exception of devin mccordy and matthew slater you're talking probably the most vocal and the most in tune leader on this on this roster. And Mac Jones said it yesterday when we spoke to him in the media and in the evening. Absolutely loves David Andrews and really a testament to how tough he is just him being out there again, folks. At the time, Claire and I are recording this. We don't have a line of sight as to whether or not david even made the trip to minnesota if he did i would say be on the lookout for him to take the field in this game i don't think he's traveling if he's not playing if he doesn't then obviously you know it will be a loss for the patriots but the good sign is that he's back out there on the field and it looks like he's avoided serious injury and hopefully he'll be ready for the december 1st matchup with the

buffalo bills when the patriots come back home yeah that's i think that's key um the point that you make is it's although it's every every game is like a must win now that sort of thing but having him back for against the bills i think he's he's much more significant uh it feels like the vikings game is a bit of a maybe win without him. There's a bit more possibility, but the Bills game, it feels, and it being a divisional game, it's just that little bit more important. So I think that if they were to rest him for the Vikings game, even if he felt like he was okay, if they still took that attitude of, you know, let's not have you travel, let's rest, that kind of thing, and be back for the Bills game, I think that would really give

me a lot more confidence. Yeah. and you know bottom line claire it's not going to be an easy matchup because not just is the old line struggling but there is struggle with the quarterback position there is struggle all over the field right now maybe with the exception of ramondre stevenson who still continues to be very good out there and no matter what he does but the patriots need offensive prowess, and they might be able to find that offensive prowess if they dip into some tight endage. And that's exactly what we're going to do in just a moment here.

Talk a little Claire's favorite subject when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp Therapy Online. Folks, we live in complex times, and whether it be emotional stress, financial stress, health-related stress, or the type of stress that's related to social anxiety, trying therapy can help you unload it and move forward in gaining emotional healing. Unfortunately, life does not come with a user manual. So when it's not working for you, it's normal to feel stuck. Therapists are trained to help you figure out the cause of challenging emotions

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It could not be simpler. So get unstuck with BetterHelp. Learn more and save 10% off of your first month at betterhelp.com slash locked on. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on. Patriots fans, the illustrious Claire, classy Claire Cooper of Pats Propaganda and full press coverage Patriots

joins me here today, lending a little wisdom and counsel along with some class and pizzazz to the show. And Claire, in the previous segment, we talked about one of your favorite subjects, which is offensive linemen. We know you have a nice little affinity for David Andrews, as we all do here in Patriots Nation. But Claire is about to get a little giddy, folks,

because we are going to talk some tight end. Claire, what I've seen from the tight ends this year has been flashes of prominence but vast inconsistency um Hunter Henry was present for 84 percent of New England's plays on Sunday spent most of his time aligning as a run blocker he caught his only target for a 20-yard gain but it's a big game and this is where the Patriots can utilize these guys in the open field. Jonu Smith, a little more production, four catches, 40 yards, 34 snaps that he played, but a lot of what you saw coming from the tight ends was big plays or productive plays, I should say, coming out of play action, and this is something that Murph and I have talked

about, Steve and I have talked about Murph and I have talked about Steve and I have talked about you and I have talked about the fact that there has been such a decrease in the utilization of play action on this team is one thing that none of us can really figure out why it works well it's something that allows the Patriots offense to click we saw them do it a little bit with Bailey Zappi and for some, they're pulling the plug a little bit when it comes to Mac Jones. That being said, I know that you see things in the tight ends, as opposed to where our vantage point is on the quarterbacks, that most of us mere mortals don't see. When you look at Hunter Henry and John O. Smith specifically, did Sunday's game give you any hope that they may now be in a position to contribute more offensively especially

in the red zone i think it's difficult because as we've said and i hate to be repetitive because this is repeating myself from show to show but it kind of it all comes back to the o-line and them like you said that they the tight ends could play 100% of the snaps, but if they're having to line up as blockers more so than anything else, you aren't going to get any stats out there. You aren't going to get any kind of, as you said, good run play action, that sort of thing. You aren't going to get the numbers that everybody is screaming for

because of the money that they spent on the tight ends. It's unfortunate that they're having to utilize them at the moment in regards to an extension of the o-line because you've got a pocket collapsing so much there's no good having a tight end that kind of can get out there that can get contested catches or whatever can make it to the the red zone any of that if the quarterback's on his butt because the o-line has has crumbled so much that he can't get the ball out. So it's really, it becomes irrelevant when you've got such pressure coming on the O-line. So obviously we all hope that they get to utilise them more.

We know that they know how to use them because we've seen it. We saw it last season, not excessively, but to a plentiful degree, shall we say, with Matt Jones and Hunter Henry. We saw that last season, not excessively, but to a plentiful degree, shall we say, with Matt Jones and Hunter Henry. We saw that last season. So we know that they know, as you mentioned, we're seeing flashes now from Smith. They're starting to grow into a way of utilising him in the Patriots' offence because we know there was a bit

of a sticking point initially, him learning the playbook. It's been slow to start in regards to utilising Smith, but it seems to be that they're finding their way. They're seeing how that works, how he works in the offence. But it just all drags back to them not having a strong enough O-line for Matt to get the ball out to anyone, be it tight ends, wide receivers, anything, that kind of thing. So it's something that we've

seen they know how to do they should be increasing it because it's successful it's if they can get the o-line in a good place to give matt the opportunity to do that right absolutely very very well said and look we know and you've articulated this very well, that most of what a tight end is required to do is be a balance between a potential weapon on the field and also a run blocker or even in pass protection as well. I mean, that's part of what this position, you know, aligns you to do the new england patriots now just brought in a backup offensive lineman that has a little tight endage experience and himself and that's connor mcdermott who was signed yesterday for the new england patriots started off as a high school tight end believe it or not converted uh to offensive line when he went to ucla and really i think did very well caught the patriots eye but this is someone that can align in a jumbo tight end package and jumbo yeah folks six foot eight this guy is definitely not lacking for size or toughness so it's going to be

a good pickup for the New England Patriots he could be an option in what they were aligning Marcus Cannon in earlier this year and that's that jumbo tight end package yeah so Michael Wayne who do it last year as well that can help kick start a little bit of the position but obviously Jono and Hunter were brought in here to be offensive weapons as well that's a big part of what they do and I think you articulated very well exactly how they might be able to do that and to me I think it starts with play action quick question you said the O-line guy that's come in was also a tight end is he the Jets guy or is he the second o-line guy that was a tight end no they're actually a couple that do have tight endage experience very good

very astute observation i knew there's a guy on the practice squad i can't remember his name so you've got to forgive me for that but they've just brought in an o-line guy onto the practice squad who used to play tight ends but then he's kind of beefed up a little bit to be an o-line guy and now there's another o-line guy who's come in um as you mentioned just garrett and he was from from the jets i believe so that's look we're just doing an offensive line of tight ends see folks i'm not crazy no you are not crazy well not in this regard anyway i don't know jury's still out on a lot of other stuff but uh you know uh but no you're thinking of hunter thedford who's the uh an ex usfl uh you know tight end slash offensive lineman uh you know definitely a good weapon to have in

the um in the uh the cupboard for the new england patriots on the practice squad hayden howerton as well is still on the practice squad and of course the versatile and uh greatest name on the team bill murray uh he's uh he's there as well and this is something that uh of course is a bill the versatile and greatest name on the team, Bill Murray. He's there as well. And this is something that, of course, is a Bill Murray fan. I love it. I think Bill's heard all the jokes, though. We had a chance to rib him about it a little during training camp.

And yeah, I don't think he wasn't really having too much of it. I think he's kind of had his fill of maybe looking at social media. And every time Bill Murray is mentioned, seeing one of those, you know, the GIF files following him around. I'm as guilty as anyone. I've done that several times. But anyway, back to the tight end. You bring us back in once again. No, all kidding aside, the Patriots, yeah, do have two offensive linemen that do have that type of experience. But again, Jono and Hunter, we saw a little bit.

You hear Mac Jones talk about this week, weekend, week out, day after day, whenever he speaks to the media and he's asked about his tight ends. The first thing that he says is he loves throwing to both of those guys. You know, he's got a close relationship with Hunter, developing a really good, close relationship with Jono. Hopefully that will continue and hopefully it'll continue beyond this season because I don't think the Patriots have really scratched the surface of what these two guys can do on the field together in 12-man personnel. We're hoping for it last year when they first signed. I still don't think we've seen the full potential yet.

No. Tight end is just coming, Claire. We pray for tight endage. Folks, as we take our leave of tight endage for the time being, we are not just quite ready to wrap things up yet here on the Locked On Patriots podcast because there is a Thanksgiving night game to discuss. And it is time to turn our attention away from speculation, away from those J-E-T-S jets, jets, jets,

and focus on the purple and gold of the Minnesota Vikings. This Thursday, 8.20 p.m., U.S. Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota. The New England Patriots take their 6-4 record and try to extend their winning streak against the Vikings. Claire is going to take a brief look into the tea leaves. We're not going to do a full clairvoyance, but she is going to try to read a little bit of what's in the air regarding her thoughts on the Vikings and what can you expect from the New England Patriots in this matchup. We will do so when this pre-Thanksgiving

episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, these days every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best qualified candidates available. That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs helps find the right people for your team to help you do it faster. Here's the best part, actually help you do it for free. Simple tools like screening questions make it easy to focus on the candidates with just the right skills and experience We'll be right back. LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to faster. So post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free.

Terms and conditions apply. Patriots fans, we're about to wrap things up here on this pre-Thanksgiving episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Always my honor, always my privilege to be joined by the illustrious Claire Classey, Claire Cooper of Pat's Propaganda and Full Press Coverage Patriots. And Claire, in the previous segments, we talked tight endage. We talked offensive line. We're really kind of delving into all of your favorite subjects today, really. I think Claire could not be happier. You may think it was a pre-Christmas episode rather than a pre-Thanksgiving episode, but

we are thankful for your wisdom and counsel. And the one thing that we're always thankful for here on Locked On Patriots is your clairvoyance. And although it's a short week, the tea leaves folks are still kind of, you know, making their way through the whatever, the pipeline to try to make it to Claire. So we can't exactly read too many tea leaves just yet, but at the same time, you do still have this clairvoyant nature to you, Claire.

And after all, it is your name. It's, I mean, you kind of have to do that. And plus it's, it works for the segment so you know we're going to continue to write it for as long as we possibly can uh because i love play on words and we're just going to do it so bottom line uh claire the new england patriots

the minnesota vikings this is not going to be an easy one for the patriots i know the vikings are coming off of a 40 to 3 drubbing at the hands of the Dallas Cowboys. Just a really poor showing on both sides of the ball. But this is a team that is 8-2 right now. They have found consistent ways to not only remain competitive, but also pull out victories. Their victory over the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago was extremely impressive. Come from behind, Justin Jefferson is in another league when it comes to making those types of catches but this team is very equipped on both sides of the balls Adarius Smith is a beast when it comes to the pass rush nine and a half sacks when you look at the

Minnesota Vikings you look at the New England Patriots in your clairvoyant nature in your clairvoyant essence what are you looking for in this game coming up on thanksgiving night well as you just said though i mean they just took a beating from the cowboys but they beat the bills it's like this whole season this 2022 season is nothing but hinky p you know teams are losing when they should be winning and they're winning when they should so be losing that kind of thing it's just it's totally and utterly hinky and I think I've said that for a few weeks now and it really is and because of that it's really difficult to go into a game kind of knowing shall we say how it's going to work out because there's also the fact that the Patriots have been playing so inconsistently lately because of kind of offensive woes this

that the other so you can't really go into a game and sort of know where you think they're going to go. Because, I mean, the Bears game, you know, nuff said, really. So, yeah, I looked at the stats and the Patriots have now got the 10th ranked defense on PFF, which is really good. But the Vikings have got the 10th ranked offense, which I thought was very very interesting to sort of see how this is going to match up so I'm afraid I don't have much clairvoyance for you it's looking very foggy very misty out there in regards to kind of projecting

the future um with regard to that so yeah it's gonna be tough now if the Patriots go out there and the Vikings make it really easy for them I also wouldn't be surprised because they're they're kind of they're that kind of team you sort of they can be really good but you can also expect them to be really bad and I know that it's unfortunate that the Vikings don't get a load of respect when it comes to the NFL I think and it's unfortunate because their quarterback seems really sweet and things like this so it's just when when I was watching the the Cowboys game the the Cowboys Vikings game I was really like even though I knew there were our competitors next it was like oh no it's such a shame and they got such a beat down like you said so but they're the kind of team that you look at and go oh that's terrible and they've got some serious weapons as you mentioned in regards to

Thielen and stuff like that and who did they just sign the tight end? Oh, yeah, Hawkinson. So, yeah, they've got themselves a decent tight end. So they've got themselves some decent players. So they've got the potential to do really very well. So, yeah, it's misty. It's murky. It's very difficult to predict which way this one's going to go, I'm afraid.

It is. It's a tough game to predict because there are so many variables that could possibly affect this. And any one of them could be the deciding factor in tipping the scales. I wrote a little bit about the Vikings offensive prowess for Sports Illustrated,

which is a piece that should be out sometime on Wednesday, and essentially comparing what the Patriots might do to try to defend guys like Justin Jefferson and TJ Hawkinson and why that is a very precarious situation for the New England Patriots if either one of these guys gains traction and starts to go off if the Patriots want to continue to take away their top option which would be Jefferson that's what Bill Belichick loves to do take away your top option and make the other guys try to beat you, that could leave them vulnerable to defending someone like Hawkinson, who is capable of catching

in the open field. One of the reasons why the Patriots were so effective in defending him when he was with Detroit a couple of weeks ago when they came into Gillette is because Kyle Duggar was in there, kept him on really a leash, held him to single digit yardage held him to I believe only a single catch I think in that game if I'm not mistaken so this is definitely something that the Patriots have to watch out for I think it's I think the key to this game for New England is more on the defensive side of the ball than the offense um and if they can keep Minnesota's offense from putting points on the board and they keep the score close you saw what could happen in a close game. Patriots special teams prowess, their defensive

ability, big play, and also maybe an awakening of their offense a little bit might help them carry them to victory. So Claire, it's always an honor, always a privilege to join you here on the pod. Before I let you go, my friend uh are there any more parting words of wisdom for our adoring public or if not please let everyone know where they can find you your great work and what they can expect from the great pen and the great voice of claire clazy claire cooper yes i'm afraid there's no parting words of wisdom from me you guys should all know this by now and if you don't know where we've had our film you've already you've already broken the wisdom and council meter so we're already we're already at our limit but being thanksgiving you know you know we always like to overindulge a little on

thanksgiving so i figured i'd give you one last chance for another scoop but no we're good we are good well thank you but no um yes my game recap will be as usual on patspropaganda.com as it is after every game and it has been now like consecutively i did a full season last year and hopefully i'm doing a full season this year so yeah that's something that you can hopefully rely on is your game recap every day after game day type situation so yeah um please do go and check that out a clear perspective should be back next week because it was a bit of a short week it was very very difficult to squeeze one in this week so i should be back with you next week and i'd just like to quickly mention that

in a few episodes will be my 50th so please do keep an eye out for that folks and i do hope that you uh rate review and subscribe and all those things so that you don't miss an episode because number 50 will be with you before christmas there'll also be a christmas special just before christmas so as i said please stay subscribed to a clear perspective so that you can find out that and don't miss it and as you know i am here for you each and every week on one patriot's place with the lovely steve balistrieri and thomas murphy so if you need a spot of classy claire in your week you'll be able to find it somewhere who doesn't need a spot of classy Claire in your week, you'll be able to find it somewhere. Who doesn't need a spot of classic Claire in their week? That's what I want to know.

I want to know who these people are and I want to enlighten them because it really does make your life brighter folks. It truly does. You're a better person and you're a more informed person and a better football fan as a result of that as well. All kidding aside, I really do. I cannot endorse what Claire does, whether it be putting pen to paper or voice to microphone more than I already do. Tremendous, tremendous stuff. The fact that you are nearing 50 episodes of A Clear Perspective is truly something that is really, it's just, it's... I'm really stunned. Well, you shouldn't be stunned. No, I mean, you're there, you know, for obviously, and that gives you an opportunity to, you know,

go for the next 50 and the next 50 after that. And it's definitely something that I just can't believe it's come this quickly. It seems like just, you know, yesterday you were starting off on that show, and it has grown by leaps and bounds. Folks, please do yourself a favor. Rate, subscribe, review, subscribe, whatever you need to do. Check out a Claire perspective brought to you by Full Press Coverage Patriots. And, of course, all of the great work, including the best recaps in the business, Claire does on PatsPropaganda.com.

Folks, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And, of course, your first listen every day. Now that you've made us your first listen, make your second listen, our good friends, over at Locked On Sports Today. All of the news, all of the angles, everything you could possibly need in the world of sports, all in under 30 minutes, including the take of the day. And that is available wherever you get your podcasts,

whether it be the Odyssey app, YouTube, or download, subscribe to on your preferred podcast method. Once again, I am Mike debate. I thank you for joining us here today on locked on Patriots. And on behalf of the illustrious Claire, classy Claire Cooper, please folks continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. And don't forget to check us out on Thanksgiving Day.

No days off here on Locked On, Patriots, as we bring you a special Locked On Crossover Thursday episode with Luke Braun over at the Locked On Vikings podcast, and, of course, yours truly. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you on Thanksgiving Day right back here.