Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Deep Green Thoughts: Chung, Dugger and Patriots Game Planning - 5/21/2020

Episode Date: May 21, 2020

Thursdays are great for some deep green wisdom and counsel. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas “Murph” Murphy. The duo discuss Patrick Chung’s contract extension and the signing of top draft choice Kyle Dugger. They conclude by discussing the New England Patriots strategy for 2020, and how the complex nature of the Pats’ game planning seemed to have cost Chad O’Shea his job in Miami. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. It is Deep Green Thoughts Thursday here on the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots.

Today's episode is brought to you by Built Bar. Built Bar is a delicious protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to BuiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON to get $10 off your first order. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback always welcomed, much appreciated, and can be shared anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC.

And while you're out there seamlessly navigating through the Twitterverse, please be sure to give the Locked On Patriots account a follow as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots Nation, thank you for joining me here today on the pod. It is Thursday, May 21st, 2020. And I implore you, please do not adjust your audio. You did hear me describe today's episode as Deep Green Thoughts Thursday. And I know, usually any mention of the color green makes you think of that other New York team down in Jersey, or maybe even the team out in Philadelphia.

But here on Locked On Patriots, when we mention green, it's for a good reason. A reason you all know and love. Of course, folks, you can figure it out. I know you can. Making his weekly visit to the Locked On Patriots podcast. My main green man, Thomas Murphy, joins me today. And as usual, Murph's got a lot to say, and we all love to listen. At least I know I do. But judging by the feedback you all provide, I know you all agree with me.

It is always tons of fun when Murph joins me here on the pod. An action-packed episode in store for you, as Murph and I will be discussing the extension of Patrick Chung, signing of rookie free agent Kyle Duggar, and last but certainly not least, Murph and I will take a deep green dive into the potential game-planning strategy that the Patriots might employ in 2020. We'll talk about it from an offensive standpoint,

a defensive standpoint, and we'll even give you a little insight as to why we believe the Patriots' complex strategy, when it comes to game-planning of course, may just end up working to their advantage when it comes to putting a new team on the field in 2020. So settle in folks, the wisdom and council meter is at an all-time high, as it always is when Murph joins me here on the pod, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy what we have

in store for you today right here on Locked on Patriots. But before I welcome in the dancing destroyer, the master of disaster, the king of sting, the one and only green man himself. I remind you that even though we are continuing to adjust to our new normal, summer is on the horizon, folks. And finding the energy to complete daily tasks lately might be getting a little bit easier, but it is still problematic. And you know what else is problematic?

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crazy additives. Half the calories of its most popular competitors. And get this, seven times fewer carbs, seven times fewer grams of sugar, and more protein. So how can it be that good for you and taste that good? Well, folks, all I can tell you is Built Bar is just that good. Go to BuiltBar.com and use promo code LOCKEDON and get $10 off your first box at BuiltBar.com. That's B-U-I-L-T-B-A-R.com and use promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off your first box. Eat healthy while indulging in a delicious treat. Don't delay. Make Built Bar your go-to protein bar today. Patriots Nation, the wisdom and counsel that we all seek on a weekly basis is back here on Locked On Patriots.

And not to duplicate efforts, but earlier this week, I gave an Apollo Creed-like introduction for this man's great question on our Trending Tuesday Mailbag episode. But today, I want to amend that intro just a little bit because I am dubbing him the Count of Murphy Fisto. That's right, everyone. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the legend Thomas Murphy, is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you so much for joining me today, Don Murph. Too kind, bud.

Too kind. You know, that's it. I'm the scout with the mostest man i find i find the talent out there and they they go out and they they exceed all expectations of myself well you know what what we do is we pay homage to the man i call you my benefactor in this business that's not just alliteration and folks you know i love my alliteration but i love this man more than that and uh he is a true friend uh a true mentor to me in this business and your knowledge is second to none so what better way on a thursday to be able to enlighten the masses with some green wisdom and counsel and that's why we always have you on my friend i always appreciate

you taking the time out to join me. Absolutely. You're very, very welcome. And buddy, there is actually some tangible Patriots news in the pipeline this week, not just hypotheticals. So let's strike while the iron is hot. Yesterday morning, Field Yates of ESPN reported that Patrick Chung was signing a two-year extension through 2023. Now, Chung gets $3 million to sign up front and is going to be due $12.8 million over the next four years. He's been one of the most reliable players on their defense. So to me, it doesn't make all that much of a surprise that Bill Belichick would want to have Chung in the fold this year. Now the Patriots also created $925,000 in cap space with that revamped deal,

and they quickly put it to good use, as we saw yesterday. And we'll get to Kyle Duggar in just a moment, folks. But this is a typical type of Patriots deal, Murph. It's technically an extension, but the added years are mostly there to provide the team some cap relief. To me, this signified two things. One, the team values Chung, like we said, and giving him this type of deal I think solidifies his roster spot for 2020 but it also tells me that Chung is motivated to come back into the fold and be a big-time contributor because as you may have may not have seen folks an aside to the Yates report was published yesterday by ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that said that Chung was seriously considering

retirement until fairly recently. Murph, in your estimation, what do you think we can realistically expect from Pat Chung this season and what type of an impact is he going to have on this Pat's defense? Well, I think you're going to be able to see the Patrick Chung that we saw in 2017 and 2018. Last year, Patrick was really worn down and some injuries had caught up with him. He had some stressful stuff going on off the field also, which kind of creeped into whether you folks like it or not or believe it or not. You know, stress will, you know, affect your health and it will determine, you know, a great deal of things in the way you go about your business and your business day. And I think we did see some of that last year with what Pat was dealing with off the field.

We won't get into too much of that. But I like the deal. I think we are going to see, I don't want to say a rejuvenated Patrick Chung, but I think a re-energized Patrick Chung. The two of us were two people who had not thought that Patrick was going to end up being a cap casualty this year. We didn't buy into that with the youth and inexperience that is on the defensive side of the ball on this team, not only in this year's draft, but guys coming from last year's draft. Leadership is needed, and leadership is valued here in Boston, in New England, and with the Patriots. And I think Bill rewarded him with that in this contract. Now, when you take a look at it, it isn't

quite what you were describing as a typical Patriots contract. The dead cap money or the cap hit actually goes down each year. That's a good point. So it's going to make things a little bit more easy when it comes to, you know, are we going to bring Patrick back? Well, the cap hit this year is almost 5.1 million. Next year, it's only 4.4. And the year after that, it's 3.1, just to, you know, with some change thrown in there. And the last year, it's 3.1 again. So while dead money also drops off, this year it would be $8 million. And in the last two years, it would be $2 million and $1 million in dead cap money. And that's a little bit of a thin ice thing that the Patriots will only have to eat $2 million, only have to eat $1 million. But in this year, there's no way it's going to happen.

The dead cap hit would be over $8 million. Next year, it would be over $4 million. So I definitely think we're going to see Patrick Chung here in New England, barring any kind of trade, which could still happen. And Bill's been known to do that. He's been known to work a trade to get somebody on a roster so they will keep their salary. This has happened before, folks. But no, just to get back around, I do think we are going to see Patrick Chung at least through the 2020-2021 season here in a New England Patriots uniform, and I, for one, applaud it. I do, too.

I've always liked Patrick's game, and I've always liked what he brings to this defense. You mentioned the acumen and the football knowledge that he brings, the experience he has in this defense, and I think the Patriots severely missed that last year. And I know Patrick played the majority of the games, but again, you mentioned the off-field issues that he had, the stresses that he was going through. That does. I think anybody that goes through any type of stress, tension, anxiety can tell you it affects the way you do everything in your life, whether it be your work environment, whether it be your personal life,

it has an effect. And it can also affect your health, including your muscles, your joints, your bones. Those are all factors. It does factor in, and I think Patrick may have lost a little bit of that explosiveness last year for all of those reasons. One of the big problems the Pats had last year in terms of being able to defend was defending against tight ends. That's one of the best things that Patrick Chung does well, and because I think he was missing a little bit of a step last year, that's where the Patriots really had some difficulty. So I'm glad that you mentioned a couple of things and kind of enlightened me and our listeners on. One was the fact that you mentioned that this is not really a typical Patriots deal, like I had originally said. I think it's a great point that you bring up that the dead money goes down every year. It does make it a little bit easier to cut the cord if a player emerges and all of a sudden you start to see maybe an erosion

of Patrick's effectiveness in this defense and maybe the Patriots make a decision to cut bait. We'll get to that in just a minute. The other is that a trade possibility is still on the table. So while Murph and I both believe, folks, that Patrick Chung is going to be here at least through this year and next, don't be shocked if you hear his name bandied about with some trade rumors or even if you see a trade come down the pike. Because, again, Bill Belichick is not afraid to make these moves to better the roster. And he's also not afraid to make moves that are going to be for the betterment of a player that he really admires in Patrick Chung. He really likes Pat. He has for quite some time spoke glowingly about him every opportunity he gets. So if there's a chance that Patrick can still move on and get paid, that's a possibility to keep under your hat as well.

And one thing that a lot of people aren't talking about, even though Patrick was active for all of those games last year, his snap numbers were dramatically decreased, dramatically, between 2018 and 2019. 2018, I think he was on the field for like 85% of the snaps on defense. Last year, he was only on it for 65%. And that had to do with the wear and tear on his body. Bill had him out there when he absolutely positively had to need him. He needed him, but you saw him not on the field as often. And that had nothing to do with being in a doghouse. It just had to do with wear and tear and what Patrick was going through. That's at least my belief. And I believe that as well. I think that's an accurate assessment. And again, folks, all of that type of wear and tear, physical, mental, whatever it be, it will affect you. And I think it affected Patrick last year. One of the big

reasons why Fowler's report probably had a lot of stock into it. I do believe that Patrick seriously considered retirement in the offseason after everything he went through, probably looked at it and saw his body of work and said, do I really want to put myself through this? But again, the lure of being able to play, the lure of playing in a Bill Belichick-type defense and a Bill Belichick-type team. Absolutely, and a raise. I mean, that's always a factor.

Give me more money, I'll do the job. I'm really sick of this. Hey, we'll give you 25 cents more an hour. Okay. Absolutely. Everybody's got a price. No, I'm all kidding aside this. Hey, we'll give you 25 cents more an hour. Okay. Absolutely. Everybody's got a price. No, I'm all kidding aside, folks. It does.

And it's the lure of playing for a guy that he really respects. We've heard Patrick say several times that he wants Bill Belichick to be the last coach he plays for. I truly believe that. Whether or not that happens, we'll see. But, Murph, earlier I alluded to the fact that the Patriots put that $925,000 into good use and by that I meant the almost immediate signing after the Chung extension was announced of their top draft pick Kyle Duggar and I think this was a formality we always knew that Duggar was going to find his way onto this roster. But a lot of people, surprisingly enough to me, were critical of the move,

saying, well, you just extended Patrick Chung, and now you're signing his replacement. And, you know, isn't that duplicating efforts? I think anybody that understands football realizes that that is not the case. First of all, Chung is serving a mentor-type role. Duggar is not ready to assume the responsibilities that Patrick Chung has. I don't think any rookie would be. That's not a knock on Kyle.

I just believe that Chung does so much on this team. You can't expect Kyle Duggar to plug and play right into that position. The other consideration is that Daron Harmon is not in that backfield anymore either. So Kyle Duggar's presence is going to be severely needed. But the Chung extension was a necessary step in getting Duggar into the fold they needed to free up the cap space to do it you and I have been very vocal about really liking the Duggar selection actually like the contract as well I think it spaces some of the cap hits out pretty well I think the Patriots played this one very smart in your

infinite wisdom my friend do you expect Kyle to be the top dog when it comes to the patriots 2020 rookie class seeing that he's going to have guys like devin mccordy and pat chung to mentor him but if not who do you think is going to emerge as the gem of this draft class when we're talking about the patriots um wow that's a that's a really good question. I love the signing, and I think it was done in a way that is going to allow Duggar to come in here and succeed in a way that other guys have in the past, where it gets to a point where people are asking, why aren't we seeing more of Kyle Duggar? So no, I really don't think that he is going to end up being at the end of the year, the guy who made the biggest impact. I really don't. I really, I would like to do it, but there are still hurdles for him to get over. The reason he was brought in here is because Bill saw the potential that a lot of other coaches saw too.

We've gone over it here that he will not be, he would not have been there later in the draft, and people were questioning why the pick was made. So, so no, I don't think he's going to be the top dog as it's all said and done, who is going to be the top dog. That's, that's a really great, that's a really hard question, especially in how the Patriots go about slowly integrating rookies into their, into, um, this system. We see guys who get their red shirt years and, and things of that nature.

So I'm not going to really go out on a, on a huge limb here. You're not going to hear me say that, uh, cash Malula is going to be the man at the end of the year. I'm just not, I'm just not in that position where I'm going to be able to do that. But there are guys that are coming in here. At the end of the day, I really think that Uche is going to be the man that everybody is talking about at the end of the season. I thought that was the smartest pick that Bill made this year. I think he's going to fit in here fantastically, and I think he is going to make the biggest impact out of this draft class

this year. Yeah, I'm still a huge fan of Josh Uche, and I believe, you know, we're like-minded when it comes to this. I just think this kid has such a great opportunity here to fit into a system that's going to allow him to utilize his strengths he's not the typical Patriots pick when you when you take a look at he's got a little bit more speed a little bit more light on his feet than some of the linebackers and edge rushers that they bring in but this there's something about the way this kid plays the game that just screams New England Patriot and even though he's not the prototypical cookie cutter I think it's going to pay dividends in the end.

So I'm like-minded when it comes to you and Usha. We are simpatico, my friend, when we talk about that. But going over this, there are going to be a lot of new names that are going to get a lot of coverage this year. You are going to see Yandy Kajust a lot and talked about a lot. You were going to definitely see, you know, my breakout this year is going to be Damian Harris. Yeah, absolutely. It was a draft from last year. You know, both of us have talked extensively how much we love Rex Burkhead and everybody knows how much we love, I love Brandon Bolden. And but, you know, I really think Harris is going to take that next step. And I, you know, I'm not sure who the surprise cuts are going to be.

I haven't gotten into that yet. But that's the new name that I think everybody is going to be saying wow about at the end of the day. Yeah, I had a chance to talk a little bit about Damian Harris earlier this week when I opened up the mailbag. And that was one of the questions that I was asked is, will we see more of Damian Harris? And I absolutely believe we will, especially the type of runner that he is, that power compliment that he can bring to a guy like Sonny Michel. I think it's going to raise Sonny Michel's game a little bit as well because i think because damien has the ability to be that power that ground and pound type bell cow back that you need to be able to make those plays um i also like his ability to even line up and maybe catch the ball out of the backfield a little bit that's a dimension that sony doesn't have so if sony can get some legs under him and he can start hitting

those holes, hitting those seams a little bit harder and burst for the big yards, I think that's where you're going to see Harris come in and be that type of almost what Garrett Blount type. And I'm not saying that he's going to be him because the two games really don't translate on the field folks. I'm not comparing the two, but you're going to see him in those typical roles. And then of course you've got sweet feet catching the ball out of the backfield. He's one of the best in the business at doing it. I think the Patriots' ground game is going to be a big part of what they do. And that will lead us into segment two here on Locked On Patriots today, because Murph,

we've talked a lot about the safety position and the moves that the Patriots have made in the draft to solidify their defense. That indicates to me that this season is going to be a return to maybe the early days of the Patriots dynasty, especially with Jarrett Stidham attempting to get acclimated to the Patriots offense. In just a moment, folks, Murph and I will take a look at the Patriots offseason moves so far, and we will take a deep dive into the potential makeup of the 2020 Patriots when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, today we bring you a little Locked On Murph for your listening pleasure. And Bud, one of the stories that I think is sort of flying under the radar here in New England is the dismissal of Chad O'Shea, who of course was let go as the offensive coordinator

of the Miami Dolphins. But we remember Chad from being the former wide receivers coach and the unofficial assistant offensive coordinator under Josh McDaniels here in New England. Now, I'll be honest. When Brian Flores hired Chad as his offensive coordinator, my first reaction was, wow, this is going to be such a coup for him. He's going to be able to come in, bring the Patriots' offensive system down to Miami. They're going to have Chad leading the offense. They're going to have Brian leading the defense. They're going to have the best of both worlds down in South Beach. Well, Murph, apparently he did just that, but apparently it didn't work out so well because Chad was indeed unceremoniously

let go. And over the past couple of days, we're hearing a lot of reports that Chad was in fact let go because the Miami Dolphins players simply found his system to be way too complex and that his complicated style was simply too much for them to grasp. Now, the Patriots, especially Josh McDaniels, has a notorious reputation for installing an overly complex offense, but it's hard to argue the fact that the Patriots have had a ton of success with it. Murph, when you look at this situation, do you believe that Chad's dismissal was more of an indictment on his own style and his mannerisms? Or do you think it's just as simple as the fact that the Patriots' offensive system simply can't work anywhere else but in Foxborough? It's the latter. It is totally the

latter. And this will go back to the terrestrial talking heads radio shows that wonder why you don't select more skilled players and why Bill brings in retreads and veterans to work with Tom Brady over the years. This goes to why is Tom Brady working out with the entire team when last year at this time he was just you know throwing the ball in the backyard with edelman and nikhil and kill harry um because this is so difficult because you know tom is going to get a huge wake-up call when he looks to his left and his or his right and the wide receivers don't know exactly what they uh are supposed to do uh because it just doesn't happen here like that. You don't pick it up like that. That's why consummate pros come in here and they walk out of meeting rooms after two hours scratching their head and their ass at the same time. This is not an easy offense

to pick up. This is an encyclopedia Britannica. Most of these kids are coming from colleges or other programs where you have a playbook, not play books. Okay. This is an offense that has evolved under Chad O'Shea and Bill Belichick for two decades. One that Tom has in a Rolodex in his head and that other people just, it's impossible to do. It's impossible to do. Okay, we can sit there and watch game film afterwards and wonder, well, you know, of course Tom was going to do this. He's in Haas Wai Juuk. So there you go.

That's what's going to happen. Well, people, it takes more than that. That's why we're watching the film afterwards and understanding it and not seeing it live on the field when you're right there. And when Tom gives you a glance, you know exactly that he wants you to break in and go off on this pattern instead of that pattern. That's why you see Tom Brady so frustrated because somebody was not in the

same place. And that young wide receiver or tight end or running back who missed a blitz pickup sitting there on the bench because Tom's like, get him out of here. He doesn't know what I want him to do. Yeah, I think that's such a great point and such a underrated point when it comes to the complexity of this offense and especially a lot about what guys like McDaniels and Shadow Shea are able to bring to the football field, the innovation that they're able to bring to the football field

and the different type of offense that they run up here. I'm so glad that you mentioned Tom working out with his teammates down in Tampa Bay because we're seeing a lot of the snark police come out and make comments about how oh well Tom didn't want to play in OTAs he didn't want to participate and now all of a sudden he's down in Tampa Bay I guess he really did check out I don't put any stock into that folks and honestly neither should you Tom is working out with new teammates it's a new set of weapons quote-unquote I hate that word but I'll keep using it because it's a new set of weapons quote unquote i hate that word but i'll

keep using it because it's how people utilize wide receivers tight ends it is a new set of offensive skill position players tom needs to get on the same page as these guys they're used to james winston down in tampa bay they're not used to the way tom brady runs his offense so they need to get on the same page it's a necessary part of working with a new team. It doesn't mean that he didn't care in New England anymore. It just meant that he was able to utilize his time a little bit better because of the familiarity with the system, because he had guys like Josh McDaniels and Chad O'Shea, who was obviously gone last year but had been there there for a while to coach these guys up.

You know, it's not a situation where you would see O'Shea out there under center with these kids, trying to teach them what he wanted and what Tom wanted. Tom earned that over 20 years to have three extra days with his family. Okay. You folks, if you've never seen OTAs, let me, let me tell you what it is. It's a walkthrough. It's a walkthrough. That's it. That's all you're doing. Okay. That's what happens during OTAs. All right. At no time last year would a, any play or any game have turned on a dime or in any other instance, because Tom Brady showed up to work for three extra days. It's just, it's ridiculous. Absolutely. So well said. So well said. And again, he earned that time. He earned that opportunity to be able to take the extra time off, not just because he's Tom Brady in and of itself, I still wouldn't have a problem with it.

But don't forget, like you said, he knew he had guys like Josh and Chad and Bill and the personnel on the field as well, the veterans that he's played with for a number of years that knew that system and knew what he expected, knew what his opportunities were, and they were going to make sure that the players on the field were ready for when Tom did finally take the field they'd be able to be a little bit more on the same page a lot of the problems that you saw last year folks were not because Tom missed OTAs it was communication issues it was the youth of these players not being able to round into form and let's face it it was just the situation where Tom wanted i think a little bit more out of these guys

than they really could produce that's not a knock on tom it's not a knock on his competition it's just they were never able to get on the same page three days in mid to late spring we're not going to change that folks so murph thank you for educating our listening base and i hope i was able to add in a little bit flavor there you as well. You were. Oh, my God, man. You were. I should have just sat here and shut up. No, are you kidding me? You are the catalyst for all this happening, my friend. Don't sell yourself short. You're a tremendous slouch. And all kidding aside, folks. Thank you.

No, we do. Brilliant. Oh, man. I try. I slip that in on Schofield one time, and he still laughs about it to this day. But in any case, folks, we do want to bring the knowledge as only we can do it. And to round everything out here on Locked On Patriots today, my friend, before I let you go, the birth of this Patriots dynasty back in 2000-2001 was predicated to me on three tenets. That's a crisp intermediate offensive passing game, a strong running game on offense,

and we talked a little bit about that in segment one, and a stout defense that is the focal point of this team's success. And I think in a lot of ways we're going to see a return to that. In fact, it's been argued by me, the defense, that this formula is going to be back in a big way this year. So when you look at this unit, Murph, in terms of their defense, mostly, I still believe this is an elite unit, even with the losses of guys like Van Noy, Collins, Roberts, even Daron Harmon. And I think that's because of the young talent that they've brought in.

Do you believe that this defense is still going to be a formidable force this year in the NFL, despite having a different look? Yeah, without a doubt. It's going to be even more explosive this year. You are going to see it really. Seasoned veterans are going to look at the Patriots' defense and wonder what the hell Bill is doing. He's going to have seven defensive backs on the field at the same time, at points in time. It is going to be amazing

to watch. I can't wait for it. I really can't. I can't wait to see what he unveils with this roster of players, with this kind of athletic talent that is going to be on that side of the ball. It is going to be quicker. It is going to be more explosive. You are going to see them score even more points than you did last year. They are going to beg teams to run the ball, you know, simply to keep it. It'll go back to some of those old games when Peyton Manning was with the Colts and you sit there and you, how is he going to, you know, slow down the Colts offense? Well, I'm going to tell you how he's going to slow down the Colts offense. He's going to make it look like it's going to be easy to run the ball against you and just dare you to throw the ball.

No, it's going to be really smarter to run the ball. He's going to use your own offense to control the clock this year. It's going to be fantastic. It's going to be a brilliant scheme to get this team with a brand-new quarterback back into the playoffs and then build off of that and build off of that. It's going to be a beautiful thing to do. It is going to be, we're going to get back into the way back machine, Mr. Whoopi, and we're going to really enjoy what we're seeing here on both sides of the

ball. I do believe that a little traveling back in time. Yeah. Absolutely. Doc Brown hitting in the DeLorean going all the way back to, uh, you know, 2001 and 88 miles per hour flux capacitor is going to be working buddy. But in all actuality, I agree with you again, that ground game, it's going to allow Jared Stidham to come into his own.

He can get off to a slower start if they're utilizing the run game. And let's not forget the tight ends. We haven't given them a whole lot of love this week. Devin Asiasi, Dalton Keene, I think are two key additions to this squad. And I think they're going to be maybe a little bit more prolific than people are giving them credit for, especially the more information I look on with Asiasi. Really want to give our good friend Evan Lazar some credit on that. He's turned me on to Devin in a big way. Taylor Kyles as well from Pat's Pulpit. These guys are doing great work on emerging some of the details of

their college game and how it's going to fit into the pros. But Murph, you were my guest today because you lend your wisdom and counsel like no other. That's why you are family. You're a fixture here on Locked On Patriots. And again, buddy, I thank you so much for joining me today.

Folks, you should already be following this man. But for any of our new listeners, follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto, here on Twitter at TMurph207. The columns, including the monster keys that he publishes, always point, click, learn material, folks. And of course, Murph's work is always proudly found on DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. And of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't tell you to never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with Murph and our great mutual friend, Steve Balistrieri. Bud, thank you so much. Humbled and honored by your presence as always.

No, thank you so much for having me here. It's always great to be able to pull the chair out and and sit down and talk some football with you some patriots with you and uh and your great audience man thanks for putting up with me guys thanks for you know stroking the ego a little bit and just you know keeping keeping me relevant during these days hey the numbers don't lie you're a fan favorite for a reason i don't just throw that in because it's alliterative or I don't just throw that in to stroke the ego. I throw it in because it's true, my friend.

I always enjoy having you on at the very least, but you always bring that green wisdom and counsel that we need so much. So thank you so much. And we'll talk to you again next week, my friend. Have a great weekend and enjoy the holiday weekend, buddy. You too, buddy. You too. And just like that, Patriots fans,

the current week here on Locked On Patriots is almost the week that was, but not so fast, folks. There is still one more show to go, and the green wisdom and counsel that my man Murph gave you today will yield into the level-headed, objective analysis of Russell S. Baxter, who I like to call the sports media ombudsman. Russell is as dialed in to the national sports media landscape as anyone in the business. And tomorrow, right here on Locked On Patriots, Russell and I will take a little bit of a dive into the phases of the NFL's reopening strategy

and what it means for the likelihood of football to be played in 2020. We'll also talk about which teams across the NFL have positioned themselves best to be able to contend for a Super Bowl title. And of course, folks, it's Locked On Patriots. We're going to talk Patriots, and we will find out from a national standpoint what our beloved team from Foxborough looks like through the national microscope. I, for one, cannot wait to share the microphone with Russell, and if you can't wait to listen, be sure not to miss an episode. Subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify, and don't forget, you can always listen to Locked On Patriots right on your very own smart device. How do you do it? Simple. Just ask it to

play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart device to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL Draft. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked into Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, and have a great day, everyone.