Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Discussing Brady, Brown and the ‘Boys - 11/21/19

Episode Date: November 21, 2019

With the New England Patriots closing in on their Sunday matchup with the Dallas Cowboys at Gillette Stadium, a potential reunion with Antonio Brown continues to make waves across the sea of social media. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage as the duo discuss the chances of AB returning, and what the Patriots might do on Sunday to cool down a hot Cowboys team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful, and welcome to your Think Outside the Box Thursday 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 DoorDash. Treat yourself to the meal you deserve, and have your favorite restaurants come to you with DoorDash. Right now, our listeners can get $5 off their first order of $15 or more when you download the DoorDash app and enter promo code LOCKEDON.

If you're listening on the go and can't visit DoorDash right now, you can find this and all other offers from LockedOn sponsors at LockedOnPodcast.com slash offers. My name is Mike DeBate, and I am your host of LockedOn Patriots, which, of course, is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Please feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC, and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, the New England Patriots are just a few days away from playing their second straight game against an NFC East opponent.

They will return to the familiar confines of Gillette Stadium to face the NFC East leading Dallas Cowboys. And this game should be a great one, featuring the Patriots' top-ranked defense going against that Cowboys' top-ranked offense. Now, the Patriots are undefeated 3-0 against NFC East teams in 2019 after wins at Washington versus the New York Giants and then last week's 17-10 win at Philadelphia. And it's no secret, folks. The Patriots' success has been large in part to the prowess of that top-ranked defense.

And they will be tested on Sunday by Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and that Dallas offense. But the Pats' return home isn't the only return in the news lately, and certainly far from being the only return making the rounds on social media. It started earlier this week when Rob Gronkowski likely squashed all hopes of a 2019 comeback when he announced that he would be hosting a beach party in Miami on Super Bowl weekend instead of announcing his return to the Patriots, which, according to the predominant narrative, are starved for offensive weapons.

I happen to think that's a little bit of an exaggeration, but Patriots fans were disappointed with that news, no doubt. But they've turned their attention elsewhere in the form of Antonio Brown. And again, he raised more than a few eyebrows with a very public social media apology to team owner Robert Kraft. In that Instagram post, he apologized for the many distractions and the hurtful comments that made him a liability during his brief tenure in New England. However, is there a possibility that AB's tenure in New England is not over yet? For the

most part, I still think it is over, but my guest today does not, and he makes a strong case based on some of the information circulating out there, and I am excited to welcome my good friend Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage as we try to put together the pieces of the Brown Puzzle. And of course, we'll talk some Patriots Cowboys as well. So sit tight, folks. This should be a fun listen, and I hope that you enjoy today's podcast. But first, we start with the news of the day, and that is offense. As I said earlier, the Pats defense will have its hands full with the Cowboys offense.

They can win through the air and on the ground, and the Patriots will have to be prepared to defend both. Make no mistake about it, folks. They can do it, but it won't be easy. But at the end of the day, to win, the Patriots have to score points, and that's been a challenge for this team lately. Their offensive line has simply not provided the time and protection that Tom Brady needs to identify the weaknesses in opposing defenses.

They also haven't helped the running game, which has been pretty stagnant this year. And some of that is on the runners, particularly Sonny Michel. But if we're being honest, he hasn't exactly had a whole lot of open lanes to run through either. But the good news is that the Pats are getting some much-needed help in offensive lineman Isaiah Wynn, who was activated on Tuesday, should be active on Sunday, and he will help, folks. His skill and strength at the left tackle position should allow the Patriots' offensive line to stabilize, and that's going to help in the running game and in the passing game, provided that there are targets for Tom Brady to throw to. And, of course, I'm talking about Philip Dorsett, who remains in concussion protocol.

His status is uncertain at best on Sunday, but he isn't the only receiver that's been hampered by injury. Mohamed Sanu was held out of practice on Wednesday, and he was listed on Wednesday's injury report with an ankle injury. His status for Sunday, also in question. I will get to that in just a moment, but that's not good news for guys like Julian Edelman, Benjamin Watson, and Nakheel Harry, who may have to pick up the slack in their stead. Now, this is also not good news for guys like Julian Edelman, Benjamin Watson, and Nikhil Harry, who may have to pick up the slack in their stead. Now, this is also not good news for Tom Brady. He's had to deal with such upheaval with the offensive skill position players this year, particularly the tight ends and receivers.

And the team still has formidable weapons, but Dorsett may not be able to suit up in this one, although there are some indications for optimism for him being cleared by Sunday, but that's far from a definite. And if he can't go, that's far from a definite. And if he can't go, that's taking away a familiar target for Tom. And now Sanu looks shaky as well. Sanu was listed on the Patriots injury report on Wednesday with an ankle injury, and he did not participate in Wednesday's practice.

On Wednesday evening, a report surfaced courtesy of Tommy Curran of NBC Sports Boston stated that he was hearing indications that Sanu may have a high ankle sprain and that could sideline him for up to a couple of weeks. And it apparently happened on the punt return on Sunday's game where it appeared he might have twisted up his leg. According to Curran's sources, that's what could have led to the high ankle sprain. And again, that could keep him out until the team sees significant improvement. Now at this point, nothing is official regarding Sanu's or even Dorsett's injury. It should be noted that both were present and accounted for, but limited in practice today on Thursday. So, as always, keep a sharp eye on the injury report and practice participation. We'll probably end up learning a lot more within the next 24 hours and maybe even into Saturday as to whether Dorsett or Sanu is able to suit up for the game on Sunday against the Cowboys.

So, again, folks, that begs the question, does Tom Brady need more help on offense? Well, there is a certain all-pro receiver looking for a job. He's got some experience in this system, and he seems to be doing all he can to earn a second chance. But he also comes with a ton of controversy. Could the Patriots kick the tires on AB? Well, there are a lot of factors, the greatest of which is what the NFL may have to say about it. And in just a moment,

Ian Glendon will join me in the hot seat here on Locked On Patriots to discuss the chances that A.B. makes a Foxborough encore. And we will also get his thoughts on the Pats matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. But first, may I have your attention, please? Thank you. And listen up

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and especially with all of the news surrounding Antonio Brown. He is the ideal person to be welcoming in today because he's been on this from the very beginning. He tirelessly fights the good fight in the crusade against patriots and specifically Brady derangement syndrome. He is the editor-in-chief of Full Press coverage he is the managing editor of full press nhl and the host of numerous shows on full press radio he is my great friend ian glendon joins us today ian hello how you doing buddy i'm doing great i am doing great and it's always always a pleasure to welcome you to the locked on uh seat here and And we always have a lot of fun when we share the microphone. Folks, if you don't believe in happenstance, Ian is our guest today here on Lockdown Patriots. And I always enjoy having him on here to discuss all things and everything Patriots. But today's breaking news

makes this all the more special. We have some breaking news, my friend. Just moments ago, the Patriots announced a signing, Ian. They did. They have signed a man named Bauer. Yes, defensive lineman Tayshaun Bauer has been signed to the Patriots practice squad. And look, anyone that knows our work together, Ian and I go back quite a way, they know that we're both fans of the show 24, pretty big fans of the show 24. We've essentially made this a part of our lives for the last few years.

And, you know, now Tayshaun's last name is not spelled B-A-U-E-R, unfortunately. It's B-O-W-E-R. But come on, that's close enough, right? You're a guest on the show today. The Patriots have a guy named Bauer. That's all we need need i think we're ready to just fold up shop and send it home i you know i'm gonna spell it like that i don't care how it's spelled anything i write about him is going to be spelled b-a-u-e-r i don't care i'm just making that decision right now so live with it people absolutely i think it's great i really and truly do and look you know he is a

practice squad signing defensive lineman not a whole lot known about him was at practice today so i'm sure we'll learn about him more in the coming days but you know and i could feel that jack bauer damn it as i announced the signing because i know that's not the signing you want and don't worry folks we're going to get to that in just a minute but first buddy the patriots have had some issues with the personnel on their offensive skill positions this year primarily at tight end and wide receiver and yesterday both philip dorsett and muhammad sunu were held out of practice dorsett obviously with the concussion uh he might be able to go on sunday believe it or not uh jeff howe of the athletic reported earlier today that he might get cleared, but there's nothing concrete on that.

And then, of course, I know you saw Tom Curran's report that Mohamed Sanu possibly could be sidelined for maybe a week, maybe even up to three weeks maximum with a high ankle sprain. Now, the good news is, is that both of them were present today's practice on Thursday, but they were limited. So we still won't know much about their status, at least through tomorrow and maybe even into Saturday. Focusing just on this for a moment, what does the potential loss of Sanu for any length of time do to this Patriots offense? And does it significantly weaken them? Yeah, no, I definitely think it does. Because, I mean, look, you spend a second round pick to bring this guy in. And obviously you let Josh Gordon walk.

So, you know, you rely on quite a bit on it and look you know Mohamed Sanu is a workhorse he doesn't miss much time so this this injury is just it's it's unfortunate and it's not something like you know you pick up a guy who has a history of injuries or anything like that this guy has missed relatively little time in his NFL career. But if he's gone for any extended period of time, assuming everything stays the same, yeah, I would say the Patriots are definitely in trouble, not only from a lack of talent standpoint, but this team has been trying all season

to get some sort of continuity on offense. And whether it's the revolving door of receiver that comes in every other week they're trying to acclimate another receiver to the group or the you know obviously the injuries to the offensive line the lack of rob brankowski all those factors have uh have led to a very uh long period of feeling each other out because again we we've just seen something different personnel-wise, it seems, every week. And you lose Sanu, that's going to hurt. Yeah, without question. I completely agree with you. And I do think it does weaken them in two aspects. First of all, there's the punt return game, which, as we all know, Gunnar Ryszewski

is on the shelf right now. He's on injured reserve. He's not coming back this year. So there's your primary punt returner. You don't want to have to have Julian Edelman back there returning punts. Then even Brandon Bolden, I mean, as prolific as he is and our good mutual friend, Thomas Murphy loves his Brandon Bolden, but there is something to be said about not wanting him dropping back and having to, uh, to return punts. Even Patrick Chung, who's been, uh, banged up, they've all done it in the past, but it's something that you'd rather not see them do. Mohamed Sanu was taking punts, and I know you really don't want that out of your second receiver in the depth chart, having to do that, but he probably was a little bit better equipped to do that than some of the other names that I

mentioned. The other is absolutely like you said. It's a threat to the Patriots passing game. Sanu is so good at being able to adapt into the slot and be able to get yardage. We saw him do that with the Patriots against the Ravens. He was limited and wasn't necessarily the same type of player that we had gotten used to seeing against Baltimore as he was against Philly. Apparently, we know why the punt return did tweak his ankle, and hopefully it's not anything serious, but it does create a need. And yep, folks, you wanted it. Here it is.

Antonio Brown and a possible Pats reunion. And Ian, you've been a proponent of this since the day Brown was released by the Patriots. And I'm not going to shy away from the fact that I've largely been skeptical and really pessimistic about this. But the events of the last couple of days have me approaching that with this Lloyd Christmas, so you're telling me there's a chance type lens. And that is for two reasons. First of all, the feedback that seems to be surrounding Brown's meeting with the NFL, probably first and foremost. And also the Patriots' current depth chart concerns at wide receiver,

which we just discussed. So first off, my friend, take us through the reasoning for your optimism on this potential reunion. And let's stress that, folks. All of this talk at the reunion at this point is at best speculative. Nothing's been substantiated by the team or any league officials yet. So please keep a sharp eye and please keep your feet on the ground when it comes to this. But Ian, if you can take us through why you were so optimistic and also why you believe

that this is not just possible, but probable. Well, you know, we kind of laid out some of the on-field issues just a moment ago. I mean, the injuries notwithstanding. I mean, Antonio Brown comes on this team. He's your best receiver the second he steps on the field. And that's that's just a fact. I mean, we're not talking about a guy who's just a pretty good receiver, a really good receiver in this league. We're talking about a guy maybe top three or four overall. absolutely in need of a game changer and someone who obviously loves football. We know that for whatever his flaws may be. He loves football. He loves the work.

And him and Brady seem to have some sort of special bond or relationship or what have you. So there's a lot of that that is appealing. If I were the Patriots, if I were in that organization. Now, we talked about all the circumstances and how this was kind of a pipe dream for a while. Again, I always felt that they shouldn't have cut him in the first place. And even without these receiver issues, you have an opportunity to add a guy as good as Antonio Brown. While this process, excuse me, still plays out, I still say you do it because again you know he's that good he makes that much of a difference but the way things have played out especially over

the last week or so with the apology with the injuries to the patriots wide receiver group to the meeting that again there's been reports of some optimism that, A, it's going to be concluded quickly or so maybe this week. We don't know. And the other being that it's going to be a positive outcome for Antonio Brown, which will lead him to be able to play football this year. Now, when they first I remember when they first cut him before the Bob Craft tweet that he made. I didn't close the door on that because I felt that maybe the Patriots were just realizing, like, look, let's let the process play out with the league. Let's wait and find out what the end result is going to be, especially after that group message text that he sent. So maybe the Patriots were willing to cut bait now but revisit it later.

And then obviously the tweet about Bob Kraft changed a lot of things. And, you know, it's been a couple months since then. But, you know, we're on the street. And whether or not this is true, this is obviously all speculative. So don't take my word or Mike's word for it. There was some pressure, not pressure, but suggestion from Jonathan Kraft that perhaps Antonio Brown issued this apology. And look, you can read into the tea leaves if it's true. That kind of tells me it's just a matter of the NHL, or NHL, I apologize, the NFL, approving his playing status for the rest of this year. And if that's the case, I think they end up having some sort of reunion on the field.

And look, the Patriots can use it. And, you know, if you're against the signing or against re-signing him, you know, I don't know what to tell you. I just, like I said, his talent on the field can make a huge difference, especially with how this team looks at this very moment. Yeah, I mean, they could use the help. So like you said, I'm not saying it's a sure thing, but if I were to give a percentage, it's a lot closer to, let's just say it grows by the day, at least the last few days. Yeah, I think that there is a little bit of a groundswell. And we even saw Jerry Thornton of

Barstool Sports publish a piece earlier today stating that all signs seem to point to this. And look, there's a lot of factors involved in here and there's the possibility that this might not happen. There is still the specter of that commissioner's exempt list designation that seems to be looming over the top of this. And right now, I agree. There really hasn't been anything that we've seen that would overturn the NFL's initial decision when they chose not to place that tag on him before the Miami game when Antonio Brown made his Patriots debut. They chose not to do it. We haven't really seen anything else. But I think when the Patriots released him, that group text message chat, I think was a scare in the Patriots to say, well, this is it now. Now they've got tangible evidence. Now they're probably going to hit him with that.

So we better cut bait as soon as we can to prevent anything in a type of black mark on the organization. That being said, there really hasn't been much of anything other than just continual information of what we had already seen out at this point. So I think it definitely is a possibility. I've started to come around a little bit in terms of whether or not this is even likely or even possible. Two or three days ago, I would have said absolutely. I would have gone full Dean Warmer, 0.0, no chance. But that percentage starts to grow in and of the day. And look, I'd be lying if I said I was more optimistic than not. I'm still more pessimistic than not. But I think there's starting to be that groundswell

that you can see an erosion in public opinion and exactly what may happen here. So as always, folks, keep a sharp eye. Keep an eye on Ian Glendon's Twitter account because he's always all over this. And it's one of the big reasons why I wanted to talk football with you today and bring you in because you've been a proponent of this from day one. And you've been pretty good in your analysis. This is the same man that nailed it right away when the Raiders released him and says, I think the Patriots should kick the tires on him. Most people were saying, stay away, don't bother, don't do it. And sooner or later, the next day he was signed.

So I put a lot of stock into what he says. And I do, and I do that with, with great faith. Ian, your insight is always great on your part, but even if Brown finds his way back to Foxborough, that may not change the Pat's potential problems against this Dallas Cowboys team coming in with a high-powered offense and a very capable defense. And in just a moment, my good friend Mr. Glendon will break down his causes for concern and optimism when the Patriots take on them boys from Dallas on Sunday.

Again, my guest today is Ian Glendon of Full Press Coverage. And Ian, the Pats face a Cowboys team that is playing very well right now. They're particularly on offense. Dak Prescott has been so good through the air. Ezekiel Elliott has been great on the ground attack. The Pats defense is just as prolific in stopping their opponents as the Dallas is at scoring on them. So making for a great matchup. If you're the Patriots defensive coaching staff,

how would you look to contain this Dallas offense? Would you try to shut down the ground attack or would you try to force that Prescott to pass within the pocket? Well, I mean, I think it has to be the focus on the ground attack, because if we know this defense and their biggest weakness is the ground game, We've seen it the last few weeks in particular kind of come back and bite them a little bit. So I think the focus has to be on stopping the run and slowing down Ezekiel Elliott and keeping Dak Prescott within the pocket

because although I do believe, obviously, he's still a very dangerous quarterback in the pocket, but this team's secondary, Gale Moore, the McCourty brothers, you know, the list goes on it's just it's so good that you know you just got to have you know faith in them that their their ability uh to cover these guys is going to you know be able to um overcome anything that dac prescott may be able to overcome himself uh so i think you have to focus on ezekiel elliott because you don't want to have them control the clock you don't want to have them run up and down the field because despite what

again, despite what people say, I mean, this offense is still a weapon that the Patriots can use despite their their, you know, losses on the offensive side. They can still make things happen. And the best way to beat this team is to keep them off the field and obviously keep the defense on the field and get them gas. So you got to stop the run. You can't let the Dallas Cowboys play their game. Yeah, I agree with that. I think you're absolutely right in terms of trying to stop the run. Look, if there has been a kryptonite for this Patriots defense so far, it's been stuffing the run. We've seen teams be able to run for big yardage on this club, whether it be Frank Gore in Buffalo, whether it be Nick Chubb in the Cleveland. We've seen teams be able to run for big yardage on this club, whether it be Frank Gore in Buffalo, whether it be Nick Chubb in the Cleveland game, obviously the Baltimore Ravens

game, Lamar Jackson ran on them and Mark Ingram gashed them for over a hundred yards. And, you know, it's, I think a lot of what the Eagles were not able to do was because of the injury to, uh, to, uh, to Jordan Howard and he was not able to go. But they have, meaning the Cowboys, have a very adept running game in Ezekiel Elliott. So that's my philosophy in this as well. Stack the box, try to do the best you can to stuff the run. It may even mean switching a little bit to more of a hybrid 4-3, and that's something that the Patriots have not been really comfortable in doing this year. They really love to stay in that 3-4, and it's their strength without any question.

But they may have to adapt a little bit in order to be able to shut down the run because it also looks like the weather forecast is calling for rain. And that actually leads me quite nicely into my next question here today, is that Tom Brady in the offense is really in need of a spark. And we hope that spark can be provided by Isaiah Wynn's return. Hopefully that'll give Tom some much-needed pass protection, but to me, the biggest advantage that Wynn can provide is to solidify the line and open up more running lanes.

Now, again, the forecast calls for rain, so do you think the Patriots are better off offensively using the ground to their advantage, or do you think Tom really should try to challenge this Dallas secondary? That secondary can yield up a lot of points. And it is a type of a Tampa 2 defense that Tom Brady has feasted on throughout his entire career. So if you're the Patriots and Josh McDaniels, what are you looking at to try to attack this Dallas defense and keep their offense off the field? Well, I mean, look, I mean, I think it has to depend a little bit on who's available come game time. If Sanu and Dorsett are out there, then I'd feel perfectly comfortable with them trying to attack in the passing game. Because we've seen in the last few weeks the one aspect of the offense that really gets going is that no huddle uh hurry up type offense where you know they just kind of keep the other defense from changing personnel or at least regularly and they go up

and down the field and they can gain yards and that usually entails brady throwing it a majority of the time but um look if you're without sanu if you're without uh dorset and you're trying to rely on uh two rookies and julian edelman then you might want to dial it back a little bit because the weather is going to be bad you want to make sure that these guys are all on the same page and that's not necessarily the case i mean we we've seen some really nice things from jacoby myers um but you know he again there's it's a work in progress you know we've also seen times where he and Tom are clearly not on the same page and maybe that affects his playing time. But, um, and again, I,

I think the overall line play, the running game is going to move a little bit better. I think hidden behind the, uh, poor play on the left side. Um, I think the guard play for the Patriots has been pretty good this season. And I think just putting Isaiah Wynn on that left side just changes everything in the sense that it just solidifies it. In Tom's mind, I'm sure he's a lot more comfortable knowing that Isaiah is on that side protecting his blind side. So that has a trickle-down effect for how he decides to, or when he decides to throwle down effect for how he decides to,

or when he decides to throw a ball or where he decides to throw a ball or how he decides to get rid of it. So I think that's going to start to settle things down. And of course, you know, you get the running game going, the Patriots can do anything that they want offensively, but that's certainly something you'd like to see going, but they'll do whatever it takes to win. Absolutely. Great, great points. And I think in a lot of ways, what wins presence really does is most of all, what it does is it gives Brady a little bit of extra time. Like you said, it gives him that extra one to two seconds to be able to complete passes

either in the short passing game or even some downfield. Now with the weather, the factor, the way it's going to be, I don't expect them to test downfield too much. Although Tom is noted and he's very very famous for it he can exploit a secondary when he sends his weakness and no matter what the type of weather is Tom Brady's played in it folks he's played in monsoon weathers he's played in snow storms he's done it all and there's pretty much nothing you can throw at him that he hasn't seen I always fall back to that comment that Tom made in the offseason where he says that reading back to that comment that Tom made in the off season,

where he says that reading defenses to him now at this stage in his career at 42 years of age, 19 years in the league, it's almost like he has the answers to the test. There's nothing you're going to throw at him. That's going to confuse him. What throws him off his game is when he doesn't have time and he's throwing under duress and he can't set and take a look at it when he's got that time there's nobody better in dissecting a defense so always always something to uh to watch out for i do hope that they're able to get something going in the running game because sony has been for lack of a better term he hasn't been what everybody had hoped he would be this year in his second year i think a lot of that is because of the offensive line not opening those running lanes,

but some of that is on him too. Maybe if he feels he's got more time, starts to see more holes, maybe that helps him out a little bit. And again, folks, it really comes down to it. And we come full circle today.

That's the reason why the Antonio Brown speculation is so rampant in New England right now, simply because a, another offensive weapon is so vital to what this team's success can be. If Dorsett is able to go this weekend, that's excellent. That's great news for him. Usually recovery from something like this is not something that hampers you throughout

the season. You go into protocol, you're cleared, and you're okay. Sanu concerns me a little bit. Even though he was out at practice today, still concerns me a little. And the reason why is because high ankle sprains can sometimes rear their ugly head. We've seen it, Ian. We've seen it on numerous occasions where these guys come back and maybe push it a little bit too quick. Granted, the wild card in all the Antonio Brown saga right now is whether or not what he was accused of in the first place, which brought all of this out, is either true or not.

And the NFL investigation will bear that out. If he is cleared by the NFL, all bets are off in a lot of cases. And we might be looking at something interesting brewing in Foxborough here. Of course, if it isn't and he's in any way proven that what he did was true, then I think you have to make the argument that he doesn't belong anywhere on a football field. But right now, we're keeping a sharp eye, and my good buddy Ian is definitely fighting that good fight, and we look forward to it.

Ian, I don't want to put you on the spot, but if you were to predict what we're going to see, and you don't have to necessarily give a score prediction, but what do you predict we'll see this weekend as the Pats take on the Cowboys in Foxborough? I see a very ugly game. You know, weather is part of that. And again, I'm kind of being a little pessimistic in the sense that I feel like Sanu is not going to be out there, regardless of Dorsett is out there or not.

I still think this is going to be an ugly, just kind of like what we saw last week against the Eagles. I think you're going to see a little bit better, a little bit more efficiency out of the running game. I think these are the things I'm really looking for outside of obviously getting the win, but it's these little things. It's like, okay, are they going to be able to improve what's obviously hurt them this entire season, which is not being able to contain any sort of rushers or anything like that. And, of course, be able to open up holes for these running backs to make some room. So I'm really looking forward to that,

although I do think it's going to be a pretty sloppy offensive game. But I do think the Patriots are going to win because as great as Dak is playing, he is prone to turn the ball over, especially interceptions. And we know what the secondary is in New England. It's the best in the league, and I think by a pretty wide margin. So I think they might be able to get a pick or two off of him. And I think that's really going to change the momentum and really win the game for the Patriots. That's a good point.

And one that I don't think a lot of people are talking about this week because Dak Prescott has been so prolific in the passing game is that the Patriots ability, their defense's ability to force turnovers, something that's helped them in almost every game that they've played up until this point. You can even make the argument that it helped them a little bit, excuse me, in the, um, uh, the Baltimore Ravens game. But I think that is, you know, definitely something to keep an eye on. Ian, you're a great man, a great friend. I always appreciate your candor and insight. Again, I know you're going to be closely watching the A-B situation, and I know you're going to be watching the game this weekend.

Thank you for your words of wisdom on this matchup with the Cowboys. Folks, follow my good friend Ian Glendon on Twitter, at I-G-L-E-N-31. Find his great work and the work of all the great writers at FullPressCoverage.com. Also on the airwaves on shows like FPC NFL Pre Game, FPC Radio Live, the Big Bad Bruins podcast, anything and everything this man does, keep an eye on it because

it's always quality work. Thank you for joining me today, my friend. Always an honor. Always a pleasure. Thank you very much and I'm absolutely looking forward to the next time. Absolutely. We're always looking forward to the next time. Absolutely. We're always looking forward to the next one. And always, you know, in New England, that's just a whale life up here.

As for me, I will be back to give a final preview of the Pats Cowboys and offer my game prediction for this Sunday's matchup. And I might just have a special guest joining me as well. So stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. As always, please join me each and every day on the Locked on Patriots podcast. Subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate of Locked on Patriots. I thank Ian Glendon for his appearance today. But most of all, thank you all so much for listening.

Best wishes and have a great day, everyone.