Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Fair and Objective Friday: Baxter talks Brady, Patriots, and the NFL - 2/7/2020

Episode Date: February 7, 2020

Sometimes, you just need a fair and objective point-of view. Russell S. Baxter joins host Mike D’Abate to provide the national perspective on the 2019 NFL Season, the future of Tom Brady and the potential fate of the New England Patriots in 2020.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. It's finally Friday, folks. It's your fair and objective Friday episode of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. I am Mike DeBate, your host of Locked On Patriots, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Please feel free to reach out to me and follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming the Twitterverse, be sure to follow Locked On Patriots as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, you might be wondering why I referred to today's episode as Fair and Objective Friday. And I don't think there's any of you out there that question my fandom, but I'm also someone that covers the team.

But if I'm being honest, folks, sometimes that can be a slippery slope. I assure you that I always do my best to remain fair and balanced when it comes to my coverage of the New England Patriots. But when you're a fan, sometimes things can cloud your judgment a little bit. And with that being said, when I need a little dose of objectivity, I seek out the wisdom and counsel of those journalists that I admire the most. And today, right here on Locked on Patriots, I am very pleased to welcome one of those journalists in as my guest.

Russell S. Baxter, a pro football guru, will join me shortly. And Russell always takes a balanced and level-headed approach to sports media. Trust me, folks, that is not an easy thing to do. Russell makes it look easy because he's simply one of the best at what he does. And today, I will ask his impressions on the 2019 NFL season overall, and of course, this being Locked On Patriots, I'm going to ask him what his thoughts on what the Patriots 2020 roster might look like. You think I'm going to ask him about Tom Brady, folks? Hmm. Nah, you know I'm going to ask him about Tom Brady, because even though Tom's whereabouts has been

the topic of conversation here on Locked On, almost every opinion, including my own, has come from a Patriots lens. But Russell is going to be providing a much needed voice of reason when it comes to the Patriots, especially when it comes to their approach to free agency. And of course, whether Tom Brady will be back in New England when the 2020 season begins. So sit tight, folks. Russell is a fountain of football knowledge. He's a dear friend of mine, and I am honored to welcome him as my guest today.

I know that you'll learn a lot from him, as I always do, and I sincerely hope that you enjoy today's podcast. But before I welcome Russell in to join me today, sports talk like that which you hear on Locked On Patriots each and every day generally leads itself to talk about physical fitness. Let's face it, we talk about it a lot. Conditioning, injuries, you name it. But there's another side to the game, a side that's just as important, and I'm talking about mental fitness.

Calm, the number one app for sleep and meditation, has teamed up with NBA superstar LeBron James to help you train your mind. LeBron and Calm know that your mind is like any other muscle in your body, and Calm can help you train your brain so you sleep better, have less stress, and perform at your best. For LeBron James and for so many of your favorite athletes, sleep is an important part of his mental fitness routine. In fact, LeBron often says getting a good night's sleep and finding time to rest is one of the most valuable things that he can do for his body and his mind. And if you head to Calm.com slash Locked On, you'll get 40% off a Calm premium membership.

For example, Calm gives you access to the soothing sounds of nature like rain or leaves and so much more. Sleep stories, meditations, it's all there in the app. So unlock the content to help you focus, ease stress, and sleep better. Get started at Calm.com. That's C-A-L-M.com. Patriots fans, my guest today is among the most well-respected journalists in sports media. You know his amazing work and objective analysis from outlets such as ESPN,

fans cited NFL Spin Zone, just to name a few. He is the co-founder of PFG Vibe, who along with our mutual friend, the great and talented Julie Voigt, they do amazing work for that site. He is also the founder of ProFootballGuru.com. He is one of the greatest guys in the business and has been such an indelible mentor for me. It's my honor to welcome Russell S. Baxter back to Locked On Patriots.

Russell, thank you for joining me today. Well, hello, Mike. How are you doing? You know, we don't have a – I can't say we don't have football this weekend because we have the NFL, but we don't have any NFL games. But as I have told people over the last couple months, as a writer, I get more people to read my reading about football for the next three or four months. But the XFL is coming up. You know what's going to happen there. Maybe down the road somebody in that league winds up getting another shot at the NFL.

Football year-round. I miss the old USFL. I've got to be honest with you. Yeah, I think a lot of people are taking that approach, especially when it comes to the XFL. I've been talking with a lot of people that have apprehensions about it, and they remember the last incarnation

of the XFL. I think that might be a little bit of a mistake. Give it a chance, folks. The AAF failed because of poor money management and because of poor business acumen. It wasn't really necessarily because of the quality of product that we were seeing on the field. There was some pretty good football there. And the USFL, obviously, you know, you hearken back to those days and that was a great time for football fans. And I think having the concept of year-round football and being able to

go deep into April with some professional action and then leading you right into mini camps and training camp is something that I think football fans are definitely happy about. So, Russell always gives excellent coverage and I recommend anything that he does and I'll get into that in a little bit. But, Russell, coming on to Locked On

Patriots today, you always bring a level-headed approach and it's one of the things I admire most about you, my friend. And really, when it comes to, I opened today's show by saying that you would be the voice of reason when looking at the potential of Tom Brady leaving New England and the national narrative surrounding the Pats for the 2020 season. But first, it was an exciting season in the NFL in 2019 overall. There were plenty of great storylines, and obviously ending with the Kansas City Chiefs

defeating the San Francisco 49ers to win Super Bowl 54. That's City's first Super Bowl title in over 50 years. Before we look ahead to the future, Russell, what were your lasting impressions of the 2019 NFL season, and what did we see overall in the league in 2019 that could indicate what we might see in 2020? Well, it's a league that has really become something you can't judge after three, four, five weeks. We saw the Cowboys 3-0. We saw the Rams 3-0. We saw the Titans 2-4. I know there's a knee-jerk reaction to draw conclusions early on,

start talking about the playoffs after opening day, et cetera, et cetera, and I'm exaggerating a little bit, but you really got to watch it play out. It's when you're playing your best football. And that's why I thought the Chiefs would win last week, because even though I think from top to bottom the roster and the talent of the San Francisco 49ers might be superior, the Chiefs had found their groove. And it came as much on defense as it did offensively.

Did you notice that Kansas City didn't come anywhere close to scoring the amount of points that they did last year. Last year, they scored 565 points, the third most in the season. Of course, they also didn't even come close to giving up as many points as they did last year. Last year, Mike, it was 421. This year during the regular season was 308. That's about seven points a game. And the thing that was so intriguing to me about just how the season unfolded is we heard this, you know, clamoring of the great defensive team, the 49ers against a great offensive team in the Chiefs, and just a quirky little thing. San Francisco scored more points than Kansas City this year. And Kansas City gave up fewer points than San Francisco, which told you it was going to be a very even matchup. And, of course, we saw Kansas City fall behind,

which I guess is something they're very comfortable in doing in the playoffs. They did it in every one of their games and then rallied. And, you know, the kind of football now where you're seeing teams kind of getting back a little to the running game, you know, that was an endangered – the running back was an endangered species there for a while. We had 16 players run for 1,000 yards, including Lamar Jackson. That was the most in the league in seven years. The previous two years, I think it was nine and nine. So you saw what Derrick Henry did and helped catapult the Tennessee Titans into the AFC Championship game.

You saw the comeback year by Ryan Tannehill. But this is a league of ups and downs. And how you handle the ups and how you handle the downs is what sets you up for postseason success that's why it's amazing what new england has done um being in the playoffs so many consecutive years what 11 consecutive years which you know it dwarfs the old record now um of nine and 11 straight division titles, which was the old record was seven. But I know I'll get into New England afterwards.

But back to the Chiefs for a second. After being six and four, I think their defense kind of settled in. I'm not saying they played great defense in the playoffs, but better than you think. Well, the Texans scored 31 points. Well, one of those was a blocked punt, and one of them was set up by a buff kick. So Steve Spagnuolo gets a little credit. You know, he's been the architect of some Super Bowl-winning defenses.

He's also been the architect of some really bad defenses, to be bluntly honest. But Kansas City, later in the year, started to play what – it's a term that New England fans know way better, complimentary football. Rather than, okay, well, we're going to score a lot of points and whatever we give up, we ever give up. I will never forget last year that Kansas City scored 40 and 31 against the Patriots and lost both games.

This year they went up to New England and didn't even come close to that. Absolutely. So, you know, this idea that offense wins this. By the way, how many points did the Ravens score this year? 531. Okay. Didn't get to the AFC Championship game. I believe my math tells me that's now the 12 highest scoring teams in NFL history.

None of them have a Super Bowl win. Absolutely. New England fans know that feeling well. 2007 was about the highest-powered offense that New England has seen in quite some time. Maybe the highest-powered we'll ever see again. They were not victorious despite going 18-0, heading into that game. They finished the season 18-1.

Yeah, Peyton Manning and the Broncos in 2,606 points. They lost a heartbreaker to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl by 35 points. Right. So, you know, I mean, it just goes to show you as much as the game changes, there's certain things that will never change. And, you know, and by the way, comebacks in the Super Bowl now, Mike, you know, it used to be you couldn't come back from a double-digit deficit. Now it's kind of regular.

I'll give you this one. First 48 Super Bowls, only twice did a team come back from 10 points and win the Super Bowl. That was the Redskins in Super Bowl XXII, and then 22 years later, the Saints in Super Bowl XXIV. We've now seen it happen three times in six years.

Amazing. Truly, truly amazing. And having been on the rooting interest on the positive side for two of those comebacks when it came to Super Bowl XLIX and Super Bowl LII, it's one that the New England Patriots fan base knows very well and something that I think a lot of the teams out there, and not just tying it into New England, but you mentioned Kansas City falling behind. It's something that they did early on in the season. I actually saw an article the other day when I was wrapping up my coverage

for the NFL for 2019. And I love analogies, and I know you do as well. We like puns, play on words, things of that nature. I saw someone compare the Kansas City Chiefs to the racehorse Seabiscuit, who used to like to give up the lead a little bit in order to get that fire back in his belly to be able to then blow away his opponent, similar to what he did in the match race against War Admiral. And it kind of made me chuckle a little bit. I'll be honest with you. My eyebrow raised a little bit, and I went, oh, here we go. They're going to compare. Why are they doing this? But it almost makes a little bit of sense. And I think that it is a changing of the guard. When you take a look at teams that do fall behind, they have the confidence in their own ability to be able to do that. And Kansas City certainly peaked at the

right time. So interesting. I'm sorry. Go ahead. You bring up an excellent point because I used to say this about the Indianapolis Colts. And how many times did we see the Indianapolis Colts rest people at the end of the year? We have home field advantage locked up. You know, go on the interest rate. The year they finally won that Super Bowl, they were a three seed. They had to play the extra playoff game. They had to host the Chiefs and then go to Baltimore.

And then as the three, they hosted New England in the AFC Championship game. I'll have to remind you they were down 18 in that game. So sometimes, when it looks like you're kind of coasting, okay, I don't want to say it comes easy to you, but in some ways I think that can be – I think one of the things that hurt Baltimore at the end of the year was the fact that Lamar Jackson and several of those guys,

several of those starters did not play Week 17, Mike. So in essence, they had three weeks off. And with that kind of an offense, which is based a lot on rhythm along with power, I think that wound up costing them dearly. Yeah, and I think that's a good point. Even though mentally I don't believe those guys took the foot off of the accelerator, I think the physical taking the foot off the accelerator can cause you difficulty. It can cause rust.

It can cause a disruption of your timing. So much of the way the game is played right now is so predicated on timing. I think that's a great point, Russell, and I'm so glad that you brought that up. Even just something bringing up the running game of teams and the reemergence of the running game that we've seen the last couple of years, I think that is a very interesting point. So that's something I think we will see in 2020 is these teams pushing forward. Yeah, so much was made about San Francisco's running game, and rightfully so,

especially coming off of 285 yards about the Green Bay Packers. But I don't think people paid attention to how many times Andy Reid was actually running the ball down the stretch and in the playoffs. And I'm as much big on attempts as I am carries. And it's funny, they would have had a lot more rushing yards in the Super Bowl except for those last couple of kneel downs by Patrick Mahomes. But, you know, Damian Williams had over 100 yards rushing.

So it's about keeping the other team off-season, off-balance. And more importantly, it's about not abandoning what you think you can do well, even though you fall behind. And I think the confidence that Kansas City got in those – I mean, think about it. They're down and down, big, early, double digits in both games, 24 and 10. And yet, by halftime, they had the lead. So this time they had to wait a little longer. And maybe, you know, listen, we've seen this in the Super Bowl for so many years now.

The first quarter of the Super Bowl, especially if you haven't been there, even the Patriots who have been there so many times have had, what, have they never scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, I think, haven't been there. Even the Patriots, who have been there so many times, have had, what have they, never scored a touchdown in the Super Bowl, I think, in the first quarter in New England against Brady and Belichick. The nerves. That's true. For you who haven't

been there, and not every New England Patriots played in all the Super Bowls that Tom Brady has, nerves are a big factor early in that game. Sometimes you're too revved up. I remember going back when Pittsburgh and Dallas played the last time. Greg Lloyd, really excitable, great pass rusher. I don't think football fans know who he is. He was jumping up and down at a position in the entire first quarter, maybe into the second

quarter, and Dallas took advantage of that. They absolutely did, and that amp up, that type of adrenaline that flows through you when you play on the biggest stage your sport has to offer, and really, I think you can make the argument that the Super Bowl is the biggest stage in professional sports. All eyes are on you without any question. It really is intimidating, and it can get to players. I've had the opportunity to speak with Matthew Slater, who always brings that back to the point where you need to keep your feet on the ground. It's something that he preaches

always to his teammates and say, you have to be aware of your surroundings, but you have to remember that your surroundings are where you're most at home, and that's the football field. Try to block everything out, but sometimes it's easier said than done. The moment can get to even the greatest athlete, and I think that's a great, great point, Russell. As we put the bow on 2019, and I'm glad that you gave us a national perspective on the season as a whole, but this is Locked On Patriots. That is where the allegiance of our listeners lie. And the average Patriots fan, Russell, as you know, they expect the team to at least

compete for a Super Bowl title, and usually the expectation is for them to win one. It may not be realistic all years, but that's always the expectation. And my fearless leader, Jay Soderbergh, and I spoke about on Wednesday about the fact that that is the expectation here in New England, whether you like it or whether you don't. But there is a new Super Bowl champion, and we talked about that in the Kansas City Chiefs. Really, I think a lot of people consider an AFC juggernaut. And not just the Chiefs, but there's been the emergence of the Baltimore Ravens, the Tennessee Titans, even the Houston Texans, and a lot of other teams that suffered some injuries this year that could make a push in 2020. I hearken back to the Indianapolis Colts, who I thought were contenders earlier on in this season,

and obviously the retirement of Andrew Luck and some of the injuries they had contributed to that team not competing at a higher level as I thought. But there is a lot of national level thinking right now that seems to believe that the Patriots might no longer be the de facto favorites, not just in the AFC, but throughout the NFL. I don't think anyone rational, and I say that with some tongue in cheek, is burying the Patriots organization just yet. But do you believe that there's been a turning of the tide regarding the national perception of the New England Patriots, especially as they head toward 2020? I think, just in reading what I go, I see what I always see. When New England shows any kind of crack in the armor, okay, it can't be just a crack. It has to be a fissure for some reason. Okay? And a lot of that, I think, is to Dallas Cowboys from 1966 to 85,

20 consecutive winning seasons. But Dallas didn't go to as many Super Bowls over that span as the New England Patriots have and certainly haven't won as many over that span. So they've kind of separated themselves. That's why I like to separate the difference between the greatest team ever, Mike, and the greatest dynasty ever. To me, the Patriots are the greatest dynasty ever.

And, you know, to me, second would be the 49ers from the mid-'80s throughout most of the 90s. Dynasty is sustained excellence. Not three or four years. I'm talking about nine or ten. Okay? It doesn't mean you have to win the Super Bowl every year. That's why I remember friends of mine giving me a little blowback on when the

Patriots won three of their first four Super Bowls. Okay? But they missed the playoffs in 2002. So that's kind of like a donut hole. To me, that's not a dynasty. I'm sorry. I understand three titles in four years. Well, the Cowboys did that.

But the Cowboys were in the playoffs in 91, and then the playoffs in 96, and then 98, and 99. So it's a long stretch, okay? Right. The Patriots have set a new standard for dynasty in the National Football League, in a sport where we have now seen 100 years and 100 seasons, I should say. And the longest run of any championships by an NFL team consecutive years is free. It's not a sport that

lends itself. It's not like basketball or hockey or baseball where you can win five, six, eight in a row. It just doesn't happen. So what New England had done has been amazing. I always kind of lean as far as defending Super Bowl champions as the team to beat, but I think it's still far too early. We don't know what the Patriots are going to look like. We don't know what any of these teams are going to look like. Kansas City

has some guys they obviously want to bring back. Chris Jones is certainly one of them. The Patriots obviously have some free agent question marks with Jamie Collins and Kyle Van Nooyen. Correct me if I'm wrong, I think Matthew Slater's on that list as well. He is. He's a potential free agent. And then I heard some guy who throws the. He's a potential free agent. And then I heard, you know, some guy throws the football, could be a potential free agent. We're going to be talking about that very shortly. Yeah, I heard about that.

You don't know from year to year what's going to happen. I will say this about the Chiefs, okay? Let's not forget that they own the second longest current playoff streak in the league. There's a lot to be said for that. They fought five in a row. They missed

in 2014. They made it there Andy's first year, which was 2013. Missed in 2014 and have been in the playoffs five straight years. Of course, New England is 11th. I want to say the next two in line, I think, are Philly and New Orleans, which is three, and that's it. So, you know, it wasn't long ago that Green Bay was in there eight years in a row.

Okay? So that, to me, is something you keep an eye on. That's why I think Kansas City, I don't know about Baltimore yet. I've seen Baltimore in the way they are for a year and a half. I don't know about Baltimore. I'm not ready to put Baltimore on that steady contender list despite a very, very big year by their own because I want to see what's going to happen this year. And we see it a lot with these teams who come out with offenses

that are more offensively geared than defensively geared, what is going to be adjustments? It's not a matter of adjusting to Lamar Jackson. It's a matter of adjusting to Greg Roman's offense. I think a great, great point. And again, that's the reason that we bring you on here at Locked On Patriots, to give that level-headed approach. And I think to balance out both sides, you made a very good point about the fact that it's way too early to determine whether or not dynasties are either born or dead or anything like that. We don't know what these teams are going to look like in 2020.

Free agency has not begun yet. You know, the draft has not occurred yet. Team building has not occurred. So in all of those factors, it's very difficult to say, oh, well, this team is not going to compete next year, or this team will. We have to see what these rosters look like. On the flip side, there's also... I'm sorry, go ahead. I was going to say this, Mike. If New England by chance misses the playoffs next year, that doesn't mean the dynasty's over, okay? You have to miss it a couple of years at least and show a downward trend. I mean, let's not forget from 2001 to 2019,

they haven't been in the playoffs every year. They missed in 2002. They missed in 2008 even though they finished 11-5. They still had winning records. So, again, I think there's an element of, you know, Patriots fatigue, just like there was Cowboys fatigue, just like there was 49ers fatigue. It's funny. Supposedly everybody loves a winner. I haven't been convinced of that yet. It's true.

I think, you know, heavy lies the head that wears the crown. And I think in a lot of ways the Patriots, you know, organization can definitely understand that. We see it in all professional sports. We see it when it comes to either the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA or the New York Yankees in Major League Baseball and the teams that consistently have their presence felt in the finals or in the World Series or wherever, Stanley Cup, these are teams that are always

a constant. And I think there's a lot to be said about trying to root for the underdog. I think a lot of that is what you're seeing now with the Kansas City Chiefs and some of the coverage that they're getting. I don't think it's necessarily anything where they have it out for the Patriots or anything to that effect, but sometimes it can feel that way because Pats fans are still waving and saying, hey, you know what, we still have a long way of sustained excellence, but there's also that next in line where that the king is dead, long live the king type thing where you want to see the successor and who is going to be the next big

thing, and I think a lot of that, sometimes it's rushed and I get that argument, but then there, you know, there is the other converse side to that as well. Let's not forget something. It wasn't long ago the Patriots weren't winning the Super Bowl. Okay. They lost to Philadelphia. Okay. So Philadelphia is supposed to be the next big thing. Okay. So what happened the year after? New England became the first team in 40 something years to win a Super Bowl the year after losing the Super Bowl. Absolutely. That had not happened since 1972. And it's only ever happened three times. So Super Bowl V, Super Bowl VI, and Super Bowl 53. Okay? Absolutely.

So that's a different thing as well. So, you know, and, you know, they beat Atlanta in Super Bowl 51. Did they win the Super Bowl the following year? No, Denver won it. Did Denver stick around? They haven't made the playoffs since. It's true. It really is.

And it is so difficult to climb that mountain. And that's one of the things I think that, you know, is, again, it's one of the things that I admire most about you, Russell, is that you take that level-headed approach. You don't look at the end of Super Bowl 54 and say, this is the start of a dynasty that's going to rattle off four, five, six championships in a row. It very well could happen, but we simply just don't know that yet.

And to automatically assume that really, I think, negates how difficult it is to win a championship. In a way, I think it does Kansas City a disservice as well, because it makes it look like what they just did was very easy. It wasn't. They had to go through some very difficult teams. They faced a very difficult team in Super Bowl 54, and credit them, they were the last team standing because, like you said, at how we think, how people kind of anoint these things so quickly, I'll throw one at you. I think of Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park when he looks at Dr.

Hammond and says, before you even knew what you had, you sold it, you promote it, you slapped it on a plastic lunchbox. Absolutely, and that leads into one of my favorite quotes from that movie is you were so worried about whether or not you could you didn't stop to think if you should and i think a lot of people in our business really started to analyze that quote uh there might be a little bit more harmony on social media but speaking of saying it's bumped up twitter so So, absolutely, that's it. That really is what's where I really completely agree. And speaking of Twitter and the trending topic, Russell, my final question for you today is about a certain signal caller in New England that may or may not have played his last game

under center in Foxborough. And, of course, the biggest story in New England is the status of Tom Brady for 2020. And it will be until a definitive answer has been provided. I've gone on record to say that I believe Tom will be back. But many that I've spoken with that cover the team, there's a lot of mixed feelings on that. Some agree with me and say that they believe he will be. But there are a lot that take the converse opinion, and there are arguments, definitely good arguments, to support that. New Englanders, I think, as a whole are optimistic, but there is some uneasiness. And in the national circles that you run with, what have you seen as the prevailing opinion

in terms of Tom's future in New England or elsewhere? And should you choose to accept your Miss an impossible question, my friend, do you believe that Tom Brady will be a New England Patriot in 2020? No pressure, not the hot seat or anything like that. Oh, I'm sad. I mean, listen, I think there is, if just judging from what I read, okay. And this is a, you know, I would say a great sample size. The sentiment seems to be that he won't be back but i think that sentiment is also based on the fact that there are some people because they for lack of a better word and including some of our media brethren are rooting

for the dynasty to i mean i've seen shows I'm not going to start calling them out, dynasty ends on, you know, on a little scoreboard. I mean, embarrassing, frankly, okay? Thank you. So those people who have been preaching that are probably hoping he doesn't come back. I don't know, and by the way, can we please stop reading subliminally into commercials? How about making a phone call? Okay? I mean, I get the shock jock mentality and the talk shows and the debate shows

and all that stuff, but a picture in a tunnel, that's, I mean, you know, if you were a private investigator, you'd be fired in an hour, okay? I mean, just crazy. Listen, this is, you know what this reminds me of? Totally different scope of player, but a pretty good player, but the ability to do something he's never been able to do. And Quan Bolton, who's had a hell of a career in the NFL, by the way. Absolutely. Cardinals, traded to the Ravens, traded to the 49ers, successful Super Bowl champion.

Okay. Never got the chance to test free agency until his latter years. And he took his time, and he enjoyed the process. And I think Tom, who was about to embark on this for the first time in his career, and it happened, and this is a factor, too, that I don't think some people don't keep in mind. It's an unusual year when it comes to this position. There are two pretty good other

guys on the all-time passing list, Drew Brees and Phillip Rivers, who are also getting ready to make decisions. Now, Phillip Rivers' decision has been made by the team, who said they are not going to bring him back. Drew Brees is contemplating his future.

But if you want to pin me down, I think Tom either steps away from the game or he comes back to New England. I have a tough time envisioning... I'm not going to say I have a tough time envisioning a different uniform, because history will tell you that no one is beyond being in a different –

listen, if Wayne Gretzky can get traded, in the end, anything goes. Okay? But that's kind of how I feel. Okay? And I don't know – listen, they have – we already mentioned they have other players they need to get re-signed. And it's a prominent players. It's a team that was, you know, defensive-oriented.

They've got some good defensive players i i know they obviously either want to bring back or they're going to have to find suitable replacements for him and so on but um they're going to have to make some changes and i don't know if they you know are going to say we're going to do this we're going to do this we want you back type of thing thing. But for me at the end of the year, especially in the second half of the year, but more really down late, to use a boxing expression, the Patriots look like a shot fighter. They look like they got a lot taken out of them losing that home game to Miami at the end.

I'm not saying they didn't play. It has nothing to do with effort or playing hard. But they just looked like they were out of gas against the Tennessee Titans. And the last thing they needed to see was a runaway refrigerator who just ran over everything in its path in the form of Derrick Henry. And I know Tom Brady doesn't play defense, but this is a team that has invented the word situational football. And I don't think they got it all year, to be honest with you.

It really wasn't a year where they played a lot of situational football. I mean, they had a bunch of turnovers, returns for touchdowns. As good as their special team was in creating things, they also had their gaps on there as well. They probably played their best game of the season, my own opinion, in week one against the Steelers. And, you know, by week four, they were in a tussle with the Buffalo Bills

where they looked horrible in the second half of that game, but still managed to win. Their resourcefulness with Brady and Belichick was what enabled them to get to 12-4. And by the way, they had a better record this year than they did last year when they won the Super Bowl. They did. That's a very good point.

Right. But in the playoffs last year, they were able to reinvent themselves with power football. And they weren't able to come up with that same kind of formula. And, I mean, the blame is in numerous places. I don't think there's any question about it. It's a defense that's built more on the back end than the front end. And, you know, when your defense isn't able to do what it did early in the season, it's hard for an offense that never really honestly really found its groove this year to all of a sudden be able to carry the load.

It was a very uneven year for the Patriots and kind of an uneven year for Tom Brady as well it was and I'm so glad that you brought up those points especially the unevenness of the year because I don't think that's something that's a narrative that's pushed nearly enough and not necessarily a narrative I think it's the fact I think it's absolutely just something that you know you use your eyes you use your common, and you can see that in terms of how the season ebbed and flowed. There were times where the Patriots' defense looked stifling to the point where no one could score any points on them. And then there were times where they looked very porous against the run. And you mentioned them being built better on the back end than the front end.

I think you saw that a lot. And unfortunately, it reared its ugly head, for Patriots fans anyway, at the worst possible time when it came to the wild card weekend against the Tennessee Titans. Getting back to your point on Brady, and I think that in a lot of ways that seems to be the prevailing sentiment up here, is that he either walks away from the game, or he ends up coming back to New England,

seems to be the general consensus. I think a lot of what you're seeing in terms of the narrative about, oh, well, look at, you know, he could end up in Las Vegas. He could end up in Los Angeles. He could end up in Miami. These are a lot of prevailing rumors out there right now. Some of it may be because of a bias one way or another, but I think a lot of it, too, in terms of that,

is what we like to call in our business click fodder because it really does work. All of a sudden you see a picture of Tom Brady on Twitter wearing a Photoshopped Miami Dolphins jersey or a Photoshopped Raiders jersey, and it's going to get you a click. People are going to want to see it. Even if they know the narrative of what's coming, there's still that curiosity of how this is all going to shake out. I appreciate a level-headed approach.

I know this, and with all due respect, every time Tom or there's been talk about him purchasing a house or moving somewhere, all of a sudden, that's where he's going to wind up. I don't know about you, but I don't know if any real estate broker in this country is considered an NFL source. Yeah, absolutely. I don't think so either. And someone with the vast resources that a Tom Brady, Gisele Bundchen power couple has at their disposal, I don't necessarily think where they're moving or where they're looking to purchase property is a really good indicator of where he's going to end up. So I do appreciate that.

And I think our listeners appreciate hearing something like that as well, Russell. Yeah. My, my guess is that Giselle Bündchen and I don't know how much money she makes, but I'm sure there are maybe three or four small countries she could purchase.

You know, what's next. I mean, depending on where he moves, I guess, next, maybe he'll play for the Yankees if he stays in New York. I don't know. Hey, who knows? You know what?

They have pretty deep pockets, and there's no salary cap in Major League Baseball, so that could be a destination if Tom is looking to chase the coin. And at the end of the day, I don't believe that's what it's all about. I think it's the good situation, the perfect situation, for him to compete for a championship. I still believe that's what it's all about. I think it's the good situation, the perfect situation, for him to compete for a championship. I still believe that's going to be New England, but ultimately we'll see how that shakes out when it comes to the Patriots,

when it comes to Tom, and when it comes to the landscape of the NFL. Russell, what can I say? I thank you so much for taking the time out today to close out the week here on Locked On Patriots. Your level-headed, objective approach is exactly the reason why I brought you on. We always have a good rapport. We always have a good working and professional relationship, but

I admire you a tremendous amount, my friend, and I thank you for doing that today. Before I let you go, please let our listeners here at Locked On Patriots, if they don't already know, where they can find you on social media and where they can always read your amazing work. Well, that's very, very kind of you.

And I'm glad PayPal is working. You should be getting something from PayPal. Bax Football Guru is, you know, part of the profootballguru.com. I should say siprofootballuru.com is the website. Of course, my amazing partner, Julie Boyd, JulieNoted underscore PFG, and, of course, PFG5. Those are our three Twitter accounts. As I said last night, we're going to be very busy off-season work.

My stuff with FanSide, NFL Spin Zone, Elite Sports New York, I just put out a piece this morning on the five top running backs available for free agency. We'll see if they actually get the free agency. Derrick Henry tops on the list. Will the Tennessee Titans put a tag on him? Will they get him re-signed? We'll see. But some other good names like Carlos Hyde and Melvin Gordon.

So I won't give out the rest. You're going to have to read. Obviously, Pro Football Guru and PFG Vibe have Facebook pages as well. We're both on Instagram, Julie, PFG Vibe, Pro Football Guru. You name it. But as I said, if you follow any one of us, especially me, and you like football, everything I write, everything I have to say, I put on Twitter.

And as Liam Neeson once said, I have a special set of skills, and I'll paraphrase, I'll find you and I'll follow you. And what better way to end the week on Locked On Patriots than a quote from one of my favorite movies taken from one of my favorite actors, Liam Neeson. Russell, thank you so much today for lending your wisdom and counsel. Always my honor to share the microphone with you, and I look forward to having you back on as we progress toward the 2020 NFL season, my friend.

Have a great weekend. You got it. Very kind of you, sir. And on that note, we close out the week that was here on Locked on Patriots. I hope that you enjoyed absorbing the fair and objective wisdom and counsel of Russell Baxter And on that note, we close out the week that was here on Locked On Patriots. I hope that you enjoyed absorbing the fair and objective wisdom and counsel of Russell Baxter as much as I did. Having the opportunity to welcome guests like Russell here to Locked On Patriots only adds to the honor I feel each and every day to continue to be the host of this podcast. And if you've been a listener of this podcast, I'm sure you've heard all the great advertisers

working with Locked On to reach sports fans. But you may not know that Locked On Patriots is a great way for your local business to reach passionate Patriots fans just like you. Unlike any other podcast, Locked On Patriots gives your local company the unique ability to reach local podcast listeners. But not just any podcast listener, a Locked On podcast listener. If your company wants to connect with Patriots fans and a predominantly male audience that is well-educated with disposable income, then let's put your company right here on this Locked On podcast. Local fans love to

support local businesses. Text the word advertising to 33777 or visit LockedOnPodcast.com slash advertising and let us know who you are. We'll get our team to help you achieve Locked On advertising success. Once again, text the word advertising to 33777 or visit LockedOnPodcast.com slash advertising. We look forward to hearing from you.

As for me, I will be back on Monday. And this coming week on the Locked On Podcast Network will be an exciting one. It'll be the beginning of the ultimate divisional crossover. Each and every day next week, I will be joined by my colleagues from Locked On Bills, Locked On Jets, and Locked On Dolphins. That's right, the AFC East will be covered. And it will be covered from all angles. So please be sure to keep a sharp eye out for next week's podcasts.

As always, you can find me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I thank Russell Baxter 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. Have a great weekend, everyone.