Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Fair, Objective Friday: Baxter talks Patriots from a National Perspective - 5/22/2020

Episode Date: May 22, 2020

Friday is a great day for some fair and objective football perspective. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Russell S. Baxter of ProFootballGuru to discuss the prospects of the NFL returning to action sooner rather than later, who in the league has positioned themselves for contention this year, and Russell offers his take on the league-wide impression of the New England Patriots in 2020. 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 Fair and Objective Friday 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 just like a candy bar. Visit BuiltBar.com today and enter the promo code LOCKEDON to get $10 off your first order. Thank goodness it's Friday, Patriots Nation. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots Podcast, which 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,

your comments, and your feedback, always welcomed and greatly appreciated. And you can feel free to share that feedback at any time by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming around on that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, as we look to close out the week here on Locked On Patriots, Friday is the perfect day to put the Homer hat aside and maybe be a little fair and objective. After all, the vast majority of the content that I bring to you here on the Locked On

Patriots podcast is from a Patriots perspective, a Foxborough lens, if you will. When it comes to the 2020 prospectus of your New England Patriots, we all know that this team is well positioned to compete. Yes, we've lost some very talented players. A couple of them are surefire Hall of Famers. But this is still a team, folks, that has a chance to turn some heads, and maybe even raise a few eyebrows. And at the end of the day, folks, I think all of us in Patriots Nation believe that this team will end up compiling

more wins than a lot on the national stage are projecting that they will. Now, some of that national hate that the Patriots seem to get all the time comes from sources that are not, how shall we say, objective. And I could have used a lot of other words to describe that, folks, but you know what? I'll take the high ground. But sometimes it's really tough to decipher how Patriots are being viewed from a national lens. Well, folks, in doing my due diligence and hoping to bring you the most fair and objective national perspective when it comes to your New England Patriots, I am proud to welcome

Russell S. Baxter of ProFootballGuru.com to the Locked On Patriots podcast today. And Russell is not only a dear friend of mine, but he is also one of the very best when it comes to comprehensive coverage of the National Football League. Russell's work has been featured on national platforms such as ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Fan Sided, and so much more. And we will absorb some of Russell's national expertise, especially when it comes to the NFL. Don't forget, this past week, the NFL started to relax some guidelines about possibly opening

up team facilities and taking strides to indicate when we might see football back on the field. We'll get Russell's perspective on that, and we'll also get Russell's national perspective on which teams have best positioned themselves to be able to contend for a Super Bowl title in 2020. And last but certainly not least, folks, it's Locked On Patriots. We're going to talk some Patriots, and Russell will provide us with his insight on what they're saying nationally about your New England Patriots.

So settle in, folks. A fair, objective, and insightful pod on tap for you today. And in just a moment, Russell S. Baxter will join me on the hot seat right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. But first, as we continue to adjust to our new normal, folks, finding the energy to complete daily tasks lately is just not easy. And neither is finding a healthy, low-calorie treat that is just as delicious. Well, I have good news for you.

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Make Bilt Bar your go-to protein bar today. 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, Fan Sighted, SI Football Maven, and NFL Spin Zone, just to name a few. He is the co-founder of PFG Vibe, along with the great and talented Julie Voigt, and he is the founder of Pro Football Guru. It is my honor to welcome Russell S. Baxter back to Locked On Patriots. Russell, thank you so much for joining me today.

Hello there, Michael. How are you? I'm doing very well, my friend. It is great to hear your voice and it's great to have you back on the airwaves here on Locked On Patriots. Well, it's been an unprecedented year and it has nothing to do with football so far,

but in terms of what you and I do, it's nice to know that with technology the way it is these days, we're able to do what we still are able to enjoy. I'm sorry, still able to enjoy doing because of Zoom and podcast and, you know, remote production and all those different things. And, you know, with a lot of cooperation from the National Football League, who has handled this whole situation with free agency in the draft almost effortlessly, you know, it's been a fascinating offseason as it usually is. You know, we didn't have the pomp and circumstances of the draft in Vegas and so on, but we still had a lot of pomp and circumstances from fans who, what was the number I saw?

55 million people watched the draft over a three day period. That's just tells you about the popularity and you know, NFL put out its schedule. They remain undaunted, you know, no sense of panic or, you know, just kind of taking one step at a time, but at the same time, keeping an eye on safe measures and so on. So who knows what's going to, I know we're going to talk about it. Who knows what's going to be happening over the next couple of months,

but yeah. And by the way, it's great to be back on with you as well. Well, thank you. I appreciate that. And you said that so eloquently in terms of a new normal, not just in the way we are doing business across the United States, really across the world, Russell, but in professional sports as well. Zoom meetings have taken the place of in-person covering of events such as OTAs and such as team workouts. And we'll get to that in just a little bit as well. And you did mention that the NFL has maintained some semblance of order. And that's really where I'd like to begin today, because, Russell, you bring a level-headed approach for analysis for anything and everything

in the NFL. And I opened today's show by saying that you would be the voice of reason when looking at some potential contenders for a Super Bowl title and also our insider when it comes to the national perception of the subject of this pot, and that is the New England Patriots. But if we're being honest here, my friend, in order for anyone to contend, there needs to be action on the field. And this past week, the NFL has taken some preliminary steps toward reopening league business, specifically team facilities to some front office personnel. Now, we've seen Major League Baseball. They have that 67-page document proposing details on how the sport's going to start back up again.

The NHL has the 2014 proposal. That's become somewhat public knowledge now. But the NFL has been taking more of a methodical approach and even though free agency and the draft milestones like we discussed did take place on schedule there have been some delays in those team workouts and the OTA and not a lot of clarity on when we might be getting closer to start the season. From your understanding should the fact that preseason and regular season games being scheduled give NFL fans some optimism for a possible on-time start? I think so. And at the same time, I think the way the National Football League has handled

this offseason, and by the way, we have to keep in mind that the NFL is the one sport who's on the field performances have yet to be affected by any of this okay the NBA had to stop the NHL season had to stop the baseball season didn't even get to start so um that's that's a totally different thing so I think they've been able to sit back and learn from what some of the other sports have done, but more so the timetable has just so happened to work out very well for them. They were very, very fortunate. And remember, we're talking about this in a sports sense. We're not talking about, when I say the words fortunate, I mean in terms of how they've been able to run their business. Okay. I don't want to downplay what's going on in the rest of the world and so on, which is absolutely horrible. And these are unprecedented times.

But there was an NFL combine, Mike. Absolutely. Which enabled that, you know, so if you, if you were at the combine and then have game tape and game film of these young players, you were still able to make very rational and educated decisions when it came to making your selections. So that was a plus. this. And I've done it very, you use the word methodically, very calmly, very professionally, no sense of panic, no sense of, you know, jumping the gun or anything like that. They're just kind of letting the day unfold or the weeks unfold. They have contingency plans.

You know, there's been talk they could even delay the season into October and then play the season without a bye week. And then, you know, Super Bowl gets pushed back and so on. And by the way, you know, you and I are both old enough to remember when there were no bye weeks in the NFL during the regular season. Absolutely. So even though it would probably be a little bit of an inconvenience and something players aren't used to, it's to, it's not like it couldn't happen. So I think the NFL has sat back and watched this thing unfold rather than jumping the gun.

And I think that sense of calmness and lack of panic has actually strengthened their position as far as credibility. Yeah, and just by the quirk of the calendar and so on, and a leap year to throw in, the NFL season isn't really starting the first week of September. It's not starting until September 10th. So, I mean, there's another extra week, per se, that they get to hold off on decisions.

Again, Memorial Day is a couple of days away as we tape this and so on. So, I mean, we're still a long ways away from training camps, preseason games. You and I already talked about the Pro Football Hall of Fame and what's going to happen there with their ceremonies and so on. So they still have a lot of time to make decisions and adjust. And again, it seems like they have thought this through. And they know, listen, they know the excitement that the NFL draft and NFL free agency brings. They certainly know the excitement that just the release of the NFL schedule brings to fans. I can tell you that the years I worked at ESPN and we would put together the

schedule show, that was a huge hit. When the NFL schedule used to come out, it was like Christmas. Those were even the years, Mike, before there was even free agency. Okay. That was the big thing. That was the big thing you waited for was, you know, who's going to play who, um, not so much who's going to play who, but when they're going to finally play, you know, for years now, we've known how, what teams are going to play each team. They release it the day after the season goes because it's a slotted formula and so on. But who's going to be in prime time? Who's going to be on Sunday night football, Monday night football?

Who's going to play on Christmas as we'll have this year? So again, the popularity of the sport is unparalleled right now, at least in this country. And again, I think cooler hail. You know what's really ironic? I have sometimes pointed out that the fact that the NFL can be very knee-jerkish in terms of public opinion and automatically let's change the rule. You know, Brett Favre didn't get the ball in overtime

in the 2009 NFC title game, so let's change the rule. Let's, you know, Brett Favre didn't get the ball in overtime in the 2009 NFC title game. So let's change the overtime rule. And of course we saw, you know, we saw what happened with the Saints and the Rams and they changed the interference rule, which worked out really, really well for a year. So, you know, it's, you know, that, that whole, this time it's, it's just ironic. They have not been, you know, you've got people out there saying sports are done and there's not going to be a season. And, you know, it's amazing how many doctors are out there.

All over Twitter, by the way. If there's anything, Mike, if you've got anything aches and pains, just go on Twitter. There's doctors all over the place. Absolutely. Twitter's become the new WebMD, my friend. It really has. Yeah, it's like, you know, I remember when I first started was on Twitter and, you know, someone would get hurt in the game, you know, football game. And it's kind of obvious they had injured his knee, but no one knows, obviously, to what degree and all that stuff. So, you know, I would tweet out something like, listen, anybody got a torn ACL out there?

You know, there's about two million people on here who can evaluate it without even looking at it. So, you know, it's just fascinating. But, you know, again, they have held back. They have, you know, sat there and watched. And again, the big advantage is the fact that their on-the-field product is not being affected by this whatsoever right now. And listen, in a month, that'll change because then you got to start thinking about preseason games and people going to training camp and et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And so, you know, kudos to them for a job well done so far. It's, you know, it's funny because there's seemingly still NFL news every day, okay,

even though, you know, we haven't seen, you know, we've seen a bunch of people on camera, and that's about it. That's a good point, Russell. And look, I think one thing that you really have to give the NFL credit for in terms of continuity is the fact that they have adhered to a lot of these milestones. They had the draft start on time. They had free agency start on time. So in a lot of ways, I think people may be looking at that continuity now and just making the assumption that the NFL will start on time.

And I think as fans of the game, whatever team you root for come together, they want to see football back on the field sooner rather than later. We're all optimistic that that happens. We always want to prepare for the worst, but we expect the best. And hopefully the best will be the outcome in this situation. Russell, I do want to switch gears here for just a moment and assuming hypothetically that we do get football starting on time, or even if it's just a little bit delayed. There are a number of teams that have taken strides this year to make sure that their roster is better in 2020 than it was going to be in 2019. Obviously, the expectations of success here in New England have changed a bit, and we will get into that in just a moment.

But there are several teams that believe they've positioned themselves well enough to compete with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. Russell, when you look at the NFL offseason so far, from a national perspective, both draft and free agency included, who do you believe are the top contenders to the KC throne, and who might be primed to make that jump this year from pretender to contender? Well, Wilson, I think in the AFC, I'll go probably division if that's okay with you. I look at the other three teams in the AFC East who I think all did pretty yeoman's work addressing particular needs. The New York Jets, you know, from the get go in free agency addressed their offensive line. And that was a major stumbling part for them last year. And, you know, they went heavy into free agency, addressed it in the draft as well.

Miami, they had a plan last year. It was not tanking. Okay. It was weeding out. I mean, I think people forget after three and O in 2018, Mike, they were a dreadful football team the rest of the season. In fact, in their last three games in 2018, the Dolphins gave up exactly 100 points. Okay. So tanking, if you wanted to tank, you would keep all those players. Okay. But Brian Flores wanted to bring the New England culture to Miami. And I think he certainly did that. So they had a plan. And of course, Buffalo or what I should refer to as Charlotte North, who spent half the offseason signing anyone who Brandon Bean and Sean McDermott knew from the Carolina Panthers.

You know, but obviously, you know, that's a team that's been in the playoffs two of the last three years right so there's obviously some optimism there um you know in the AFC North Cleveland is always a mystery these last couple years you know Kevin Stavansky should do a good job Baltimore's formidable there's no question about that when you're able to run the ball the way they were able to run the ball last year and And, you know, they dotted the I's and crossed the T's when it came to free agency and trades to shore up a defense that just wasn't as good as a lot of people maybe thought it was, especially a little vulnerability to the run, as we saw with Derrick Henry. Well, Derrick Henry ran over everybody, so whatever.

Pittsburgh is a wild card because, you know, how healthy is Ben Roethlisberger? We know he's clean shaven. OK, but what does he have a clean bill of health? And, you know, honestly, their defense last year got a lot of takeaways. Mike duplicated net two years in a row is very, very tough. OK, so to me, they're they, they're a mystery. I think the Colts did terrific work this off season. Chris Ballard's one of the best GMs in the game. You know, Tennessee, can they build off of what they did last year? Houston, you know, Bill O'Brien just doesn't get a break. I mean, he could trade for Jim Brown and someone would find something

wrong with it, I think. So, and Jacksonville Jacksonville, they look like they're in start over mode. But you mentioned Kansas City, and I was thinking about this the other day. How good could the AFC West be this year, Mike? Because I think the one most intriguing team in the entire conference about how they finished last year and what they did this offseason are the Denver Broncos. They might have found their quarterback after a couple of years in Drew Locke. They got Jarrell Casey from the Tennessee Titans for a seventh-round draft choice.

They drafted wide receivers with their first two picks. A.J. Beaulieu, who they got in the trade as well. Chris Harris, I know, is not there anymore. Their defense really came on. Remember, they were 0-4 last year and then won seven of their final 12 games and won four of their last five, including going into Houston and spanking the Texans in a big way. You know, and unfortunately for them, they haven't beaten the Denver Broncos,

I mean, the Kansas City Chiefs in a number of years. Oakland, I'm sorry, Las Vegas will be better. And that's B-E-T-T-E-R, not B-E-T-T-O-R. And I think the Chargers kind of had, I think the Chargers kind of had a down year last year, and I think that the tone was set early in the year. The Melvin Gordon holdout, the Derwin James injury during the summer, you know, tumbled the fight. I remember they were tied for the best record in the league, in the AFC, in 2018. They won five games last year.

They were 0-6 in the division. So I think I answered your question. I would say you've got to keep an eye on Buffalo and Baltimore building off what they did last year. Denver to me is very intriguing. I think the Colts, you know, Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack, you know, as I was talking to Julie a week ago, is it the Mack attack or is it tailor-made? So that two-headed beast there, and you already know about that offensive line.

But you also know how this league is too. I mean, New England's been to playoffs 11 years in a row. Kansas City has been there five years in a row. Okay? Right. What about the rest of Baltimore, two years in a row. Okay. Um, the rest of the cut, what about the rest of Baltimore two years in a row? I mean, you know, it's really, you know, Houston, Houston is funny. Houston's won six division titles since 2011. No one realizes that. I think very quiet. It's true.

You're absolutely right. And you absolutely answered my question, my friend. That's exactly the type of insight that we were looking for because over the course of the last couple of weeks here on Locked On, we've been doing a lot of crossovers with the various hosts throughout the Locked On network. Denver is a team that intrigues me a lot. I'm so glad that you mentioned them with Drew Luck, with Casey coming into the fold, with Boye coming in.

They've really taken leaps and bounds, I think, from where they were last year and where they could be this year, and albeit a very tough division. But at the same time, I think Denver has positioned themselves very well. And of course, we know about the usual suspects like the Baltimore's and, you know, the Buffalo's that I believe is going to be the Patriots' primary competition for a division title this year. And they may even be in the driver's seat. And of course, that leads me into how we will conclude today's show. Russell, your national insight makes you a most valued friend here on Locked On Patriots

because the objective analysis that you've already provided is something we don't always get in the New England region. And you do it and you're second to none at providing it. But this is Locked On Patriots after all. And in just a moment, folks, Russell Baxter and I will discuss the New England Patriots. And Russell will enlighten us all on the national perception of your beloved football team in Foxborough when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots Nation, my guest today is the incomparable Russell S. Baxter, the pro football guru himself.

And Russell, we've talked a lot about the NFL from a league-wide perspective. You've told us about the contenders that you believe are most primed for contention in the AFC this year. But again, this is Locked On Patriots, and our league-wide perspective, that lens is about to narrow its focus just a bit. It has not been the easiest of off-seasons in New England, my friend. A lot of beloved veterans are headed to new homes. Players like Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Nate Ebner, Deron Harmon, and, of course, two of the toughest affections that a franchise can endure, Rob Gronkowski and the legendary Tom Brady.

I've talked about this several times here on Locked On, but from a Patriots fan's point of view, a lot of people believe that the days of success are gone, never to be seen again. But there are still Patriots fans that believe that this team can and will still win and that they can even win this year. Maybe not a Super Bowl, but that they can at least contend for the playoffs. You bring a national objective approach to this, Russell, that I think is so valuable to our fan base. Based on your analysis, what is the perception

of the Patriots' chances in 2020? And from a league-wide perspective, is there still that fear that the New England Patriots can be a factor deep into the playoffs this year? Well, I think there's there's an air. There's a couple of ways to take a look at this, Mike. I think from first I'll do the fan perspective, OK, which could involve anywhere from thank goodness he's not there anymore, to dynasty over, to, you know, wanting this team to fall on their face. Because obviously we've rarely seen a run like this. You know, 19 consecutive winning seasons for people who don't realize. The NFL record is 20. That was Tom Landry's Dallas Cowboys from 1966 to 85,

20 consecutive winning seasons. But over that span, the Dallas Cowboys didn't win six Super Bowls either and appear in nine. Okay. So what New England has done is unprecedented. And for me personally, when I have to see a team fall on its face for a couple of years to declare quote unquote dynasty over,

I think people who know football understand that Bill Belichick is still there. And Bill Belichick reinvented the Patriots several times when he was there. Okay. I think so much is made of, and hopefully I'm not going off track here. I get so much is made by some of the people we know in the media. Well,

Bill Belichick was nothing until Tom Brady, Tom. Well, he was five and 13 and then Brady came in and changed everything around and he had a losing record in Cleveland and blah, blah, blah. You know, to go back and criticize Bill Belichick for what happened in Cleveland, people take a very short-sighted view.

He took over a team. Very good word to use. Yeah. He took over a team, rebuilt it, without the benefit of free agency. Free agency wasn't in the league yet. Okay? So, and then just when he looked like he had gotten things around,

remember they were 1994, they were in the playoffs. They beat Bill Parcells Patriots in the playoffs. And then lost to the Steelers in the next round. And, you know, it's kind of hard to coach a football team when the football team leaps for Baltimore. Right. That's a very good point. Just when he had gotten turned things around, he kind of got the rug pulled out from under him, as did the entire city. He then went back to coaching with Parcells, back as an assistant in 96, Patriots in the Super Bowl, with with the Jets so on so you know to discount what he's done

and how he's been able to do it and listen you go back and look at the recent I mean the six Super Bowl teams that won titles they were all different okay The first one relied on defensive special teams. The second one in 2003 was a little more balanced, but it still relied a lot on defense. In 2004, I thought that was their best team in the history of the they got off to the sluggish start, the disaster in Kansas City, and then rebounded. 2016, of course, we had the epic comeback against Atlanta. And then, of course, 2018, they weren't playing their best football in December. Mike, you know that as well as anyone. Absolutely. They got pushed around by Miami and Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh, both their offensive line. I mean, the Miami game in 2018, everybody remembers for the fluke finish. What they don't remember is that Miami had about somewhere between 180 and 200 yards on the ground against their defense. Pittsburgh kind of did the same thing. So what did Bill Belichick do? He revved up the offensive line. He kept the other team off the field with 150 yards rushing at minimum

against the Chargers, against the Chiefs, against the Rams. And, you know, it looked like that was going to carry over until last year. But, you know, New England is still morbid. When New England is successful, okay, I mean, think about it. In 2007, when they won undefeated and scored all those points, it didn't matter a lot. In 2010, when they scored all those points, they didn't even make it to the AFC championship game.

They got knocked out by the Jets, uh, championship game. They got knocked out by the jets. Okay. Um, at home, a team, they had beaten a month earlier, 45 to three on Monday night football. So, um, defense is still the order of the day. Their defense played lights out. Their defense played lights out, uh, the first half of last year, but their defense was a little flawed because it was back end heavy. It was not front end heavy. So when they lined up against Baltimore and they lined up against some of the better teams in league, they weren't able to match up in that regard. And then, you know, you take into account their offense, missed Rob Gronkowski and missed a lot of other key

components of the offensive line wasn't as good as it was in 2018. So Bill Belichick's biggest goal here is to rebuild that defense. Now you already alluded to two guys who are not there anymore, and that's Kyle Van Noy and J.B. Collins. You know, the fact that they were able to get J.B. Collins back was a major coup for them. But now he's at the. Isn't it interesting? You know, six of the guys, you know, either free age

or it's either more than that. A bunch of New England Patriots joined Matt Patricia at Detroit and a bunch of Patriots joined Brian Flores in New England. So, you know, that should tell you something about the system

that Bill Belichick has built and the culture that he has built. Although I think Flores has done a much better job in a briefer time than Matt Patricia and whatever goes on in Detroit, you know, to be honest with you. So I think people who know football know that absolutely foolish to discount anything New England does. First of all, let's see them on the field. Second off, we've seen New England, even in years they've won the Super Bowl, get off to forgettable Septembers. Forgettable might be a little strong, but more times than not, usually two and two. Okay. Kind of stumbled away around

early. That to me was what was interesting about the last Super Bowl they won. They weren't playing their best football down the stretch. And like I said, reinvented themselves. Last year, they didn't have enough talent to reinvent themselves. So, you know, we're going to find out, I guess we're going to find out really how good of a draft person Bill Belichick is, because this is a rebuilt team, but it's not a rebuilt culture. It's absolutely 100% on the mark. And exactly what I've been trying to enlighten a lot of our listeners here on Locked On Patriots, and several of my colleagues in the Boston media have been trying to do the same thing. Give the team a chance to compete on the field. Let's see exactly what Jarrett Stidham has in his arsenal. Let's give him a chance to prove himself on the field before we either label him as a bust or say that the Patriots are going to be tanking for Trevor

this year. I see that a lot from a national perspective. And to be honest with you, I never put a lot of stock into that. I don't believe, and I've said this several times here on these airwaves, I do not believe the Patriots are going to tank this year. I'm almost certain of that because it's just not the way Bill Belichick does business. He is not going to intentionally lose a football game. Everything that we've seen, either from covering him, Russell, or from just watching him

objectively as a football fan, or just as an analyst from the NFL perspective, there is nothing in this guy's DNA that shows me he's going to intentionally lose a football game because he believes it's best for the team. Losing is just not beneficial to Bill Belichick. He's not going to do it. He never has, and he never will. Think about, I mean, I want to make sure this comes out the right way. Okay. But like you said, you're, you are absolutely spot on. Okay. Think about what has happened to new England since, listen, they've been, they were fined. Okay, we have had how many gates with New England? Okay.

All right. No, I'm not, I'm not, I'm not trying, I'm not trying to be demeaning of the franchise. Okay, what I'm trying, yeah, what I'm trying to point out is the fact that you think of some of the things they have either been fined for or accused of. And then you try to tell me at the same time that Bill Belichick would tank.

That does make absolutely zero sense. OK, if you are saying a franchise will go to lengths, stretch the rules um play on the edge all that type of stuff and then all of a sudden you're going to try to convince me that the same person would try to actually lose that i mean you're kidding right yeah i mean you're kidding you get the mindsets don't match up. They don't match up whatsoever. No, they truly don't. I hope I explained that the right way. I hope I explained that the right way because when I think about the Patriots, they find ways to win. Again, we know what happened with certain things. We know other things, rumors, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.

It's not a culture that has tanking. And as we found out last year, every time we accuse a team of tanking, they're not. You might be able to pull it off in other places, other sports and so on, sit players down and all that stuff. It doesn't work that way in the National Football League. It just doesn't. I don't know the other sports as well. I know teams have gotten rid of players. The NFL is a different beast in that regard. There's too many variables, okay? But again, to sit and say that Bill Belichick, of all people, who has, you know, I almost laugh at it, okay? I almost laugh at it because the whole tanking notion makes me laugh in the first place. And by the way, the people who – here's what I know about people in our business and fans who suggest tanking. That means that's what you would do. So if you have that mindset to think that someone else would do it my guess is that you probably think you would

be the kind of person who would do that okay so absolutely see you later mr credibility that's the end of that okay so um yeah i i just never understood people who and like what's the what is the end result your tanking doesn't guarantee anything. You're not going to tell me that an NFL player is going to look at one of his teammates and say, Hey, man, I don't know about you, but I think we should lose this week, so next year we're good. You know, and next year, by the way, you're not there. Okay? It's true. It really is. And, you know, and next year, by the way, you're not there. Okay. It's true. It really is.

So, yeah, it's, it's become tanking has become this, um, you know, really fascinating words into sports lexicon. Um, I'd say within the, like the last 10 years and so on. And, um, you know, anytime, you know, you know, here here's here's i guess my biggest question that that'll be a bit of a smart aleck who's coming out in the 2022 draft whose first or last name begins with a t okay because apparently it only works if you're tanking for tua or tanking for trevor would it be losing for larry i meanua or tanking for Trevor. Would it be losing for Larry? I mean, would it be cheating for Christopher?

Would it be, you know, I mean... Your alliteration is right on point. And look, I'm not going to hide the fact I love alliteration. I've kind of been using it all week long as a recurring theme here on Locked On Patriots, my friend. But I really don't want the alliteration to take away from your point. And that's that the Patriots are not going to be tanking. And it's nice to hear that from a national perspective.

We know it up here in New England. We know Bill Belichick pretty well from the last 20 years. Again, as I said before, it's just not in the man's DNA to lose football games and believe that's somehow beneficial for his team. With regard to the national perspective on the Patriots, I think you bring some good insight. First of all, it's going to be a wait-and-see approach for anyone, whether they're a fan of the Patriots or whether they're not. This team has a lot of new faces this year, a lot of different

expectations. I think it'll be interesting to see how this roster takes shape this year. And don't forget, there's still another wave of free agency, still another wave of available players that are out there. The rosters that we see in New England, as with all the 31 other NFL teams, are not set yet. I think there's still a lot that has to happen in order for us to determine who are the contenders, who are the pretenders, and exactly what the Patriots are. And we hope, beyond all hope, that they're going to be better than some of the national prognostications that we've been seeing out there.

Russell, what can I say, my friend? Thank you so much for joining me today here on Locked On Patriots. Always appreciate your objectivity. Your insight is second to none, like I've said in the past, and your support of myself and Locked On Patriots

is something that I cannot thank you enough for, I cannot be more appreciative of, and I really can't tell you how much it means to me in words. I really appreciate all of your help and support throughout the years, my friend. Before I let you go, please let all of our listeners know, if they don't already, which they should, but if they don't already, where they can find your great work, where they can follow you on social media, and just essentially anything that you'd like to let our listening public know about that's coming down the pike on the horizon for you, my friend. Well, I appreciate that. You know, as you know, I write for fanside and NFL Spin Zone.

And on occasion, I've actually been pending some pieces for full press coverage, which I know you know very, very well. Absolutely. If you want to find anything I write, well, I always warn people, if you follow me on Twitter and it's BacksFootballGuru, it's kind of like Liam Neeson. I have a special set of skills. And, you know, I will find you and I will follow you back. I won't get into all the other stuff. But it's BacksFootballGuru on Twitter. There's also PFG Vibe. You mentioned my outstanding co-founder and partner, Julie Voigt. You can follow her, Julie Voigt underscore PFG. Pro Football Guru, or I should say SI Pro Football Guru is on the web. PFG Vibe and

Pro Football Guru are on Facebook. We're also on Instagram. And we're working on the detergent and the cereal. Well, you absolutely mentioned Julie Voigt, one of the true best in the business. A dear friend of yours, a friend of mine as well. And I'm so glad that you mentioned PFG because the work that they do for this site, folks, is second to none. I'm also glad that you mentioned the Liam Neeson connection. Folks, to pull on Russell's pun game here, you will be quite taken with what you read from him

and what you see from him on Twitter. So definitely be sure to give him a follow. Again, my friend, thank you so much. Have a great weekend. Have a great day. And we continue to look forward to you gracing our presence here on Locked On Patriots and gracing us with your knowledge and wisdom. So thank you so much, my friend.

Take care, stay safe, and stay well. Well, that was a little word manipulation by Mike. So are you going, maybe people will be, you know, dealing for Diabate. There we go. I like that. De dealing for Diabate in 2023. There we go. I like that. Dealing for Diabate. I like that.

Folks, I'm going to use that. I'm absolutely using that, Russell. So thank you so much for that. I really appreciate that drop in. And who knows, folks, maybe we have a new hashtag here. So let's keep the era of good feelings going here on Locked On Patriots. And so, Patriots Nation, we tie a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And I sincerely want to thank Russell Baxter for joining me today. Russell is always fair, objective, and level-headed.

And his appearance today only solidifies to me, and I hope it does to all of you, that his opinion is one that should be listened to and it should be held in the highest regard. What does the future hold for our New England Patriots? Well, again, folks, as Doc Brown once said, nobody's future has been written. Your future is what you make it. So make it a good one. And as for the future of this podcast, I will be back to kick off a week of bringing you the latest news notes and analysis from Foxborough.

And I might just be joined by some very special guests along the way. So do not miss an episode of Locked On Patriots, folks. 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, you may ask? Very 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 Patriots. And if you've enjoyed today's podcast, now tell your smart device to play the most recent episode of Locked On NFL. Once again, I am Mike DeBate. 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 in to Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, and have a great weekend, everyone.