Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - First Draft? Patriots Wise to Target Tight End, Defensive Line Help in 2021 — 2/9/2021

Episode Date: February 9, 2021

The 2020 NFL Season is officially over and the New England Patriots, much like every other team, are on to 2021. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com. The duo discuss the rumors surrounding Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and whether they will affect the Patriots plans at the position. They also profile potential Pats draft targets such as Penn State TE Pat Freiermuth, LSU DT Tyler Shelvin and Washington D Levi Onwuzurike.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. EchelonGo to EchelonFit.com/LockedOn and try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Tuesday, February 9th, 2021. And speaking of 2021, we are totally on to 2021 here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation,

and thank you for joining me here on this Tuesday episode of the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback, always welcomed and very much appreciated. Feel free to share that feedback and send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC.

And while you're out there doing some Tuesday traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Pats Nation, the 2020 season is officially in the books. Super Bowl 55 champions have been crowned. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Old friend Tom Brady gets his seventh ring. But as I said to my good friend Murph yesterday here on the pod, it's time to talk business.

New England Patriots business. And to put it mildly, the Pats have a lot of business to conduct this offseason. There are a lot of areas of need on this roster, folks. I'm not going to sugarcoat it. And they're on both sides of the ball, not just one. One thing that the Patriots have in their favor this offseason is a great deal of salary cap space to work with. And coming up here on Thursday's edition of Locked On Patriots, my main man, the wizard

of Benzahn himself, the Pat's cat, Miguel Benzahn, will join us here on the hot seat and we'll talk anything and everything related to Foxborough financials. But in the meantime, as we look forward to the offseason, we'll start to look forward by using a little reason. And what better way to infuse a little reason into the Locked On Patriots podcast than welcoming in our resident voice of reason. If the first day of the week is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday, then Tuesdays are reserved for my main man, Steve Balistrieri.

And Steve's been doing some amazing work over at Patsfans.com, profiling some potential draft targets for your New England Patriots. Three in particular have caught my eye since the last time Steve and I spoke here on these airwaves, and we'll be talking about them today. Because Steve is not only our resident voice of reason, but also our defense expert, we'll be talking to potential Patriots prospects on the preventive side of the ball. LSU defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin and Washington State defensive lineman Levi Azarike. A lot of pluses for these two guys when it comes to their potential fit in Foxborough. And Steve and I will take a deeper dive into their scouting reports. We will also flip over to the offensive side of the ball.

And Claire Cooper, are you paying attention? This one's for you. We'll be talking a little tight endage today here on Locked On Patriots as we take a look at Penn State tight end Pat Friermuth. And last but certainly not least, we all know that NFL fandom was treated to a little additional gossip this morning when CBS Sports' Jason LaConfora reported that the camp of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is quote-unquote frustrated with his team's ability, or should we say inability, to adequately protect him, meaning not too happy with the offensive line.

Locke and Forer noted that the situation, quote, warrants serious monitoring and comes on the heels of a Monday report that Locke and Forer also said that multiple teams have actually looked into whether or not they could acquire Wilson from Seattle in a trade. And while I'm certainly not calling Jason's report gossip, it caused a lot of social media stir. Before anyone in Patriots Nation gets their hopes up that Mr. Unlimited himself might be finding his way to Foxborough, I can probably tell you that it's extremely unlikely. But rumors of this type have a way of stirring things a little bit. The question here in

Foxborough is whether or not the mere rumors of Wilson possibly being moved could have any effect on the Patriots' plans at quarterback. In my opinion, I don't think they will, not one bit. But because Steve is our resident voice of reason and takes a more level-headed approach than anyone else I know to these matters, we'll get his thoughts on this as well. Folks, an action-packed agenda here today on the pod, always fun, always informative, and always entertaining when my Patriots paisan drops by to talk ball with me. I'm excited to welcome him in for his weekly appearance here on the pod,

and I will do so in just one moment. But first, some sad news was reported from the NFL this morning, and ASPN's Chris Mortensen was the first to report that legendary NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer peacefully passed away with his family at his side at the age of 77 on Monday. Now, last week we had all seen reports surface that Schottenheimer had in fact been battling Alzheimer's disease since 2014. And the NFL lost a great one today, a true coaching legend. Schottenheimer was best known as the head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs for 10 seasons. He also coached the Cleveland Browns for 5 seasons, the San Diego Chargers for 5 seasons, and Washington for 1 season.

What some of you may not know about Marty Schottenheimer is that he did have a connection to the Patriots organization. Marty started his playing career in 1965 as a linebacker for the Buffalo Bills. He remained in Buffalo through the end of the 1968 season, and then somewhere between the 1969 preseason and regular season, Schottenheimer was sent to the then-Boston Patriots and spent the next two seasons with the Patriots as a linebacker. But Schottenheimer's legacy on the football field will be as a head coach, and on a personal

level, during my time covering the Los Angeles Chargers, then-San Diego Chargers, I was really able to learn a great deal about the reverence that so many in that organization had for Marty, both on a professional and a personal level. Alzheimer's disease is such a terrible disease, and one that carries a burden not just for those suffering, but also for so many family members. On behalf of Locked On Patriots, I send my sincerest and deepest condolences to the Schottenheimer family during this very difficult time. Once again, Coach Marty Schottenheimer, entering into eternity at the age of 77.

Patriots fan Steve Balistrieri, my Patriots paisan, will join me here on the pod in just a moment. But remember, even though football might be over, NBA, college basketball, and the NHL are all in full swing. If maximizing and monetizing your prognostication skills is something you love to do or would like to try, there is only one place that has you covered and one place we trust. BetOnline.ag. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your sports action. BetOnline even covers awards, TV shows, and reality TV. Get real-time, updated odds and props on almost anything you can imagine.

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Bet online. Your online sportsbook experts. Locked On listeners, February is Black History Month, and the Locked On Podcast Network is honoring the challenges and success of black men and women in sports with a new series called Locked On Presents, More Than the Game. This week, Candace Cooper of Locked On Tar Heels and Erica Ayala of Locked On Women's Basketball

discuss the opportunities and challenges that come with being a black woman in sports. Subscribe to the Locked On Presents podcast feed on the radio.com app or wherever you get your podcasts. Pats fans, the offseason has now begun for all 32 NFL teams. And while the 2021 league year has yet to begin, the work does begin to hopefully build a winning team for the upcoming season. The Pats get a head start on that this year, a little more time than they usually have. And while I know that all of you in the nation are expecting big things from the Pats this offseason,

it might be best to have a reasonable expectation. And luckily for us here today on the pod, we get our weekly dose of reason and accountability. And to help me further break down the Pats outlook into 2021 is my Patriots Paisan, an amazing columnist for Patsfans.com, great podcasting host, and of course, one of the best guys in this or any business. Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Welcome back to Lockdown Patriots, my friend. As always, thanks for having me. Even Miguel now is calling me the voice of reason.

So that's pretty heavy praise indeed. Absolutely. It really does. It sticks. And it's the perfect complement to the monster wisdom and counsel that we get on Mondays from our buddy Murph. But Murph was very level-headed and very reasonable yesterday himself, so you might have a little competition, but no, you are our resident voice of reason, and Murph would be the first to say it.

Buddy, you've been doing some amazing work with Patsfans.com on draft profiles, and today, folks, we've got a special treat for you because we're going to take a dive into some of those profiles, especially in two of the Patriots' most glaring areas of need. But first, Bud, you know, Murph and I talked yesterday about Tom Brady and his seventh Super Bowl championship. Bittersweet here in New England without any question, but a lot of Patriots Nation, most of Patriots Nation, was happy to see him bring home his seventh title. But at the same time, the expectations now are ramped up for the New England Patriots. Murph and I both agreed that Bill Belichick is not going to make any knee-jerk reactions

based on what happened in Tampa a couple of nights ago, but the fan base is definitely going to be out in droves for improvement and quick improvement. They don't like this 7-9 missing the playoffs thing here in New England. Ultimately, that's going to start with the decision that they make at the quarterback position. And let's face it, whether it's correct or whether it's not correct, that's going to be the perception that a lot of Patriots fans and even media are going to judge them on this offseason. Steve, I know you probably have seen Jason Lacombe-Farrer's reports that Russell Wilson might not exactly be that happy in Seattle any longer.

Reportedly, he wasn't happy with the team's decision to move on from Brian Schottenheimer. We've heard reports that he's not exactly enamored with the protection that he's gotten on the offensive line in Seattle. So a lot of people are out there thinking right now, Russell Wilson can be available. Reportedly, several teams are calling to try to see if they could pry Russell away from Seattle. Before we get too far ahead of ourselves, folks here in Patriots Nation, again, I believe very, very, very highly unlikely. I really don't see this coming to fruition here in New England. But rumors of this type can have a ripple effect, Steve. We've seen it several times. Could the rumors that

Russell Wilson is theoretically available, knowing that Carson Wentz is on the block, we've heard Derek Carr might be on the block. Deshaun Watson is still theoretically out there on the trading block. Do you think any of these rumors could shape or help to maybe push Bill Belichick in a direction that he was reticent to take maybe just a couple of nights ago into making a decision at quarterback? Will these types of rumors have any effect on Bill's decision whatsoever? I don't see that having any effect on the Patriots because, for one, well, I don't believe that Pete Carroll is going to let Russell Wilson go.

Thank you. They'll sit down with him. They'll make assurances that they're going to fix the issues, you know, that are there, especially on that offensive line. But, you know, in the same token, I don't see the Patriots being a player in this Sean Watson sweepstakes whatsoever. So, no, I don't think that, you know,

this latest bit of news will impact them at all. But I will tell you this, and I'm sure you're aware of it as well, I should say. You know, the quarterback position, as we've seen, is so important. You can take a 7-19 like New England with the right guy. Granted, it ain't going to be Tom Brady. But look how quickly they, you know, granted they had a really, really talented team around him in Tampa Bay, but that's how quick you can turn things around with the right quarterback.

And that's not going to be lost on Bill. Oh, definitely. No, and I mean, I think Bill knows that as well as anybody, that the quarterback decision he makes this offseason is going to be lost on Bill. Oh, definitely. No, and I mean, I think Bill knows that as well as anybody, that the quarterback decision he makes this offseason is going to be something not only that he's going to be judged on, but it's also going to shape the chance of his offseason of being either successful or unsuccessful in the eyes of so many. Look, there's no question about it.

A quarterback like Russell Wilson suddenly becoming available changes a lot of the complexity out there. But I agree. i don't think it has an immediate impact on the patriots bill has a plan he knows what he's going to do he's going to execute that plan um if russell does become available i mean his his cap implications are actually not as bad as a lot of people would love to have you believe um our good friend, the Pats cap you just mentioned, Miguel Benzon, tweeted out this morning about what Russell Wilson's cap implications would be. And for an elite quarterback, they're really not that bad. $19 million in 2021, $24 million in 2022, and then $26 million in 2023.

That's really a reasonable price for an elite quarterback of russell wilson's caliber so who knows if anything will come of this but ultimately uh i don't see it affecting the patriots i really don't see it coming here for any uh stretch of the imagination but um who knows stranger things it is nice to talk about, though, isn't it? It is nice to talk about. It really is. I mean, we've heard a lot of potential suitors out there. Of course, the usual suspects. The one to me that really is intriguing is New Orleans getting involved in this. You talk about that team now all of a sudden bringing in Russell Wilson.

That could be interesting. So keep a sharp eye on that, folks. But ultimately, I don't think it's going to have that much of an impact on the Patriots. Well, Bud, from the player throwing the ball to the players catching the ball, and with all due respect, Claire, the Patriots' tight ends did not do a good job at all of catching passes this year. That's not all their fault, but the Patriots need a clear upgrade at tight end without any question. But I think I might have made claire mad with that statement oh man steve oh she's the biggest apologist for that 13 catch uh guy that they have right now well now she's really mad at you from hearing that

the countess is displeased, Steve. What to do? You know, I know how we can get back at her good graces. We'll discuss the tight ends in this draft. And one in particular that's caught our shot by, and he's being called Baby Gronk. And that's Penn State's Pat Friermuth. Pat could be an easy target for the Patriots if they choose to dip into the draft again for an early selection at the position you recently profiled Pat for patsfans.com and in your words buddy prior mute is a complete tight end arguably the best overall tight end in the class my good friend Mark Schofield would like to have a word about that by the way I'm kidding I'm kidding I'm kidding he doesn't he doesn't have the top end speed of Kyle Pitts or even a Brevin Jordan of Miami that you said.

But he has the size, the physicality and the blocking game. He's improving blocking and he can line up as an inline tight end. Steve, I think Pat is actually a more complete fit for the Patriots, even more so than Kyle Pitts. Dynamic talent is Kyle, but I think this kid's a more solid fit here. What makes Pat Friermuth so sought after in this draft? Well, you know, I think I said it right in there. He's a complete tight end. And I think Kyle Pitts is going to set the world on fire,

much like Travis Kelsey has in the past few years. But he's really not a blocker. I mean, you look at his size, he's really not a blocker. And that's one of the things that Bill Belichick always wanted is tight ends. In fact, he said about Kelsey and some of those other type of tight ends in that, you know, they're just big wide receivers. So I think, you know, when you're looking at a guy, they want a guy that can line up in line, that can block in the running game.

Now, granted, I really like this kid. I think he's really good. But as I said in the piece, I think calling him Baby Grunt is a little unfair to him. He's not there yet as a blocker. He's very physical. He's very willing. And he loves contact. But his technique isn't as good as Gronkowski's was.

Yeah, I agree with you wholeheartedly on that. The minute you put that type of expectation on a player, especially a tight end, it's so tough to live up to. We've seen established players get labeled with that next Rob Gronkowski, one of which I think he just maybe took to school a little bit in the Super Bowl. But, you know, Rob is just one of a kind. I mean, he's just, you know, he not only has the ability to stretch the field as a receiver, be a short field receiving threat, but he's also one of the best blockers in tight end history. To me, that makes him the best and most complete tight end the game has ever seen.

And look, Friermuth is not going to come in and be an immediate run blocker. He showed some prowess of that at Penn State, but he kind of leveled off a little bit. I don't think we've seen him reach the pinnacle or the ceiling that he can reach as a blocker and i think he can do it i think he does have you know um you know some ability to develop that but that's going to be a concern about pat fryer mute if uh teams are looking his lack of development as a blocker throughout his time at penn state might be a little bit of a deterrent that That being said, I think he can fill the hybrid role, that primary focus on an F alignment early in his career very nicely. To me, that's why he's such a good fit in New England.

In terms of schemes, he really fits that 12 personnel heavy offensive system. The spread concepts, isolate in space. This is where this kid, I think, is going to be at his best. So Pat Fryermuth could be a very good option for the New England Patriots, and I think he might be on their radar. It depends on what the Patriots want to do and how they're going to be able to bring some guys in. I worry about him being available in the second round,

and I think it's a little early to take him 15. But we'll see. We will see what happens. And Steve, we talked a lot about the offense today. One of the things about him, and I'm sorry to interrupt, but if the guy that they really want isn't there and they decide to trade back a few spots, that's when you might see him if they trade back early in round two. I think that would be a spot where he might

be available. That's a good point. I agree with you. I just don't see him at 15 because they have so many other concerns, but it all depends, I guess, how the board plays out. It is true. That's a very, very good point, and we know Bill is not above trading back. I know it's going to drive the fan base insane.

It's going to drive some media members insane as well. But you know what? Bill's going to do what he does. He's not going to worry about the headlines. He's not going to worry about the social media flack that he's going to get. And he's not really going to worry about questions from some of the Boston media that may have something to say about him for that. If he feels it's best for the football team, right or wrong, Bill's going to pull the trigger on that. And yeah, we've talked a lot about the offense today. Usually it's a defensive-minded show

when Steve joins the show, but fear not, folks, because Steve is our defense expert in every sense of the word. And in just a moment, we're going to discuss the Pats' needs on that side of the ball, particularly on the defensive line. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just won a Super Bowl on the backs of that premier defensive line that they have down in Tampa. How can the Patriots build that type of prowess? Well, they might start with this upcoming 2021 NFL draft. And we'll tell you how when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Well, they might start with this upcoming 2021 NFL draft.

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Patriots fan Steve Balistrieri joins us today here on the pod and Steve once again the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl 55 champions and I want to give Tom Brady a lot of credit for that I think he deserves a lot of credit for that but if we're talking lion's share of the credit that Tampa Bay defensive line was an absolute beast against Patrick Mahomes and that Kansas City offense. We talked about the ways in which Tampa Bay was going to be best suited to be able to put pressure on Mahomes, but not, you know, resist the urge to blitz every single down. And they did it with outstanding defensive line play. They rushed no more than four, mostly three at times. They set the edge well. The defensive ends were able to get after him.

The interior of that defensive line clogged the middle and was able to stifle the run and really prevent Patrick Mahomes from having any option, and they dominated that makeshift offensive line that Kansas City had. This is something that the Patriots have done so well against mobile quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes in the past. I had a whole show dedicated last week to the Patriots game plan on October 5th and how they were able to run that type of scheme. But Tampa Bay ran it so much better because they had such better personnel to be able to run it. Steve, you've done a very good job of profiling defensive linemen and identifying where the patriots really need that type of help and we've both agreed several times here on these airwaves

they need help in the interior of that defensive line particularly in the middle and a guy that you recently did a profile for was lsu's tyler shelvin uh really much needed depth uh you mentioned the possibility of day two i've seen tyler climbing some boards that might be even indicating that he could go late day one shelvin's massive he's that immovable force on the nose that really is outstanding against the run but in your words once again doesn't offer much at all against the pass. The Patriots lacking that true nose tackle and questions still abound about the status, the whereabouts of Mo Allen. We do believe he exists, but we haven't really seen much of him.

Shelvin really is in the mode, again, like you said, of Vince Wilford, Ted Washington, that type of player. Why should the Patriots be taking a strong look at Tyler Shelvin and the size and strength that he can bring to this line? Well, as I mentioned, when I look at the tape of him, he reminds me of a young Vince Wilford. And as we know, the Patriots defense, they love having that big man over the nose that can two-gap.

Even if we've seen them do this in the past. They make two-gap on one side of the line and then single-gap on the other. And he's that guy that can really fill that role because they haven't had that. You know, even, I hate to say it, I mean, who thought they were going to miss Danny Shelton as much as they did last year? But, you know, with Bo Allen, I mean, to me, he's a question mark heading into the season. So you have to address that.

And how better can you do that than bringing in a big rookie with a, and, you know, everything about him screams he's going to be a good NFL player. He has a tremendous work ethic. He has a non-stop motor. Yeah, he's not a pass rusher. He can push the pocket, but he's not a pass rusher. But, you know, for a two down defensive lineman, he's to me, he's like a young Wilford. Yeah, without question. I mean, this is the type of early down run defender, like you said,

that the Patriots haven't had in quite a while. Danny Shelton did a very good job of filling that role, and the Patriots missed him a lot this year. But even Shelton had his limitations. This kid, to me, is an early run defender. He's got it written all over him. He's not dynamic because he's got just the size and the strength that weigh him down a little bit, but he really knows how to fit his hands.

He knows how to find the football, and he really knows how to execute and finish, and that's something that I think Patriots fans and the Patriots organization, notably, is going to like with this kid. He embraces taking on the blocks. He's not afraid to put his body in there. He can absorb the double teams. He's good against one. He can definitely hold his own against two.

And he can keep that second level clean. And again, that's something that the Patriots, I believe, are really going to need in terms of returning to prowess and trying to get some of that interior of that defensive line shored up. Vida Veya was someone that did that so well this year for Tampa Bay. You saw the impact of him coming back and being able to be that big run stuffer in the middle definitely improved Tampa Bay's ability to defend well and set the edge. And speaking of setting the edge, we go from somebody that can fit that 3-4 nose tackle or that 4-3-1 technique scheme fit to a defensive

lineman that you recently profiled and someone that could be an ideal interior 4-3 scheme if the Patriots decide that they wanted to run that and that is Levi Azarike from uh you know from the University of Washington a nice day to addition again I see him rising up on draft boards a lot recently and you pointed out this is an area where the Patriots were extremely deficient, especially in the month of December. Really rolled over by the Rams, 186 rushing yards, inexplicably allowing 250 yards on the ground to a Dolphins team that was missing their number one running back in Miles Gaskin. That cannot happen again in 2021, and one of the big reasons why the Patriots were so futile down the stretch. Osarike is an intriguing developmental prospect, and I think he's got the potential to be a very solid NFL defensive lineman here. When you have profiled Levi, what stood out about you to this kid,

and what makes him such a dynamic presence to a defensive line, such as the one like the Patriots, that really needs help in this area? Well, the fact that he's not the biggest guy. He's only about 290, 295, but he can penetrate. And he can set the edge. He can penetrate. And, you know, when you look at what plagued them this year, you know, their depth at linebacker was bad.

And what better way to help those linebackers out than having a couple of guys on the interior set things up for them to be able to clean up, and they're not taking on, you know, running backs at that second level. You know, these guys are going to set that edge, and they're going to penetrate and blow things up at the point of attack. And I think he's another guy, you know, that would really help them depending on how they feel about his size.

I think that's one of the only things, you know, when you're looking at an interior guy about 290, sometimes they can get pushed around. But he's got a really strong anchor for a guy. He plays, I guess you could say, he plays stronger than his weight would indicate. That's a great point, and I'm glad that you mentioned that. And the one good thing about playing stronger than your weight would indicate is you're able to put on that weight, and you can play in an odd front

and really be the type of uh the type of 3-4 guy that maybe the patriots might want to employ i mean to me he's the most ideal fit in a 4-3 but if he does put on some weight he could play in an odd front and let's face it the patriots may have some questions adam butler and lauren sky are both heading for free agency i know conventional wisdom said the patriots are going to do everything they can to maintain or retain both. But that's not a given. And if that's not a given, they may look to the draft for guys that can fill that role. And Azarique, I think, can do it. Your draft profile definitely made me watch a little bit more film on Levi than I had previously. And the one thing

that I was really, really struck with was the athleticism, great body quickness, really, I think can develop into that pass rusher, even though he plays on the interior of the defensive line. I thought he's got great leverage that helps him become a good run defender. And he's really very difficult to single block. He's so disciplined with his technique to maintain the gap control, demonstrates a lot of toughness, and really, I think, has endurance to really be that type of every down player that can really get into the trenches and really give you some solid playing minutes. So I like Levi. I'm not sure if the Patriots are going to go in this direction,

but I think you've made an outstanding case. And again, folks, all of these great draft profiles that we're discussing today can be found on patsfans.com under the great work of this man. Steve, what can I say? I thank you so much for joining me again today, giving us a little bit of reason and accountability when it comes to the Patriots offseason. That high that Patriots fans were riding on Tom's Super Bowl win is kind of dwindling down pretty quickly because it's not a Patriots Super Bowl win. And ultimately, we're all about the Foxborough red, white, and blue succeeding. And that's what we want to see in 2021.

But for the benefit of our new listeners, I've mentioned the draft profiles on patsfans.com. But please let all of our listeners know where they can find you on social media and what we can look forward to in the coming days and even weeks here from the great pen of Steve Balistrieri. Well, I appreciate it, Mike. And again, you can read my stuff at patsfans.com. You can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I'm also on Facebook and Instagram, like everybody else.

And, you know, right now I'm really deep into the draft prep, but I'm also going to be kind of sidestepping there pretty soon and start looking at some free agency targets that are out there. I think, you know, everyone wants to show them Watson and guys like that, but those are kind of pipe dreams. So we're going to look at things that are more realistic for the Patriots, and hopefully we'll be able to generate enough good topics where people can discuss and have a reasonable conversation these days, which is kind of rare. It is kind of rare. It is kind of rare.

It really is. Reasonable discussions are not often had with social media, not often found in sports media any longer. I think a lot of people tend to get lost in their own self-righteousness to really open their minds to other ideas and other viewpoints. And that's something that we like to try to do here on Locked On Patriots. And guys like you, guys like Murph, we really embrace that. And that's why you're made men here when it comes to the Locked On Patriots

familia. Buddy, what can I say? Thanks again. We look forward to doing this each and every week. Stay safe, stay well. And we'll definitely be talking more ball as the Patriots offseason continues here, and we look forward to having you along for the ride to do it. Thanks, and we'll talk to you again next week, buddy. Anytime, my friend.

And just like that, Patriots Nation, we are nearly halfway through your work week already, but until it's Wednesday, we're not officially at the midway point. And what better way to celebrate the midway point than opening up the midweek mailbag. Tomorrow here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, I will open up your midweek mailbag and take your questions regarding anything and everything related to your New England Patriots. So be sure to submit your questions to me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC or submit your questions to the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. The questions that are selected will be answered right here tomorrow on the pod.

So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download and subscribe to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, Radio.com, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again,

my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Steve Balistrieri for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod, but most of all, thank you so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Pats Nation, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.