Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Friends Close, Enemies Closer: New England Patriots QBs from Auburn and ‘Bama — 5/7/2021

Episode Date: May 7, 2021

The New England Patriots quarterback room has added a bit of ‘Bama; in addition to the incumbent Auburn flavor. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Zac Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn podcast. The duo discuss scouting Mac Jones from an opponent’s perspective. They also provide their thoughts on the type of mentor that Cam Newton could be to Mac, as well as the future of Jarrett Stidham in New EnglandSupport 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 “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% 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.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.NugenixText now, and they’ll include a bottle of Nugenix Thermo, their most powerful fat incinerator ever with key ingredients to help you get back in shape, absolutely free! Text DRAFT to 2-3-1-2-3-1. 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 in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Friday, May 7th, 2021, and it's time to keep your friends close and your enemies closer 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.

And remember, Pats fans, that after you listen to today's episode of Locked On Patriots, make sure to check out NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson as they host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday. Brian and Matt give you the national perspective all around the NFL, covering the latest news and insight on every team, every draft pick and move around the NFL. The Peacock and Williamson podcast is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Thank football and Foxborough. It is Friday here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, folks. And thank you very much for joining me and helping me close out the week in style on the pod. My name is Mike DeBate,

your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which, like the Peacock and Williamson podcast, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed, very much appreciated. So share that feedback.

Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there giving the weekend nod and saying, how you doing to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, the start of the 2021 NFL Draft is now more than a week behind us. And all week long here on the pod, we've been taking a deep dive into the new Patriots Draft class, starting with the number 15 selection of Mac Jones at quarterback, ending with the 242nd selection in the 7th round, wide receiver Trey Nixon out of Central Florida.

And for the better part of this past week and into next week, we're going to continue to get to know the new guys. And there's some significant buzz surrounding every single one of them. But if we're being honest, folks, quarterbacks still get the headlines. And Mac Jones has been the hot topic around here this week. From the day after draft reaction that we had here last Friday with Steve Balistrieri to Locked On Murph Monday to the Lockeddown Bama Slamma on Wednesday with Luke Robinson of the Lockdown Bama podcast right up until yesterday's Pulse Check of Patriots Nation with my good friend Dougie

Mack of the Entitled Patriots podcast. Well, today to close the week out in style, we're taking a page out of the Michael Corleone playbook. We're keeping our friends close, but our enemies closer. And what bigger enemies can you get in college football than members of the Alabama Crimson Tide and a couple of Auburn Tigers? That's what the quarterback room in New England is going to look like this season, folks. And here today to lend some enemy wisdom and counsel is my good friend Zach Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn podcast.

And if you're a fan of Locked On Patriots, you know Zach's voice very well. He's graced the airwaves several times here on Locked On. You know he definitely knows a thing or two about Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham, but he also has a great deal of insight when it comes to Mac Jones. From an opponent's perspective, and today I'll be picking Zach's brain when it comes to Mac Jones' strengths and weaknesses. What was it about what he did on the field that made him so effective, and where are the areas that he might need to improve upon to be an effective NFL quarterback? But we're not going to bring an Auburn Tiger on to talk Bama football exclusively. We're going to talk Auburn Tigers as well. And Zach and I will talk about the impact of drafting Mac Jones on incumbent

starter Cam Newton. All indications out of Patriots camp are that Cam will start the season as the starting quarterback. But football is a team game, and ultimately, it may be in Cam's best interest to be as much of a mentor to Mac Jones as he possibly can be. What type of mentor would Cam Newton make? Well, if the poise, maturity, and leadership Cam showed on the field last year are any indication, he's going to make a tremendous mentor, and Zach will give his insight as to why. Last but certainly not least, we'll bring it all home today by talking about the third man in the Patriots quarterback room, Jarrett Stidham. Last year at this time, everyone was singing Jarrett's

praises, myself included, as the heir apparent to Tom Brady. Now, most people have him as the third quarterback on this depth chart. What does that mean for the future of Jarrett Stidham in a Patriots uniform? As you can see, Pats fans, an action-packed agenda on today's pod to help you close the week in style. And in just a moment, Zach Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn podcast, will join me on the hot seat to talk Mac Jones, Cam Newton, and Jarrett Stidham. But before I welcome Zach to the pod today, a little Patriots roster news breaking on Thursday afternoon,

and that former Patriots cornerback, that's right folks, I said former now, Jason McCourty, will be remaining in the AFC East in 2021. It just won't be in a Patriots uniform. The veteran corner has agreed to terms with the Miami Dolphins after spending the past three seasons in New England. Mike Garofalo of NFL Media and Ian Rappaport were the first to report on this. A reported one-year deal for McCourty, who had been an unrestricted free agent since the new league year opened way back on March 17th. Of course, McCourty reuniting with a familiar face, his former de facto defensive coordinator up here in New England and current

Miami head coach Brian Flores. And during his up here in New England, and current Miami head coach Brian Flores. And during his three seasons in New England, J-Mac was everything the Patriots could have hoped for. A total of 47 games with the Pats, including the playoffs, made 36 starts, 162 tackles, 23 passes defended, two interceptions, and of course, one of the more heads-up defensive plays you'll ever see on the biggest stage that helped the Patriots to victory in Super Bowl 53 over the LA Rams. Jason also, of course, the twin brother of Patriots captain Devin McCourty. Jason also served as team captain up here last year in 2020.

And folks, the Miami Dolphins are definitely getting a good one in every sense of the word. One of the best guys off the field I've ever had a chance to cover, and a versatile veteran on the field that will be a big asset to the Miami Dolphins defensive backfield. It's really tough to wish a player well when they're going to one of your most hated rivals, but the fact that he is going to Miami to reunite with Brian Flores takes a little bit of the sting out of it, and of course, just knowing Jason and the great man he is both on and off the field, it definitely takes the sting out of it. All the best of luck to Jason McCourty in Miami this year.

Wishing him great health, great success, but not too much. The Patriots do play the Dolphins twice per year, and we'd like to see the Patriots win both those games. But whether the Patriots can topple a stacked Dolphins team is going to be largely predicated on quarterback play. And today here on the pod, folks, Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn will join me to provide a little enemy scouting report on Mac Jones

and provide you with the latest dish on both Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham. Bama brought us the new hope on Wednesday, but today the Auburn empire strikes back when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, get all the latest news, odds, and info for all of your sporting needs, including Major League Baseball, NBA, NHL, all your UFC MMA action, and of course, the NFL,

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with key ingredients to help you get back in shape. Absolutely free. Text the word DRAFT, D-R-A-F-T, to 231-231. That's DRAFT to 231-231. Message and data rates may apply. Patriots fans, just a little over one week ago today, the New England Patriots made Mac Jones their selection with the number 15 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

And it crowded the quarterback room a little bit, that quarterback room that already mans two former Auburn Tigers. So who better to speak with on the issue than a man that knows a thing or two about Auburn quarterbacks? My guest today is the program director of the Auburn Network and the host of Locked On Auburn right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. It's my pleasure to welcome back my good friend, Zach Blackerby. Zach, welcome back to Locked On Patriots, bud.

Man, always enjoyed chatting with you. I was a little worried, and you kind of poked me a little bit during the NFL draft after you guys traded up for Barmore on day two, and I'm like, oh no, all of these Bama guys, I'm about to get replaced. So I'm glad you found an excuse to have me back on. I appreciate it. Oh, anytime, buddy, anytime.

You know, we found a way to make friends with our Bama colleagues. And Luke Robinson joined me here on Wednesday. I love Luke. Luke's a great guy. He is phenomenal. And he had nothing but glowing things to say about you as well. And, you know, he also did say that, you know, you really could milk this a little bit with the whole Auburn

and Bama flavors and going back and forth. And I couldn't think of a better way to end this week than to bring you on because it's a good opportunity to keep your friends close and your enemies closer when it comes to that quarterback room. And to me, this is going to be a fun conversation and a great way to end the week. Again, Zach, the Patriots have some Bama blast now mixed in with that Auburn flavor that we've talked about for so long. Cam Newton, Jarrett Stidham, both former Auburn Tigers joined by former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones.

This should be interesting in the quarterback room, in the Patriots locker room this year. But Zach, as an Auburn guy, you've seen Mac from the opponent's perspective. And that perspective is very valuable, especially when you take under account the areas in which Mac has the ability to shine for the Patriots and where he required some improvement. So from your scouting of Mack Jones, my friend, what did he do well enough to give Auburn coaches, players, the fan base, some fits when he played them? What was it about Mack Jones that stood out to you? Well, it's kind of interesting, you know, just from the Auburn perspective. And of course, Auburn fans want Alabama to lose everything and struggle every single week.

And sadly, from Auburn's perspective, that hasn't happened in a long time. But it's interesting. You look back at the 2019 season, two attack of Iloa gets hurt. And then it's like, okay, Mack Jones is the guy coming in. And they didn't really miss a beat until the Iron Bowl that year. And Mac still had a really solid game in that one, but Auburn was able to pull off that upset because Mac Jones threw two pick sixes,

and one of those was to a linebacker for 100-plus yards, and then the other was just an errant throw that was too high, and Auburn's safety kind of, you know, was behind the receiver, the intended receiver. So both of those were able to kind of, you know, help Auburn pull off that upset. But seeing Matt Jones in that iron bowl and then watching him throughout the summer and spring

and then in the fall camp, it was interesting because then you were able to kind of follow the storylines of, okay, is it Mac Jones or is it this, you know, freshman phenom, this Bryce Young kid that, you know, Alabama folks can't quit talking about? And I think COVID kind of helped Mac out because I'm not fully convinced, you know, if that doesn't happen. I think the coaches look at things a little bit differently. But he goes in and he wins the job, and you look at him, you know, the Iron Bowl in 2019 and then the Iron Bowl in 2020, it's like it's a totally different quarterback. And his ability to grow and then, you know,

his ability to be more comfortable in the pocket and anticipate throws and his accuracy. I mean, he was incredible last year. I mean, he was absolutely phenomenal. Now, I think the question is, and I know, you know, I've seen Patriots people ask the same question. It's like, all right, well, can he do it without having, you know, multiple first-round draft picks to throw to

and an incredible offensive line to protect them and then probably the best running back in college football over the last few years, you know, kind of being a safety blanket for him. Can he do that in a Patriots offense? And I think that's a big question. I think only time will tell. And, you know, it seems like he's going to kind of get a buffer year to learn and kind of get

more comfortable, which I think is great strategically as far as planning for the future. But as far as what he does well, he throws with, you know, precision, extremely accurate. He anticipates his throws. He throws his guys open. And he doesn't really make mistakes. You can tell that he processes information very quickly.

And, I mean, at Alabama, they just throw so much information at you. And I think the way that that program is structured, like, it's amazing seeing all these Alabama guys get drafted in the first round, and then they go to an interview, and it's like, they're all so well-spoken. They're all so professional. They're all so mature. And it's like, man, whatever they're doing in Tuscaloosa, they have figured it out. It's just like, how do you compete against that? And then it was Mac Jones's turn at 15, and of course he was as impressive as all the other guys were. So I think the transition from Alabama to New England, Saban to Belichick,

I think it's going to be seamless for the guy. And I think Patriot fans should be really, really excited. Yeah, and I think for the most part they are excited when you look at what Matt can do. And I've talked several times about his ability to make the pre-snap read, to be able to get the ball out quickly, deliver it on time and accurately. These are things that really endear you to Josh McDaniels. Bill Belichick works well within a Patriots system. We've seen Tom Brady run it here for a number of years. And that really, I think, is something that a lot of Patriots fans are excited about when it comes to Mack and in a lot of ways I'm excited about it when it comes

to Mack as well because you like to see what he's going to be able to do to move forward that Saban Belichick synergy that connection is definitely something that I think will serve him well up here in New England especially when he's learning the ropes, learning the playbook, and getting a chance to come into his own. You had mentioned a buffer year, and I agree with that. And we'll get into that in just a little bit. But we've talked a little now about Mack's strengths. And I'm going to ask you to flip the script a little bit, bud. What are the best ways to contain Mack Jones and disrupt his ability to be effective?

You mentioned a couple of pick sixes, Aaron throws, maybe just bad decisions. But when you look at Mac Jones from an opponent's perspective, what are some of these defenses going to be looking for with Mac, and how do you think they're going to be able to shut him down? Sure. I mean, the way Auburn impacted him in the Iron Bowl two years ago, and the biggest difference of the game was they were able to do this in 19, they weren't able to do this in 20, but, I mean, you had a guy, Derrick Brown, who, you know, was an early pick for the Carolina Panthers, and you saw

him even, you know, do it at the NFL level last year, but he was able to push the pocket directly in front of him, and he did not like moving around the whole lot in the pocket. I think he got significantly better at it from, you know, two years ago to this past season, so I'm not even positive exactly how applicable that is to say, but I mean, obviously when you put pressure on a quarterback and you impact the pocket, they're going to be less comfortable. I mean, that's, that's just, that's obvious, but I think that is his weakness. You know, he doesn't have the athleticism to get outside of the pocket. And, you know, I think the other thing is,

I don't think he has the strongest arm in the world, but he does such a good job of putting it exactly where it needs to be. I don't think it's the biggest deal. You know, his touch was great. If he's got to rocket something into a tight space, you know, 10 or 15 yards down the field, I don't think that's really in his arsenal quite yet. It's a lot of times, it's a lot of timing.

So I would say those are the two biggest things that I see when I watch Mac Jones that are potential weaknesses. Yeah, and that's a good point. And I think that's a very valid point, especially when you talk about his arm strength. A lot of people talk about his lack of mobility or his limitations outside the pocket. He does have very good mobility when he's in the pocket. And to me, I think that's the area where the Patriots are going to try to utilize him.

They're going to put him in that position, make the moves and make the athleticism within the pocket to maximize his strengths. And to go back to something that you said in the answer to my previous question, with the ability and the supporting cast that he has around him, the New England Patriots are surrounding

him with talent that I don't want to say mimics or mirrors what he had with Alabama because he had blazers at the wide receiver position. He had an excellent offensive line. He had a great running back. But the New England Patriots are pretty well stocked in those areas as well. I guess the question mark is the wide receiver position. But you look at the tight end position and those guys that he's going to have to work with Hunter Henry, John who Smith

Hunter Henry is a tremendous route runner, uh, can rival that of a wide receiver when he gets out to run, uh, routes and precision timing. So that may be a weapon there. John who can be a big weapon for him in the, um, in the, uh, the red zone and also, uh, his and also his former Alabama teammate, Damian Harris, running the ball in the backfield. He's going to be someone that he can definitely rely on for a lot of big yardage too. So good insight when it comes to Mac Jones, Zach. I really appreciate you going behind enemy lines

to give us a little bit of background on the ways that he might be contained and the type of growth that we should expect to see from him with the New England Patriots. But even though we've taken a look at that enemy scouting report from the Auburn expert himself, folks, Mack is not the only starting quarterback on this roster. And in fact, we alluded to this, he's likely not going to be the starting quarterback on this roster, at least for 2021. And this is coming straight from Bill Belichick, folks. Will a pair of Auburn quarterbacks be the mentor Mac needs to be the future of this franchise?

All this with Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, we've all heard the phrase often imitated but never duplicated. It's a part of the sports fans lexicon. And that's because only the best athletes and sports teams can provide you with the best possible moments. And in that vein, the only ones who could provide the best healthy, low calorie and delicious treats to satisfy all of your snacking needs are the ones who provided the best in the first place. That's right, folks. I'm talking about Bilt Bar. Because no one can do it like they do it. Bilt Bars are available in a multitude of delicious flavors.

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and make Built Bar your go-to protein bar right now. Go to BuiltBar.com and use the promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order. That's promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order. That's promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off your next order at BiltBar.com. Patriots Nation's Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn joins me here today on the pod. And Zach, even with the addition of Mac Jones to this Patriots roster,

the starting job is still likely to be Cam Newton's. And Bill Belichick essentially said as much in his remarks to the media last week, right after the team took Mac with the 15th selection, said that, quote, Cam is the starter and that, another quote, someone will have to outplay him in order to take his job. To his credit, even Mac himself said in his introductory press conference, this is Cam's show. I'm just here to help. But you and I both know. Competition runs strong within the veins of a quarterback, whether it be a collegiate quarterback, an NFL quarterback. They're as competitive as any position in any pro sport, maybe even more so than any other position in any other sport.

You've been a voice of, I don't want to say a voice of, well, yeah, I'll say it, a voice of illumination when it comes to Cam Newton, telling us so much behind the scenes, what this guy does to prepare, the type of teammate that he can be. You helped to put the reservations of several within the fan base last year when Cam signed the contract year that he was going to be a perfect fit in this locker room. And from a locker room perspective, a leadership perspective, I don't think there's anyone across the board in Patriots Nation that could say that Cam Newton did not give his all and then some. Was a tremendous teammate, a tremendous leader on this team, and we look forward to having that back. That being said, he's competitive as well.

He does not want to lose the starting job to Mac Jones, at the very least for this season. At the end of the day, though, football is a team game, Zach. And if Mac does show the ability to play at a high level, especially if Cam struggles, he may not have a choice but to take that backseat. So, Zach, when you look at Cam and you look at his situation heading into 2021, first off, do you believe that he will remain the starter? What ceiling do you see him having for the 2021 season? And if he does have to be a mentor to Mac,

what kind of mentor can Cam Newton be to the Patriots' new young quarterback? Yeah, I mean, I think the ceiling for Cam Newton is, you know, 280 to 320 yards per game type of counter. And I think a lot of the issues that we saw with Cam last year had to do with limited practice time over the offseason and really just really bad weapons to throw to, you know, a very, very shallow wide receiving core, and they've kind of dressed it up a lot over the course of this offseason because you were very busy covering free agency for this team. But I think naturally he's going to get better from that perspective.

And I also think he's going to get better from a competition perspective. I mean, that's who Cam Newton is. When it's time for him to turn it on, he does such a good job of having to turn it on. And I don't know if we really saw that in clutch time last year, but I think we're going to. I just don't think there's going to be two seasons in a row of Cam Newton playing that level of football. I expect that to be elevated. As far as his role as a mentor, I could see him really grabbing onto that. I think it kind of tells the story itself when you look at and you read and you hear all of these quotes from teammates about how great he is in the locker room.

I mean, Cam is a team-first guy, and I think that's what attracted him to New England. I think that's why he was able to play on such a small deal last year. And I think that's why the Patriots rewarded him with giving him a pretty big pay raise from last season to this season. And I think the timing of the one-year deal makes a whole lot of sense. I think he knows, regardless of what he does in New England next year, his time there is limited, probably. You would have to assume. And so he might as well pour it into Mac Jones because he's probably going to be on another team in, I guess, 2022 unless something really interesting happens.

But I would be shocked if he was the Patriots quarterback for longer than that. So he's going to try to impress another team. And that's kind of – I think that kind of motivates you to do something different. And, look, he's been being told that he's done for forever, and that bothers him. I can tell that that definitely bothers Cam.

So I could see him really taking Mac under his wing. There are different types of quarterbacks, so that's going to be interesting. But as far as the role of leadership and how to dissect film and all of that, I think that's going to be something that Mac Jones really benefits from. Absolutely. I could not agree with you more. And look, a lot of the narrative that's surrounding the quarterback controversy right now in New England, and I say that tongue in cheek with the air quotes, and I look like Dr. Evil when I'm

saying it. If you can see, folks, you know that's exactly what I was because that's exactly what it is to me. It's just it's speculation for satire. That's really all I see it being. Cam Newton is not the type of guy that's going to look at this and is going to hold Mac responsible for coming in, trying to take his job. There's a lot of narrative, believe it or not, up here. The terrestrial radio noise that really, I think, bombards so much of Patriots Nation is trying to create controversy by saying, oh, Cam doesn't want to be his mentor. Why would he want to mentor Mac Jones? Well, because that's who Cam Newton is. We saw Cam Newton last year do the same thing with Jarrett Stidham, and they had a very good relationship

back and forth with one another, even though there was some rumbling that maybe Jarrett was trying to beat him out for the job, or Cam may not have a stranglehold on the job. I can tell you that the Patriots were very open-minded on the subject right up until the training camp days were numbered. But in so much of what this guy has done on the field and so much of the contributions that he made last year to the Patriots locker room were as a leader, as a mentor, someone that young players could look up to and learn from. And I can see Cam doing that. It's in his best interest to do it. Like you said, if he's going to be in another uniform in 2022, it only serves him better to say, I was there, I was helping, you know,

Mac and for Mac to come back and say, you know, Cam was a big help to me. It only increases his stock. And I agree with you. I think from an on-field perspective, I think the additions the Patriots made will make Cam's job a little bit easier this year. I think he comes in with extra added motivation, a deeper knowledge of the playbook, maybe a little bit healthier, a little bit wiser when it comes to the Patriot way. And I expect a good season out of him. That leads me quite nicely into my final question for you today, Bud. And that is really, I think, the forgotten man in the quarterback room.

And that's Jarrett Stidham. You know, Jarrett at this time last year went from being the heir apparent to Tom Brady. I mean, we were all talking him up. I know I was. I was saying, let's hit the Stidham stump. This guy looks like it's going to be, you know, the starter. And then the Patriots did not draft a quarterback. And it looked like they had all their eggs in the Stidham basket. Of course, Cam Newton signs and all of that goes out the proverbial window. Cam comes in, is the starter and is the starter for the entire season. Jarrett right now is listed as the third man on the quarterback depth chart, not officially by the team, folks, but by most unofficial rankings that you see from media members, even by fans.

He's really considered to be the third option on this team. But the team continues to say they're impressed by Jarrett. He's putting in the work in the offseason. But you and I both know that if Cam does struggle this season, if the worst should happen there, the call from the media and the fan base is going to be for Mac Jones to come in there. I don't think you're going to see a lot of fans and media clamoring for Jarrett to take the reins. Although I shouldn't say that because Jarrett does have some loyalists out there and we appreciate those fans as well. You know, you keep up for your guy. I really, I have no problem with any of that. Zach, in your opinion,

what do you believe is the fate of Jarrett Stidham in a Patriots uniform, both in the short term and the long term? I think they'll let him, you know, work out his rookie deals and they probably let him walk. I think I have expected him to get traded this past Saturday towards the tail end of the draft. That's kind of what I was expecting after they were able to get Mac Jones. But I agree now that the fact that they didn't do that,

I'm right there with you. I kind of expect them to be a patriot for this season and then just kind of work out his rookie deal and then let him test free agency and we'll see if any teams kind of want him to bring him into competing for a backup job, you know, maybe something more than that, depending on their situation. But I just, I think the Gus Malzahn system at Auburn really just didn't

prepare him. And, you know, we all saw those quotes, what I guess it was from the quarterback's coach or his personal coach, whatever, but just talking about how behind he was, he had never seen a quarterback out of college be as lost as he was and just ill-prepared. And that's not Stidham's fault. But when he left and made the decision to transfer to Auburn

under this Gus Malzahn system, I mean, Jarrett was kind of the guy that exposed the fact that, like, oh, wow, this is not a quarterback-friendly system whatsoever. This does not help you get ready for the next level. And that was part of why, you know, I believe Gus Malzahn, you know, got fired and was passed off. So I think it's unfortunate, but I just think from where he started in his NFL career,

he was just so far behind. And then you ask the question, it's like, well, what does Jarrett Stidham do better than Mac Jones does and there's not really anything I can think of that he does better than Mac Jones he's played in an NFL game before but not a ton but he has and so it's like where does that stack up how important is that but outside of that like I can't think of one thing that I would say yeah Jarrett Stidham does that better than Mac Jones yeah and I think in the bottom line and in the final analysis that may end up being what uh causes Jarrett to have to walk away from New England and

look if in fact Cam Newton is going to be here for one more year and he's going to be in another uniform in 2022 which it sounds like we're on the same page when it comes to that. I think that will be the case. Patriots are still going to need a backup quarterback. And Jarrett would still have one more year on his rookie deal left unless they choose to pick up a fifth-year option on him. So they may be looking at it and saying, you know what, we may have to bite the bullet this year, carry three quarterbacks, and essentially keep him around so that way we do have a stable backup, a backup that knows the system, that can play in the system if, in fact, something should happen to Mack.

Of course, the flip side of that is the Patriots have a stacked roster this year, and filling out these 53-man roster predictions, folks, you thought we were having fun when it came to mock drafts. Wait till you see what myself and my guests have in store for you with trying to predict this 53-man roster. It is going to be a tough cut coming up for New England. But I do agree with you when it comes to Jared. I think maybe the lack of preparation, maybe the Malzahn system,

which you know much more deeply than I do, may be behind some of the struggles that he's had. But ultimately, I still see pro-level talent there, and I still see starting-level talent there as well. And if it can't be here in New England, I do hope that he gets a shot because he's been a good soldier up here in New England, you know, played his assignment as assigned, done everything the team has asked him to do, and by all indications, is putting in the work. So you always root for a guy like that, and I think the Patriots are in a good position now in the quarterback room and i couldn't necessarily say that at all points last year or even into the early part of the offseason

this year i think they have three solid guys uh that can all uh you know contribute and at the end of the day i still think cam's the starter until proven otherwise. But Zach, what can I say? I thank you so much for taking the time out to join me here today on the pod, lending a little Auburn flavor to that, that, that Bama flavor that is permeating right now, but who knows, maybe they can meld together and put together the perfect stew for the New England Patriots 2021 season. Before I let you go, my friend, please let all of our listeners know where they can find you on social media, the great work you have coming up, and what they can look forward to in the days and weeks on Locked On Auburn. Sure, sure. Yeah, I'm available on Twitter.

Just search C. Blackerby. That's where I'm at there. And then, of course, Locked On Auburn. Every single day, wherever you get your podcast, proud to be part of this Locked On podcast network. I really appreciate it, brother. Absolutely. I appreciate that more than you can imagine. And on a personal level, I just want to say a big thank you to Zach.

Zach was behind a lot of the great social media content. He and Nick Angstadt, who do a tremendous job for our Locked On NFL team. Without this man, you wouldn't be seeing my face splattered all over your timeline. So either send your hate mail to him for that if you can't stand to see that, or send him a thank you for the great work that he does. But I am eternally grateful to you, my friend. You're a great man, a great friend, and I always love talking ball with you here. We may have a Bama infusion, and our Bama guys are special to us, but there's always going to be an Auburn flavor here on Locked On Patriots

because of you, my friend. Thanks so much for joining me today, and thanks again for everything you do for our network. Thank you so much, man. Yeah, we'll talk soon. Absolutely, bud. Take care. And so, Pats fans, we put a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And even though Locked On Patriots has you covered for all the news notes and analysis you need

when it comes to your favorite team in Foxborough, get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski updates you on the latest news in every major sport with the help of our local experts. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And of course, right here on Locked On Patriots, we're back at you Monday with a little hashtag Locked On Murph.

So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Apple Podcasts. Yes, folks, we're still on Apple Podcasts. Taking a little bit to get them posted, but we're hanging in there. But anyway, 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 and colleague, Zach Blackerby, host of the Locked On Auburn podcast, for his time, his insight, and his appearance today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until Monday, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.