Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Headache at Hard Rock: Patriots Drop Regular-Season Finale to Dolphins, 33-24 — 1/10/2021

Episode Date: January 11, 2022

The New England Patriots continue their late season struggles in Miami. This time, it is sending them into the postseason on a sour note. Needing a win to keep their slim chances of winning the AFC East alive, the Patriots fell behind 14-0 after the first two drives. One of which resulted in a pick-six from quarterback Mac Jones to Miami cornerback Xavien Howard. The Pats fell to Miami, 33-24 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy as the duo break down the action from Week 18.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 “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. 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. Welcome back to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. You are now locked into Lockdown Patriots. And thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Lockdown Patriots is free and available on all platforms. I am your host, Mike DeBate.

I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also 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 are always welcomed and very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through the Twitterverse,

please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And of course, today's episode of Lockdown Patriots is brought to you by OnlineGambling.com, the place to be for all the latest gambling news and tips throughout the NFL playoffs. Visit OnlineGambling.com slash NFL to get the edge over the competition throughout this year's playoffs. Greetings, salutations, and once again, welcome back to all of you Lockdown listeners. Lockdown Patriots may have been on a bit of a hiatus, but we are back and better than ever. And what better way to get back in the saddle here on Lockdown Patriots with a little hashtag Lockdown Murph Monday.

That's right, folks. Your favorite in mind, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, amazing columnist for E2GSports.com, is my guest today, as he is each and every Monday. And even though all of us love our Locked On Murph Monday here on the pod, today is not being branded as a victory Monday, and there's good reason for that. Needing a win to keep their slim chances of winning the AFC East alive, your New England Patriots fell behind 14-0 after the first two drives yesterday, one of which resulted in a pick-six from quarterback Mac Jones

right into the hands of Miami cornerback Zavian Howard. Jones ended up completing 20 of his 30 passes, 261 yards, one touchdown, and of course, that aforementioned interception. As for Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, he was efficient enough in this game to lead the Dolphins to victory. 15 Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Having dropped a pair of games against the Dolphins in 2021, the Patriots finished the season with a 10-7 record. And thanks to their loss on Sunday,

the New England Patriots will not capture the AFC East title for the second straight year. That goes to the Buffalo Bills, who are now consecutive back-to-back AFC East champions. Yeah, I know, folks, it doesn't sound right when I say it. It doesn't sound right hearing it, but it is reality, and the reality for the New England Patriots is that they will get one more shot at those Buffalo Bills this coming Saturday, 8.15 p.m., Highmark Stadium, Orchard Park, New York. New England Patriots travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills in wildcard weekend. Opening weekend of the playoffs, the Patriots are back at it, but they are going to have to be a lot better on Saturday than they were on Sunday.

And here today, once again, breaking it all down with me is my great green friend, Thomas Murphy. And in addition to breaking down the highs and the lows from yesterday, as well as taking a very early look at the matchup against Buffalo on Saturday, Murph and I will also provide our thoughts on the surprise news of Monday morning. Former Patriots defensive coach, de facto defensive coordinator, and current Miami Dolphins head coach. I say current up until this morning because he was unceremoniously and surprisingly let go by the Dolphins organization.

A shocking turn of events when it comes to Brian Flores now being out of a job, but it's my assessment that he won't be out of a job for long. Where might Brian Flores land? Well, Murph and I will discuss that as well, in addition to recapping all of the action from Week 18 and the Pats and the Dolphins. Preparing for the future by breaking down the past when this hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday episode of the LockedOnPatriots podcast continues. LockedOn listeners, it is the new year, so you know what that means.

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for all of the latest gambling news and tips to give you the edge throughout the playoffs. Remember, OnlineGambling.com slash NFL to make the most of this year's playoffs. New England Patriots fans, as I said to open the show today, it is certainly not the way the Patriots wanted to end the 2021 regular season. A 33-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Miami Gardens, Florida, Hard Rock Stadium. I mentioned it yesterday, the headache in Hard Rock continues for the New England Patriots.

But here today to break it all down is someone that's going to cure that headache by channeling that anger into something positive. That's right, folks. He is here. He is ready to roll. The green wisdom and counsel you've been craving since the final seconds ticked off the clock in week 18. Your favorite in mind, my benefactor in this business, and the only guest on the pod. Past, present, or future to ever have his very own branded hashtag. That's right, folks.

The Count of Murphy Fisto joins me here today. The legendary Thomas Murphy back for his weekly rightful appearance here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship. Thank you for joining me on hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. Don Murph. Oh, my pleasure, man. Even in circumstances like this, I don't know if it's going to be the listener's pleasure today because I'm still hot. Well, as Michael Corleone once said, there are things being negotiated that will answer all your questions and solve all your problems.

That's all I can tell you about my business. And honestly, Bud, I think that's all Bill Belichick is about to tell us about his business. Last night's postgame presser, this morning's Zoom conference with the media. To say that Bill was a little truculent was probably an accurate statement to say. Bill wasn't rude, but he wasn't a man of many words this morning. And you can imagine he seems pretty ticked off on the, uh, the, just what happened yesterday in Miami. And we're going to break down all of that in just a moment. And we're going to get to that. But Murph, before we delve into the Patriots, because we will go

off on a tangent here. One thing that affected yesterday's game or really has I think a ripple effect on yesterday's game was some news out of Miami this morning that involved a former Patriot coach and now a former Dolphins coach. That's right folks you were probably as surprised as we were about this. Brian Flores out as the Miami Dolphins head coach, despite bringing this team to a seven game winning streak after a seven game losing streak earlier this week. Murph, the reports that we're hearing out of Miami indicate that this was more relationship based than it was performance based. They choose to remain with Chris Greer in the GM slot.

They let go of Brian Flores. You and I have spoke glowingly about Brian, you know, in the years that he was here in New England. We got a chance to get to know him up close and personal, one of the true great guys in the league. And I was so happy to see him get his head coaching shot, albeit even though it was Miami. We knew it was going to be a problem.

And for sure, you know, he's got a great record against the New England Patriots, four and two all time as head coach of the Dolphins. But he's out after two years. Your reaction to this, what do you believe led to his dismissal? Deshaun Watson. There's a bombshell for you right there, folks. I believe that Miami wants to make the deal for Deshaun Watson

and Brian Flores doesn't want anything to do with him. Well, you know, I think a lot of people are saying that as we've seen, contrary to popular belief in a lot of ways, some people think it was a deteriorating relationship with Tua Chaka Bailoa that really contributed to this ouster. We heard Ross say earlier, Stephen Ross, excuse me, the owner of the Miami Dolphins, that he doesn't want to be that guy to lure Jim Harbaugh away from the University of Michigan. Now, we've heard statements like this before, folks. So if Jim Harbaugh ends up in Miami, don't be shocked beyond belief. Yes, you'll point to the tweets and of course,

freezing cold takes and everybody will have their field day with them. But at the same time, we've seen retractions and backpedaling like this in the past. So I think Miami has their eye on someone or maybe looks to, you know, maybe be expanding their horizons when it comes to head coaching. I know there's rumors going around Miami right now that they're looking for a big-name coach. But, you know, it is interesting about the timing and everything and the way this came together. And agreed, early on in the season, we were hearing rumblings that maybe Flores was going to be on the hot seat

after Miami suffered a seven-game losing streak and embarrassing loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, which doesn't really look so embarrassing anymore, does it, considering they took out the Indianapolis Colts? I'm going to hang a banner for this one, folks. 2021 almost made the playoffs. But in any case, almost made the playoffs. Close, but not quite. So in any case, we're having our fun at the expense of the horseshoe.

The Patriots are coming off of a bad loss. But you know what, Murph? We're going to take our fun where we can get it here on Locked on Murph Monday. But bottom line, yeah, it just surprised me that Brian, you know, would find himself out of a job. And obviously it's a little bit too early. I think we're both in agreement that Brian was a good fit down in Miami, at least schematically in terms of what they wanted to do. Brian came in and really, I think, made the most of a situation that a lot of head coaches simply could not do for one reason or another. They had difficulty acclimating to Miami. And look, Miami's had several first-year coaches in recent memory. It hasn't been a stable

organization over the course of the past couple of decades. But Brian really brought stability and I think maybe a little bit of accountability back to that organization. And they're going to find it very difficult, I think, to replicate what he could do on the field. Now, jury's still out as to who's going to be the head coach there in Miami. Miami's really a story for another day. That's kind of their problem now. But Brian is sort of always going to be an extended member of the New England Patriots family.

I know a lot of Patriots fans are tweeting out, we need to get him back. Folks, Brian is going to have no shortage of head coaching opportunities out there. I believe he'll be offered a head coaching job, including what happened. Where do you think is the best fit for him? Where is he likely to land before we move on here? If I own the Chicago Bears, I would be calling Brian Flores right now. I would already be on the phone with him right now. I think that situation fits best for him.

I do believe that he deserves another immediate shot as a head coach. I think Miami treated him terribly after he has completely changed the culture down there. What he's had to deal with over the past couple of years and the way that they finished this season. It was nothing short of spectacular. The defense that he put together down there is one that has only gotten better and better. And I think it was just awful but but no i i do believe in my heart that uh if um if chicago has has any any uh hope of of getting something started in that in that uh in that town they need to to hire brian flores tomorrow yeah i really to me chicago makes so much sense. You know, you've got the Justin Fields

factor. You've got a budding defense that he could really work wonders with. You can imagine the heights that Khalil Mack and guys like that are going to be able to reach in Chicago under a great defensive mind like Brian Flores. There are all the elements there of a budding playoff team, including a division right now, which really I think is ripe for the taking. Of course, the Packers are always going to hang around with Aaron Rodgers under center, but there's no guarantee Aaron's going to be back there next year. You know, you never know from one year to the next what Aaron's going to do.

I firmly believe he'll probably be back in Green Bay as opposed to Pittsburgh or anywhere else next year because I still think he believes and he knows that it's really the only place where he's going to be able to maneuver and win at a clip. But the Bears right now have the ability to nip at their heels. They can make things interesting yesterday. I think it makes a ton of sense for Brian Flores to go there. You know, not to mention that, you know, the Chicago connection starts with a C, ends in an O, and has a hiccup in the middle. You i mean you there's the jokes are endless i'd love it but at the same time i think it is the best place for him to go a lot of people are mentioning houston uh i don't necessarily know

if that's going to be uh they would learn they would burn it to the ground they would burn that stadium to the ground if they bring in one more former Patriot to fricking work out. No, no. Yeah, exactly. And as much as Nick Casario may like and, you know,

and have great affection and a great admiration for Brian Flores personally and professionally, I think it's a move that even if he wanted to make, I don't think he can make, and I don't think he will make. So let's see if he ends up with the bears with another team um you know stranger things have happened who knows maybe he comes back to New England for a year for a defensive coordinator position I think it's highly unlikely but based on what we saw on the field yesterday maybe the Patriots could use some extra wisdom

and counsel on the defensive side of the ball because Murph we have to get to the story of the day even though Brian Flores was a little bit of a shock, we're still reeling from a 33 to 24 loss to the Dolphins in Miami. I can't say this comes as a absolute fall down shock because for some reason that is New England Patriots kryptonite down in Miami gardens. You walk into hard rock stadium and they just forget how to play Patriots football at this time of year. I don't know if it's the humidity. I don't know if it's the South Beach area. I don't know.

But for some reason, they just can't seem to put it all together. And to me, I think it all comes down to the Patriots digging themselves a 14-point hole after the first two drives, one offensive, one defensive, where the Miami Dolphins were able to put seven points on the board. You're not going to beat any NFL team by doing that. And essentially, whether the Patriots wanted to try to crawl their way out of it yesterday, they just weren't able to do it. Miami was too good and too well coached. That's right. I'll say it again. Too well coached to be able to cough up that type of lead and not be able to hold it. Brian Flores was going to do everything he could to keep his team in the realm where they could be able to do that. Murph, before we get to any bright spots, if there were any yesterday, and I believe there were a couple, but I'll let you answer that.

What went wrong yesterday? In your opinion, what was the most egregious sin of the New England Patriots and one of the reasons why they're looking now at being the sixth seed in the NFL playoffs. Yeah, another slow start, slow start after slow start after slow start and trying to dig out of it with a rookie quarterback. It doesn't matter. You could have had Randy Moss and Jerry Rice on the outside in this game, and it probably would not have helped with this rookie underneath center. Now, we keep bringing this up. It's not an excuse, folks. It's just a fact.

But, you know, an early pick six on a third and two, New England's third play into the day turns into seven points. Unforced red zone fumble turnover. One drive restarted with a bad flag. Ends in another seven points for Miami. Another drive restarted by a special teams alignment flag. And you head 17 points right there you know not to mention the uh the um the late game uh little you know football follies that that happened and gave the the dolphins their their last touchdown um this game was there to be had um they didn't follow the keys all right i hate to keep bringing it up folks but you follow the keys and good things freaking happen. Too many turnovers, a slow start, and completely a lack of physicality

on the part of the Patriots defense coming into this game from the get-go. That's what killed it. I just, you know, there goes the show. We're done. We're done. We're out. Thank you, folks. Thank you for tuning in goes the show. We're done. We're done. We're out. Thank you, folks. Thank you for tuning in today. No, all kidding aside. No, you're absolutely right. And that's one of the reasons why.

And I didn't mean to interject and kind of cut you off there, but I agreed so well with what you said. And really, you said it well. It's just a lack of physicality. And I think that really came from both sides of the ball. Look, we knew coming into this game that Miami wasn't the greatest running team in the world, but at the same time, they'd shown a pretty good amount of prowess being able to do that. Phillip Lindsay, I thought was a great addition, a mid-season addition for this team,

giving them a little bit more pop in that backfield, allowing guys like Duke Johnson, Miles Gaskin to really kind of put their stamp on where this running game could go. Duke Johnson put 117 yards on this team. Thank you. It's sickening. Thank you. Exactly. And the middle part of that interior of the defensive line,

I wrote about this yesterday, Devon Godshow, guys like Lawrence Guy. Lawrence Guy making a really just unexcusable special teams. And we're going to get to special teams in a minute. I don't want to. I'm sorry. I don't think Lawrence Guy played in the league when it was legal to do that. Okay. This rule goes all the way back to, I think, 2013.

It's awful. It's awful. How do you do that? Nobody told that idiot to line up over the center. No one. I'm sorry. No, it's true. No, no, don't apologize.

I mean, you're saying what everyone in Patriots Nation is thinking. And the reason why we love having you on is because you have the temerity. I'll be clean here. You have the temerity to be able to utilize that and to say what everyone else is thinking. So we thank you for it because it is refreshing to hear. But you're absolutely right. I mean, when you see guys like that making moves like that, and I say that tongue in cheek, you know, you want to call them moves.

They're just bonehead blunders is really, I think, a better way to put it. It just, it's really, it's disheartening. And I think that's the best way to put it. And we'll get to special teams in just a moment, folks. But I agree with you, that lack of, uh, not able to contain the run, uh, you know, a little bit of difficulty in terms of being able to be physical with, uh, you know, on the offensive side of the ball, really attacking the middle part of the field. Patriots did that in some cases yesterday, but at the same time, you know, they're, they're quarterback. And as much as I've been a proponent and a, a real, uh, you know, um, I guess, yeah,

I guess the best way for me to put it is proponent of Matt Jones. Uh, he's starting to look like a rookie at the worst possible time. And there are methods that he can use to be able to, to bring that back. And he does show some poise. So I wouldn't say it's completely a lost cause this year, folks, but Mac, you know, is making those mistakes, and you have to expect that with a rookie. So Patriots right now limping into the playoffs, and they're going to be facing a formidable opponent again when we talk about special teams. We'll talk a little bit about those Buffalo Bills, but I don't want to make it seem like it was all negativity yesterday on the field, Murph. The Wingland Patriots did have some

bright spots yesterday they fell down in a very early deficit they continued to battle back they didn't give up they continued to try to put points on the board Matt continued to try to make plays even when he had difficulty was able to shake off some of the problems that he had early on and you know atone for them after the you know some of the mistakes that he made. Defensively, they did get, yeah, he did have a very good second half. And that's kind of been his MO lately, starting off very difficult and then rebounding a little bit in the second half

and really giving you something to bite onto as the game goes on. But defensively, a couple of key stops when they needed to. But again, stops are few and far between with this team over the course of the last three games. When you look at what the Patriots did well yesterday, what are they going to build upon this week? When Bill Belichick shows them that game film from Sunday, what is he going to point out and say, you guys did this well, you need more of this. We need to do more of this in order to be able to compete with Buffalo on Saturday? Wow, that's a really tough question. Not hanging your head when they got down that quick 14 points in the first quarter

and battling back. I think the offensive line did a really good job of blocking for the running game. I was really impressed with everything I saw from all of the running backs yesterday. Brandon Bolden had another fantastic game. Ramondre was very effective early and then left because of another head injury, but he was cleared and he came back and he kept battling. And also the play of Hunter Henry. Hunter Henry continues to be a reliable and valuable asset to this team. I just don't know why they're not getting the ball to him earlier. Also, Kendrick Bourne, I thought, had a pretty good game with one exception of going right when he should have exited stage left. That was good. Bill is going to go in, and he should

burn this film, but he won't. And explain to the guys that if you stop stepping on your own feet, I will clean it up for the people out there, you stop stepping on your own feet, we win this ballgame. We win every ballgame. Every ballgame that you can, at least now counting four of the losses that the Patriots have today, were self-inflicted BS, fricking turn you know, turnovers, bad penalties. It got right back into that short little stint where the Patriots got off to a tough start to the season because they just weren't all on the same page. Yeah, absolutely. Agreed. Absolutely agreed. And,

you know, taking it a step further, I actually think there were more positive takeaways on the offensive side of the ball yesterday than there were defensive. I know a lot of people are going to wonder what I mean by that. I'll explain myself in just a moment. But when it comes to when it comes to the the the just the self inflicted difficulties. Yeah, there were two egregious penalties against the Patriots yesterday that I don't think belong being called penalties the first of which was on your guy Brandon Bolin I mean I didn't know unnecessary roughness meant making contact with the shoulder I understand I know that you know we heard Gene Steratore make the comment on the broadcast about oh well that's a tough play to call in in game but that's what you're paid to do you have to make that call and that was an egregious call that was a terrible call to make and Brandon really never should have been whistled for that. The Mills PI, I don't know, I mean, you can probably go back and forth on it, but I thought that was very ticky tack. I really wasn't, I really wasn't too, of the two, I thought the Bolin one was the more egregious, you know, error of officiating. I think maybe you can at least make a slim argument for the Mills PI. That could have gone either way, I guess. But both of those calls definitely going against the Patriots didn't help. But it didn't stop, like you said before, the difficulties that they had getting off

to a good start, putting points on the board, making stops when you need to, and avoiding some really head-scratching special teams blunders, which we'll talk about in a minute again, folks. I keep teasing at that, but we will talk about it. The takeaways that I was talking about in terms of positivity, and you hit on this a little bit, Murph. The Patriots did get some separation for their receivers yesterday, and when Mack took advantage of it, that led to some pretty big gains. Believe it or not, Mack Jones was actually five of eight on passes of 20 plus yards as well. So what everybody wants to harp on when it comes to the negativity surrounding Mac Jones, including some, you know, buffoon on a certain morning show.

First things first. All right. I'm done. I'm done. I'm not going to say it uh about uh you know him being terrible and whatnot go back and take a look at some of these mac was making things happen when he needed to dr kobe myers did a good job of getting separation hunter henry continues to get separation not something that a lot of people thought he was known for but murphy when i talked about this several times including when hunter signed here i says the one thing people are going to be really surprised with with this kid is his ability to get separation and his ability to run routes crisply and accurately. And you're seeing it.

And it's led to a great synergy. So to me, if I'm Bill Belichick, I'm pointing at that, maybe telling Josh McDaniels that against this Buffalo aggressive defense, maybe the Patriots need to start taking a little bit more aggression in their approach and maybe take a couple of shots like this down the field. Especially when you see cover zero. Absolutely. Absolutely. Without any question about it. When you do see that, take advantage of it because the Patriots are proving that they can make things happen down the field.

It's not a situation where we have to keep the ball out of Max's hands because we're afraid of what's going to happen. You know, dial it up and see what happens. And, you know, I think the Patriots will be happy with the result. And the other positive takeaway is one, again, one that you mentioned, the running game. The Patriots have not only a solid one-two combination at the top in Damian Harris and Ramondre, who again looked fantastic in the times that he was on the field yesterday. Thankfully, it looks like the Patriots dodged a bullet. Most thankfully for Ramondre, who again looked fantastic in the times that he was on the field yesterday. Thankfully, it looks like the Patriots dodged a bullet. Most thankfully for Ramondre that he seems to be okay and was able to return to the game. That's the most important thing. But Brandon Bolden continues to prove that he is one of the unsung MVPs on this team.

No matter what you need him to do, he's capable of doing it. And for everyone who thought that he forgot how to rush for a touchdown, ripped off a nice 15-yard run on a great block by Jakob Johnson. Just great stuff. Great, great stuff from Brandon Bolden. And again, folks, Murph has told us time and time again that Brandon absolutely is a guy that the Patriots needed to keep on the roster. And he's proving his worth every single time he steps on the field. So once again,

my good friend is always right about this. That's why you should be listening to him. You turn the keys, you go to the top, you don't turn the keys. You're never heard from again. Well, Murph, we've talked a little bit about the new England Patriots strengths and weaknesses from yesterday's game. And a lot of people have a lot of back and forth opinions on those. But one thing that seems to be universal are the Patriots special teams blunders.

And there have been several of them. Yesterday was another example of why the special teams unit might be a liability for the Patriots as opposed to being a strength. That and we'll get Murph's very early thoughts on those pesky Buffalo Bills that just won't go away. Wild card weekend in Orchard Park. More talk on that and more when this Locked On Murph Monday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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So don't delay. Do it today. Download the free GetUpside app and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to $0.50 per gallon cash back on your first tank. Use the code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50 cents per gallon cash back on your first tank. Use the code TOUCHDOWN when you download GetUpside. Folks, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. It is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. Not a victory Monday, but we still hope we have at least one more of those left in our repertoire here on Locked on Patriots.

But sifting through the rubble of a 33-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins to close out the 2021 NFL season, Patriots finished 10-7. They are the sixth seed in the AFC playoffs and will be taking on the AFC East Division champions for the second straight year. Oh, God, that's painful to say. The Buffalo Bills. We're going to get to the Bills.

We're going to get to the Bills in just a moment. But, you know, we're not quite done with the Patriots just yet, Murph. We talk a lot about big-picture issues and what's plaguing the Patriots and why they sputtered a little bit heading into the playoffs. we talk a lot about big picture issues and what's plaguing the Patriots and why they sputtered a little bit heading into the playoffs. You know, this team still ripped off a seven game win streak during the season, finished the season with a 10 and seven record,

much better than the seven and nine record than they had just one year ago. So there's a lot to build upon, but one thing that seems to be glaring this year, and really I think has been brewing for a little bit, but this year we're starting to see an awful lot of these pile up week after week, are special team snafus. And this team places such a premium on special teams. You usually never see the Patriots shoot themselves in the foot when it comes to special teams. But Lawrence Guy lining up over the long snapper on a punt. We talked about that yesterday. We talked about that and that problem yesterday and just seemed to be a,

a terrible, you know, miscue on Lawrence inexcusable without any question. You know, we see these really just continue to pile up and our good friend, mutual friend, Evan Lazar. And I spoke about this a little bit and, you know, we've seen this blocked punts, blocked extra points,

botched extra points, bad penalties, poor decisions in the return game. These are starting to add up a little bit. And when you look at the prowess that the Patriots have back there in special teams with guys like Matthew Slater and Justin Beffle and even Adrian Phillips who fills in on occasion. And so many of these guys, Brandon Bolden is a special teams ace. It's a little disheartening to continue to see that. Is this about coaching Murph or is there something underlying with these guys that's just having them play out of position or what seems to be the issue this year? Because the New England Patriots are not used to this and neither are their fans. No, they're not.

I'm definitely not. Bill's definitely not. And yeah, it has to start with coaching. Now, granted, Guy is a seasoned veteran that should have never made that mistake. And I can't put that on the coaching. But the snowball effect that has happened during this season with special teams, yeah, it has to definitely go right back to coaching. And I'm shocked that Joe Judge isn't looking for a job today and bringing him back because he is an excellent special teams coach it's just

there there's something um a myth in in from what the coaches are telling these players and and where the players are are are lining up where their heads are in this game you know to think that that in this system it isn't pounded into your head that you are part of all three phases of this game and a paramount part in winning. Year after year after year, we saw other teams make these mistakes and end up with this kind of record at the end of the year. Good teams, teams that are loaded with talent, who end up year after year missing the playoffs or barely getting into the playoffs and ending up having to play on wildcard weekend. And this year, it's the Patriots,

and this is one of the main reasons that they are where they are. This is one of the main reasons that they did not win are. This is one of the main reasons that they did not win this division, that they were not a higher seed. It was just three weeks ago that we were all pounding our chests around here, that things are back to normal. They're far from normal. Yeah, they are far from normal. And look, you know, bottom line, I've had the chance to get to know Cam Atchard a little bit this year. And I think the job that he's, you know, bottom line, I've had the chance to get to know Cam Asher a little bit this year. And I think the job that he's been doing has been, you know, at least an honest effort. And look, he's energetic. He brings a lot to the table. He's fiery, very intelligent. I mean,

he knows his stuff and knows the history of special teams and, you know, the punting game, the kicking game. And there's a lot that needs to happen there. But, you know, this is a results based business. And if special teams continue to hurt the Patriots, you have to wonder if this is going to be something that's going to weigh on the mind of Bill Belichick in the offseason. That being said, the Patriots are going to have to be very, very diligent this week about not putting forth anything that's going to allow them to be put in a negative position. If they get out

to a 14-point deficit against Buffalo, you might as well bury this one with a shovel and then bury the shovel because that team is not going to allow you to get back into this game. The Patriots cannot shoot themselves in the foot and constantly think that they're going to have the ability to pull themselves out of it. I know the blunders in Miami. Exactly. Exactly. I mean, these things can't have one blocked. I mean, Jake's had them blocked this year. When do you ever see the Patriots leading the league in blocked punks? I mean, it's just the opposite end of it, I should say. They're not the ones doing the blocking. Yeah, exactly. But, you know, I mean, it really is. It's just it's a very, very difficult thing for Patriots fans to swallow.

And I understand yesterday's game, the early 14 point deficit was not as a result of special teams difficulties. But at the same time, you know, they did not help when the Pats were trying to claw their way back in. And they nearly were able to claw their way back in. And but for some of these issues that they had yesterday, maybe this team could have pulled out the win. And it's not just yesterday. This has been an issue all season long. So you can very much bet Cam Hatcher is scheduled to speak to the media on Tuesday with all the assistant coaches. I have a very funny feeling his Zoom conference is going to be pretty full on that day.

And us in the media are going to have a whole lot to ask him about the preparations that the Patriots will be making this week. Because, Murph, to close out today's episode, we now know, thanks to an epic game last night between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Las Vegas Raiders going right down to the wire. Just a fun one to watch. It was. Just a head-scratcher. It was my favorite non-Patriot game of the year. I did not expect that when I sat down with my bowl of popcorn. I didn't either.

No. I was hoping for the tie. Yeah. I think everybody was hoping for the tie, and especially up here in New England, where not a whole lot of love for Steeler country, but you know what, bottom line, it is what it is. And the Patriots are playing Buffalo as a result. The Buffalo Bills now, this is going to be the third time the Patriots will play the Bills this season. I wrote for Sports Illustrated earlier

today, the rubber meets the road, literally, because it's a rubber match on the road for the New England Patriots up in Orchard Park at Highmark Stadium. Early thoughts, Murph. We saw the Bills early on in December. Patriots looked like they had them under control, had their number. Bills came into Foxborough the day after Christmas and absolutely dropped it on the New England Patriots. Yeah. Your early thoughts on this game.

What do the Patriots have to do in order to not only remain competitive, but to walk out of Orchard Park the victim? Stay out of man. I don't want to see man defense at all. They're going to need to contain Allen and keep him from extending drives with his feet, keep him from getting into third and short with his legs. That's going to be the number one focus that this team's going to have to do. The second thing is what we've been preaching and what's been missing over the past three weeks of this season is the physicality on both sides of the line. The defense is going to have to get into the backfield with four. The offensive line is going to have to open up serious holes for these running backs to get through and move the chains and keep it methodic.

Don't get baited into trying to take shots down the field when they aren't there, but still being smart enough to see them when they are there and take that shot. Because quite frankly, I think, um, we're getting better and better at that right now. Uh, the timing and the trust between Mac Jones and his receivers is growing and growing. And sometimes he trusts them a little too much. He's got to back that off a little bit. But no, physicality, stay out of man coverage on the defensive side.

Yeah, I agree with you. And the Patriots have, when they've used their zone coverage and used it to their advantage, they're a better defense, they're a more complete defense, and they're a more comfortable defense as well. So J.C. Jackson, definitely, that'll benefit him. He's had his difficulties with Stephon Diggs. Hopefully, guys like Miles Bryant, Kyle Duggar will be back in the fold. We missed those two guys yesterday.

Safety crew back there, and we missed Miles Bryant in the slot. We definitely missed Jonathan Jones, but Miles Bryant has proved back there and you miss miles brian in the slot we definitely miss jonathan jones but miles brian has proved that he's been a pretty good uh an effective cover uh you know corner in that division so big bottom line but it's going to be a lot of fun absolutely it's like so many nickels and quarters absolutely and you know what and that is a great way to bring us into our next episode uh you know and murph hopefully is a great way to bring us into our next episode. You know, and Murph, hopefully the next time that you and I share the microphone here on Locked On Patriots, it will be to break down a Patriots victory. I don't know if I could take another Buffalo loss.

But, you know, bottom line, the Patriots have their playoff game on Saturday night, and they will put their best foot forward and try to come out of Orchard Park with a win, with an upset win, and hopefully be able to live to fight another day into the following week. But in the meantime, Bud, thank you once again for lending your wisdom, your counsel like no other. You are truly the Don here on Locked On Patriots. And I thank you for joining me today. Folks, please do yourself a favor. Follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto on Twitter at TeamMurph207. The

content that this man puts out for E2GSports.com is truly remarkable. Each and every week, those monster keys are must-read. Check out the work that he does on the baseball page. Wrote a phenomenal piece last week on Ken Rosenthal. I can't really, I can't, you know, I really, really can't say enough about what Murph really just pinpoints. He pinpoints exactly what you're thinking before you even know you're thinking it. And that, to me, is the mark of a great writer and a great analyst and a great friend as well here on Locked on Patriots. That's most important. So check out all the content that he does on the show, as well as checking out the great stuff that he does on One Patriots Place with Murph, our great mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and of course, our resident Wednesday guest here now, the new lady of Lockdown, Miss Claire Clazzi, Claire Cooper. Bud, thank you again. Honored and humbled as always by your presence. Always a pleasure, my friend. Always a pleasure. I got a new Red Sox piece up today.

Please go check it out. Yes, Steve and Claire and I will be back tomorrow with Keegan Steifel from we'll be stopping back, stopping by to give his two cents on everything that went wrong yesterday and what the Patriots need to do in Buffalo. Thanks again for having me. I'm always here for you whenever you need me, unless I'm in a dentist chair. On that note, folks, we definitely don't want to bring Murph to the dentist any more than he has to. So we'll take our leave. But continue to stay safe, stay well. We'll have you right back here again next week to talk, hopefully, a Patriots victory right here on Locked on Patriots. And so, Patriots fans, one down but still a ton to go

for your Patriots coverage for the week, getting you ready for the playoffs and the Pats' return to the postseason this Saturday, 8.15 p.m., as they take on the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, New York, to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action. Download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked on Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app,, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts,

Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. And thank you all so much once again for making Locked On Patriots your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all

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I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. 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 tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.