Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Josh McDaniels and Terrell Williams: New England Patriots Dynamic Duo of Coordinators?

Starting point is 00:00:00 In a matter of hours, the New England Patriots have filled their vacancies at offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. What does it mean for the organization as a whole? Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcastots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:32 Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots. For Patriots country, reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. You can catch me over where the skies are blue on Blue Sky at MDABATENFL.BSKY.SOCIAL. And, of course, if you're looking to show some social media love to Lockdown Patriots,

Starting point is 00:01:02 please do so on X at LO underscore Patriots. That's fans. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. From the first whistle to the final drive, FanDuel makes the NFL playoffs even more exciting. Right now, new customers can bet $5 and get 300 bucks in bonus bets. That's if you win your first bet. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. Pats fans, the old adage says that there is never a dull moment in foxborough the past 12 to 16 hours here in patriots nation have certainly proven that to be true not one but two vacancies on mike rabel's coaching staff have now been filled

Starting point is 00:01:41 of course breaking news yesterday that Josh McDaniels will officially become the Patriots offensive coordinator. Wednesday morning was not to be denied. Terrell Williams, a former defensive line coach for the Detroit Lions, will be joining the New England Patriots staff and he will be once again joining Mike Brable with whom he worked as a Tennessee Titan.

Starting point is 00:02:03 We're going to be breaking down the hiring of Terrell Williams, and we're also going to be taking a much deeper dive into the hiring of Josh McDaniels. We're going to talk about the impact that hiring will have on Drake May. We're going to talk about Josh's relationship with Mike Vrabel. And last but certainly not least, what does it mean for the assistants on staff right now? Folks, there is only one man that can handle this robust of an agenda here on Locked On Patriots, and that is the man with the big green shoulders, my good friend, the legend himself, Thomas Murphy. Thank you for coming to me in friendship today on what is another eventful day in Patriots Nation.

Starting point is 00:02:41 Don't, Murph. Do I look excited? A little bit. Do I look happy? A little bit. Do I look happy? A little bit. A little excited. You know, yeah, we called this. Everybody called this.

Starting point is 00:02:50 I'm not, you know, everybody knew that this was coming. The day that Vrabel was hired, I said, you know, make way for Josh. We all saw this coming. It was the only thing that would have held this up was Mike Vrabel. And everybody out there saying that Josh McDaniels was forced upon Mike Vrabel. No, he wasn't. He was not. Mike Vrabel had every and all leverage in coming into his negotiations here in New England.

Starting point is 00:03:21 And he could have just said no you know, no in the interview. He said, no, my people are coming in. I've never worked with Josh before. I know Josh. I respect him. But I want my vote. So, you know, those out there saying that this is a Patriots hire or a Robert Kraft hire, Robert Kraft is certainly in favor of it.

Starting point is 00:03:47 But I don't believe that Mike Vrabel was not. I agree with you 100%. Look, we know Mike Vrabel's style. We know him from covering him as a player here in New England, watching his coaching career get going at Ohio State into Houston, and then of course with the Tennessee Titans. Mike Vrabel is not the type of guy that's going to have things thrust upon him if he is adamant about a certain circumstance he's going to fight it now obviously it's going to be up to ownership it's going to be up to his bosses to determine whether or not Mike is indeed right or wrong but yeah there's no way that you can convince me that he's not on board with this hire and why wouldn't he be on board with this hire uh there is a lot to like and folks we are going to get into the ins and outs of josh mcdaniel's as offensive coordinator in his third stint now as offensive coordinator with the

Starting point is 00:04:37 new england patriots um what it means for drake may what it means for his relationship with mike and also what it means for the remaining coaches on staff. So stick around, folks. You are not going to want to miss a single second of the action. But Murph, we'd be remiss if we didn't begin with the big news of the day. Early Wednesday morning, ESPN's Adam Schefter essentially taking one step further what CBS Sports had reported yesterday. Terrell Williams, former defensive line coach and run game coordinator for the Detroit Lions, will now be the new Patriots defensive coordinator. He comes in now with a great deal of experience working with Mike Vrabel. The two worked together in Tennessee,

Starting point is 00:05:16 worked quite well. Terrell's got an extensive resume, so there's clearly a pedigree that Mike Vrabel was targeting, that was looking for. Murph, you'll like this an awful lot because you've described this several times here on Locked On Patriots. He subscribes to a defensive line being a little bit, how shall we say, violent. I could carry it away here, folks. Again, I said that yesterday here on the pod. But bottom line, he wants to bring that attitude back to the Patriots defense. And that's something that this defense was severely lacking. Obviously, this Detroit team showed a lot in terms of being able to contain the run

Starting point is 00:05:54 in 2024 under his leadership. They allowed 18 rushing touchdowns. They allowed four and a half yards per carry. But Williams' unit really, I think, excelled when it came to expected points added per run play. They ranked 12th in the league when it came to that statistic, and also 4th in the league when it came to success rate at 36.1%. So clearly he's being brought in, I think, with a mission. And that mission is, let's return some of the prowess that this run defense had

Starting point is 00:06:25 for a number of years under Bill Belichick. Murph, when you look at this hire, your thoughts on Terrell Williams and what it means for the Patriots defense this year? I think you're getting a very experienced individual that knows how to – has been around a lot of different programs, both college and pro, from Youngstown State all the way up to working with Mike in Tennessee. And then last night, last year, being coming in and being part of one of the better defenses in the NFL. It's probably long overdue. This is somebody that should have gotten a shot earlier at being a DC, and maybe if Mike

Starting point is 00:07:10 hadn't been shown the door in Tennessee, he would have. But I'm not upset. Everybody knows who I wanted. I wanted Bobby King. I'm sorry. Defensive line coaches don't often make fantastic DCs, but you know, on, on some occasions they have. And I think that, that he's been around long enough that that's going to happen, that he's going to understand that the players that are in the locker room, the guys that he has at his disposal, and he's going to be able to get back to, if not violent, very good situational defense, which has been lacking here. We talk about the lack of run stoppage here. For me, I think DeMarcus Covington last year was in over his head.

Starting point is 00:08:07 He didn't have the experience. He definitely doesn't have the experience that Terrell Williams is going to bring to this job. He's a man that is going to demand respect at the front of the room and on the sidelines. I think it's a fantastic pick. I agree with you. I think that this hire right now signifies a changing of the guard in New England. I think they are going to prioritize not just prowess up front when it comes to this defense, but attitude and kind of get that back to where the Patriots used to be. Look, the knock on Demarcus Covington coming into this year was that

Starting point is 00:08:39 he didn't have a whole lot of play calling experience. As a matter of fact, he had very little next to none in terms of play calling experience. That is a whole lot of play-calling experience. As a matter of fact, he had very little next to none in terms of play-calling experience. That is a big part of being a coordinator. You want to be able to have that skill. Even if you're going to hand it off, you still want to have the ability to do it yourself. In case things start to break down, you have to be the glue to hold it all together. DeMarcus is a phenomenally talented coach, and I don't think anyone's going to question that. Wherever his next stop is going to be is going to teach him a great deal about this game and get him ready for

Starting point is 00:09:09 a potential coordinator position in the future, or maybe even a possibility of a head coaching position in the future. Where Williams differs is the experience factor. And you mentioned this several times. I think it's also very interesting that in 2023, both Mike Vrabel and Terrell Williams were in Tennessee together. Williams served as Vrabel's assistant head coach. You can see the reason why Mike Vrabel wanted to bring in someone with whom he's comfortable, with whom he has an established working relationship. Exactly. And most importantly, folks, someone who can handle it, someone who knows these waters very well when it comes to navigating through an NFL defense. Yeah, I think Terrell brings a great deal of not only experience working with Mike, but experience on the field.

Starting point is 00:09:55 That could be the difference here. Yeah, one of the big hiccups last year with the Patriots was their ability to adjust both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to what was happening on the other side of the ball, you know, in any given moment on offense or on defense. He's going to be able to do that. All right. And so is Josh McDaniels. You know that whatever anybody's throwing at Josh McDaniels, he's going to have an answer for it. Now the question is, is he going to have the personnel to do it? Yeah, absolutely. And that really, I think, lends itself into what the remainder of our conversation is going to be about today. And that is once these coaches are put in

Starting point is 00:10:36 position, the dominoes have fallen. Now the offensive coordinator position is set. The defensive coordinator position is set. Now it's about filling out the remainder of the coaching staff positional coaches are important but it's going to be about the personnel on the field and how these coaches relate to that personnel on the field i can almost certainly tell you murph i don't like to speak for others but i think this is going to be a hire that is going to be welcomed by someone like a keon white who has been eager, I think, to bring some swagger and some attitude back to that line, maybe get some guys around him that are going to be able to do that as well.

Starting point is 00:11:12 Terrell Williams is that type of coach that's going to coach these guys hard and is going to demand a lot from these players. I think Williams is a good hire for someone like him, maybe even a Jabril Peppers. These guys play the game in a physical manner. And ultimately, having someone like Terrell Williams, who shares that love for physical football, is going to put these guys in the best position he possibly can to watch them succeed. So I agree with you.

Starting point is 00:11:36 Very good hire. Folks, keep it here on Locked On Patriots for a lot more on the Terrell Williams hire as we continue to break down the New England Patriots coaching staff under Mike Vrabel but definitely don't want to steal the thunder from Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday evening with Josh McDaniels now coming back for yet another tour of duty here in New England a lot of people are wondering how this is going to shake out on the field and in the coach's room most importantly I think everybody's wondering what's the relationship going to be like between Josh McDaniels and Drake May. You're never

Starting point is 00:12:10 going to equal Josh and Tom, but could Drake and Josh end up having a Nickelodeon-style union right here in New England? Unfortunately, I'm way too old to have watched that show. I had to ask my son what Drake and Josh was. Exactly. But the youngsters right now, some of whom

Starting point is 00:12:25 we hope are watching here on Locked On Patriots are loving it. If you're loving it, we're loving it here on Locked On Patriots, but that is the big question on everyone's mind and in just a moment, Thomas Murphy and I are going to switch gears and we're going to talk about that relationship between Josh McDaniels and Drake May.

Starting point is 00:12:42 We're also going to touch upon his relationship with Mike Vrabel and what it means for the remaining coaches on the staff. Folks, keep it right here on Locked On Patriots. Still an awful lot to discuss and I'll be back in just a moment with my good friend Thomas Murphy right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast.

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Starting point is 00:13:54 an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Cots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots and making us a part of your daily Patriots coverage. Joining me here today is my good friend Thomas Murphy of DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. Murph, just prior to us hitting record, news broke that the New England Patriots have in fact filled their defensive coordinator position. Terrell Williams, former D-line coach with the Detroit Lions, on his way to New England,

Starting point is 00:14:26 reuniting with Mike Vrabel. The two worked together for a number of years with the Tennessee Titans, and now Terrell is going to be guiding that defense. But the big story of the day on Tuesday was Josh McDaniels returning for yet another tour of duty here in New England. A lot of Patriots fans are excited by this hire, but there is a large section of the fan base that is hoping that this selection wasn't driven too much by nostalgia. Basically, folks, what they're hoping is that we're not keeping too much of the old guard around to help move this team forward. Obviously, Murph, Josh McDaniels comes in with, in my opinion, probably the strongest resume of anyone who competed with

Starting point is 00:15:05 him in terms of being considered for the position. Josh is one of those positional coaches that I keep in rarefied air the way I still keep Bill Belichick in rarefied air when it comes to pro coaches. They forgot more about their craft last night and overnight and sleeping than most will ever learn in their lifetime. But bottom line, McDaniels does come in with a clear mandate. He needs to develop a strong relationship with Drake May because let's face it, that's the most important thing here right now. We've talked about the who and we have a lot of fun with who's going to come in and how are the Patriots going to fill out this coaching staff. But I think it takes away from the question that everybody should be asking,

Starting point is 00:15:46 and that's why. Why was Josh McDaniels hired? And I think the question begins and ends with Drake May. So I'm going to put this in your court for a second, my friend. When you look at this hire and you look at Josh McDaniels now coming in to be the offensive coordinator and knowing what he needs to do with Drake May to move this forward, how can you see the relationship between these two developing initially and then even down the line?

Starting point is 00:16:11 I think that it's a chemistry is going to happen quickly between the two of them. You could see it in the past with what Josh has done with the second string here in New England, all the way up to what he was able to do with Cam Newton. This is somebody that has never had a quarterback who has the skill set that Drake May has. He's never been a dual threat kind of guy. Now, yes, we've all seen Tom Brady juke Brian Urlacher out of his shoes. But, you know, I wouldn't call Tom Brady a mobile quarterback or a dual threat quarterback.

Starting point is 00:16:59 But he did for a little bit there with Cam Newton, but Cam was at the end of the road there. But that first half of the season looked like it was going really well until Cam ended up getting COVID, and then the wheels kind of came off. But what Josh is going to be able to do here with Drake is going to be something special. Not of the ilk of Tom Brady, not of the ilk of Patrick Mahomes. That's just pie in the sky.

Starting point is 00:17:37 Those are guys that come along once in a lifetime. But I think Drake May has shown that he is the man, that he is a smart, young individual who can do a lot of different things. And I can't wait to see what Josh is going to be able to dial up with him in the back, in under center. It is. It's going to be a very good relationship. Josh has gotten along with everybody here. The person that he got along with least was Tom.

Starting point is 00:18:05 They're screaming matches on the sidelines. The most important thing you folks have to remember is that Josh is going to be the perfect buffer between Drake May and Mike Vrabel. He's going to be the guy in between, okay, saying, get off my kid's ass, all right? I'll fix it. We'll take care of it. You go over there and be the head coach, and he's not going to tell him to stifle it or anything like that,

Starting point is 00:18:32 but he's going to be a good buffer in between the two of them because Mike Vabel is a really hard-nosed individual. You guys wanted to get back to this. That's what he is. And Josh, I think, is going to be that perfect little buffer in between the two yeah i think you saw him do that for a number of years here when he was with the new england patriots and the quarterbacks that he's worked with whether it be tom brady whether it be guys like matt castle jimmy garoppolo jacoby brissett absolutely

Starting point is 00:19:01 mac jones and i'm glad that you mentioned what he did to remodel the offense on 2020 under Cam Newton, develop a more run-centric type offense to suit the quarterback that he had. A lot of people thinking he's going to incorporate that type of style into this new model that he's going to be using with Drake May, because obviously Drake has shown himself to be very adept with the ball in his hands and having to use his legs. I think it's very important to point out that if in fact they do that, folks, yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun to watch. But Josh has to be very mindful that, like Murph said, he's dealing with a 21-year-old quarterback, a quarterback that's still learning the nuances of the league. Drake is going to be

Starting point is 00:19:39 a little bit more of a learning curve because when Josh's systems are working at their best, including that reworked system that he used in 2020, it increases the quarterback's responsibility during the pre-snap process. They have to know everything that's going on at any given moment. And Josh has always placed that type of emphasis on these types of quarterbacks. You want the passer to be able to run the show. They can call plays. They can set the protections You want the passer to be able to run the show. They can call plays. They can set the protections. That's going to be a little bit of a learning curve. Drake is very capable, and I think he'll do a great job in this, but I think that has to be priority one for Josh McDaniels. Get Drake on the same page. Give him the opportunity to control what he needs to control, and then I think you're going to be looking at this relationship starting to blossom.

Starting point is 00:20:25 This is going to be very important. Last year, I was very upset that Gerard Mayo kind of flittered away the extra week that you get for being a new coaching staff coming in and saying, no, we're going to start later. I need to get on the same page with my coaches, which just irked the hell out of me. You had all year to do that. But that week will be used.

Starting point is 00:20:53 It is. It's going to be very – there will be a slow matriculation into this. The quarterbacks that Josh was able to do that to, to hand the reins over to, were much more defined in their careers. These guys were veterans at the time. We didn't get to see a lot of it with Jacoby Brissett or Jimmy Garoppolo because they certainly just weren't under center for that amount of time. Of course, even they were more seasoned than Drake May is right now. Both of those guys had played a lot more ball in college and in high school than Drake May

Starting point is 00:21:33 was able to play. We talked before about Drake coming out early, Drake losing time to COVID, the pandemic. He didn't get to his full junior and senior seasons there in Carolina, you know, growing up. So these guys were more seasoned veterans. They knew what they were looking at across the line. But I think Drake is a little ahead of, you know, some of the other guys that came out in this class. Not all of them, but some of them. And I think he'll be able to handle it.

Starting point is 00:22:05 I think Josh will, you know, take him by the arm, show him what's going on, work with the defensive coordinators, work with his head coach, who, you know, is a longtime defensive guy, and be able to show Drake what's happening across the line of scrimmage and what you need to check out to here and there, get those hot reads and get them out quick, you know, things of that ilk. You know, we're going to hear a lot more audible at the line of scrimmage this year than we did last year, something that I, you know, was thirsty for.

Starting point is 00:22:40 That's a great point, and I think a lot of patriots fans need to remember that there is going to still be a learning curve josh mcdaniels is a very adept offensive coordinator i think he's probably the best hire that you could have brought in in order to really maximize the prowess of drake may and help him reach his full potential but he's also not a miracle worker he also does not have the Midas touch there is going to be a period where Drake is going to learn Josh's tendencies Josh is going to learn Drake's tendencies and there are going to be moments where they may not look to be uh how shall we say Murph simpatico every step of the way and it's important not to overreact to all these reports saying oh there

Starting point is 00:23:22 looks to be a disconnect between Drake May and Josh McDaniels. See, this was the wrong hire. Be very patient with these guys because keep in mind, McDaniels has seen it all. He's done it all. This was the guy that was at the forefront of that spread offense that he coached in the mid-2000s when Randy Moss came on. Then you really started to see the true prowess of what that spread offense can have when you have that person i'm gonna have a moment here you keep talking absolutely you know what live it live it up murph because we still live vicariously through those moments yeah give anything to bring them back and it's going to be a little while before those are brought back here in new england but you know then he needed to shift and in the second part of the patriots dynasty you saw him use the two tight

Starting point is 00:24:05 end sets and he used those to his advantage and then kind of reinventing himself as well, going with the ground approach in the latter part of the Tom Brady days here in New England, and then really kind of reconstructing that offense around Cam Newton. And I think that leads me quite nicely into what my final question will be for you on this subject and Josh's relationship with Drake May is that some people feel that he may be a little bit too dedicated, a little too married, so to speak, to the Earhart Perkins system that Josh loved to run up here for a number of years. I think by consensus, most Patriots fans are savvy enough to realize that Josh will tailor make that type of system, right? Drake

Starting point is 00:24:45 strengths, but how do you see Josh McDaniels countering that keeping Drake where he is, but only building him up further and not having him regress? Um, the Earhart Perkins system is, is so adaptable that it's,'s it's really unreal it's it's unlike any other all right um you can you can run those plays you can you can run um that system you know in in almost any manner that you want that's why it was around so long folks it wasn't it wasn't set in stone you know like some of the other systems that you know, like some of the other systems that you hear, you know, some of the timing systems that are out there. It's really a brilliant thing. Because you could just pull any volume you wanted out and adjust to that way of thinking and to what you needed to do on any given Sunday. It's going to – I do see it being implemented more.

Starting point is 00:26:00 That's why I think that it's going to be great to have Josh back here for guys like Hunter Henry, for guys like Ramon Dre Stevenson, you know, for guys like Kendrick Bourne. This is going to work out really, really well. Okay. It's not going to work out well for some other people that are currently under contract here. It's not going to work out for Javon Baker. Jalen Polk might be a second-round pick that does not break camp next year. You might see Jalen Polk traded on draft day.

Starting point is 00:26:35 All right? Because I really don't think that it's going to work out for him in that manner. You know, but there are guys that, you know, DeMario Pop Douglas could really thrive under this if he can handle the workload. Now, when I say that, it's because this system, the way Josh, you know, has used it in the past, that slot guy is over the middle quite a bit and is pounded not only with passes but by defenses. We don't know if Pop is going to be able to take that kind of beating. Not beating, but that kind of usage.

Starting point is 00:27:21 It's going to be good for some, not for another, but don't think that this system is so one lane that it can't branch off into the passing lane or into the slow lane. And you can do anything with this system. I love Earhart-Perkins. I think it's worked for as long as it did, and it would have continued to work except for the lack of talent both on the offensive line and at the wide receiver position that's happened over the last three to four years here. So well said. I couldn't have said it better myself, and I'm so glad that you touched on the fact that Earhart Perkins is not something that needs to be feared. No, it's evolved. well said i couldn't have said it better myself and i'm so glad that you touched on the fact that

Starting point is 00:28:05 erhart perkins is not something that needs to be feared no it's like evolved i'm hearing an awful lot uh there are a lot of our listeners that are very savvy that have picked up on this so i'm not making generalizations folks but there is a significant section of the fan base that here's erhart perkins here's josh mcdaniels and they're thinking automatically, oh, revert back to the old style. They're not evolving. They're not moving forward. They're not getting younger. Look, Earhart Perkins, folks, at its heart is taking what the defense gives you. It doesn't require specific personnel. There's only one thing it requires, Murph, versatility. And if you have a versatile skill set, you can thrive in this type of offense. It opens up so many possibilities.

Starting point is 00:28:46 And not only does it keep opposing defenses guessing on the field, which really is the best thing about running an Earhart Perkins system on offense. You don't need specific types of players in order to succeed here. If certain players are going to thrive in this system, it's because they're versatile enough to be able to adapt to anything that the offense is going to need at this point. I think that's great news for the New England Patriots who are heading into this offseason with a lot of draft capital, a lot of salary cap space, and they don't have to worry about pigeonholing themselves and getting a guy that's scheme specific, that's system specific. If they can bring someone in that has a versatile skill set, he can thrive in this system. And I think you're going to see that.

Starting point is 00:29:25 So once again, folks, I think it's important to understand what Earhart Perkins is, how Josh is going to evolve that system, and if you want a little hint, go back and take a look at what he did with Cam Newton in 2020. I think you're going to see elements of that 2020 offense incorporated with the Patriots, but ultimately, this is going to place a great deal of control of this offense into the hands of Drake May. Growing pains to start, but I think once

Starting point is 00:29:51 these guys get the hang of each other, you're going to see great things from this duo. And on that note, Murph, you have to wonder, now that we've tackled what the relationship is going to be like with Drake May, I think it's important to take a look at how these coaches are going to be relating to their head coach and what it means for the coaches that are still on staff. It's going to be very interesting to see how this all shakes out. Murph is going to give you his thoughts in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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Starting point is 00:31:46 Thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots as we break down the completion of the hiring process for the New England Patriots coordinator level of Mike Vrabel's coaching staff. Josh McDaniels is your new offensive coordinator. Terrell Williams, your new defensive coordinator. Jeremy Springer gets a special tip of the cap, and he will remain in place as New England's special teams coordinator for the upcoming season. But the reality is that with new coaches coming in, some will not be back. And in that regard, for those

Starting point is 00:32:15 of you viewing our podcast and not seeing our good friend Thomas Murphy on the opposite side of the screen right now, fear not. The Green King of Sting is going to be back here in just a moment. But earlier today, when Murph and I had discussed this coaching staff, the fate of now former offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt wasn't known. Since our conversation has concluded, we've learned that Alex will indeed not be returning to New England in what would have been a lesser role under Josh McDaniels. I want to take a moment here to give an extra special tip of the cap to Joseph Pasteris, who was the first to report that on social media on Wednesday. For me personally, the news is a little bittersweet. I wish Alex nothing but the best in his new endeavors, and I fully understand his desire for a fresh start. But the work that he did with developing

Starting point is 00:32:58 Drake May and laying the foundation for what we all hope will be future greatness for the Pat's young quarterback, that will not soon be forgotten and again earlier today I asked Murph about whether the Pats might be wise to keep Alex around here in Foxborough for another year either as a quarterback's coach or an advisor on offense his answer was an insightful one and an interesting one so let's hear what Murph had to say um I really don't know what it's going to mean for Alex Van Pelt if they offer him something. I think that it would be smart for him to take it. I really

Starting point is 00:33:32 do. He's being paid like an OC right now, so I think that they're going to try to get something out of that paycheck. And I think keeping somebody around that we all know that Drake really enjoys and really likes and enjoyed working with and has a sense of familiarity with would be smart. I believe that, you know, that

Starting point is 00:33:55 they're going to go out and find a wide receivers coach, you know, bringing somebody in off the streets, you know, everything old is new again. Welker, Welker, Welker is free and could come in here and really help this wide receiver group with an understanding of this offense that, that Josh is going to, to reinstitute and, uh, how important that is for, uh,

Starting point is 00:34:29 for guys that, that, that run the slot for guys that are on the outside. Um, but with Alex Van Pelt, I'm really not sure if they offer him something, he'd be smart to take it, stay here for a year and learn,

Starting point is 00:34:41 uh, from this, from Josh and this, uh, this, how to run this system and just have something else in his back pocket in his next step in coaching. I think Alex got probably the rawest deal here. I think he did one of the better jobs. You saw the progression of Drake May from minicamp through to the end of the year,

Starting point is 00:35:05 and he had a lot to do with that. We talked before about how the Patriots fan base wanted this team to be more inventive on the offensive side of the ball, show a little bit more razzle-dazzle. You saw at the end of the year, they just didn't have the players to do those things. Alex Van Pelt had the play calls in his back pocket they just they just weren't capable of of completing them um very good point so uh so yeah i hope uh alex van pelt sticks around i think he's a fantastic guy i think he's a good coach and uh everybody gets their first uh first shot at play calling it didn't work out here.

Starting point is 00:35:48 I think that he was behind the eight ball more than anybody else that we've talked about in this segment or in this show or in shows past. It was very difficult for him to come in here and function the way that he did with a first-year head coach that had no vision whatsoever, with a GM that was simply inept at putting talent around a young quarterback that was essentially handed to him. I think you make some great points. And to me, it comes back to the relationship that I think Josh is going to be forming with

Starting point is 00:36:22 Vrabel. And I think it's going to be a good one. And I look at what Mike said the day he was hired here in New England, saying, quote, the versatility of scheme is what we need to make sure is in place. The players on our team need to be able to execute what we're asking them to do. And if they can't, we can adjust the scheme. We want to be versatile. We want to be flexible. Coming back down to being a great teacher, a great developer, inspiring players to do their job better by making a connection. That's the point. I don't think Mike Vrabel could have asked for a better guy to come in and do that than Josh McDaniels, not just with Drake May, folks, but with this entire offense. And in a lot

Starting point is 00:37:01 of regards, Murph, I think you're going to see something similar with Terrell Williams he's probably going to bring in a lot of his guys yeah make himself feel a lot more comfortable uh maybe in more his style is there anybody on this defensive staff right now that you look at obviously Demarcus Covington being the most notable but anybody else on this defensive staff right now with Terrell Williams now coming in that you think could be on the outside looking in or maybe find an easier path to remaining here in New England? Wow, that's a fantastic question. Probably, you know, the last Belichick in the building, you know, we'll keep that there. Other than that, I'm really not sure. I think, of course, Mike really respects Donta Hightower, and we'll see what happens there. But I really think that he's going to end up bringing in his own folks.

Starting point is 00:37:56 He's going to need that familiarity. Quite honestly, Murph, we haven't heard a whole lot about the defensive side of the ball. We've heard about Demarcus Covington branching out, interviewing beyond the walls of one Patriots place. I think everybody saw the high end writing on the wall that he wasn't going to be remaining, but what it means for the other coaches on staff is really kind of a mystery right now. Patriots have been very good about solving these mysteries very quickly. Whether you agree with their decisions or not, folks,

Starting point is 00:38:22 they're moving quickly to get their staff in place, maybe quicker than any other team right now that's looking to fill out their coaching staff. So the dominoes have fallen, my friend. Now it's all about picking up the rest of the pieces and building a team back to respectability. Murph, what can I say? I always appreciate your wisdom, your counsel, your insight. Thank you very much. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact interact with you what you got marinating in murph's kitchen for the rest of the week

Starting point is 00:38:47 well of course you know i've got a nice little uh piece going up today uh about uh the hall of fame inductees you can check that out and um of course you know i'll just i'm just diving into film man it's the most wonderful time of the year it It really is. We're going to, we're going to get back into it over the next few weeks with, with mailbag Mondays and then, you know, mock draft Mondays. And it's going to be a lot of fun folks. Don't miss it.

Starting point is 00:39:13 Absolutely folks. And we cannot wait to bring you mock draft Mondays here on locked on Patriots midweek mailbags are sixth season coming up. Murph doing mock draft Monday and midweek mailbags. We cannot wait. It's so humbling, and it's our honor to have you be a part of our Daily Patriots coverage, and thank you all, especially all of you everydayers, for making

Starting point is 00:39:33 Lockdown Patriots a part of that Daily Patriots coverage. On behalf of my good friend Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding all of you to stay safe, to stay well, to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

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