Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Lazar’s Patriots Lowdown: Combine, CBA and Chances - 2/21/2020

Episode Date: February 21, 2020

Joining host Mike D’Abate to close the week on Locked On Patriots is Evan Lazar of CLNS Media. The duo discuss the chances of the Patriots pursuing Stefon Diggs via trade, the impact of the CBA negotiations on the team, and a New England preview of the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft Combine.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your weekend edition of the Locked On Patriots podcast, your daily home for news, notes, and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate. I am your host of Locked On Patriots, which is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And because it's your team every day, that means your questions, your comments, your feedback are always welcomed and always encouraged.

And you can always send that feedback to me by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there roaming the Twitterverse, be sure to give the Locked On Patriots account a follow as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, another week is in the books. And that means one week closer to the start of the 2020 NFL season. That's one week closer to finding out Tom Brady's destination for 2020. One week closer to the draft.

One week closer to training camp. One week closer to preseason. And of course, folks, one week closer to that season opener in September. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. Let's live in the here and now. And folks, at this point, we can say it is mere hours until the start of the 2020 NFL Draft Combine in Indianapolis, Indiana.

And next week here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, I will be ensconced in NFL Combine coverage. And unfortunately, even though I could not make the trip to Indiana this year, I will be joined by some special guests that are in Indiana. And I'll bring you the very latest on who you should keep your sharp eye on when it comes to the Patriots' prospects for the 2020 NFL Draft. But the Combine hasn't started just yet, and I know you'd like a little appetizer for the Combine before the main course is served.

So to please your weekend palate, so to speak, I will be joined here on Locked On Patriots by one of the best analysts in the country. He is the Patriots beat writer for CLNS Media. Evan Lazar joins me today on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And we will absolutely be discussing the Combine, including what positions he will be watching, who he expects to stand out, and is there someone out there right now that's flying under the radar that might look good in Patriot blue?

But Evan is a veritable Patriots encyclopedia, so I'm not just going to be picking his brain on the combine, folks. After all, on Wednesday, we played a game of What If, and I gave you my thoughts on whether or not the Patriots might make a play for Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefan Diggs. My conclusion was that it was highly unlikely, and even if it was likely, it was probably more risk than reward. Well, Evan's got a little bit of a different take on that, and we'll discuss that today.

And last but certainly not least, we will be talking about the NFL owners approving their own proposals late Thursday afternoon, what the response is by the NFL Players Association, and most importantly, Evan's in-depth insight on exactly what this might mean from a salary perspective when it comes to the negotiations between the New England Patriots and Tom Brady. So sit tight, folks. It's going to be an action-packed podcast today. I'm always excited and honored to share the microphone with Evan, and I sincerely hope

that you all enjoy today's podcast. But before Evan and I attempt to tackle the more tantalizing topics in Patriots Nation, we start with this brief news note from New England, and the Patriots are adding to their coaching staff. And that addition, folks, is coming by way of a Nick Saban connection. On Friday morning, it was announced that Joe Houston of the University of Alabama is set to become an assistant special teams coordinator for your New England Patriots. Now, that news was first reported by Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports.

And for the benefit for those of you that aren't familiar with Joe Houston, he was hired to Alabama staff early last year as quality control for their special teams unit. Before that, he started his coaching career at El Camino Community College, and there he worked with special teams units from 2012 to 2014. After that, he spent the next three seasons working behind the scenes, first as a quality control assistant in Toledo in 2015, and then in a similar role at Iowa State from 2016 to 2017. All things considered, folks, that's a pretty quick climb of the coaching ladder. He's not even quite 10 years removed from finishing his collegiate playing career as a kicker at USC in 2010. That's right, folks. The kicker rises.

And he's risen to a pretty prominent spot on the Patriots coaching staff. Or at least we think so. Don't forget, now that Joe Judge is the head coach of the New York football Giants, the Pats will likely fill his position by promoting from within to fill their special team's coordinator's position. As for Houston, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that he's likely to fill the role left behind by whoever is promoted to that coordinator position on the coaching staff. Keep a sharp eye, folks. It's starting to come together in Foxborough. But that only begins to scratch the surface of the offseason docket in New England.

And in just a moment, Evan Lazar will join me on the hot seat to talk some CBA, the NFL Combine, and why I might just have been wrong about the Patriots' intentions to explore a trade for Stephon Diggs. Okay, Patriots fans, as Colonel Nathan R. Jessup from A Few Good Men once said, you want answers. And unlike Daniel Caffey, you are entitled to those answers. Luckily for us today, my guest has those answers, and he is one of the very best in the business when it comes to film breakdown, play-by-play analysis, and comprehensive team coverage overall. He's second to none, in my opinion.

He is the Patriots beat writer for CLNS Media. He is also the co-host of the Patriots All-22 podcast, along with Adam Kirkjian. It is my honor to welcome Evan Lazar here today. Evan, thank you for joining me today, and welcome back to the Locked On Patriots podcast. Thanks for having me. Great to be here. Any time. Pleasure is all mine, as always.

And, you know, Evan, it's probably an understatement to say that there's never a shortage of topics to talk about in Patriots Nation. And even though it's the offseason, there is still a ton going on. Obviously, the big question on everybody's mind is, will Tom Brady still be wearing Patriot blue when the 2020 season begins? But even though the narrative surrounding Brady's future is still priority one, I've been saying for the last couple of weeks here on Locked On Patriots that it might be the supporting moves that end up making or breaking the Patriots offseason,

and I thought we might discuss a couple of those today. And I start with your piece from yesterday on CLNS regarding Stephon Diggs and the possibility of him becoming a New England Patriot. Now, on Wednesday here on Locked On Patriots, I gushed openly that I would love to see Stephon here in Foxborough. His route-running prowess, his ability to make contested catches, to me it makes him the ideal patriot on paper but ultimately i came to the conclusion that the chances of this happening

were minimal at best and you know even if the vikings were willing to trade him i still think the chances of this happening are minimal and i thought so for two reasons first the pats might be able to remove maneuver around that uh i believe it's approximately about $11.5 million cap hit that Diggs would put on the team in 2020. It's actually a reasonable contract for a player of his caliber, believe it or not, but my assessment of Bill Belichick is that he typically likes to spread that kind of cap space around a little bit more rather than commit it all to one player. My assessment of Bill Belichick is also, and this brings me to the second reason why, and probably the more important reason why I didn't think this

was a possibility, is that he would essentially have to forsake the first two rounds in the NFL draft this year because that number 23 pick would almost certainly be what the Vikings would want in return, in addition to probably a little bit more than that. But your piece yesterday, it made me question my assessment a little bit. And even though I'm not wavering in my assessment, I think you made a very convincing case as to how this could work. So for the benefit of my listeners here on Locked on Patriots, tell us all why I'm wrong here, first of all, which I know my listeners will love to hear. And why would you make the deal if you were the New England Patriots. Tell us all why I'm wrong here, first of all, which I know my listeners will

love to hear. And why would you make the deal if you were the New England Patriots? Well, I still think that this is until we really get something. There's smoke right now, but there's no fire. So I'd say it's still an unlikely scenario. But at the same time, you know, I look at last offseason, I've looked at the last couple of offseasons. The Patriots have shopped first-round picks for just about every single wide receiver that has a name to them that's hit the open market. Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr. Stephon did, if he came available last season during the season

when he had some of those tumultuous times with Kirk Cousins during the middle of the year, if they hadn't made him available at the deadline, the Patriots were going to be squarely in the mix. So they've been pimping out that first-round pick, as I wrote, for a couple of years now, really, since they traded Brandon Cooks to L.A., to try to find a number one bona fide stud wide receiver or pass catcher. So I think that that's a part of it it is that if Stephon Diggs does come available, his contract is really reasonable for a receiver of his caliber,

as you said. And the Patriots last offseason were willing to extend over $10 million a year to Adam Humphreys. So I just don't think it's that hard of a leap to go from $10 million a year for Humphreys to $11.5 million for a guy like Diggs, because that clearly shows the difference in the caliber of players that we're talking about in that equation. Now, the biggest obstacle to me,

other than the Vikings actually getting to the breaking point of trading Diggs or making Diggs available, is that Belichick is known for not wanting to acquire major salary while giving up major compensation in a trade. It's a GM no-no in a lot of cases. You're giving up the best asset, or you're giving up the draft picks, and then you're also acquiring the massive contract. It's not exactly the way that they do business in New England, that's for sure. But at the same time, they've been on this search. Diggs is a clear fit for them in every single way, in every sense of the word, because of the reasons that you said.

And if he does come available, I would expect them to be involved in the conversation. Yeah, and I think you make a lot of great points, and I'm glad that you made a couple of them first off. The point about them shopping around that first-round pick in order to bring back talent in return is something they have done, and I think it's a good point for our listeners to remember. I did mention the Brandon Cooks trade on Wednesday, and it's something that they're certainly not averse to, especially when it comes to bringing in a talent like Diggs. And we both are in agreement that his route-running capabilities,

his ability to make contested catches, yards after the catch, they are big components of what the Patriots do on offense. I think he's a hand-in-glove fit when it comes to the logistics of the way it's played on the field. The other point that you made was the cap hit. It is a reasonable contract. It would be an $11.5 million cap hit hit which is still pretty reasonable from where he is but again there's a problem with being able to give up the type of assets you need to get in return and essentially you know you might not get the same return on investment but uh i agree with you i think that if the patriots are in the market then i think they definitely will kick the tires but even living in the hypothetical world and i'm glad that you prefaced that when you started your

statement that this is a hypothetical there's a lot of smoke, there's not a lot of fire here. I think if the fire does start to burn hotly, I still think it's unlikely for that reason, but I think you make an interesting case and probably have given our listeners here on Locked On Patriots and maybe even a lot more in Patriots Nation some reason to believe that this could end up happening. Evan, I want to switch gears here just a little bit and talk about the news of the week when it comes to the NFL, and that's the NFL owners approving their proposals for a potential

new collective bargaining agreement. Now, this now goes to the players, and the players seem ready to fight this a little bit. We've seen Richard Sherman make comments. We saw J.J. Watts tweet on Thursday night. But there's a lot of insiders that still are optimistic about a deal getting done here, even as early as this week at the Combine. So this being Locked On Patriots, though, I want to keep this Patriots-centric.

And we think about how this impacts the Patriots. And Thomas Murphy joined me yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, and we talked a little bit about that, specifically about it being beneficial for the Pats and Brady for the CBA to get done before the start of free agency on March 18th. And you've been all over that point pretty much all week, and I think you've articulated it very well. Knowing what you know about how the Patriots and Brady do business, walk us through why an early CBA deal might be a blessing in disguise for the contract negotiations between Tom Brady and the New England Patriots and Brady do business. Walk us through why an early CBA deal might be a blessing in disguise for the

contract negotiations between Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Yeah, I have my serious doubts that this is going to get done quickly with the CBA because the deal that the owners presented to the players today is, quite frankly, crap for the players, I would say. I'm glad you said that. Yeah, I mean, this is a horrible deal for the players, I would say. I'm glad you said that. Yeah, I mean, this is a horrible deal for the players, and we can kind of get into some of the reasons why in a second. But in terms of the logistics of it,

the two biggest things that Patriots fans need to know are the 30% rule and the voidable deals rule that are a part of the last year of an expiring CBA. So if the season goes as is, and they don't come to an agreement on a new CBA, then it's going to be an uncapped year. It's going to be a year that they're going into an expiring CBA contract and potentially a lockout, right? If that happens,

you can't do some of the cap tricks that teams do to lower cap hits early on in a deal. The biggest one is the voidable contract strategy, which is exactly what the Patriots did with Tom Brady this last time. It's the same structure that Drew Brees was under with the New Orleans Saints in 2019. Basically what it does is when you get new money into a contract through a signing bonus, you can prorate or just extend that signing bonus over multiple seasons. And you can put voidable years on the back end of a contract that just like we've seen with Tom Brady here coming in a few weeks,

they are not real years. They're dummy years on the deal. But what they do is they spread out that massive cap hit through three years like Brady's last deal did or so on and so forth. That is no longer in player allowed if the CBA does not come to an agreement before the start of the season. So therefore, the Patriots are going to be paying Tom Brady real money or they're going to have to give him real years to spread that signing bonus

proration across multiple seasons like they did this last time with his negotiation. The other part of it is the 30% rule. So the 30% rule says that this year in 2020, Brady's cap hit or any player's cap hit can't increase by more than 30% in 2021. We feel all the time with the Patriots, what they'll do is they'll kick the can down the road on all these contracts and all these cap hits, and the very first year will be a really low hit, and then the next couple of years will be progressively higher and higher. Stephon Gilmore's contract is a great example of this.

The back end of that contract is when all the hefty cap hits are hitting. The 30% rule says that if Tom Brady's cap hit in 2020, just for the sake of this discussion, is $20 million, he cannot increase that by more than 30% in the second season. So it just makes it more difficult, both with avoidable years and the 30% rule, to spread Brady's new money contract cap hits across multiple seasons and not let it affect the 2020 cap as much as it's going to if it's a short-term deal without any of these

salary cap tricks. So big reason why this is a big deal for the Patriots to get this CBA done sooner rather than later. If he hits free agency and that $13.5 million salary proration hits the 2020 cap, then they can go ahead with a new CBA. They'd be able to do some tricks, the avoidable years, the extension 30% rule would go away. So they'd be able to kick the can down the road a little bit and afford it a little bit easier. Honestly, if they're able to get the CBA done, the $13.5 million kicker that's going to kick in on March 18th

becomes basically irrelevant because they'll be able to move the money around somehow. That's a great point and I'm so glad that you ended with that and saying that the $13.5 million cap that is something that could end up becoming irrelevant if the CBA gets ratified. Now you made the point and I completely agree with you that I think this getting done sooner rather than later is highly unlikely now, especially after what we've seen from the players' reaction and just reading the deal in general. But if for some reason this does get done prior to March 18th and the Patriots are able to go into the new year with a new collective bargaining agreement, I think that makes the two sides come together.

So maybe there's motivation. Who knows? We might even see Robert Kraft interject like he did 10 years ago and kind of bring the players and the owners together, albeit under much different circumstances. There was a lockout to adjudicate there, but he may need those, how shall I say, negotiating skills, maybe a little bit more than he's needed in years past. And not just with the owners and the players. He may need them in Foxborough, so we'll see what happens there um certainly opens up the door no just just quickly i just want to say it opens up the door for the brady deal to get done

quicker if the cba gets done right so it opens up the door for them to be able to sign him to a contract that makes sense for both sides before that march 18th deadline and get this thing done before free agency because it's going to be get this thing done before free agency, because it's going to be difficult to do it before free agency, honestly, in a lot of ways. But one of the ways I think it's going to be difficult is without those voidable years, without some of the salary cap tricks, he's only going to sign a one or a two year deal at most. If he comes back on a short term deal that has a pretty high total value in terms of new money added to the deal. It's going to be a pretty hefty cap hit in 2020, and the Patriots don't have a ton of cap space,

so I'm sure that they're really hoping that this CBA gets done. Absolutely, and I think that's a very good point and something to keep an eye on, folks, as negotiations start to begin. I know we heard earlier in the week NBC Sports Boston was the first, W-E-E-I had it, that in a couple of weeks, once the combine is wrapped up, that the Patriots and Tom Brady are scheduled to sit down, at least to negotiate, and try to move something forward in advance of Brady possibly getting free agency and the legal tampering period that begins on March 16th.

But we did talk a little bit about the, well, I shouldn't say we talked a little bit about it, but we alluded to the combine, and that leads me nicely into my last point, my last question for you, Ivan, is combine week is just a couple of days away here, starting on Sunday and running through the following Sunday, and it's really one of the best weeks in our business. The players that emerge from the fray,

it changes not only their draft stock, but their career potential. And with your knowledge of the Patriots and your knowledge of college football and how the combine is going to work in tandem with the Patriots' plans in the NFL draft, what positions will you have your eye on this weekend and this week coming up? And specifically, who might you be watching this week in Indianapolis yeah well I think wide receiver and tight end are going to be the big ones that everybody's going to have their eyes on for the Patriots certainly over the combine and just over the next couple of months whether it's free agency or the draft but looking at the wide receiver position just looking at specific guys that fit what they want fit what they do and maybe actually are a little bit different than some of the strikeouts

that they've had at that position in the past. I would say that Henry Ruggs III from Alabama is going to be long gone by the time the Patriots come up to pick at 23, unfortunately, especially after he runs a 4-2-5 or whatever he's going to blaze at at the combine. He's just going to be off the board in the top 10 would be my guess, somewhere at the back end of the top 10. The guy that I'm looking for, though, just in terms of the way that he plays the game,

the style in which he runs routes, he's a big-time slot guy as well. Justin Jefferson out of LSU, really a technical route runner, has good explosiveness in and out of his breaks, great separation, right? All we want out of New England is just guys that get open, right? Can actually create a decent amount of separation, make defensive backs uncomfortable, difficult to cover in man coverage, big third down red zone guy. He's the exact type of Patriots player that you hope the Patriots would draft.

Now, early in the draft, the Patriots don't have a ton of, it's not a big sample, obviously, of Patriots draft picks at the receiver position early on. But for the most part, it's been the Kiel Harries or Chad Jackson, these bigger, stronger, downfield type receivers. That's not Justin Jefferson. So it's a different kind of mold than the Patriots are used to going to if they go early at wide receiver but at the same time I really like his fit and I really like the way he plays the game plays with a great pace and just a great understanding and savviness of route running and spacing and reading defensive backs and things like that so it'd be a little

bit different than what they're usually accustomed to but maybe different is good in this case especially seeing how Nikhil has struggled and other guys that they've picked early in the draft that were more size-speed combination type guys like Nikhil or like an Aaron Dobson or Jackson, like I mentioned. The other name that I would really look for is Thaddeus Moss at tight end. Yes, that is Randy Moss's son, but believe it or not, he's actually not the most explosive player. He's not a big-time receiver. He's not a big-time athlete, which is hard to believe, I know, but he's actually more of a blocking tight end than he is a receiving tight end. The combine is going to be really critical for him because there's certainly some concern

about his overall functional athleticism and his ability to separate and really be a factor at all in the passing game at the next level. I think that, you know, ideally he's not as big or as built as Dwayne Allen was, but that's the type of guy that you see on tape right now is more of like a Dwayne Allen. He's going to get underneath yards for you as a receiver. He's going to be a check down or a safety net for your quarterback, but he's not going to make plays in the passing game. So we'll see at the combine if he's got a little bit more juice than we expect or a little bit more speed than he looks like he does on tape.

If he does, then that might help his draft stock a little bit. The other tight ends I would look for, Adam Trotman from Dayton, 6'5", 255 pounds, just a monster. He's obviously coming from the FCS level, so a little bit of a step up, but a really smooth route runner for a guy of his size. He can certainly block in line as well. He checks all the Patriots boxes for what they would look for. And finally, I would go with Cole Komet out of Notre Dame, who is a little bit raw as a blocker, certainly gets it done with just effort at the college level.

Will need to be more technically sound to do it at the next level more consistently. But at the same time, as a receiver, he's got some juice. He can stretch the seam. He can be a vertical guy off of play-action concepts and other things that the Patriots are going to want to run with their tight ends coming across the middle of the field. So those are kind of the guys that I'd look for at those two positions, but I wouldn't sleep on edge defender or safety either early on

in this draft. And AJ Epinenza from Iowa is a really interesting prospect for me on the edge. He's a guy that really was a top 10 pick going into this college football season last year, had a little bit of a down year for Iowa. He doesn't have that elite first step explosiveness. He's not a guy that's going to turn the corner or scream off the edge, but he's stout. He's 6'6", 280 pounds. He's really good against the run, and he's a good pass rusher, a lot of technical skill as a pass rusher, a bunch of different moves that he can go to and things of that nature, and he can really set an edge. And the Patriots are going to have a need there. They kind of already have a need at defensive end, I would say.

Epinenta certainly can play that role with his hand on the ground. But if Kyle Van Noy leaves in free agency, then they're going to have to replace that strong side outside linebacker role as well. And I think Epinenta could play on his feet and be able to do things like that too. So he's a really interesting prospect, a guy that probably if he had a little bit of a better year, if guys like Chase Young didn't really scream up the board, he's probably going a lot higher than we are talking about him going now. But right now he's in that late teens, early 20s range.

Yeah, great analysis. And a lot of guys that you mentioned are guys that I've had my eye on pretty much this week as I'm doing my preparations for the Combine coming up in Indy this week. I'm glad that you mentioned Justin Jefferson because he was a guy that I did a lot of work on yesterday, and I agree with you. I think there's so much there that really endears him to a New England Patriots uniform, specifically his route running, his ability to

be able to find himself in the right spot at the right time, his ability to play both in the slot and on the outside. The only question that I had with Jefferson was his vertical leap, which I know a lot of people equate to his athleticism. I think he's a better athlete than a lot of people are giving him credit for, but I think that ability to not go up and be able to make that vertical leap may make him drop a little bit. He could be an intriguing option if the Patriots still hold on to the number 23 pick. I think a lot of people are wondering whether or not that's a little too aggressive on Jefferson, but I think that might be an area where he might be able to be an asset to New England. And I'm glad that you mentioned the defense as being a sleeper position

to watch this week, especially with edge and safety. I made a point earlier this week that it's a very real possibility of Devin McCourty leaving. I think a lot of people are worried about Tom Brady, and obviously with due cause he is, again, like I said, priority one. But if they do have the ability to replace him or essentially groom a type of replacement player for McCourty, safety is a position to keep an eye on.

And I'm glad you mentioned Epinenza because I think that's on the edge side. He provides that linebacker help, that defensive end help. We saw them struggle a little bit this year. I think those are positions to keep your eye on. Evan, what can I say? that defensive end help. We saw them struggle a little bit this year. I think those are positions to keep your eye on. Evan, what can I say? The thing about safety is, too, just quickly, is that there's a couple of different prospects, Xavier McKinney,

Grant Delpit, Antoine Winfield Jr., that are also just right in that range, you know, right in that low 20s, end of the first round type picks at safety that I think are really going to be interesting players for the Patriots, especially McKinney and Winfield Jr. So I would look out for those two guys at safety as well. Great. Excellent. And I'm glad that you mentioned those because I profiled Delpit a little bit earlier this week on Locked On Patriots.

So definitely some names to keep an eye on, folks. We're on the same page. And again, that's why we have some. Yeah, definitely. And we definitely have like-mindedness in that situation. But, again, one of the big reasons why I have someone with Evan's knowledge is to bring those names to your attention and keep a sharp eye on them as you do your combine preparation, folks, heading into this week.

Evan, what can I say? You bring your wisdom and counsel like only you can, and it's always my honor to share the microphone. It's always my honor to have you here for you to bring my listeners that enlightenment. So for the benefit of those that don't know where to find you, and if you don't, folks, you should, but just in case, where can they find you on social media? And give a little reminder to everyone where they can always read your great work on CLNS.

Well, it's always a pleasure to come on and I love coming on with you, Mike, and I'm happy to do it anytime. You can follow me on Twitter at EZLazar, L-A-Z-A-R, and follow us at CLNSmedia.com, CLNSmedia.com YouTube channel as well. We talk plenty of draft stuff there. I do delve into some of the Patriots rumors like Mike said. I wrote about Stephon Diggs yesterday, but the

main focus of my time right now is on the draft. So a bunch of different draft stuff up already, stuff on the tight end. I did my wide receiver tiers today, ranking my top 20 guys pre-combined just based off the tape. And we'll go from there and see where this takes us it's going to be a fun draft season the Patriots certainly have needs

but there's a lot of players at the positions that they have needs at that are really intriguing yeah definitely and one of the more intriguing and interesting off seasons we've seen up here in Foxborough in quite a while not just from the draft perspective but from the free agency perspective for the past 20 years Patriots really haven't had a concern as to who's going to be taking snaps under center. For the first time this year, they have that concern. So, Evan is definitely all over it. I can't recommend following him and his information and his stuff highly enough. Definitely check it out, folks. You will not be disappointed. Along with all of the great content that they have at CLNS Media, whether it be Mike Bedraglia, Sierra Goodwill, his colleagues there. They all

do a phenomenal job. Evan, thanks again for joining me today. Enjoy the Combine Week next week, and we look forward to having you back on here on Locked On Patriots really soon. Absolutely. Thanks, Mike. And with that, folks, we put a wrap on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. It was truly my privilege to talk some Patriots football with Evan Lazar today. There is no doubt in my mind that by listening to him, you were able to pick up a ton of insight. It was far from being just lip service when I said earlier that Evan is one of the best

in the business. He truly is. And his appearance today definitely solidified that point as far as I'm concerned. Having guests like Evan, Steve Balistrieri, and Thomas Murphy give you the type of insight and analysis that you can find only here on Locked on Patriots. As for me, I always try my best to help that along as well. And on that note, I will be back on Monday as we kick off Combine Week here on Locked on Patriots.

As I said when I opened the show today, we have some great guests lined up along with a lot of interactive content next week. So keep a sharp eye on my Twitter account at MDABATEFPC and the Locked On Patriots Twitter account at LO underscore Patriots. Going to be asking for your feedback, your insight, and your opinions quite often next week. Combine Week is always a favorite of mine, my colleagues in the media, and all NFL fans. So keep it right here, folks, because we have a great Combine week coming up on tap. And last but certainly not least, Locked On Patriots will be getting a new introduction on Monday. So for the first time since I've taken the reins here at Locked On Patriots, the first

thing that you hear will not be hello to all you Foxborough faithful. But fear not, folks. It's not going away. It just won't be the first thing that you hear. So keep a sharp ear out on Monday, and please be sure to let me know what you think of our new introduction here at the Locked On Patriots podcast. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day right here by subscribing and downloading via your preferred podcast provider.

Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Evan Lazar for his insight, analysis, and his appearance here today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Have a great weekend, everyone.