Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - LOCKED ON PATRIOTS- 3/4/17- Sebastian Vollmer, New Tight Ends Coach Nick Caley, Jimmy Garoppolo, and the Defensive Tackle Free Agent Market

Episode Date: March 4, 2017

Chris Simoneau, Patriots Insider for Scout.com, updates you on the latest Patriots news and takes a dive into the free agent defensive tackle pool. #patriots Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. Good afternoon. I'm Chris Simino, Patriots Inside of a Scout.com, and also your host of Locked On Patriots, your source for everything Patriots. Today is Saturday, March 4th, 2017. We have a lot to get to today as the news is fast and furious this week out of Foxborough. And that isn't about to change with free agency getting started and the draft right around the corner. We'll get all that news to you and then some in today's podcast.

We're also going to discuss the free agent defensive tackle market, see who's available and may who be a fit to join the 2017 Patriots. There's always changes on the roster, and if they need to add some run-stopping depth to the interior of their line, which I think they need to do, this could be a good year to do it. Also, it would be nice to find someone who can rush the quarterback, but we'll get into defensive ends and edge rushers tomorrow. But I do see that more coming in the draft

because when you get them in free agency it's a lot of money we'll start our draft coverage next week when we are done covering all the free agents that are available we're just going to go position by position to make it easier for you guys to digest as the days go on

before we get started I just want my listeners to know that I can be found on Twitter under the handle chris underscore simono c-h-r-s underscore s-i-M-O-N-E-A-U. If you have any questions for the show, be it about the Patriots, myself, Patriots Insider,

or if you're looking to advertise here on Locked On Patriots, email me directly at simono.christopher5 at gmail.com. That's S-I-M-O-N-E-A-U dot Christopher, C-H-R-S-T-O-P-H-E-R, the number 5 at gmail.com. If you are a member of Patriots Insider on scout.com, you can contact me directly on the site via message. Alright, let's get to it. We're going to start this day off with some Patriots news.

First and foremost, the Patriots have officially released tackle Sebastian Vollmer. To the surprise of nobody, really, the Patriots have officially released their former signing right tackle. And considering his age and injury history, that will most likely be the end of the road for the big German who played his college days for the Houston Cougars. Vollmer, who's 32, was originally drafted by the Patriots in the second round of the 2009 NFL draft. 6'8", 320 pounds, so a big guy.

I think that was part of his issue with the height. A lot of guys get back issues and things of that nature. But he did play in 88 regular season games, started 80 of those games from 2009 to 2015. And unfortunately for 2016, he ended up on the physically unable to perform list. Vollmer also started all 10 postseason games that he appeared in, including all three games in the 2014 Super Bowl run.

So he was able to have a big part in the Super Bowl championship win, which was nice to see. His best season came in 2010. He started all 16 games at right tackle, and he was an AP All-Pro second team. So Vollmer was a surprise selection to most when they only took him in the second round back in 2009. So once again, Belichick and the Patriots a little bit ahead of the curve on a player

that they had scouted really hard and that they liked. They had a good feeling about him, and they were right. Vollmer, he had a very productive Patriots career. And even if he never plays another down in the NFL, he had a very productive Patriots career. And even if he never plays another down in the NFL, he should be proud of what he's accomplished in the league. His success is also good for the game too, as it shows that international players can succeed in the NFL. So good luck in the future, Seabass. I know that you're probably going to end up retiring. Great career, great Patriots career. Another one of those

guys, if you look back Gerard Mayo Not the longest career But the time that he was here he was very productive In Vollmer's and that same boat So Sebastian Vollmer Officially released moving on Most likely retiring Second thing today

Patriots news and I thought this was kind of important Because it's probably Besides quarterback the most important position On the Patriots offense as far as their skill positions are concerned. Brian Dayball, former tight ends coach, has moved on to be the offensive coordinator down at Alabama, so they have to find a replacement. And they have. The Patriots announced today that they have named Nick Cayley as a tight ends coach. Cayaley's been a coaching assistant with the Patriots for the past two seasons. He coached in college for 10 years. He was at John Carroll from 05-06, Akron 06-07, Auburn in 08, Iowa State in 09-11, East Illinois in 2012, Arkansas in 2013, and Florida Atlantic in 2014.

Let's just say this about Nick Caley. He works, and this guy is looking to move up the ranks, and he's done it quickly because he's a hard worker. Hopefully, because Caley has an important job as a Patriots user at tight ends more than any other team in the NFL, and they need a coach to get them to play the best that they can. I think with Caley's background not only in coaching, but he also has a background in education, I get the feeling he'll do a good job in his new role.

We all hope he does. It makes it a little bit easier when you've got Gronkowski, but when he's not healthy and you've got to make it work with guys that may not be the best in the league, that makes it difficult. But Belichick expects him to make it work still, so good luck to him in his new role. Next on the news docket, and he's taken up a lot, Jimmy Garoppolo. The word on him continues to be mixed.

Garoppolo's in an odd position. The truth is all he wants to do is play. A couple days ago, Adam Schefter went on Boston Radio and said emphatically that he won't be traded, that he'll spend 2017 with the Patriots. And then the next day, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer goes and says that the Browns have made the Patriots a preliminary offer and there absolutely could be a trade still in the works.

Today, Garoppolo added to the confusion, and maybe just to throw people off a little bit, he posted an Instagram post with him raising two fingers, as in like a peace sign, with the caption saying, La Famiglia, which looked like it was spelled wrong, but who knows, which is family in Italian. Some think that is a sign of something.

I think it might actually be him signaling to his family during the Super Bowl, and he was just putting up the picture on Instagram. Who knows? I don't think there's anything more than that. All I know is that the situation is getting murky, and the only way New England should be willing to trade Garoppolo is with a godfather offer, like two number ones and some later round picks, or even two number ones, a third, a fifth, something of that nature. This guy might be the Patriots version of Steve Young,

and no matter how frustrated he seems, they need to keep the guy if they think he can be special when you have a 40-year-old quarterback. It's going to be over soon for Brady. I hate to break it to Patriots fans. He's not going to play until he's 50. He's probably not going to play over soon for Brady. I hate to break it to Patriots fans. He's not going to play until he's 50. He's probably not going to play until he's 45.

Yeah, he takes care of himself. That's why he's so effective at the age that he's at. But it's still going to come to an end, and it's going to happen quickly. If you don't have Garoppolo, and this happens next season or if it happens the season after that, I guarantee you if he's out on another team and he's getting that team to the playoffs, the Patriots are going to look back at that as one of the biggest mistakes in the history of their franchise. So, I don't know. We'll see. I actually believe one of the reasons the Patriots are being so fiscally conservative right now

is because they plan on keeping Garoppolo for at least one year on the franchise tag if they have to. Is that unconventional and sound crazy to keep $25 million tied up on your bench? Yes, it absolutely is. Do the Patriots give a crap what anybody thinks? Nope, not one bit. The thing to remember is Brady has most of his money tied up in bonuses, so his cap hit is not nearly as bad as most style quarterbacks. It's also known that Brady is about to sign a new deal that will most likely continue to be team-friendly cap-wise. So the Patriots can afford to overpay their backup, way overpay their backup, if they desperately want to keep Brady around and let him finish his career here.

And I think that's what they want to do. I don't think they want to see Brady finish his career here, and I think that's what they want to do. I don't think they want to see Brady finish his career anywhere else, but I also know that they don't want to see themselves have a drop-off and then the search for a new quarterback because that can take a long time. Maybe it's Brissette, maybe it's not, but I know that they like Garoppolo. Garoppolo does have some leverage in this situation too, but that franchise tag I think is going to control the situation. And if Brady starts to show signs of falling off at all next year,

there's probably going to be some tough conversations being had in the office of Bill Belichick. The bottom line is this situation is coming to a head pretty soon, and it could decide if the Patriots remain a contender for years to come or if they're in a situation just like every other rebuilding team in the league where they're looking for a quarterback and they can't quite find one and it's going to push them back to the pack. I just think that having Garoppolo developed gives them a foot forward already

on what to do when Brady hangs it up and having a starting quarterback waiting in the wings while you have the greatest of all time still playing pretty well is a good position to be in and if the money if you can make that work I think they should try to find a way to make it work but again Garoppolo wants to play so something's gonna give um so something's gonna give just pay attention get your popcorn out as Trill owns and say, because it's going to get interesting. Let's take a minute to tell you about one of our sponsors. PatriotsInsider on Scout.com provides daily news, video from NFL.com,

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Go see how much those tickets cost. You'll be amazed at the availability of some of the seats you can get. So, again, that's nwe.scout.com. Go sign up today. So we've been talking about free agency for the last week here on Locked On Patriots, and today we're going to talk about defensive tackles. Patriots have already had some good discussions with their own free agent now in Branch, which is a good sign because I think they need to keep him.

And they've also spoken with some other guys out there, which we're going to get to momentarily. So they're clearly not waiting around to add, and they've also talked about keeping the guys that produce for them. One D lineman from 2016 that will not be around is Chris Long. He already announced on Instagram that he'll be moving on to a team that will provide him with more playing time. He did have great things to say about his time here in New England, but because he's getting so close to the end, he wants to play for a team where he won't come off the field.

As a football player, you have to respect where it's coming from. These guys only get to play so many snaps, and they don't want to be on the sideline when they know they're still young and good enough to play regularly. Good luck, Chris. I hope you find a team that wants you to play full-time. I question if that's out there, and that's not a knock on him at all. This is reality in the NFL, but I am pulling for him because he's a good kid and he's a good player. So good luck, Chris Long. I hope you find a starting role and you get to play 99% of the snaps that you want to play next season.

All right, let's take a look at free agent defensive tackles. Not all. We're going to look at ends later on, like tomorrow. But let's take a look at D tackles right now because that's where it all starts when it comes to defense. First guy on the list that I'm interested in is Jonathan Hankins, former New York Giant. And who knows, he may end up going back there,

so he may not be former for long, but right now he's an unrestricted free agent. And he is a former Ohio State Buckeye. He would definitely fit into the Patriots defense, considering he has good skills against the run and the pass, but he's someone that might break the bank, someone that might offer him a stupid deal, so that's not going to happen from the Patriots, unless, we'll get to that in a minute the Patriots, they were interested in Hankins when he was coming out in the draft, but ultimately

the Giants took him in the second round before the Patriots could get their hands on him, so they missed out. For two of his four years with New York, he's been very productive, specifically in 2014. In fact, pro football focus named him an All-Pro in 2014, second-team All-Pro. Hankins played in 11 games as a rookie in 2013, put up modest numbers, didn't do much. But he started 16 out of 16 games in 2013, put up modest numbers, didn't do much. But he started 16 out of 16 games in 2014,

finished with 30 solo tackles, 21 assisted tackles, 7 sacks, 3 passes defended, and a forced fumble, which is just an incredible season for a defensive tackle, especially a second-year guy. He got hurt in 2015, only played 9 games, and his production, specifically his pass rush production, it was non-existent. 2016, he started 16 games again, finished with 29 solo tackles, 14 assisted, he had three sacks, and he forced a fumble. Now, he wasn't 2014 Reggie White, Hankins, but he was definitely a good player in 2016, good to very good. The re-signing of Branch would eliminate the Patriots, I believe, from the Hankins market,

and that's what I was talking about as far as money is concerned, but if they don't re-sign Branch, keep an eye on this. I think the Patriots will target Hankins. I think he would be one of the number one guys that they would take a look at because, yes, he's going to get a little bit of money, but he's not going to break the bank like crazy, I don't think. Who knows? You just never know in today's NFL. But if they can't get Branch re-signed,

I think Hankins is a guy that they lean to go to next because I think he would be a good fit. Second on the list is Benny Logan. Logan, he's played his entire career with the Eagles, another 2013 draft pick. But recently, general manager Howie Roseman said that, you know, he doesn't think he's going to sign him. He's not really sure, and they like to keep those things between them and the player, which basically means that they're probably moving on from Benny Logan.

Logan was arguably their best run stopper in 2016, and he's another player that the Patriots had interest in when he was drafted out of LSU in 2013. Logan has started 51 of 59 games he's appeared in. He's got 124 solo tackles, 43 assisted, only 5.5 sacks pass defended. He's forced three fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and he's only missed five total games in four seasons. I think Logan is another guy that would be a possible replacement for Branch if they're unable to get a deal worked out because he's not going to get pennies.

He's going to get a decent contract, and whoever gets him is going to pick up a guy who's a starter. Next on the list, this guy is more of a depth guy, more of a gamble guy, defensive tackle Jordan Hill. Some of you guys may not even remember who he is. He's a former third-round pick out of Penn State. He looked like a future star for the Seahawks following the 2014 season. He piled up 14, actually 15 solo tackles,

four assisted tackles, five and a half sacks, one interception, four passes defended, three fumble recoveries, and he did all this not starting in one game, and he only played in 13. He was an absolute force that season, and the Seahawks thought great things. These guys thought he was going to be one of their best players,

but in 2015, his numbers dropped dramatically. He only played in 10 games, and the Seahawks actually released him in 2016 before he ever appeared in a game. Washington signed him and cut him again before he played a game, and then he finished the season with Jacksonville. He appeared in four games, but he didn't even crack the stat sheet. Not one tackle, not one assist, nothing. He's that type of player with talent that the Patriots like to gamble on, assuming the player takes a minimal contract. I think you should keep an eye on Hill. I wouldn't be

surprised if the Patriots did take a chance on him, considering how well he did in the rotation in Seattle. But he's one of those hit-or-miss guys, and it's really disappointing to see how far he's dropped off from just how great he was two seasons ago. Again, 2014 was not that long ago, and he was completely dominant. So let's see if Hill maybe catches on with the right team, and maybe he kind of gets it together and ends up being the player that the Seahawks thought he was going to become. Next on the list is a guy who would be essentially a starter, Nick Fairley, the

former Lion and current Saints free agent. He's an unrestricted free agent and he's also coming off one of his most productive seasons of his career, if not his most productive. Fairly finished 2016 with 16 starts. He had 29 solo tackles, 14 assisted tackles, and he also had 6.5 sacks. The Saints are reportedly interested in re-signing the former Auburn Tiger, and for those who are worried that last year was simply a contract quote-unquote contract year effort, it's important to note that in 2012 and 2013, he put up basically the same numbers. In 2012,

he did it in just seven stocks and 13 games appeared, and so clearly the talent is there, and he showed that it's still there last season. Fairley isn't in the depth category for New England. He's a guy that they'll look at if they don't retain Branch's services. Or, and this could happen too, if Branch prices himself out because they say, you know what, let's go with somebody younger. And that definitely could happen. So I think Fairley's a guy to keep an eye on if negotiations with Branch get a little hairy

because they're a little freaked out about his age and or his failed drug test, anything like that. It could be anything with Branch at this point. So we'll see how that all works out. But if he doesn't get re-signed, I think that Nick Fairley is a guy the Patriots will absolutely bring in to take a look at. Last on the list of defensive tackles, and the Patriots have already met with this guy. I've been talking about him, but I haven't really said his name.

Jared Odrick. Odrick is eligible to be signed immediately. Like I said, that's why the Patriots have already met with him, so he's absolutely on their radar. Odrick plays defensive end a lot too. He's even been known to play some linebacker, but he has the ability to play inside, similar to what Chris Long did last season playing the three technique.

For those of you who may not know the three technique, it's an interior position. You're lined up between the tackle and the guard. It's one of those things where it's just a two technique. You're lined up on the guard side, the three technique here in between guard and tackle. A lot of times he'll do it with guys that are good at getting after the quarterback or good at attacking gaps and making plays. I think Odrick is the type of guy that could fit that mold. He only played six games in 2016 due to injury, but he started them all and he would be a solid death

pickup for the Patriots defense if Odrick doesn't get blown away by another team, which I think is what exactly would happen. I think the Patriots brought him in. Say go check out free agency if somebody offers you a great deal, congratulations. If not, come on back and sign a one-year deal and try to win a Super Bowl. Again, that's the advantage of being great on an annual basis. You have the ability to acquire motivated talent on the cheap, and even though it's only for a year, hey, that one year could be that year that they win it all. Go ask Jarrell Rivas and Chris Long how that worked out for them. So I would keep an eye on Odrick.

I have a feeling that he's going to be a Patriot next season. So that'll do it for defensive tackles today. There isn't any other restricted free agents that I think the Patriots would be interested in, in my opinion. Best restricted defensive tackle on the market, you know, from a talent and age and production standpoint is, well, Dominique Easley. So, again, I see them trying to re-sign Branch, one of these other guys that I spoke about, and then trying to add a depth piece like an Odrick.

And if they can't get an Odrick, maybe even a guy like Jordan Hill, who's not really been that great over the last couple seasons, but maybe some coaching in New England could change that. Thank you guys for joining us on this Saturday edition of Lockdown Patriots. Be sure to go to

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Here at Locked On Patriots, we're gonna get you all the info you know to be the most in-the-know Patriots fans. Be sure to join us tomorrow as we provide up-to-the-minute news on the Patriots, also we're going to discuss Free Asian Defense events, another area of need that we'll discuss in depth tomorrow afternoon

again, I am your host Chris Simino thanks for joining us today, be sure to join us again tomorrow have a great day Patriots fans whatcha doing? ran out of space on my phone so I'm deleting some stuff bye singing dog. Bye, goal. Bye, wedding ceremony. Stop. At MetroPCS, you get two free phones with twice as much memory.

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