Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - LOCKED ON PATRIOTS- 8/15/17- Notes From Today's Joint Practice & Examining The Roster

Episode Date: August 15, 2017

Chris Simoneau discusses the Patriots/Texans joint practice in West Virginia, and also breaks down the 90 man roster to get a rough idea of who makes the 53-man roster. 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 the Scouts.com, and also your host of Locked on Patriots. Today is Tuesday, August 15th, 2017. Today we're going to discuss some of the highlights and some of the news from the joint practice with the Texans, and we'll also take a few minutes to discuss who could be a surprise cut or trade as we examine the 90 players on the current depth chart. There's going to be some things that happen, guaranteed. They're not going to cut everybody because

there's players on here that other NFL teams will want, so we'll take a dive into that. Before we get started, I just want my listeners to know that I can be found on Twitter under the handle Chris underscore Seminole. You can also find us on the Twitter handle LockedOnPatriot. 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 LockedOnPatriots, you can email me directly at Seminole.Christopher5 at gmail.com. That's S-I-M-O-N-E-A-U dot C-H-R-S-T-O-P-H-E-R, the number 5 at gmail.com. If you're a member of Patriots Insider on scout.com,

you can contact me directly on the site via message. And also, if you follow myself or if you follow Locked On Patriot, we will follow you back. So that way, if you have any questions for us, you can ask them to us directly. If it starts to get that you are an unruly fan and you take advantage of it, we'll just block you. So it's that simple. But if you follow us, we'll follow you back, and you can ask us any questions you want directly.

So today the Patriots, like I said, they're in a joint practice with the Houston Texans. It's pretty cool. The Patriots actually have three joint practices this season planned. This time they were down in White Sulphur Hills and Springs down in West Virginia. They had their first of two joint practices before they played their game. It was in full pads, so it was pretty good. Eric Rowe was back out there. He was out for the last week, but he's back on the field again. Matt Slater, Mike Gillislee, Brandon King, which great special teams player.

Keontae Davis, who just joined the team. Dante Hightower, who that's no surprise. Shane McClellan, Tony Garcia, another one who I'm getting a little concerned about. Andrew Jelks, still on the NFI. Nate Solder, still out. Matt Langell and Dietrich Wise. All those guys are out today. Wise, like we talked about during the recap show on Thursday,

is battling a concussion, so he's going to be out for a little while. My guess is they'll probably hold him out for this week too to get him to the point where they want him to be because I don't see Wise not making this roster based off the preseason and based off the camp that he's had. So it should be interesting to see how that all goes down. One thing that stood out today was Stephen Gilmore. He was actually present. He was in uniform. He was there.

But he didn't take part in any of the drills, and he didn't take part in really anything. He did some of the positional drills, but once they started competing, that was it. At first, I don't know, it wasn't an injury, so I'm not really sure what the deal is. So who knows? This is definitely something to keep an eye on, but I don't really think it's going to end up being a big deal. From what I was told today from the people who I have watching the practices for me,

because I'm not down in West Virginia, just because I can't be, it doesn't look like it's anything major. So, again, we'll keep an eye on that like we always do, and we'll keep you guys updated. Cody Hollister was in a red non-contact jersey today. He's probably battling some upper body injury, is my guess. Probably something in the ribs or possibly the sternum, something like that. Typically, when you see those red non-contact jerseys for a wide receiver, there's a reason for it. Demarius Travis was in the same thing too. So probably battling an upper body injury.

Typically that's what it is, you know, non-contact. In these type of practices, it's usually not legs if they're out there practicing. So Tom Brady did okay today, 18 out of 27. Gronk caught five. Hogan caught five. Edelman caught four. Burkhead caught one. Mitchell caught one. Hogan caught five, Edelman caught four, Burkhead caught one, Mitchell caught one,

Dion Lewis caught one, and Brandon Bolden, who surprised me because I've been down on him for many, many years, not on special teams, but as a running back. He also had a catch today, too. Texans' defense was good today. They were giving the Patriots some trouble. Not a lot of room in the passing game. As you saw, Brady 18 out of 27.

That's a little bit below his typical percentage rate. And it's because the Texans were actually forcing him into making some really hard throws. Brady missed a few, like he always does. Brady struggles sometimes. If it's man-to-man and they're doing their job, we saw with the Texans last season when the Patriots had a lot of trouble with them. And luckily, after a kick return by Deion Lewis, it kind of sent them on their way. But that game was a lot closer than people want to seem to remember. Kareem Jackson had a nice play, diving breakup on Danny Amendola.

Dante Foreman broke up a pass. Dante Foreman, no, that's not right. Those notes are incorrect. Dante Foreman's a running back, so there's no way that happened. And if he did, good for him because, I mean, he's got some skills. But, yeah, Gronkowski had a nice pass broken up on him. You know, it was just one of those days. Kareem Jackson was awesome today.

Not only did he have that diving breakup, he was giving Edelman all the trouble he could. It was just a good day overall for the Houston Texans defense, for most of them, for most of them. One guy who did not have a very good day today was Mr. J.J. Watt, and the reason why J.J. Watt didn't have a good day today, because he was up against a guy who manhandles him, Marcus Cannon. Marcus Cannon, the last few times he's faced him, I believe it's the last three times, last year he got hurt, I know, in the game, but he still got stonewalled, and today he got stonewalled too. And I know that J.J. Watt's returning from a back injury and this and that,

but the bottom line is he got whooped today by Marcus Cannon. So Cannon continues to improve. Watt, I don't know, man. I don't know. I have a feeling that coming from somebody who's dealing with a slight back injury right now, I couldn't imagine what that guy had going on for him to be out for an entire season, have to get all that surgery and stuff.

So I'm sure it's going to be a little while before he's back to full speed, but I'm starting to wonder if he's ever going to be back to full speed because a back injury like that and the level that he was at, I don't know. It's going to be interesting to see if he can get back to that. If he gets back to 90% of what he was or even 85% of what he was, he's still going to be really good, but that's still up in the air. We'll see how that goes. Again, the Texas defense was good today, but it's not like they completely shut the Patriots down. The Patriots did a pretty good job overall. They were able to hit some big plays. Gronk got hit

and caught a 30-odd catch. Edelman had a nice 20-odd play on a flag route. Then he had another 20-odd touchdown catch. It was a nice play. He actually beat double coverage. Then Chris Hogan caught a 50-odd against double coverage, actually, to set up a field goal when they were running that two-minute. That was pretty good. James White had a touchdown run in the final drive. Interesting, because a touchdown running the final drive. Interesting, because that's not the first time that's happened. Jimmy Garoppolo, 12 out of 21 in team drills.

And, of course, he was streaky Jimmy. That's what he is. Shouldn't be Jimmy G. It should be Jimmy S. He started off slow, which seems to be a common Jimmy Garoppolo thing. And it's funny because everyone says he reminds me of Romo, and Romo had that issue too when he was playing for a little while. He stopped slow, and then next thing you know, he was killing you.

But then 10 of 11, the close of the last two periods, and then he made plays when he had to. Late practice, they're trying to go out there and make plays, and his best throw of the day came to Malcolm Mitchell, and that was later in practice. Actually, you know, his first throw of the day was the one to Malcolm Mitchell, the 30-yarder, but being 10 of 11 of his last 11 throws, it just goes to show, once that guy gets warmed up and he gets rolling, Garoppolo's a good player. So, I just think that he's one of those guys that, he just gotta deal with that slight

thing, that beginning of game, gotta to get your feet wet type situation. But that could be a youth thing too. The guy isn't, he's 30 years old. He's still only 25, 26 years old. So with Garoppolo, I think he's got to be patient, and those beginning of the game blunders will start to slow down. Jacoby Brissett didn't get many reps. He has the third stringer, actually.

He was 2 of 5. Jacob Hollister, who I thought was the best player on the field for the Patriots on Thursday, and the second best player of the field, Austin Carr, both caught the passes from Brissett. So it was pretty good to see that the Patriots had guys out there like Devin Lucien had a catch, Austin Carr continued. These guys that are kind of on the bubble, you're not really sure what the deal is, they're still showing up, and they're still showing up against other teams during practices,

other teams during games. I think Hollister, Jacob Hollister, Austin Carr, and Devin Lucien are going to give the Belichick and Casario and the rest of these guys who decide the roster, they're going to give them a hard time making a decision. There's a lot of talent there, so it should be interesting to see. So a lot of Patriots out there, a lot of Patriot representation on the field. It was pretty interesting.

You got Mike Vrabel out there. You got Wes Welker out there. It's just different. We got Billy Orabel out there You got Wes Welker out there It's just different You got Billy O'Brien out there And obviously you have all the Patriots out there But just to see Vrabel Getting his defense ready to face Tom Brady It's just really really weird

It's just Jeff Howe who actually used to host this show As you guys know he's a great reporter I just looked at one of his articles here. He said it's interesting to watch them stand across from each other in completely different phases of their careers, and he's true. Brady really isn't. He is in a different phase as far as time,

but Brady's still playing quarterback, and Mike Vrabel, since he's left, has been a defensive coordinator for Ohio State. He's rose all the way up, and he's already a defensive coordinator. He's going to be a head coach in this league soon. I guarantee that. I guarantee you in the next round of head coaches, Mike Vrabel may be one selected. And don't be shocked, and I know this sounds crazy, but don't be shocked if Mike Vrabel

is someday the head coach of the New England Patriots. He'd have to iron things out a little bit with Bob Kraft after his comment about Patriot Place. But I actually thought that was funny. But he's a very, very good candidate to be a head coach in this league. And if Belichick retires and the timing's right, don't be surprised if the Patriots take a look at the man who was a big, big part of this dynasty that's been going on for,

well, almost two decades now. One thing today that stood out, and this stands out to me too as a special teams guy, the Texans ran a drill that was really good, good blocking, lots of energy, guys getting after it, good reps, good stuff, and that's what you look for as a coach, especially in practice. When you get that type of stuff, that's how you get better. Everybody down there said it was awesome. It was fun to watch. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of those highlights on TV tonight. If you guys are going to check out the highlights, that's one to watch for. I would assume the Patriots is something that they're going to start running. This is just one of those situations. That's why it's good to practice with other teams

because you see a drill and go, well, I drill and then you say all right we're going to implement it with our team and you can improve your team at the same time so that i like that that was uh it's good to hear as far as special teams are concerned and with matthew slater out guys you have to step up so the more that they can work on and the more that they know that they have guys that can make plays because they're working hard in practice with you know good drills and things of that nature there won't be a huge drop-off with Slater not out there because I have a feeling Slater's really hurt. I don't have information that you guys may always get info.

No, I don't. I just, from what I can see with my own two eyes, it doesn't look good. He's been out for a long time, and I'm just concerned. Malcolm Brown stepped up today on nice run stuff. Vincent Valentine had a sack of Deshaun Watson. Not easy to do. Deshaun can move. And Derek Rivers actually applied some pressure on that one too, and Valentine pretty much cleaned up. And Harvey Lange and Trey Flowers also combined for another sack of Watson today, so that's good to see. Alan Branch was back at practice today

coming off the pup list. Good for him. He showed up right away, just made a nice play on a passing play, came up the middle, that's what he does. So in a real game, he might have gotten the sack, who knows, but he definitely blew the play up. So it's nice to have him back out there. His career as a Patriot has been awesome. If he had come to the Patriots from out of college

and he had had the coaching and everything that he's had while he's been here, I have a feeling this guy would have been a lot better than what he is. His career would have been a lot better than what it is. And his career is still pretty good. I mean, don't get me wrong. Allen Branch has been a good player. But he really, really, he was good in Seattle too, but he really blew up when he came to New England, so good for him.

Malcolm Butler had a nice run stuff on a blitz. You know, it was a missed block. It happens, but still, Butler's not afraid to step up, and even in practice, he'll come up and make the tackle. Tom Savage looked pretty good today. Jay was strong, a guy I really liked coming out of college. I liked him last year, too. They had a nice connection against Malcolm Butler, actually,

and then Savage had another touchdown later against the Patriots starters. So that was interesting. Adam Butler had a sack. Whitney Merciless was beating the hell out of Leydrian Waddell and Cam Fleming. Cam Fleming looks terrible. Oh, he looks so bad so far in training camp. I have a feeling Cam Fleming, if Tony Garcia is good to go and they think they see what they need out of him,

Fleming is probably gone because Adrian Waddell is a better player than Fleming, in my opinion. And Fleming has been terrible, so I have a feeling he's going to be out of here. And they were rotating that left tackle because Nate Solder's not playing, so that could be an issue. Don't be surprised if the Patriots go out and pick up somebody in free agency, maybe a veteran, because right now we or a trade. That's another thing, too. They traded for Brian Waters back when they made their Super Bowl run in 2011. Don't be surprised if they go out and make a trade.

If they see something like Nate Solder possibly being out for a couple weeks, or even out for one week, it may be worth getting some depth in there that can help out. So Merciless, like I said, he beat the hell out of both of them. He had a sack on Brady, knocked him down. No big deal. It happens. So it's no big deal. Marcus Cannon, again, like I told you guys, he was awesome today.

Cannon just, he's getting better and better every year, and he's one of those guys that I was not a huge fan of for a little bit. I liked him when he first came out because he looked like a guy that was flexible and he could do different things and play different positions, but then he struggled a little bit and he just, he didn't really do too well for two years, but all of a sudden he got his chance when Sebastian Volmer went down last year, Cannon went in, well Volmer went down in the preseason, didn't even step on the field.

Cannon immediately assumed that right tackle position, earned himself a big-time contract, and it looks like he hasn't taken any steps backwards. In fact, he's probably taking steps forward if he's out there beating up on J.J. Watt when J.J. Watt's somewhat healthy compared to last year when he beat him up. So that's awesome to see. Don't mean to harp too much on Marcus Cannon, but I'm really excited about him. Another thing with Cannon, too,

and I don't think they want to mess with it, but with the issues that they're having right now with Solder, I wouldn't be surprised if they took Cannon and put him on the left side, and if Garcia could play, maybe put him on the right. It's food for thought. I know Garcia played the left when he was in college, but he's not ready to play left tackle for Tom Brady. Marcus Cannon, maybe, but we'll see. Maybe put him on the right. It's food for thought. I know Garcia played the left when he was in college,

but he's not ready to play left tackle for Tom Brady. Marcus Cannon, maybe, but we'll see. Hopefully it's not an issue. Hopefully he's sold his back. Landon Roberts, he was flashing out there today. It was pretty good to see. Roberts is one of those guys that he's old school. He's a straight-up, run-stopping-type linebacker.

I know he's a little bit taller than Sam Mills, but he's like a Sam Mills-type guy. He's old school. He's a straight-up run-stopping type linebacker. I know he's a little bit taller than Sam Mills, but he's like a Sam Mills type guy. He's quick. Zach Thomas, those type of guys, they get to the ball. They're great run-stoppers. If Orlando Roberts came into the NFL in 1997, he would have been a starter for 10 years. But unfortunately, he plays in a game that's a little bit more wide open now, so he's got to just find his niche, which is the run game, and really be good at it, but he did a pretty good job. Things got a little bit heated today during one of the goal line periods, but it didn't

go crazy. There was no big fight or anything like that. It got broken up faster than it even got started. Coney Ealy, Coney Ealy in appearance today. Hey, welcome back to the team, pal. He had a sack, and he actually had really good high-energy reps beyond that, too. But other than that, he didn't really do much. But, no, but seriously, just to see him get a sack

and actually step up and make a couple plays, I don't know if he's trying to show another team, hey, look it, I can play, and maybe you guys can pick me up because he likes the way that the Texans play. But the Texans play similar to the Patriots. So, yeah, I don't know if that's going to really work out for him. But Ealy, yeah, he had a sack and two great, like I said, two great reps beyond that. But other than that, he was the Coney Ealy that we've seen throughout training camp. Derek Rivers I thought was pretty good today.

He forced Watson into a sack, and he also forced him to throw away the ball. Rivers is starting to find his niche a little bit too. I have a feeling we're going to see him in sub-packages early in the season, have him out there with your best players, and I think it's going to make life a little bit easier on him. Last but not least, from the linebacking core, Kyle Vannoy had a pretty good day today. He usually isn't that good in pass coverage, but today he broke up two passes. He's done a pretty good job throughout camp with that. If Vannoy's going to make the 53-man roster,

which we'll discuss in a little bit, that's something he's going to be able to do. Also, that pass breakup gave the defense a stop and a win in the final period for the defensive status. So that was good to see. So the Patriots and the Texans are going to practice again tomorrow. Practice will be at 10 a.m., so we'll do our podcast right around the same time so that way you guys can get all the updates on everything that went down. Like I said, we got some of this information from Jeff Howe.

So I want to thank Jeff Howe from the Boston Globe. From the Boston Herald. Oh, my God, I am so sorry about that, Jeff. He is from the Boston Herald. And we my God. I am so sorry about that, Jeff. He is from the Boston Herald. And we also got some of our information from our friends at Patriots Insider on scout.com. Those guys actually work technically for me. So thanks, guys, for giving us all the information we need like always. So, again, they'll practice tomorrow at 10 a.m. against the Texans again.

It's always a good. So again, they'll practice tomorrow at 10 a.m. against the Texans again. It's always a good... The second day, I think, is actually better than the first day because the guys, they know each other a little bit. There's a little, you know, the weaknesses, you know, the strengths, and it gets a little bit interesting. And tomorrow should be an interesting practice. So I look forward to hearing how that all went down. So we need to talk.

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so one of the things we also want to discuss a little bit today, I'm not going to go too in-depth into it because we're already 20 minutes into the show and I don't want to, you know, eat you guys at years. It's not what we do here at Lockdown. We have 20 to 30 minutes in, out, get you guys your information, and then we're on to the next day. It's the way that you guys like it and it's the way that we like it too. But just looking at the roster and watching the game from the other night, and it's starting to get clear to me that there's some guys that are pretty good that are in trouble possibly not making this team. You know, tight end James O'Shaughnessy, a guy that they traded for

during the offseason. You know, the longer O'Shaughnessy stays on the sideline, and guys like Jacob Hollister have good preseason games, and Matt Lengel is out there. Lengel is out again today, but Lengel's Patriots have seen what he can do. They know what O'Shaughnessy can do, too, but at the same time, if he doesn't get out there and start making some plays, and start showing up in practice, that's going to be a problem. Today, he was actually practicing again, which is a good sign, but he's got to show up. He's got to make plays and actually be a factor, or he might not be a member of this team anymore.

Looking at the running back core, they have two fullbacks on the roster with Glenn Gronkowski and James Devlin. James Devlin's going to make this team, barring some strange, crazy, or either Glenn Gronkowski just looks too good and they decide they want to keep him, but I don't see that happening. That's not going to happen, most likely. So I think Devlin will be the lone fullback. Running back, you know, there's seven guys.

You've got Dion Lewis, Rex Burkhead, DJ Foster, LaShawn Daniels, James White, Mike Lisley, Brandon Bolden. So I think Lewis, White, Burkhead, Gilleslie, and Bolden are locks. That's just how I see it happening. So they're probably not going to keep more than five guys at running back, but if they do, that sixth spot is going to be between DJ Foster and LaShawn Daniels. So if you look at the two, Daniels is more of a pure running back, and the Patriots could probably sneak him through to their practice squad.

DJ Foster, he can go out and play wide receiver too. He can sneak and split out. He can play in the slot. He can do a lot of different things. In fact, he changed over to wide receiver as a senior at Arizona State because he wanted to have a better chance to play in the NFL. I think that was a mistake. I thought he was a better running back than he was a receiver,

and that's why the Patriots picked him up. But again, because of his flexibility, I give him a chance to make this roster coming out of training camp, simply because LaShun Daniels is going to be a guy that they can slip through and get onto their practice squad, so I definitely see that playing out that way. Wide receivers, another one too, Hogan, Edelman, Cooks, Amendola, Mitchell, Slater. They're going to make this team, okay? Hogan, Edelman, Cooks, Amendola, Mitchell, Slater. They're going to make this team. Hogan, Edelman, Cooks, Amendola, Mitchell, Slater. They're in.

They're not going anywhere. But there's a lot more guys out there that have a chance. And Slater might be a guy who starts the season not able to play, so the Patriots might actually have to replace him and keep another body. The guys that could possibly be there, Devin Lucy and Austin Carr, the two players that I spoke of. Who knows? They might keep six wide receivers and decide to keep Austin Carr or Devin Lucien.

One of the two is sticking. One of the two is going. Now, my thing that I'm concerned about, if you keep Carr and you let Lucien go, Lucien might slip through and get to the practice squad. Because he's known, but he's not. Austin Carr has turned into the binky of the preseason. If you let Austin Carr go, somebody's going to take him. Somebody's going to scoop him up, and he's not going to be available.

He's going to be on a roster somewhere. So I think if you're looking between the two of them, I do like Lucien just as much as I like Carr, but I like the chances of Lucien slipping through to be able to come onto the practice squad and be able to maintain that depth, and I'd keep Carr on the roster. And again, if Slater's out, they might keep them both on the roster and go with six wide receivers, and then Cody Hollister, K.J. May, and Tony Washington would be the odd men out.

At left tackle, like I said, that's a little bit of a hairy issue right now. The depth chart, they have Antonio Garcia in the second and Adrian Waddell third. I actually would flip-flop that. This is actually our lad's depth chart, not the Patriots' depth chart, but the Patriots' depth chart isn't much different. But I do think that right now with Solder, they're just probably managing him to make sure that he is available when camp does start up.

Andrew Jelks continues to be on the NFI list. He's going to be on the non-NFL list pretty soon if he doesn't get back. And Max Rich I don't think is going to be on this roster. But Solder, Garcia, and Weddle should absolutely make this team. Left guard, Joe Tooney. I know Tooney's going to be the starter, and he's probably the best. I think he's the best guard that they have right now. Some people wouldn't agree, but Tooney's locked in as your left guard. But the depth issues inside are definitely real. At center, you have David Andrews, which he's a good player, and you have Ted Karras backing him up. So the thing with Karras that's good is that you can move him around, you can put him

at guard, you can put him at center. So as far as that's concerned, I would say you look at Tooney and Karras and Andrews as three guys playing two spots, basically. So I know Tooney wouldn't be moved over to center, but if Andrews goes down, Karras would go to center. If Tooney was to go down, Karras could be moved to guard. If Tooney goes to, you know, if there's a situation where maybe David Andrews looks better at guard, if they're switching guys around, it's just one of those things where those three players are going to fill two spots.

At right guard, they've got Shaq Mason, who I'm a big fan of him, too. Behind him, though, again, there's just not a ton of depth. Right now they have Jason King, who, I don't know, we'll see. I think that's an area that they might have to make a trade to fill in some depth. James Ferentz is also backup center, backup interior guy. Dad coached over at Iowa. He used to coach for Belichick at Cleveland too. So he knows the system. He knows what the Patriots are trying to do. And if you look at a guy like Ted Karras, who is another one of those guys who was a family. It's Alex Karras.

He used to be George Papadopoulos on Webster. If anyone knows that show from back in the 80s. It's his grandson, I believe. It's either his grandson or his nephew. But either way, he's got that bloodline, and you can see the talent is there. Ferentz has the same deal, so hopefully he can make this roster because they need depth. They need guys. At right tackle, they're looking okay.

Again, Cam Fleming might make this team by default. Marcus Cannon is your starter. They've got Fleming listed make this team by default. Marcus Cannon is your starter. Fleming is listed in there as the backup. Connor McDermott and Cole Croston. McDermott has a chance to make this team simply because of the fact that they just don't have a ton of depth. This offensive line, it could be a little hairy. There's injuries, something to keep an eye on,

but their starters are pretty good. It's just a matter of keeping them on the field, and they've got to develop Antonio Garcia, and they need to continue to develop some of these other guys too, like Karras, and hopefully Fleming gets his crap together soon because he's terrible. Tight end, we've already discussed. I see Gronkowski, Dwayne Allen.

I'm going to predict Jacob Hollis in making this team. I think James O'Shaughnessy is going to be a surprise cut. People can say I'm wrong and say, oh, no way on that. That's okay. That's my opinion, and that's what I'm going with. Quarterback, the three-headed monster, the three amigos, they're not going anywhere. Brady, Garoppolo, and Brissette, they're not getting rid of any one of them.

It's not going to happen. Running back, we've already discussed, discussed and fullback we've already discussed. So let's take a look at the other side of the ball. On defense, it's going to be interesting because Coney Ealy, who our lads has listed as a starter, but I just don't see that happening simply because of his attitude and because of the fact that he just doesn't seem to be trying. Tried for a couple plays in practice today, and he was awesome,

and then just packs it in again. So at left defensive end, you've got Ealy, Geno Griss today, and he was awesome, and then just packs it in again. So at left defensive end, you've got Ealy, Gino Grissom, and Caleb Kidder. Not pretty. Not pretty at all. So another one, Ealy might make this team by default because of issues on depth with the defensive line. Gino Grissom, he's just been a complete nothing. He just doesn't impress me. He never has. And until he actually flashes and shows me something, I'm not going to, I'm going to be down on him because I'm not a fan

of Gino Grissom. I know a lot of people are very frustrated with him and the fact that he hasn't been able to do anything. So now Grissom is another one of those guys that could be a default roster guy, but again, they have enough talent in other areas where they can make trades to fill in areas that don't have enough depth, and then they can go ahead and cut these other guys. D-Tackle, we saw the return of Alan Branch today, so they're pretty solid there. And Malcolm Brown, they're pretty solid there too. I think Vince Valentine and Woodrow Hamilton are very solid backups for those two. Then you also have Darius Kilgo, Josh Augusto, and Adam Butler. Butler's flashed a little bit.

He had a sack today. He's made some plays. Don't be surprised to see him either. If he doesn't make the 53, don't be surprised to see him on the practice squad. Same goes for Augusta, too. I wouldn't be surprised if he was on the practice squad. And Darius Kilgo has a chance to make this team simply because, like I said, Branch, Brown, Hamilton, Valentine, beyond those four, you've got Butler, Augustner, and Kilgo.

I think Kilgo's got a good chance. So we'll see how that goes. At right defensive end, Yastadouris, Trey Flowers. His backup is Lawrence Guy, and his backup is Dietrich Wise, and his backup is Keontae Davis. Keontae Davis is a recent signee, so we'll see how that goes. But that might be the Patriots' most solid position on the defense right there. You've got Flowers, Guy, and Wise.

Now, that's why you look at some of these depth charts and you realize, all right, so Dietrich Wise is probably going to be, if he's out there, either the backup at right defensive end, the starter at left defensive end, or the backup at left defensive end, and you'll see Lawrence Guy on the field. Lawrence Guy is probably going to have to be a starter for this team simply because Coney Ealy is not going to bring what they want. Strong side linebacker, they're looking pretty solid. They've got Hightower, McClellan, and also Brooks Ellis, who I don't think will make the team, but I do think he could be a candidate for the practice squad. At the Mike linebacker, David Harris has got that locked in,

assuming he stays healthy, which he always has, knock on wood, but he's looking pretty good there, so they're pretty solid there. Landon Roberts is his backup. Kyle Vannoy, number three. Trevor Bates. Trevor Bates is the fourth middle linebacker on the roster, but he's a good special teams player. Local guy.

Don't be surprised if he makes the team. He played his college days up in Maine. And fifth guy on the middle linebacker list who's really flashed his preseason. He's looked really good is Harvey Lange. I think Lange's got a chance to make this team, too, so keep an eye on that one. Weak side linebacker Jonathan Freeney's got an uphill battle to make the roster, and his backup is Derek Rivers,

and that's not going to continue. Rivers will end up moving over, and Rivers actually plays with his hand on the dirt, too, so we'll see how that all goes down. Corner, that's going to be an issue. Malcolm Butler has looked pretty good. As always, he's a good player. Stephen Gilmore, this might be the best combo of corners the Patriots have had during this entire run. Behind them, they've got Justin Coleman and Eric Rowe. I think we'll both make this team absolutely. And then Jonathan Jones. So beyond that, they have DJ

Killing, Cyrus Jones, Kenny Moore. And those are three guys and William Likely III, but I don't think William Likely, I think he's likely to be cut. Kenny Moore has flashed. He's been good. Kenny Moore is a player that they can probably get through their practice squad. If they can't, they probably could get something from him in a trade because he's looked that good in the

preseason. Jonathan Jones, he's making this roster. Cyrus Jones. Oh my god. So Cyrus Jones. I'm not going to get too far in depth, because we're 25 minutes into the show, and we're going to wrap this thing up soon, but I think it's time to move on, and I've been his, I've been so patient with him, and I've tried to, you know, really get fans to, you know, stay on his side, and try to, you know, have faith that this kid's going to be all right, he just doesn't have it, it's not, it's not there, it's there physically,

it's there physically, it's just not there mentally, he just doesn't have it. It's not there. It's there physically. It's there physically. It's just not there mentally. It's something that's not going to change, in my opinion. Now it's time to cut bait and realize, I know he was a second round pick, but sometimes second round picks don't work out, and it's okay. Chad Jackson was a second round pick. Razae Dowling was a second round pick. God, and look

what Tampa Bay did the other day with Roberto. I can't remember his last name. The kicker there. He got cut. He was a second round pick pick. God, and look what Tampa Bay did the other day with Roberto. I can't remember his last name, the kicker there. He got cut. He was a second-round pick too. So it happens. They made a mistake. It's time to move on. So you keep Jonathan Jones.

You cut Cyrus Jones. Jonathan Jones is your nickel corner, and then you can find somebody to return kicks for you because Jones, he's just not the guy. It's just not going to work out. Lastly on defense, you've got safeties. Chung and McCourty, Harmon and Ebner, I think, are four locks to make this team. Beyond that, Brandon King, I think, is also a lock because he is so good on special teams.

He's one of the best coverage guys they've got. Like I said, with Slater being down, it would make sense for them to hold on as many good coverage guys as they can. Another reason why Brandon Bolden is absolutely going to stick on this roster. Jordan Richards, he is a bubble. He is a bubble guy because he has looked pretty bad so far. He looked bad in the game, in the game film and everything I saw. I was not impressed.

But he's a pretty good special teamer. So, again, that's one of those things where he'll be on the bubble all the way to the end of training camp, I believe, with Richards. He was another one that was a high pick that nobody expected to see happen. But keep an eye on that one. But again, Chung, McCourty, Harmon, Ebner, and King, I think are locks to make this team. In corners, I think Butler, Gilmore, Coleman, Rowe, and Jonathan Jones are also locks. So those are my five.

So overall, I see them keeping ten guys in the secondary. David Jones, Jason Thompson, probably going to get cut is my guess. Ryan Allen, the punter, he's not going anywhere. He doesn't even have anybody to battle against him. Steven Gaskowski, who I am not a fan of. I'm very, very down on Gaskowski. But he's the only guy they got, so he's not going anywhere. Joe Cardona is a long snapper.

He's not going anywhere. He doesn't really have any competition against them. And Ryan Allen's your holder, too. So special teams is pretty much on lockdown unless Gostowski continues. If Gostowski struggles, they are not going to wait around. They'll go out and find a replacement for him. And don't be surprised if they take a look at the kid that Tampa Bay just cut. Because a lot of times, change of scenery, you get with a different coaching staff, who knows?

Maybe the special teams coaching is better here than it is there. You just never know. And again, maybe it's just a mental thing. He gets a change of scenery, gets himself out of Florida, which he's been in Florida his entire career. He was down there for college and he was down there for the NFL. Maybe going to a different region in a totally different area,

away from his family, away from everything will help. Keep an eye on that. I definitely think that's something to keep an eye on, especially if Gostkowski continues to struggle. The Patriots always like to look at high draft picks that have struggled just to see, hey, what happened here? Because we know that there's talent. So that should be interesting to see. On the injured reserve already, you've got Corey Vereen, Shane Vereen's, I believe his brother or his cousin, but he's a Vereen. His uncle was a tap dancer. Speaking of Webster, you've got a Vereen

and you've got a Karras, both on this team. It's like Karras is also on the NFI list, so he will not be back this season. He could come back, but I don't think that Karras will be the guy that they decide to bring back into the fold. So there you have it. That's what I see going on with the Patriots roster. One of the days in the next couple weeks, we'll actually go down the actual 53 man that I project. We can't really do that yet.

It's just too hard. But those are some of the names that I think are going to get cut, traded, or make the roster. So I want to thank you all for joining us for this Tuesday edition of Locked on Patriots. Be sure to go to iTunes and subscribe to our show today, as in right now, and be sure to tell your friends about us here at Locked on Patriots. We're all about getting Patriots fans the most info you need to be the most in the know Patriots fans. Have a great day.

Make sure to join us tomorrow. We'll update you guys on all the notes from the second practice with the Houston Texans. Have a great night, Patriots fans. Is democracy in danger or decline? Condoleezza Rice, William Galston, and Carlos Gutierrez and others take on this question in the fall edition of The Catalyst,

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