Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - LOCKED ON PATRIOTS- 8/19/17- Preseason Week Two Pregame Podcast

Episode Date: August 19, 2017

Chris Simoneau, Patriots Insider for Scout.com, provides you with all the info you need leading up to tonight's preseason battle between the Patriots and the Texans. #patriotsvstexans Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Good evening, I'm Chris Cimino, Patriotsinsideofascout.com and also your host of Locked On Patriots. Today is Saturday, August 19th, 2017. Welcome to our preseason week 2 pregame podcast Just like last week we're going to have a pre and post game show for this week's game Patriots this week will face the Houston Texans Who they have had joint practices with leading up to this game So it should be a pretty good battle because these guys go at it in practice Things tend to leak into the game and it gets a little competitive out there, so it should be good to watch.

So right now I'm going to get you guys updated on who is playing, who isn't, and also we're going to talk about some of the positional battles to watch for, and that's it. Like I said, the pregame shows, we're going to go for about 10 minutes and that's it. We're just trying to get you guys the information you need. We're also going to provide you with all the channels that you can watch at all around New England or anybody else around the country who's watching the Patriots game. 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-A-S underscore S-I-M-O-N-E-A-U. And you can also find us on Locked

on Patriot. We couldn't fit the S in there just because we didn't have enough characters to do it. But again, that's LockedOnPatriot on Twitter. You can find us there too. 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 simono.christopher5 at gmail.com. You can also hit me up on Twitter. If you follow me, I will follow you back, and you can hit me in direct messages,

or you can just flat out ask me a question if you have a question. I have no problem with that. If you are a member of Patriots Insider on Scout.com, which I recommend you all should be, you can contact me directly on the site via message. All right, so let's get to our pregame notes, and let's just get right to it. Will they or won't they? All right, so pay attention. This is going to go fast and furious. I've got a lot of information to fire off, and we're going to get right to it. Will they or won't they? All right, so pay attention. This is going to go fast and furious.

I got a lot of information to fire off, and we're going to get right to it. All right, so these are the guys that are out for tonight's game. Running back LaShawn Daniels Jr., out. He actually played pretty good last week. It's unfortunate for a young guy to not be able to play, but he's out. Defensive end who just joined the team recently, Keontae Davis, out. Offensive tackle, Tony Garcia, who will be missing valuable time because he's a rookie and he, you know, with the depth chart issues,

they have a tackle, which you guys can see in my article tomorrow on Patriots Insider. There's some issues there. This is valuable time for him to miss. Tony Garcia, out. Linebacker, Dante Hightower, remains on the pup list. He is out. Wide receiver, Cody Hollister, is out.

It's unfortunate for him because with all the receivers hurt, he could have given himself a chance to maybe get in there and show something, but that's not going to happen. Safety Brandon King, special team stalwart, is out tonight. Offensive lineman Andrew Jelk still remains hurt. Running back Mike Gillisley, tight end Matt Langell. Linebacker Shane McClellan. Defensive end Derek Rivers, who may be over the season with a torn ACL.

It's unfortunate. And wide receivers slash special teams, Captain Matt Slater is out. Left tackle Nate Soldo. That's one to keep an eye on. He continues to be hurt. He is out tonight. And safety Demarius Travis is out. Tackle to Adrian Waddell.

You know, the thing with Waddell, he's much needed with the poor play of Cam Fleming. Waddell provides solid depth at that position, so hopefully he is healthy. He's listed at left tackle. He can play both sides, though. Defensive end Dietrich Wise is also out. I'm going to have to figure this out because I keep calling him Dietrich, and then all of a sudden people are calling him Dietrich now. I'm going to have to ask him myself and find out what his name is,

but we'll call him Dietrich until I hear otherwise. He has a concussion. The team needs him, so it's best to wait, let him get healthy. They know what they have with this kid. He's a find, so let him get healthy because you're going to need him in the regular season. And one non-injury player out tonight, Rob Gronkowski, he will not play tonight. He needs to be managed. I have no problem with this.

This is a smart move. I wouldn't put him on the field until opening night, and I think the Patriots feel the same way because why mess with it? So here is tonight's broadcast info for the game on television. This week's game will be broadcast by the Patriots preseason television network like it always is. It can be seen in every state in New England. You can also watch if you're in Alaska or in Hawaii, which is pretty cool.

So if you go to WBZ TV, CBS in Boston, that's Channel 4. WBZ's Dan Roach does a good job. He's going to be doing the play-by-play. Christian Foria is going to be doing the color. They'll be together up in the booth. They've been doing it for a couple years now. They do a good job. Matt Chatham does a sideline analysis. Chatham does a really good job, actually, because he's an ex-player, good friends with Brady. He knows what he's talking about. In fact, he's one of Brady's best friends, if people don't realize that. So when you hear Chatham speak and you hear him say anything about Brady, listen up, because he knows what he's talking about. And we'll also get some terrible sideline

analysis from Steve Burton, who God love him, but he's just not that good. Patriots Football Weekly is going to have Paul Pirillo and Andy Hart there. They're going to provide some insight and analysis like they always do. I think those two guys do a pretty good job, and they've been doing it for a long time. So Pirillo and Hart will also be there. So if you're in Boston, again, it's on Channel 4. Springfield is going to have it on Channel 22.

Connecticut and Hartford is going to have it on Channel 8. Maine on Channel 8. Bangalore you're going to have it on Channel 22. Connecticut and Hartford is going to have it on Channel 8. Maine on Channel 8. Bangalore is going to have it on Channel 7. New Hampshire is on Channel 9. Rhode Island is on Channel 12. So you guys can figure this out. The game is also going to be on the radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub. Announced is going to be Bob Sochi. Great guy. Does a good job. He was actually very welcoming when I met him the night of the draft. It was my first night in the press room and it was a little nerve wracking. He was a nice guy. And he will be along with Scott Zolak. Scott Zolak will be doing the color commentary and he is quite the color commentator. He does a good job too. Drives me crazy sometimes with his takes, but he's a riot and he does a great job. And that is all produced by Mark Capello. I'm going to make sure we give Mark some credit.

He does a good job too. So there it is. That's the television and that's the radio information for tonight. Make sure that if you have any questions, listen to this podcast because I'm going to give you guys the information every week on what channel it's on. That's what we do. That's what a pregame show is all about.

So last but not least, what I think you should be watching for tonight is the position battles. And I know with some of the injuries that they have, the position battles can be a little bit, I don't know the word, confusing. Because you just don't know what those other guys, what the team thinks of them. Guys like Shane McClellan, guys like that, you know are in the mix, but where are they mixed in the mix? Are they going to have to use him as an edge rusher? What are they going to do? But this is what we're going to do. We're going to talk about the players that are in there, and we'll go from there. So, first for me, defensive end, I think this is going to be won by default

if Coney Ealy steps up, but it's most likely not going to happen at this point. So it's going to come down to, tonight anyways, Gino Grissom and Caleb Kidder. And Lawrence Guy also can kick outside and play the end too. In fact, I think that may be where the Patriots end up on opening night, but I get the feeling that they're going to resolve this personnel issue by then. So again, Gino Grissom tonight, he's not just in a position battle. He's in a major roster spot battle. I think Grissom's going to get cut if he doesn't stop doing something because he's had every opportunity to step up.

They need him to now. They don't have guys. They're hurt. They have a lot of injuries. They need him to step up. So, again, Gino Grissom, Caleb Kidder, Lawrence Guy, that combination, more Grissom and Kidder as edge guys. But Guy can also step out.

Like I said, that's going to be interesting to watch tonight. Who's going to step up? Is Grissom going to actually do something? Is Caleb Kidder an NFL guy? Are we going to really see something here? We'll find out tonight. Next position is at nickel corner. I know, I know, I say all the time this is going to be a game plan specific.

It's just like at running back. But Jonathan Jones is fighting anyone and everyone, and specifically Justin Coleman, for that spot. Tonight's going to help decide who ends up in that spot the majority of the time. Eric Rowe is also in that battle too. I'm not discounting Eric Rowe by any means. I think he's a good player. But he is a game plan specific corner that I was speaking of, and I expect him to line up more outside when they're facing bigger receivers.

And they'll use him there. And then they'll kick Butler into the slot. And there'll be more game plans specific. I don't expect to see Rowe as a nickel corner lined up on 5'9 to 5'11, you know, water bug wide receivers. That's stupid. That just doesn't make any sense. So the real battle comes between Jonathan Jones and Justin Coleman. Notice I didn't say Cyrus Jones. Cyrus Jones is in the nickel corner. I don't even think Cyrus Jones is in the NFL corner.

We'll get to that in a little bit. We'll actually end with that. So, again, keep an eye on that. Jonathan Jones versus Justin Coleman and Eric Rowe. We'll see if they... Let's see tonight if the Patriots actually deploy that a little bit, too. Maybe Rowe gets in there as a starter. I know he's been battling something, but he was back at practice last week, so hopefully we'll see him out there a little bit.

And I know the starters are going, so we'll get to see Stephon Gilmore and Malcolm Butler line up alongside each other. That should be fun. But I definitely want to see what goes down in this nickel battle. This is going to... Tonight you'll see it. If the starters are going tonight, then you're going to see the Patriots' first option as a nickel corner in those situations early in the game.

So we're going to get an idea of what they're thinking. So this should be fun to watch. Another battle that people really aren't even aware of is at center. The Patriots signed David Andrews to an extension, but now Ted Karras is trying to steal his job. At least he didn't steal his money. Karras, who we've spoken about at length on this show, he's got the bloodline. He definitely does. His grandfather was a great player. His family's from football.

He's going to win this battle if he's better. It's that simple. Karras and Andrews, the good thing about having both of them, and I knowrews will be obviously disappointed if he loses the job but they provide depth that guard too because either one can kick inside if they need to do that and um you know who knows i'll kick outside technically because they're as far inside as it gets um but the bottom line is you know having the two of them is great it's great that caris is pushing andrews like this too for andrews a guy who is an undrafted free agent, it's good to have a guy behind him that's pushing him. That's another undrafted free agent, but at the same time,

he's really getting matched. I think he was. I had to check on that with Karras. I'm having a brain cramp. But the thing is, to have a guy like Karras to push Andrews is good. And Karras isn't just going to push Andrews. He's a guard too. He's going to push Tooney.

He's going to push Shaq Mason. He wants to be on the field. So it's awesome to have that extra guy. Unfortunately, right now, they don't have that extra guy outside, which, again, check out in my article tomorrow, and we'll also talk about that in our podcast tomorrow, too. So it's good that Karis is pushing Andrews, and we'll see how that all shakes out. And tonight, when the offensive starters go out there, if you see Karras as a starter, don't be surprised. You heard it here first.

Wide receiver is another position to keep an eye on. I think that's probably on the roster. That's one of the few things we can really watch for tonight just because of all the injuries everywhere else. But we should see Cooks and Edelman starting, considering that they do have their starters going. Hopefully Hogan will see a lot tonight too. Malcolm Mitchell, expect to see out there.

Danny Amendola, I think they'll play a little tiny bit, and that would be the end of it. I just don't think he's going to play a ton just because they have to manage him. And tonight's a big night for Austin Carr, Devin Lucien. Big night for those two. I think it's a big, big night also for Jacob Hollister too. I think it's a big, big night also for Jacob Hollister too. Jacob Hollister now is seeing James O'Shaughnessy and Matt Langell. Well, Matt Langell's actually out, but seeing James O'Shaughnessy start to step up and finally give the push that he

expected, even though O'Shaughnessy has dropped down the depth chart it seems. But Hollister definitely has a chance tonight to show something, so keep an eye on that. Sorry, I almost forgot about the tight end battle too. But wide receiver, the big battle to watch for is between Austin Carr and Devin Lucien. It's going to be interesting to see which one of those two guys they maybe not keep, but do keep around and try to keep on the practice squad, assuming that everybody else is healthy. K.J. May will have a chance to show a little bit tonight too, but I just don't see him sticking around.

So a lot to watch for tonight. Another thing, last but not least, Cyrus Jones. So this is it. This is it. These next three games for Cyrus Jones, assuming he's not cut before then, is going to decide what happens with his career as a Patriot. Is he going to become a guy that can return kicks and return punts and maybe eventually become a corner that can, you know, a depth corner? Who knows?

Maybe he starts to figure it out and you can use him in certain packages. Maybe he has a nickel corner. Maybe he's an outside guy, but you're mainly in zone more than he is in man because he gets burnt in man. Who knows? But this is it for you, Cyrus. This is it. I have been one person who's been on his side,

not really like on his side side, but defending him and trying to give the kid a chance because it just seems like his confidence is completely shot. But at this point, it's like, come on, man. You quit last week after giving up a 97-yard touchdown. You quit after running for 30 yards. That guy fell down. What if that guy dropped the ball?

It happens all the time. What if he started celebrating like an idiot and dropped the ball on the ground like we see all the time? Cyrus Jones, you need 100% effort all the time. And, you know, if something happens and you have a brain cramp, you just have to keep going. You can't quit. You just got to keep going.

But if he continues to have them, he's going to get cut. So we'll see what happens. But Cyrus Jones is definitely going to be on the radar tonight. So this show tonight is brought to you by Patriots Insider on scout.com. I want to see if you guys are subscribers. If you're not, well, we have a problem. Because I don't know what you guys are thinking. What you got to do, go on to scout.com slash NFL slash Patriots.

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the Broncos and the Raiders and the Seahawks and every other great team of coverage that they have on scout.com. So go sign up today. Again, scout.com slash NFL slash Patriots. $5 a month, $49 for the sign-up today. Thank you for joining us for tonight's pregame edition of Locked on Patriots. Be sure to go to iTunes and subscribe to our show today. As in right now, this second, click on the button. Be sure to go to iTunes and subscribe to our show today.

As in right now, this second, click on the button. And make sure you tell your friends about us too. 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 fan. Enjoy the game and make sure to listen to our post-game show immediately following the game. About 10 minutes after the game, we'll have you guys up and running and you'll be able to listen to the show. Thanks again for listening and go Patriots.

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