Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - August 28, 2019: Taylor-Made Roster Predictions

Episode Date: August 28, 2019

With the New England Patriots set to take the field for their final preseason tune-up against the New York Giants on Thursday, Taylor Kyles from Pats Pulpit of SB Nation joins host Mike D’Abate to offer his predictions on the Pats 2019 roster.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

and hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to another edition of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champion, the New England Patriots. Locked On Patriots, as always, is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover the Patriots for fullpresscoverage.com, which is where you can always find my written work. You can always reach out to me on Twitter as well, at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-B-C. And while you're at it, am so excited to welcome Taylor Kiles of SB Nation, specifically Pat's Pulpit, which is a site that offers amazing coverage,

and they've been such a friend to me throughout my years of covering the team. But today, Taylor joins me to talk a bit about his thoughts on Rob Gronkowski, David Andrews, but mostly to discuss his roster prediction, which he posted yesterday. Some interesting projections there. Taylor does such an amazing job with breaking down film, so I'm excited about it, and I hope you will be as well, and I'm sure you'll enjoy what he has to say. But first, we start with the news of the day, and the Patriots were back at practice yesterday in anticipation of their Thursday showdown with the New York football Giants at Gillette Stadium.

This will be the fourth and final preseason tilt before the Pats get set to host the Pittsburgh Steelers in the season opener in Foxborough on September the 8th. Some minor news and notes you have from yesterday. Benjamin Watson, Cam Meredith, A.J. Howard, Trent Harris, Yanni Kajusti, Lance Kendricks, Shaliqua Calhoun, and Derek Rivers were not spotted at practice yesterday. A mouthful, I know, but we'll definitely be sure to keep our eye on the practice fields either today or, you know, take a look at what the report might be for tomorrow to see if any of these guys are going to see action in the Patriots' final preseason tilt on Thursday night.

One special attendee was center David Andrews, and anybody that listened to the show yesterday knows that Andrews had been hospitalized earlier this week for a blood clot in his lungs. He has since been released from the hospital, and he was a spectator at yesterday's practice. Now, Andrews faces a very tall task in being able to get his body back into playing condition. He is definitely months away from even considering that, but it was good to see him at practice yesterday, good to see him up and around, and we wish him nothing but the best in his recovery efforts. Damian Harris, running back Damian Harris, was back yesterday.

He did return to practice, and Damian Harris, was back yesterday. He did return to practice, and Nikhil Harry was also visible yesterday. Looks to be moving around with a bit greater ease. It's my assessment that he's unlikely to see time on Thursday, but one never knows in Foxborough. Keep a sharp eye on Nikhil Harry, and you could see him in some action, limited action, tomorrow night, but my assessment is I don't think you will. I think the first time you'll see Nakiel is probably on the practice fields next week in anticipation of facing Pittsburgh. And one final roster note.

On Tuesday, it was announced officially yesterday that wide receiver Maurice Harris is once again off of the Patriots roster after the team waived him with an injury settlement. Now, Harris had been projected as a potential key contributor to the Pats in 2019, but injuries facilitated his move down the depth chart. The Patriots initially waived Harris with an injury designation back on Sunday, you'll recall. He cleared waivers. He reverted to the Patriots injured reserve list on Monday.

So what does this mean for the Patriots and for Harris? Well, what it means is that they've reached an agreement on how long Harris's injury will keep him off the field. The Patriots will pay him for that number of weeks. Now, if Harris decides to sign with another team before his settlement is complete, then the Patriots will no longer be required to pay him. However, Harris, if he does remain on the sidelines, he is eligible to return to the Patriots and resign with them six weeks after his settlement is complete. Now, I will be welcoming in Tyler in just a moment, but first I wanted to take a brief moment

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and let Vivid Seats help you to get to your favorite live event. And don't forget, enter the promo code KICKOFF at checkout to receive a discount of up to $100. And we thank Vivid Seats for sponsoring this podcast. My guest today is a true rising star in the sports media realm. His ability to break down film and explain it in a clear and concise manner makes him a favorite of mine and so many others on social media. Folks, if you're not following this man, do it now.

You will not regret it. If you're a Patriots fan, he is what I call a must-follow. You know his great work from Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation. He is Taylor Kiles, and he joins me today on the Wednesday episode of Locked On Patriots. Taylor, welcome to the show, my friend. Thank you, Mike, and thank you so much for the kind words. Very, very humbling to be mentioned in such a great market. Thank you so much for that. No problem at all, and I assure you they are well-deserved and very well-earned by you, my friend. So keep up the great work that

you're doing. Taylor, before we get into the roster breakdown that you published yesterday, which I thought was excellent and very intriguing, and there's definitely a lot to talk about there, but I just wanted to get your take on a couple of pieces of news that hit yesterday. Well, technically, the Andrews story hit on Monday, but David Andrews definitely going through his situation with health and with blood clots and obviously a very, very scary situation for him. So you know that he's going to be on the shelf for quite some time, getting back into football shape. And I know that's the last thing on everybody's mind right now,

and it should be, but you see injuries take tolls on these guys all the time. And then yesterday morning with Rob Gronkowski scheduling his press conference and announcing that he would be partnering with Abacus Health to develop CBD products that would help players heal, you heard firsthand from one of the best to ever play the game in his position exactly how much of a physical toll this game can take on you. So I just wanted to hear maybe your thoughts a little bit on David Andrews and on Rob Gronkowski and what your thoughts are for the prospects of seeing either one of them on the field, again,

either for the New England Patriots or, in Gronkowski's case, possibly for another team. What are your thoughts on this situation and the toll that health can take on a player? Yeah, well, first, I mentioned it in my roster projection with David Andrews. When these kind of situations happen, when it comes to a player's health, I stop seeing them, you know, as a player, a person first. I really just hope David Andrews gets right. You know, the time table for his return isn't really something I'm thinking

about too much because obviously it's important for the team to have him because he's a huge piece to probably the best interior offensive line in the game. I know Doc Flynn said that he's likely going to miss the entire season, and honestly, if that's what it takes for him to get healthy, I'm all for it. Ted Karras is very well prepared. He's been with the team for four years, studying behind Andrews. He's come in and served well.

So I think the team, you know, from a football perspective is fine. But David Andrews, first and foremost, I hope he gets right in his body, you know, gets in shape. I think last year, or when they were playing in Mexico, I remember he was out with an illness. And I think Doug Tide implied there's a possibility this is something that's been ongoing. So really his health comes first.

And with Gronkowski, it was so hard to listen to. Someone who's so energetic and so happy all the time, really almost be brought to tears talking about the way that he couldn't sleep the night after the Super Bowl. And I really don't see him coming back unless, you know, it's his choice. If he is really missing the game and he feels like he's willing to give another shot, then that's fantastic for him. But I would be very happy to see him never play again because I want him to

put his body first personally. Such a great person. He was fantastic in the community. You know, he lights up a room. I love Rob Gronkowski, the person, first and foremost. So if he doesn't play again, and I really don't think it's very likely considering how much pain he said he was in, couldn't even celebrate one of the biggest accomplishments of his life

in the final game that he thought at that point that he was ever going to play. So both of them, you know, as long as it takes for them to get healthy and whether they want to return to football and whether they can, I hope they do. They're fantastic players. But as much time as they need away from the game, I think they should take that time and really take care of themselves first. Completely agreed on both cases, and I think you hit the nail on the head and were spot on in both assessments. First, your take on Andrews. I definitely agree with that, and I did see

Dr. Flynn's report on Boston Sports Journal about him probably needing the entire season. You have to think that's going to be the case. A very common, if not necessity, treatment for any type of blood clots anywhere in the body, let alone the lungs, is being on blood thinners, anticoagulants. And while he's on these, there's absolutely no chance that he would be able to sustain any type of hits on the field and the bruising that would go on there. So he wouldn't be even available during that time. And even after he comes off, it takes your body a chance a little while to get back into shape

and be able to start reentering your normal life again. So I completely agree. I think, unfortunately, it looks like 2019 is probably lost for David Andrews, but there's always an outside chance. So before we completely close the door, I do want to remind our listeners that there's a chance that anything and everything could happen, and we've seen that in the NFL. So always keep an optimistic, but I would be very cautiously optimistic at this point. And more realistic is that Andrews is probably done for 2019 and with Gronk I agree with you wholeheartedly it was really painful to hear some of the

assessments that he had you know you know not being able to sleep for more than 20 minutes at a time at one point and just having to have his leg drained from everything that he had gone through and sustaining yet another injury and a laundry list of injuries reminded you a lot of what we heard from Andrew Luck just a couple of days ago, where he was talking about the emotional and physical drain that he had to endure on his body every single day. So these guys have to do what's best for them, and you can't really fault any one of them for putting their health first. Obviously, Andrews, this was more of a forced rather than an individual choice, but with Gronkowski and Luck, it was an individual choice to put themselves first, and we wish them nothing but the best when it comes to that.

But there are still games to be played on the field. And in New England, it's always next man up. You know that. I know that. It's a fact up here. And it's a mantra. Do your job. It's right on the Gillette Stadium locker room doors. They've had that entrenched since Bill Belichick and Tom Brady have been, you know,

really kind of steering the ship here in New England. So in terms of the roster, I'll start with the offensive line. You mentioned steady Teddy Karras, and I believe he will be an adequate, if not a very gallant fill-in for David Andrews. Is he going to replicate exactly what Andrews gave you on the field? Probably not, but he is going to be able to effectively run this offensive line from the center position. When you take a look at the offensive line as a whole, how do you see the line shaping up?

And are there guys on this squadron that you look to see making a bigger jump, possibly even now more so with the absence of Andrews, and really taking that next step toward being a very prolific member of this line? Well, I think we're going to finally see what Ted Karras has as a consistent starter. Like I said, he's gotten spot duties before, but we've never really seen how he plays over a stretch of games. I don't want to, you know, gas him up too much as excited as I am to see him play. And I like the fact that he's been with the team, and he mentioned that he knows how to make the calls,

and he's comfortable doing that. But I'm not sure we're going to get the same production we saw from David Andrews, especially considering the chemistry that Mason, Tooney, and Andrews had inside. It was fantastic. It's really, really difficult to attack the inside of the Patriots line because they understand, you know, when defense is stunned, how to pass it off. And they have really good chemistry in knowing where each other needs to be. But, yeah, I think Karras is going to be a really great villain for them.

Hjalti Froholt, I hope I'm pronouncing that right, the rookie this year at guard, I don't think he's going to see much action unless there's a lot of shakeup on the offensive line. He's actually struggled in the preseason. I know, like I was just mentioning, with the stunts and all the line games that the interior is usually really good at picking up.

Froholt actually let Jared Sittem, he gave up a sack in, I believe, the two-minute drill in the first half of the Panthers game where he overcommitted to a defensive tackle, came too far inside. He flipped his hips, and then it allowed the edge rusher to come back inside and take down Sittum, and he had nowhere to go. That killed the drive. So I think we really want to pray for health and solidarity on the inside.

They've also got Cole Croston, who I have making the roster. He's primarily an offensive tackle, but he's got inside out versatility, which I think is huge. It will give him the edge over Dan Skipper, who a lot of people projected to be that swing tackle for them. But his height, which is a big advantage, he gets a lot of length. I think it's also a big downfall for him because it's difficult for him to get good leverage on guys because he's so high.

So he's susceptible to a lot of power and bull rush it's difficult for him to get good leverage on guys because he's so high. So he's susceptible to a lot of power and bull rushes, and his anchor isn't great. So I think they can speak him out of the practice squad, and I think Crossman's ability to play inside out will give him that edge. So swing tackle spot for him. Don't think we're going to see him very much, but break last case of emergency, I think they've got a couple of in-house options right now. Yeah, and I like the point that you made on Skipper as well, with his height being a possible detriment to what he does.

I agree with you. I think he's probably a guy that they can stash on the practice squad. Croston's coming back definitely was an eye-opener in terms of his experience in the system. And we've seen him on this team now for the last couple of seasons be someone that could possibly make some contributions. So I think you're right on him as well. And as for Frohold, you heard Dante Skarniecki earlier this week say that he needs to play with more discipline, and you mentioned that in your comments as well, so I think we are looking at

maybe a little bit of a different offensive line than we thought, but still a very formidable one. At the end of the day, Dante Skarnieckia is the guy that's in charge of this line, and I don't think there's anybody better in the league that could withstand a loss of a guy like Andrews and still be able to get production out of the guys that are remaining on this roster. Taylor, one thing that I wanted to give you a chance to explain is the quarterback position. And naturally, it's always a high-profile position in any team, but when you employ a guy like Tom Brady, there's always going to be eyes on the position.

And a lot of people have been projecting that the Patriots may only carry two quarterbacks this year, with Brady and then Jared Stidham having an impressive rookie campaign so far, being his primary backup. You went with three, and a lot of people have been changing up their predictions. I, for one, predicted that they would carry three. I've been going back and forth on this all week, but I think it's intriguing that you make the argument that three quarterbacks will still be retained. What have you seen from Stidham that leads you to believe that they still

would carry three quarterbacks and use a roster spot on that position? And if so, what have you seen from Hoyer to make you believe that he's still the guy that is the best option for a backup to Tom Brady? Yeah, so to start, there is precedent for them having the three quarterbacks. I remember in the early 2010s they had Mallad and Foyer back in Brady, and then, as we all know, the Wolf Pack when they had Jacoby Brissett and Jimmy Garoppolo who are now starters in the league. But I think that they're going to be consistent.

He's shown great flashes, and he's exciting. I didn't expect him to come along as quickly as he has. The only, not the only problem, bigger problems are that sometimes he gets happy feet in the pocket. He doesn't really gather himself before he makes throws. I love his ability to step up and the fact that he does make a bunch of impressive throws really on a line when there's guys flying around and there's a lot of chaos. You love to see that from a rookie because he'll stand in. He's going to take a shot and he'll drill the ball with accuracy,

and I'd love to see that. But you don't see it on a snap-to-snap basis. And that is cause for concern. Now, Garoppolo is the same way. It's not like he was, you know, he was flawless in his preseason games when the team ultimately decided to cut Brian Hoyer. So I understand that there is some precedent there as well for them keeping a rookie and letting Hoyer go.

But I really think Hoyer brings so much in terms of his off-field value. We know that he's like another pair of eyes for Brady on and off the field. So if he sees something in Brady's mechanics or if he sees something from the defense that Brady may not pick up on, he can tell him all the sidelines. He does the same thing in the classroom. There's extra work that they give Hoyer to help prepare for each opponent. And his experience is so invaluable, as well as the fact that he helped room. There's extra work that they give Hoyer to help with getting prepared for each opponent. His experience is so invaluable, as well as

the fact that he helped Stidham come along when Brady wasn't there to begin camp earlier this summer. He was there helping Stidham in terms of learning the system and getting more comfortable and familiar. I think unless a really good tradeoffer comes in, I don't think that they're going to get

jacked a little more. I've seen that floating around. I think Doyle is a little too important to the Colts for a backup quarterback. But if a really good tradeoffer came in, I could maybe see them accepting that and moving on from Poirier. But I think that their priority would be to retain him because he gives you so much off the field, as well as a steady veteran in the case they did, God forbid, need a backup quarterback.

It's definitely intriguing. You want to see him get some game reps, but if he were to struggle in the team, he needed some solid leadership. I think Coyter's the guy for that. Absolutely. And I think that you, again, were very, very accurate in your assessment. There's one thing that we know about this team is that Bill Belichick is not worried about optics. He's not worried about, oh, well, he's keeping three quarterbacks as opposed to two or anything like that. He will keep a guy on the roster and go deep into a depth position if he feels that it's best for the team. If he has to make adjustments elsewhere, that's exactly what he'll do. So we'll see. Cutdowns are coming on

Saturday. They're looming large. They always do with this team. And it's always interesting. That's a very interesting day for all 32 NFL teams, not just the Patriots, but especially up here to kind of get into the mind of Bill Belichick and his brain trust and see what these guys have planned. Taylor, one more before I let you go today, and that is your assessment of the defense I thought was amazing in your roster predictions. And I think that you definitely accounted for some of the injuries that we've seen.

For example, guys like Shaliqua Calhoun, Derek Rivers, that are having difficulty getting back on the field. That could be an indication of IR. We're not sure yet. Obviously, we know the term with what happened with Brandon King. He looks to be out for the season. But especially in the defensive backfield, there are a lot of difficult cuts that this team may be facing.

Who do you believe is probably a surprise cut and someone that is not really someone that people have on the roster? Or who might make this team that no one sees coming? And I'll give you a chance to kind of pump up your roster predictions because I saw a couple in there as well, so I don't want to steal your thunder. I want you to have the opportunity to tell our listeners what you feel. All right. Well, I'm within my own head, so honestly,

I don't see a lot of really surprising additions. Maybe I think the biggest one would be Calvin Munson. I think he's someone that not a lot of really surprising additions. Maybe I think the biggest one would be Calvin Munson. I think he's someone that not a lot of people know about. He hasn't got a lot of opportunities to play with the starters because they have so much insane depth at linebackers. They've got high power, Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Jawan Bentley. There are really too many good players and not enough reps to go around. But he has made plays in backup teams, usually against, you know,

against second or third string players. So it's not something you want to say, oh, you can plug him in, and, you know, he's just going to look right in place with the starters. But he has made plays, and that's really all you can ask for when you have somebody playing and, you know, taking advantage of their opportunities. So I think he's going to be more of a special teams guy. But he's athletic. He's got nice snap anticipation.

He actually got to the backfield one play against Carolina really quickly. He timed the snap perfectly. He just overran it, so a little more discipline, you'd like to see from him there. So he may be a bit of a surprise at the linebacker spot. Byron Coward is someone I'm really excited about. I don't think he'd really be a surprise either. He's come on really strong.

That's actually a perfect choice of words because his power at the point of attack is something that's really intriguing. You see him as a rookie when he's playing against the starters in Carolina. He was putting guys on skates. He has really good hand placement. The power he jolts guys with his hands really when he makes contact, he falls back a little bit. You really like to see that.

And I think he's a perfect fit for that. So they're going back to their 3-4 defense where it's a lot of five-man fronts. Usually they have a defensive end type like a Trey Flowers or getting past it, had Chamber Jones on the weak side of the – what's typically the weak side of the offensive formation. So it's more of a chase role when guys aren't running at him. But he's got the power to hold up, and I really am excited to see how they involve him and if he's going to get a lot of wide game reps.

And another guy, again, not really a surprise, but Danny Shelton, he deserves recognition because he has been gangbusters this preseason. He's been playing with starters. He's played against backups. He's always making plays. His first-nap quickness is something you really don't see from 300-plus-pound guys. He's been the first guy off the line to scrimmage multiple times, and that's before defensive ends and, you know,

more prototypically athletic guys. And he's causing chaos in the backfield. So I'm excited to see him as well. But this defense, man, they're loaded. I'm really excited to see this entire unit. They've got depth all over the place. I don't even know how some of these guys are going to get reps. You know, I didn't even mention Chase Winovich.

Didn't mention Michael Bennett. And those are guys that I think everyone really knows about and they know what they can bring as intriguing new additions to the team. So, yeah, I think there's a couple surprises that may be on the roster for some people, but all in all, I think there's going to be some tough cuts, but a lot of depth and a lot of talent. Yeah, and it's amazing that you bring that point up. I can't recall this much

anticipation and this much excitement for a Patriots defense in quite a while. They're really loaded at all the major positions, defensive end, defensive line, defensive backfield, and also the linebacking core is just so well stocked with talent this year that you really, really can't wait to see these guys put it all together, all of the starters being able to play, clicking on all cylinders and seeing what they can do and giving Tom Brady and the offense the opportunity to score points. Could be an exciting season in New England. We always watch pumping the tires too much, but this is a team that I think a lot of people are very excited about seeing,

and I think rightfully so, and it could be a fun season here in New England. Taylor, again, thank you so much for joining me today. I can't thank you enough for coming on. Again, like I said, I know the work that you put into not only roster predictions, but all of the analysis that you do in terms of film breakdown. Please follow Taylor's threads on Twitter. He does a phenomenal job breaking down film and explaining

it in a way that the most staunch football fan can understand and the most casual football fan can understand. And I assure you, that is not an easy thing, folks. To be able to explain football plays in a way that anybody can enjoy them is truly something that I am such a fan of this young man for.

So, Taylor, before I let you go, please let our listeners know where they can follow you on social media and where they can find your great work. All right. Well, again, thank you so much for the time, boys. I really, really appreciate it. On Twitter, you can find me at PKYLDS39, and you can also find me on SB Nation under Taylor Tiles.

I'm sorry, on Pat Popet under Taylor Tiles. That's where I have some of my work. And this season I'm going to be trying to dedicate more time to going week by week and really scouting the opponents for each team that the Patriots are going to be facing, offense and defense, and really seeing where they can attack, where they may be vulnerable against certain teams. So looking forward to that this season. Absolutely.

And, Taylor, once again, from the bottom of my heart, on a personal level, thank you very much for coming on today. It's a conversation I've been looking forward to having, and you brought it today, and I can't thank you enough for that. As for me, I will be back tomorrow as I take a preview look at preseason game four tomorrow night as the Patriots take on the New York Giants at Gillette Stadium. And as always, make sure to join us each and every day

on the Locked On Patriots podcast and subscribe to Locked On Patriots via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank you so much for listening today. Have a great day, everybody.