Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots August 31, 2017 - Dan Hatman

Episode Date: August 31, 2017

Dan Hatman, former pro scout and current Director of the Scouting Academy, stops by. He and Mark Schofield talk about how teams approach the final preseason game, how the Patriots coaching staff might be getting ready for Week 1, and what to look for against the Giants. 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. This is Mark Schofield from Locked On Patriots. This episode is brought to you by our great friends at bus.com. You're Locked On Patriots, your daily podcast on the New England Patriots, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome everybody to the August 31st episode of Locked On Patriots. Mark Schofield here, the big chair with you. As I mentioned at the outset, look, check out our good friends at Bust.com.

They have a great opportunity for you if you want to get down to that opening night game on Thursday night. They've got a $5 round trip rate, so check that out as well. I'll have some more on that in a minute. But first, I want to get to the second guest with me here on Locked On Patriots. We had Matt Waldman in yesterday's show. Matt did a great job. We have another great guest for you. And that's my good friend and colleague, Dan Hattman from the Scouting Academy, former pro scout. Dan, welcome on in my friend. Thank you for having me, Mark. Well, it's great to talk to you. And, you know, obviously you and I, Dan, have worked together for a while now.

So I know all about your background. But for those of my listeners that aren't quite aware of who Dan Hapman is, can you just kind of talk through your background in this game that we all love? Well, it starts off with me being lucky. And that is I went to the University at Albany in upstate New York and just happened to be where the New York Giants held training camp on an annual basis. And I did what most people do trying to get into business. I took a volunteer job with the university, was working for them, and then I said,

hey, do you know anybody with the Giants? And next thing you know, I'm interviewing with them, and then I'm interning, and then I'm therening and then I'm there for the full year scouting and the Giants turned into the Jets which turned into the Eagles and throughout my time in the league and in college ball I noticed some areas where I felt like you know the game hadn't provided necessarily all of the elements that people should know from a foundational standpoint, especially in evaluation before they got started. A lot of these guys that get in, myself included, you think you know what you know.

You get in, all of a sudden you're trying to do the work for real. They're counting on it. I remember my first week on the job, I'm delivering reports to Tom Coughlin, and he's already watched the same film I have, and I'm trying to tell on the job. I'm delivering reports to Tom Coughlin. And he's already watched the same film I have. And I'm trying to tell him something that he doesn't already know. And anyway, all that led me to was the Scouting Academy and an opportunity for me to bring together people that have spent their lives in this business and teach others what we've all come to know as the foundation part of scouting. Now, Dan, it's my understanding that during your time with the Giants,

you procured, shall we say, a certain piece of jewelry? Yes. Unlike Dan Marino, I am fortunate enough to have a Super Bowl ring. Again, spoiled rotten first year, first full year with a team. I was a part of that Giants group that Patriots fans don't want to talk about. Right. Yeah, I was trying to get to that.

So we'll skip through that. But before we get into some other stuff, the Scouting Academy, you mentioned that. How does that program work? And if people are interested, where can they check that out? So we are an online educational service so this is like going to a college class online we have 16 instructors now with almost 500 years of NFL experience we break the game down in individual positions and we put people through the paces just like a team would and give you a treat by treat way of looking at the game so that you can talk about it.

We've had people come through and are now working for NFL teams, working for college programs, doing analysis within the media, working in agency, coaches, what have you. It's been a pleasure to work with so many people taking the curriculum and applying it to their lives. Now, Dan, one of the reasons I wanted to have you on was we're on the cusp of the fourth and final preseason game. How do teams approach that final game? And, you know, how do they prepare for that? How do they sort of game plan for that? What goes into getting ready for that last preseason game? It depends a little bit about where you're at in your program build. That's almost my answer to everything as it relates to how do teams attack this. For an entity like the Patriots, so many of their key players, their processes, their plays, their program is established, it's set. And so this is an opportunity to test areas where maybe there still is some gray area

unknown. So a lot of your younger players, or if you're moving someone to a new role, you know, hey, we thought we were going to have Rivers. We thought we were going to have Edelman. You know, we're now we're looking at changing some things. Let's take some people and move them around. Let's see what Austin Carr can do. You know, what are we going to do with Van Noy? Are we going to keep them out, you know, keep him inside, move him outside? These kind of games are great for a team like the Patriots to, again, test, and in some cases stress test, certain elements of it. The beauty this year is that you have more

players on the roster to work with this for. Historically we would have cut 15 players and moved down to the 75 already. Ironically, the fourth game is when teams traditionally don't leverage their starters for very long, if at all. And then we're going to take 15 guys that need reps and exposure and opportunity, get rid of them them and then we're going to bench the starters and we leave this middle group just working all the reps um with nobody else so we have an unbelievable opportunity in my opinion this year to do the smart thing which is get these 15 guys in the mix see what they can do put them out there for snaps uh put the stuff on film and see if

there's anybody out there uh that we need to be considering more strongly for a practice squad spot or if you really are in competition for your last couple um you know spots in the 53 you know let's see what these guys can do now dan you know that's i think sort of a a storyline that's sort of floated under the radar right now this change where we're just going to this one cut down day how is that you think impact in franchises whether it's new england or just franchises generally in terms of scrambling here at the end i mean and there's probably going to be a lot of player movement in action the next couple days don't you think yeah i mean we're going to have all the games um together and then we've got about a 24-hour period before all your cuts have to be submitted to the league office.

Once that happens, then all the teams are sent a transaction notice from the league office advising you as to who's now available, and then you have waiver claims. And you're going to see teams and rosters really start to move off of that. Teams that have a lot of strength are obviously going to have to put players on waivers that maybe they would like to sneak to the practice squad that are going to get claimed and put on active rosters elsewhere. So there's a few different parts of the front office that get impacted. So the first one is the coaching side. They love it, in my estimation. And talking to people about it, like I said, they've got 15 more guys at their disposal.

They're not stressed on rotations. If guys are injured, they don't have to push them through things. They've got more players available to them. They like that flexibility. The scouting staff, instead of already knowing 15 players are going to be off all 32 rosters, and having already made those decisions and said yes or no to those players and then just focusing on the next batch, scouting staffs do have to pay attention to all 37 now that are going to be cut by every team. So almost 1,000 players are going to be moved upon here quickly. Now pro scouting staffs are not sitting around waiting for all this to happen and then starting

to watch film. They've been watching film all month. As these games come in, they assign, they project people that we expect to be available. They assign them the scouts, college guys, pro guys, everybody that, every hand you can get on deck is taking a peek at game tape. You know, Bill Belichick's watched all 49 games already, so he's well aware of what's going on. And the last bit here for game four, that last 24 hours,

the guys that you flag that you're interested in, you'll use game four to continue to enhance your evaluation of them. Then you're going to see who actually hits the waiver wire. And let's say you've got eight guys that you're interested in that hit the waiver wire, then you're in decision-making mode. Do we put a waiver claim in, meaning we have to put them on our 53. And if you successfully get that waiver claim and bring somebody on, you're gonna have to cut an additional player. So it's a one-for-one transaction at that point um the waiver claim goes based on priority and based on right now it's it's still from the draft order um so cleveland's going to have first

priority to make moves uh at this point in time and team like the patriots will you know be towards the bottom there uh so they're not going to have a whole lot of priority for grabbing guys uh so then we have the 24-hour period where those cuts go through. Then after the claims, again, each team that makes a claim successfully has to then cut a player. So then we see those transactions go through. And all the while you're negotiating with everybody that's out there on practice squads. Practice squad numbers are now up to 10. Most teams are going to keep somewhere in the neighborhood of six,

maybe eight players that they've had all camp that they like and would like to continue to develop on your practice squad. You usually diversify that offensive lineman, defensive lineman, big bodies, small bodies because you're going to need them in practice. And then you look around the league and see if there's one, two, three, four guys from other teams that you'd like to negotiate. Hey, we like you. They've cut you.

Why don't you come to our practice squad? We'll work with you all year. And then if something happens, we're in a good spot to bring you up to the active roster. We're going to have more with the great Dan Hatman in a second. But I want to remind my friends about the great partnership we've got in place with Buzz.com. Friends, the NFL season is upon us and your defendant super bowl champions open on thursday night against the kansas city chiefs you want to be there for the big festivities right so don't be stuck on the train or in traffic on route one headed into foxborough let the great people at bus.com take care of all your

transportation needs bus.com is launching a shuttle service from downtown Boston right to Gillette Stadium. They're featuring a $5 round-trip introductory price for week one with air-conditioned coach rides with bathrooms on board. Look, we all know the train down to the game is often overbooked. Parking at Gillette can be a drag, and you don't want to be stuck behind the wheel trying to get out of there late after the game. So let the great people at Bus.com take care of all the driving for you. Plus, it's going to be a fun atmosphere on open at night.

So who wants to be the designated driver? Check out their website, Bus.com, where you can even request a new route or a new stop. Or you can use their app, which puts you in touch with other riders as well as their support staff. Fans, let Bust.com take care of your transportation down to Gillette and tell them Mark Schofield from Locked On Patriots sent you over. Now, Dan, I want to ask you about one name in particular. I thought this was sort of interesting time and give it everything you just said about this last little cut-down parody, and that's Cody Ely.

Patriots obviously made a little draft time trade for the veteran defensive end but they just caught him just released him giving him time to sign with the Jets do you think for a guy like Ealy that's a beneficial situation where now he can get into a camp have time in that fourth preseason game where like you said he might get a lot of run and it gives him a better chance to stick on a team uh yes i think obviously more time with your new organization prior to week one is helpful um how much help it ends really depends on that player's mental capacity and how quickly they can pick up information um the patriots typically acquire players that they find to be intelligent and can learn things.

So that stands to reason Coney is that type of player. So he should have an ability to transfer what he knows about the game and have the Jets coaches prepare him for that. But this last week, because of the nature of the 75 and being able to carry 90 roster spots forward, we've seen a lot of player transactions, player for player, player for late picks, player for conditional picks, because teams are in a wonderful spot, again, to your point, to leverage players in this last game, get a little taste of it, see them, you know, even if it's a seven-day, 10-day rental, for lack of a better term,

and they could potentially cut him. He was claimed by the Jets, but if ultimately he's not one of their best 53 players, they can cut him with no harm, no foul, and move forward from there. The teams that have high priority, usually it's because their rosters are not that deep, and as such, they can take a shot on all these guys. Anybody with a name, let's bring them in, spend some time with them, like them, fine. If they're good for us, great. And if not, they move forward.

Now, Dan, you mentioned sort of in your discussions over there about the fourth preseason game what the advanced scouts might be facing right now. And for a team, for an organization like the Patriots, where they open it in a week, what are their advanced scouts doing right now. And for a team, for an organization like the Patriots, where they open it in a week, what are their advanced scouts doing right now? Their advanced scouts have been at the last two Kansas City games. They've been watching that team play in the preseason because ultimately right now the preseason games are the only exposure that you have to this variation of the

roster. There's certainly plenty of history between Belichick and Andy Reid. And philosophically, they know a lot of the things the other one likes to do. So there's not a whole lot of new ground to break as it pertains to that. They're going to know what Bob Sutton wants to do on the other side of the ball. And so really, it's about seeing how the new pieces in Kansas City manifest inside of that scheme and what – you know, how are they using them. Again, you're not going to get all the answers. Teams don't show their hand like that. They're aware that scouts are in the press box watching them, seeing how it goes.

But, you know, teams are trying to figure out, okay, with Jeremy Macklin not there, what's the rotation? Who's coming in in 11 personnel? What's the next guy off the bench? How has the new manifestation of the left side of the line, the battle there at left guard, how is that shaking out? Is that changing anything

in terms of plays that they run? Do they have a tipping their hand at all of being left-handed or right-handed, so to speak. How are some of the new pieces coming along? What is Benny Logan providing to the front that they didn't have last year? Just things like that, and they're trying to get a handle on it because for a team like the Patriots where their scouts are going to be more well-versed in the X's and the O's, they're going to be able to come back and provide the coaching staff

with actionable information. You're not repeating what the coaching staff does. You're trying to provide them, again, with insight that you're gleaning ahead of time. Now, Dan, for this final preseason game, what should Patriots fans be looking for, do you think? I think right now you're trying to – I mean there's not a whole lot of competition for roster spots left.

I mean obviously the injuries certainly open up the doors for other guys. But a lot of the people that are in place and have been in place are obviously going to continue to be there. So everybody's going to tell you you just want to stay healthy. The first thing you want to do is stay healthy. And then for the guys that are, let's say, off the 46, you're going to dress 46 on game day. So your last seven roster spots in your 53,

through your top 10 spots in your practice squad, that's where the competition is really at right now. And who's going to take however many snaps are available to them, 40, 50, 60 snaps in this next game, and who's going to take it and activate on it and put themselves in a position to be successful now the as a former scout you've probably got you know a different eye when you're watching games and say you know the casual fan or something like that so what is dan hatman looking for in this final preseason tilt between the Patriots and the Giants,

whether it's on New England or on the Giants? Well, the Giants roster has really come around. They've spent the last two years obviously leveraging free agency in addition to the draft to add pieces there. Their skill position players, the guys both on the defensive backside and the wide receiver side are some of the best in the league. And so it's going to be an unbelievable challenge for, you know, your fifth receiver on on the back end and your fourth corner on to get out there and compete against those players.

They're going to have competitive reps because the Giants are going to be able to put people out there that are going to test them. So you're going to be able to see some apples to apples. You're going to see some good on good opportunities to evaluate. And then you're going to have an opportunity to see some of these tight ends that the Giants have acquired. I'm sure Evan Ingram will continue to get reps as he's a rookie in developing. That is a body type and a skill set that your second-level defenders,

whether it's a third safety or your stacked backers or what have you, you're going to want to see them try to match up athletically against a player like that who's got some polished route running ability in addition to just his overall athletic ability and so there's some there's some great opportunities to put your players and again that those contested situations and see how they stack up all right dan thank you again so much for coming on he is dan hatman follow him on twitter dan underscore hatman. Dan, I'm going to turn the mic over to you for a minute.

Plug some stuff, my friend. You know what? The thing I want to plug right now is just how proud I am of our alumni and what they've gone out to do. I've spent the last few months really working to make sure I know where all of our guys are at. And we've got 14 guys working for NFL teams as scouts. We've got 48 now working in college as coaches or recruiting personnel.

We have people all across the analysis space. We have agents. We have people doing fantasy work at the highest levels. And it's just been humbling to me to see people take what we've built and then go and use it and apply it. And so I could not be more proud of that and excited about our next semester. We've got our fall semester kicking off here. It looks like about 10, 11 days.

The 11th of September, we'll go for our next 16-week course. We were able to just add four new instructors. So offensive line legend Howard Mudd, two new quarterback gurus and Chris Palmer and Steve Fairchild, running back coach and Gerald Ingram. And to give people the opportunity to learn from men like that who've literally spent their entire adult lives working in the National Football League. I just don't know what else I could be doing that would make me happier. He is Dan Hatman. Again, follow him on Twitter, Dan underscore Hatman.

You can follow the Scout Academy. They are at the Scout Academy. Check them out online as well, scoutacademy.com. Dan kind of undersold it a bit there. It's a combined 420 years of NFL experience. And as somebody that's gone through the scout and Academy himself, done the quarterback module over there, I would highly recommend it as well. I would also highly recommend Patriots fans bus.com again, $5 round trip for opening night from downtown Boston,

right to Gillette. I've been stuck on route one. You've been stuck on route one. We've all been there. Don't be behind the wheel when that happens to you. Let Bust.com take care of you getting in and out of Gillette for opening night. I'm Mark Schofield. Thank you so much for listening to this edition of Locked on Patriots.

We'll be off on Friday for the Lawn Holiday weekend, but I'll be back on Monday looking at this final preseason game and starting to get everybody ready for the Week 1 opener. Thanks again. Mark Schofield for Locked on Patriots, signing off. What you doing? Running out of space on my phone, so I'm deleting some stuff. Bye singing dog. Bye goal.

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