Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - August 7, 2019: Mark says Goodbye, Mike says Hello; Pats-Lions; Tom Brady

Episode Date: August 7, 2019

Mark Schofield passes the baton of Locked On Patriots to new host, Mike D’Abate of Full Press Coverage. The pair discuss their new ventures, educatedly guess on Tom Brady’s plans for 2019 and beyond and briefly preview Pats-Lions from Detroit on Thursday.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

And hello to all the 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. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover the pats for FullPressCoverage.com, and as you may have guessed, I am your new host of Locked On Patriots. Let me begin by saying that I am honored to be joining you today on what marks a new beginning for this podcast.

For the past two years, Mark Scofield has brought you the very best in Patriots analysis and insight, and his impact on this seat will always be felt. Ironically, Mark also debuted in August of 2017, so both of us debuting in August. He debuted on the 29th, to be exact. And to say that it's a tall task to follow in Mark's footsteps would be an understatement. Mark has always and always will conduct himself with the highest degree of class, professionalism, and accuracy, and I, for one, cannot thank him enough for his contributions to Locked On, to Patriots coverage as a whole, and really across the NFL media landscape. Mark is truly one of the great guys in the business, and I wish him well in all of his

future endeavors. That being said, taking this host chair, it is my sincere hope that all of you, the fans of Locked On Patriots, will continue to invite this great show into your daily routine, and I pledge to do my very best to bring you the latest in Patriots news, analysis, and opinions in my own unique way. I'm beyond honored to have been chosen for this role, and I really would be remiss if I did not thank David Locke and the Locked On Podcast Network for the faith which they have shown in me. But most of all, I want to thank each and every one of you

that take the time to listen to Locked On each and every day. You are the heart and soul of what I and my colleagues here at Locked On try to accomplish on a daily basis, which is keeping you informed on anything and everything related to your favorite sports teams while making sure that you're entertained in the process. And that is my sincere hope to continue to do that. It's a labor of love for myself and everyone here at Locked On. So before I bring in a familiar voice to address you all today, many of you are probably wondering,

well, who is this guy, and why is he here? And judging from my Twitter following, which continues to grow each day, and I do thank you all for that, but I really can't say that I blame you. You probably have questions, and I would like to try to answer those for you. 2019 marks my third season covering the New England Patriots. I started as a staff writer for a company called Cover32.com, and for a couple of seasons, I was a bi-coastal managing editor for them, managing the New England Patriots site along with the Los Angeles Chargers. So that's why the bi-coastal comes into play there. Once full-press covered sports media came and started off the ground, my true love was the New England Patriots, and I transitioned full-time into that role.

Anyone that's familiar with my writing style knows that, like my predecessor, I also share a love for pop culture references, and I'm sure you're going to hear a lot of those on references on most, if not all, of these podcasts. I've always tried to pride myself on bringing a level-headed and even approach to covering stories, embracing the near-impossible task of balancing the canon law of facts, what the impulse of firing off the occasional hot take. It's a daunting task for sure, but one that I embrace in trying to become the best sports journalist I can be, and I'm really so excited to continue on in the great tradition of all the hosts,

both past and present, here at Locked On. So before I welcome my guest in today, I wanted to take a few moments to let you know that this episode is brought to you by Five Star Painting, a neighborly company. Five Star Painting is looking for new owners to join their growing company. Could this be the perfect opportunity for you? Are you driven? Do you have the heartbeat of an entrepreneur? If so, you are interested in running your own business. Text 5STAR, F-I-V-E-S-T-A-R, to 8700 right now to learn more. Choosing to start your

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Whether you've been thinking about starting your own business or you're already running your own painting company, text 5STAR, F-I-V-E-S-T-A-R, to 8700 to learn more about how a 5-star painting franchise can help you get to where you want to go faster than going it alone. Again, text F-I-V-E-S-T-A-R to 8700 to learn more about the neighborly brands that may be available in your area. And we thank them for sponsoring the podcast. One of my least favorite adages is out with the old and in with the new i tend to be sentimental

and to me this phrase kind of lessens the impact that the past has on the present and the future in the case of this show you really won't hear me say out with the old and in with the new too much let's hope not if you're a patriots fan you can probably read between the lines and what i'm trying to say there however for the case of this, you won't hear me say that too much. I owe so much of my present and future to its past. So when speaking of this podcast, instead of saying out with the old and in with the new, I'd rather say honor the best of the best and now in with the new. And that's what I really hope to do today as I welcome in my guest.

As previously stated, he's a familiar voice to all of you. He's a man that needs no introduction, but I'm going to give him one anyway. He is the always omnipresent host of Locked On, and really, I think, will be for a good long time. He's an amazing journalist for platforms such as Inside the Pylon, Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation. He is my good friend, Mark Schofield, and he joins me today via phone. Mark, welcome back to the show, and thanks so much for joining me today. Mike, it's an honor and a privilege to be here. I was lucky enough to be able to catch the intro that you did today. Can't thank you enough for the kind words, but I really was struck by,

you know, how you framed your vision for the show and how you outlined for the listeners to this show your past, your present, and your future. You did a tremendous job. I'm overjoyed that you're taking this over. I cannot wait to continue to listen to this show. And interestingly enough, it will be the first time I actually listen to this show because I never listened to my own. So I will actually be able to listen to Locked On Patriots, and I'm excited to do that. I can't wait to see the direction you take the show.

As I've told people, I believe that you're going to take it into a direction that is going to be absolutely phenomenal for the listeners to be there to cover this team. You've done such a great job covering this team over your time with Cover 32 and then with FPC. So I'm so excited for you, so excited to be here, and I'm excited to talk some football. Absolutely. And from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for the kind words, and I do appreciate that.

As someone that has listened to Locked On Patriots really since its inception, going back to when Jeff Howell had the show, coming into Siminoe, and then when you took the show over. Your ability to be able to break down X's and O's plays intricacies that most analysts and most podcast hosts don't have the opportunity to do. It is so impeccable and so amazing. I will warn my listeners that I am still someone that is learning the intricacies of the game to that level. Not to say that I'm not going to offer insight that's valuable to the listener. You definitely will get that from me. But that is something that I admire so much

and something that I hope kind of rubs off a little bit sitting in this chair and being able to move forward here with Locked On Patriots and take this hopefully to the same heights that you were able to do and maintain that level of excellence. I don't want to say take it to new heights because I think you've taken this show to such a level that is so impeccable, and for me to be able to follow in those footsteps is an honor in and of itself. So I really do appreciate that. First question that I have for you before we get into some football is, do you like what I've done with the place?

I put some new throw pillows out, added a lamp or two. I got a nice coffee table book about the Godfather that's right there. I will tell you, fear not, that poster of Toto that you had on the wall, that will not be removed under any circumstances. That stays, that is there, that is absolutely ingrained, and that will remain. I continue to bless the reins with you, my friend. That poster of Toto is not going anywhere. Yeah, well, I kind of super glued it to the wall, so whoever was taking over,

they weren't going to be able to get that to send down off the wall. Oh, that's why. You can get that off there. Why didn't you take that with you? I have multiple Toto posters, okay? That's not just the one T with you? I have multiple total posters, okay? That's not just the one total poster that I have. So I've got them shirred about, you know, my wife and I, our family, we're moving into a new house actually in the next couple of weeks here.

I've got total posters for every single room. But I do, Mike, I love the throw pillows. I love the coffee table book, the Godfather book that you put out there. I think it looks great in here. And, you know, you mentioned some of the X's and O's stuff. In that little two stack of drawers in the corner there that are dusty looking, I left some notes. So if you're ever

looking for something, there are some notes in there you can go through. But you're going to be great, buddy. Don't worry about it. The place looks great. I love your own big chair. I like how you get your own big chair and you made it yours. It looks great. Well, absolutely. Keeping in my obsession with The Godfather, there's actually a deleted scene in that movie

where after the Don is shot, Sonny comes into his father's office and he sees his father's chair sitting there and he knows that all of the mantle of this great Corleone crime family is about to be put on his shoulders. He looks at the chair and he doesn't sit in it. He grabs a chair from the corner,

brings it over and says, okay, well, I'm not going to sit in my father's chair. I'm going to sit at his desk and do his job, but I'm not going to sit in his chair. So I think that's a good analogy here, and I think that's something that hopefully our listeners embrace. And, again, I really appreciate you being on today, and our listeners definitely want to get to some football without any question. Boy,

I tell you, we both picked a good week to debut new shows. There's really nothing going on in Osborough. I mean, wow, it's just dead. You can hear a pin drop over in one Patriots place. All kidding aside, we will get into

the fact that the Patriots actually do have a preseason game to play tomorrow night at Ford Field in Detroit at 7.30 p.m. The Patriots open their preseason against Matt Patricia's Detroit Lions. But the news of the day, really the news of the last few days, has been one Thomas Edward Patrick Brady Jr. He is employee number 12 up in Foxborough, and he is the star quarterback of this team and has been for the last 19 years. Some news about Brady the last couple of days, Mark.

Obviously, the contract extension, which we heard it was an extension, now we're hearing it's basically a pay raise for 2019 only with the two voided years at the end. And then yesterday, it started out as a report on Zillow, and then we saw through Caldwell Banker Homes. Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen have listed their mansion, really, in Brookline that is basically up now for sale for the bargain basement price of $39.5 million. I know, Mark, you're going to put in a bid tomorrow.

I'm putting in my bid later. Let's hope that we'll be able to make a dent in that for Tom. But one thing that I wanted to get your opinion on is what is your take on all of this in terms of Brady, what it means going forward for the Patriots, and really what it means going forward for Brady in his career? It's fascinating to think about, Mike, because I think Tom Brady perhaps said it best when he was addressing the media at the joint practices of Detroit when he said, look, I just turned 42.

We're entering uncharted territory here both for me as a player and for this franchise because we've seen quarterbacks sort of drop off when they get to that point in their careers. There is eventually a cliff of sorts. And yes, it's become almost a joke amongst Patriots fans about the cliff and Tom Brady. And Tom even alluded to that this offseason when he had that video of him cliff diving with his daughter in Costa Rica when he said he didn't want to be the first Brady to fall off of a cliff. Obviously, it alluded to the Max Kellerman and the Rob Parkers of the world.

But this is uncharted territory. We don't know if Tom Brady is going to continue to play at the level that he's always played at. And we saw glimpses of him last year. That Week 10 game against Tennessee, that created a lot of buzz about, is the cliff here? Is the arm strength failing him? There was concern about a potential injury. And so we know that Father Time is undefeated,

and we know that eventually Tom Brady is going to stop being Tom Brady. And so both the organization, as a way of sort of protecting themselves, and Tom Brady himself, they have to start thinking about the end, in a sense. And what's interesting about the way they sort of structure this, then, it's how other organizations, notably the New Orleans Saints, have done it with Drew Brees. They have these technically extensions, but they're really just one-year deals that are voidable, but it allows them to sort of spread out the dollars and lessen the cap hit somewhat. So it's a new way of doing it.

The Patriots are sort of following that Saints model. But in the back of all of our minds, it's just yet one more reminder that at some point, we're going to see a week one starting lineup on the offensive side of the ball that does not have number 12 under center. And that day may be coming sooner than we thought. The fact that the house is now for sale, I don't think I could afford. Did they have like a parking spot? Like I might be able to like put it a bit on that.

But it's just more fuel to the idea that the Tom Brady era in New England might end. And we all hope that it ends on a high note. We hope that he rides off into the sunset wearing a Patriots uniform. The idea of him wearing, say, Burgundy and gold down here in the D.C. area is just nauseating. But who knows what the future holds? But I think to sort of wrap that up, Tom Brady approached it the right way from a mental support state.

He said, look, you know, I have to go out and prove that I'm the best quarterback for the New England Patriots. I consider myself, like all football players, all guys in the NFL, to be on a one-year deal. And that, Mike, is the attitude, and you know this well, that Tom Brady has had since he was drafted by this team. He always said that he has to go out every single day and prove to the coaches that he is the quarterback for this team. He did that as a rookie. He did that as a young player. He's done that as a veteran, and now he's doing that in perhaps the twilight of his career. He hasn't changed his approach.

He hasn't changed his mindset. You know he's the ultra-competitive guy that he has always been. That hasn't faded. And until that actually fades, we're going to see the best of Tom Brady on the field. Without question, and I completely agree with you, Mark. I mean, Brady has never been about the maximization of his deal. He's never been about the money. I mean, let's face it, you take a look at his quarterback salaries over the years

and they pale in comparison to some of his contemporaries. Like you said, he doesn't focus on those types of issues. And I think that that is something that has always benefited him throughout his career because it's allowed him to give the team financial flexibility to put a winning team on the field. And I think that will continue. I'm trying not to read too much into what's going on with having the house up for sale and things like that. I know there are a lot of people that are getting carried away. And, look, it is.

It's part of the job. It's part of the nature of the business that we're in. You have to take a look at things, analyze, and then give your opinion based on what that means. And a lot of times it's based on internal facts. I know people have access to information that maybe you or I don't have that ability to obtain. But for right now, I think a good message to Patriots fans is take a step off the ledge.

Let's see how all this plays out and really enjoy the 2019 season because everybody looks like they are, quote-unquote, locked in. Cheap pun there. And we'll hopefully see that this will go forward. Mark, just one more thing before I let you go today. I just wanted to get your take on the Patriots and Detroit hooking up tomorrow night in Detroit. Obviously, it's going to be the first preseason game, and I know a lot of the starters probably won't play.

We may see little, if any, of Tom Brady and some of the starters that might be nursing some injuries or whatnot, but we've seen some guys emerge in camp. Jacoby Myers definitely has turned some heads. Jarrett Stidham has turned some heads. Jake Bailey has definitely done so. Is there anybody that you're going to be particularly watching for tomorrow night to see if they can carry over that practice prowess into practicality for game purposes and really make a push to make this roster. Yeah, and obviously when you get that first preseason game,

or really any preseason game, the first thing you want to watch for is, I want everybody to walk back to the bus, walk back to the locker room. You don't want to see injuries. You want to see everybody sort of get through this. Because we've seen the Patriots are unique to this. A lot of teams have had sort of injuries during the preseason, but we've seen some ones like Julian Edelman, for example. We don't want to see preseason injuries.

So you want to get through this game with everybody healthy. I think the two guys you sort of mentioned there, Jacoby Myers, the undrafted wide receiver from NC State, he's turned a lot of heads. He's been getting some first-team reps. I'm very curious to see, okay, it's one thing when you're going against, you know, maybe the twos, maybe the threes. Maybe you are getting some first-team reps against that first-string defense, but going against some guys in different uniforms.

You want to see if that does translate. Although, to be fair, you know, this Patriots offense, where they're going against the Patriots' start of defense, that's a tough test. And so it might actually be easier at times to go against a different defense than this secondary that the New England Patriots will roll out. So I'm curious to see that. I am very curious, obviously, as a quarterback guy, to see Stidham. A lot of people are talking about how my Twitter timeline is filled with Stidham quotes and things like that.

People are really excited about the rookie quarterback. And maybe, in a sense, that's just an offshoothoot perhaps even a coping mechanism for some of the brady stuff this idea that oh well maybe we've got this great quarterback that we can turn to and everything's going to be fine i don't have to stand near the ledge like you put it and so i am very curious to see stidham on the defensive side of the ball i want to see obie mel and fong there's been a lot of sort of buzz about him in camp and how he seems to be carving out a role for himself. I was very intrigued when they acquired him last

year. When he was coming out of Con, of the University of Connecticut, I remember we did our Inside the Pile of Drafts guy that year, and we studied him and evaluated him and thought he had the potential to be a tight-end killer because of his size, his frame, his athleticism,

the guy that you could put on the Travis Kelseys of the world and perhaps leave him in a man-to-man coverage situation and not have to worry about him so much. And if you think back to how the Patriots defended Travis Kelsey in that week six matchup, they had triple coverage on him at times. But if you have the ability to just sort of put an Obi-Mellon Fon on a Travis Kelsey, that gives you the ability to perhaps triple cover a guy like Tyreek Hill, who obviously gives you some trouble. So if he can emerge and be that tight end killer type guy,

that would be huge for this defense. It might be like the one missing component to this defense. And so I'm very curious to see him. And also, back to offense for a second, I want to see the offensive line sort of rotation. Can they get Wynn in there? Who's going to be at left tackle? If not, is it going to be Skipper? Is it going to be Jotuni with Froholt at guard? Like, what's the offensive line rotation going to be? So those are the things I'm looking for as we kick off the preseason. Excellent. And I'm glad you mentioned Obi Mellon Fowle because I remember when they acquired him last year.

And writing for Full Press Coverage, Terrence Biggs is our managing editor for the Raiders page, and he always seems to be able to pinpoint these guys, especially when they come from Oakland. He's got a wealth of knowledge there. And he actually pinpointed Cordero Patterson a couple of years ago when they picked him up and said, you guys just got to steal. That is really going to be a valuable member of the team. And I remember thinking to myself, saying, well, okay, yeah, I like Patterson. I like his game.

I don't know if he's going to be a game changer. And sure enough, he came into New England and really was a key cog in their Super Bowl run last year, especially on the special teams unit. He said the same thing about Obie. He says if this kid can stay healthy and stay productive, he's going to be a beast in that secondary. And I think you're seeing some of that in preseason. So it'll be very interesting to see how he progresses both tomorrow night and in the

remaining three preseason games. I think you're going to see a lot of him in all four of them. I think there's definitely a push for him to be able to make the roster. He's going to have to show it and prove it on the field because he does face some stiff competition in the backfield. Obviously, Terrence Brooks is emerging as someone that is at a very good camp thus far. So I'll be definitely interested to see that. But thank you for your insight on that.

I definitely agree with you on all phases, both offensively and defensively. There's going to be some things to look at tomorrow night in Detroit. Mark, what can I say? I thank you for joining me and for all of your support. It's really a true honor, again, to hold this seat, which you have occupied for the past two years with such class, and on a professional note, I really thank you for setting that bar so high. And I mean that because it's going to inspire me to be better each and every day. Before you ride off into that New England sunset from a Lockdown Patriots perspective, please take a moment to tell our listeners where they may find your great work going forward

and how they'll be able to continue to stay in touch with you on the social media platform. Well, Mike, again, thanks so much for having me. It's been a blast doing this show for two years, but I have full confidence that you are going to take this show in a new and even better direction. I'm so excited to see what you do with it, and I have the utmost confidence that you're going to just crush it here, and I can't excited to see what you do with it, and I have the utmost confidence that you're going to just crush it here, and I can't wait to see what you do with it. As for those that want to stay tuned with me,

easiest way is on Twitter, at Mark Schofield. I write for a number of places, insidethepylon.com, Pro Football Weekly, Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio. Then I do work for three different SB Nation websites, Big Blue View, Bleeding Green Nation, where I co-host the QB Scope Show, and, of course, Pat's Pulpit, where I write and now host the Scope Show. Well, excellent. And, Mark, once again, I really, really do appreciate it.

Thanks to you for joining me today. As for myself, I will be back here again tomorrow breaking down Patriots-Lions preview. We kind of teased a little bit of that going into the end of the show today. We might briefly once again touch upon the Tom Brady contract and speculate on where or where the Brady family might be living in the coming months. Also have a special guest joining me tomorrow, so stay tuned to social media to find out who.

Make sure to join us each and every day on the Locked on Patriots podcast and subscribe to Locked on Patriots podcast and subscribe to Locked On Patriots via your favorite podcast provider. Thank you so much for listening today. Thank you for welcoming into the Locked On podcast family. Have a great day, everybody.