Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots July 24, 2018 - Malcolm, Gordon, Garoppolo, AFC South Over/Unders and the 2013 Draft

Episode Date: July 24, 2018

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Good morning, welcome into Lockdown Patriots for Tuesday, July 24th, 2018. Mark Schofield back in the big chair hosting your favorite daily Patriots podcast. Reminder to follow me on Twitter at Mark Schofield. Check out the work over at InsideThePylon.com where I'm one of the lead writers over there. You can also check out work Matt Waldman's RSP, Rookie Scouting Portfolio, new piece up on Dak Prescott. Also be on the lookout for some work coming from me

from Pro Football Weekly, getting back into the mix over there as well as Big Blue View, part of the SB Nation Network. Today's show locked and loaded for you. Going to do some AFC self over-unders. We're going to talk to 2013 NFL draft. But first, some odds and ends.

Some things that popped up yesterday, last night, that I felt we needed to get to. We're going to start with Malcolm Mitchell. Some rumors that the Patriots are looking to shop the young wide receiver, which I know is a blow to my mom's heart. That's her favorite player right now troy brown was that he was the guy now it's malcolm mitchell partly because of his work in youth literacy right in the children's book that always gets my mom excited but the patriots looking to move the wide receiver due in part perhaps to some lingering knee issues nor

prince yada big fan of the show, big friend of the show, reported that they recently did a procedure on his knee to try to figure out the source of his ongoing lingering knee pain. Now, what does this mean for the Patriots' crowded wide receiver room? This was going to be an issue. There was clearly some bodies were not going to make it on to the final roster. You look at Jordan Matthews, Chris Hogan, Julian Edelman. Yes, he's facing a suspension, but he's going to be part of this team.

Philip Dorsett, Malcolm Mitchell, Cordell Patterson, then Kenny Britt, Braxton Berrios, Matthew Slater. Not a lot of seats at the table for a very crowded room. Some guys were probably going to either be cut or get moved. And does it surprise you that the Patriots are looking to at least get something in return, recoup some sort of value rather than simply cutting a guy? This has been their MO throughout the Belichick years. They'd rather get something, anything of value than just simply miss out on either resigning somebody or a situation like this where you've got a numbers game and they might have to cut somebody. So I'm not surprised that they're exploring options with that wide

receiver room. I'm not surprised that it's Malcolm Mitchell. He's missed an entire season. You know, he missed his entire second year in the National Football League after a pretty good rookie season where he showed a lot of, you know, a great relationship. He was on the same page with Tom Brady, particularly in Super Bowl 51. I've talked about it on the show before. A number of big third down throws. Tom Brady was looking to Malcolm Mitchell to make plays and he trusted him to make plays and he did that. The rookie did that on the game's biggest stage. Despite all that though, if you can't get on the field, it's going to be tough for you to make a difference. One of the old saws about this game is the best ability is availability. And if

you can't get on the field, you can't help your team. So Patriots looking to shop him. I'm not quite sure what the return would get, particularly given the medical situation, but definitely something to watch. It won't be the last move they make with this wide receiver group. I think that's one thing we can agree on. Speaking of wide receivers, a lot of excitement coming into this season about Josh Gordon, the return of Josh Gordon reinstated by the National Football League. There was a bit of trepidation, however, on the timeline yesterday when Josh Gordon released a statement that he would not be with the team at the start of training camp. You know, he put it out quickly on Twitter and

then he re-put it, you know, on Instagram and he put his little screenshot out there and he basically said, I'm reaching out to all of you personally and letting you know that I'm not only doing great physically but mentally as well. You will notice that I will not be in Cleveland for the start of training camp. Rest assured that this too is a part of my overall health and treatment plan. I appreciate the awesome support I have received from teammates, friends, fans, and the Browns organization. Just like you, I am excited to start the season and I have every intention of being ready

and available to join my teammates soon to help bring winning football to our fans. He went on to say, with the help of the NFL, NFLPA, and the Browns organization, I have been able to utilize the resources available to me that will ensure my well-being on and off the field. By continuing to follow the plans set up by our medical director and his team and taking this time before the season starts, we believe it will help me maintain the progress I've made for not only today but for many years to

come. When that came out, there was some concern. People were worried that was this a relapse situation? Did he fail another test? What was the true story here? But when I read that, I initially thought this was planned. His team, his people, his advisors, his medical advisors came to the realization that they wanted to ease him into training camp. That would be the best way to sort of relieve any stressors, any triggers that might actually cause a relapse. And it seems to be confirmed in recent reporting, Ian Rappaport, Adam Schefter, and others saying that there was no relapse, there was no test, anything like that, that this is exactly that. This is part of a plan of action to keep him on this right path, to help him,

as he put it, maintain the progress that he's made, not just for the present, but for the future. And I think that's incredibly wise. I think it's brilliant. Because if he's on this right path, they must have felt that the start of training camp, that kind of environment, might be a potential trigger to him. It might cause a relapse. So rather than risk it, ease him back in. And I think it's a smart move. So rather than risk it, ease him back in. And I think it's a smart move. Obviously, we all wish the best for Josh Gordon. We want to see him back on the field making plays. Finally, last thing to talk about, Jimmy Garoppolo. A lot of buzz about Mr. Garoppolo, Jimmy G, in the past couple of days. Obviously, went on a recent date with an adult film star. I don't want to get into that too much, but that's gotten a lot of buzz.

The main thing I want to talk about is the recent profile of him in Bleacher Report, where he said that he felt that Brady was better than Garoppolo on his first day of the NFL, but his confidence built to the point where he thought, and I'm quoting here, I'm better than this dude. He believed in himself. He thought he was the best quarterback in that quarterback room, even better than Tom Brady. And of course, this touched off a bit of a firestorm. People saying, oh, come on. How can you think you're better than Tom Brady? This is crazy. Go win some games. You're a rookie. How can you have this mentality? And to that, I say, come on. I often use this quote from Top Gun. You know, one of the earlier scenes in that movie,

when they're all getting into Top Gun for the first time, they're in that little conference room. Tom Skerritt, callsign Viper, looks at the plaque and he says to Tom Cruise, you think your name's going to be on that plaque? And Tom Cruise says, yeah, I do. And Viper, Tom Scarrett shoots back, that's pretty arrogant considering the company you're in. I like that on a pilot. That's the

way I feel about quarterbacks. You can't play this position timid. You can't play it scared. You can't play it without confidence. What do you think Tom Brady thought in that quarterback room when he was drafted? When he was sitting down with Drew Bledsoe? Do you think Tom Brady thought in that quarterback room when he was drafted? When he was sitting down with Drew Bledsoe? Do you think Tom Brady thought, oh, he's better than me? No. Even though he was picked 199, even though he was a sixth round pick, even though every NFL team passed on him multiple times, including his new team, Brady went up to Robert Kraft and said, I will be the best decision you ever made. He had that level of confidence. You have to have that confidence to play this position. And so when I see Garoppolo saying he thought he was better than Tom Brady, good. He should have. If he was still here years later thinking, oh, I'm not as good as him,

I'd have questions. I'd have questions then. And so this idea that, oh, you know, he's got to handle it differently. No. I want my quarterbacks to be confident. I want my quarterbacks to be arrogant because you can't play it scared. You can't play it without confidence. If you do, you're going to make mistakes. That will do it for this little odds and ends segment.

Up next, we're going to talk a little bit about the AFC self, some over-under action, as well as we're going to talk the 2013 NFL draft. But first, I want to talk to you about getting back into shape because it's something that I've struggled with myself. And it's the toughest for me in the fall when you're working 70, 80-hour weeks, although, again, it's not really work what I do, but it does take time.

So it's hard for me to get to the gym, even though my gym, I kid you not, friends, it is about 600, no, maybe 1,500 yards from where I am right now. It's like literally around the corner. It is that close. I could walk there in two minutes. Although I wouldn't walk there right now because as those of you know, I live in the DC area and we're getting close to building arcs. Okay. It is going to be rain. It has been raining since Friday. It doesn't look to be stopping. I've got squirrels building little rafts to like get to the close to the bird feeder

I have in the backyard. It's crazy here right now. But yeah, sometimes it's hard to get to the gym. That's why I want to talk to you about our friends over at NordicTrack. They have a series of training equipment to give you amazing workouts in the convenience of your home, including treadmills, exercise bikes, incline trainers, and most important to me, a guy that still lifts weights, their Fusion CST series, their strength training series. Even better, with their stuff, you can join high energy streamed workouts any time of day without stepping out of the door. So on a day like today where it's pouring outside and the last thing I want to do when I get stopped recording here is go to the gym, I can just go downstairs, hop on one of their machines and get my workout done. You can join streamed workouts in both

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without leaving your house. Better yet, their workouts are led by the world's top personal trainers to ensure you meet your fitness goals. If you want to get in on this, here's what you do. A special offer for Locked On listeners, Locked On Patriots listeners. You can get $75 off your NordicTrack purchase today by visiting nordictrack.com slash locked on.

Use a promo code locked on when you do. Again, visit nordictrack.com. Use that promo code LOCKEDON. During checkout, you will save $75 off your purchase. Get yourself back in shape. Get yourself ready for the fall. Get yourself in game shape. Visit NordicTrack.com. Use that promo code LOCKEDON. Up next, we're going to do AFC South over unders. That's ahead with me, Mark Schofield and Locked On Patriots. Mark Schofield back with you now. We're going to talk AFC South over unders and the AFC South might be one of the more

exciting divisions to watch this upcoming football season. You've got Deshaun Watson, the return of him. You've got Andrew Luck coming back from injury. You've got the feisty Jacksonville Jaguars looking to get back to an AFC championship game and get into a Super Bowl. And you've got the Tennessee Titans that are a new head coach looking to get back to the playoffs

after they pulled off a nice little upset in the wildcard round last year going into Kansas City and knocking off the Kansas City Chiefs. Let's start though, I think, with the easiest over-under on this list. And that is the Indianapolis Colts. Because if you look at the Colts roster right now, yes, they have Andrew Luck. Yes, they have T.Y. Hilton. Yes, they drafted Quinton Nelson, who might be one of the better players to come out of this draft class, at least sitting here right now. Okay, where else are you going to go?

Two okay tight ends in Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron. I'm still looking. This is a... It's not a good roster, let's put it that way. And they're coming off a four-win season. Yes, they're going to get Andrew Luck back. But do you really think this team's going to win more than six and a half games? I'm not so sure that they do.

And that's their over-under right now, six and a half games. And they start. You want to talk about a start to a season here. They've got a home game against Cincinnati to open things up. Then they go to Washington, to Philly, home against Houston, and then they go to New England for a Thursday

night game. That's a tough way to start the season. And then they have a bye in Week 9. Weeks 10 through 14, also tough. Jacksonville at home, Tennessee at home, Miami at home, three home games, that's nice. Then you go at Jacksonville, at Houston. That's going to be tough. So six and a half, I'm going with the under. Next, Houston Texans.

Everybody's really excited about the Houston Texans, right? Deshaun Watson coming back. Yeah, they only won four games last year. Eight and a half is the over-under. They actually have one of the easier schedules. In fact, the easiest schedule on paper, at least going by last year's winning percentage. The teams that they played on this schedule

had a winning percentage of.453 last year. Easiest in the league. Now, that doesn't always translate from year to year, but it's an easy schedule. Easiest in the league. Now, that doesn't always translate from year to year, but it's an easy schedule. And they get a week 10 bye, which is nice. Their toughest stretch is probably the last two weeks of the season when they go at Philly and then home against Jacksonville to close it out. But it's a relatively easy schedule.

Week 12, Tennessee at home. Week 13, Cleveland at home. Week 14, Colts at home. And then at the Jets. I mean, those are four winnable games in a row right there. So I think you put this together, 8.5, I am going to take the older over on that. Jacksonville. Jacksonville Jaguars coming off a 10-win season.

They also have an easy schedule. 0.477, tied for 25th toughest schedule. Only a couple of teams have easier schedules, including the Tennessee Titans. And I think this defense is a big part of the reason why I think they'll hit this over. The Week 2 test with New England is going to be fascinating to watch. But some of their tougher games, like that New England game, are at home. They've got a game against the defending Super Bowl champions, and that's at home. They've got a divisional round rematch against the Steelers, that's at home.

They end the season, sure, with two road games at Miami, at Houston. That game against Houston could potentially be decided in the division if things go to form. But I think this schedule sets up well for them. Like the defense, like the youth and athleticism on that side of the ball, I'm going to take the over there. Finally, the one that I've really, really, really, really, really struggled with is the Titans. Nine wins last year.

Eight is the over under here. They have a bit of an early Week 8 bye Again, teams in this division have fairly easy schedules Titans have Only the Texans have an easier schedule At least going by last year's winning percentage So I'm going to go with the over on here as well

I've got some high hopes For what Marcus Mariota is going to look like under LeFleur. I think that he's going to get back closer to what we expected Marcus Mariota to be. And so, look, I'll go over here as well. Maybe I'm a softie today. I don't know.

But that will do it for some AFC South over-unders ahead. The 2013 Patriots draft. Some names that are still kicking around. Some guys we're still talking about. Some guys we'll be talking about as we get into training camp come next week. That's ahead with me, Mark Schofield, and Locked On Patriots.

Mark Schofield back with you now here on this July 24th episode of Locked on Patriots. Closing out the show here talking about the 2013 draft class. Patriots had a number of selections. Two in the second round, two in the third round, one in the fourth, and two in the seventh. As I said, some of these guys we're going to be talking about as we get into training camp. Their first pick was pick 52 overall. Jimmy Collins, linebacker, Southern Mississippi. I think this was a pretty good pick.

I think people would agree with that. Extremely athletic linebacker. Did stuff all over the field for the Patriots early as a rookie. 2014, he was a starter weak side linebacker. They moved him around again. 2015, 2016, doing really good stuff until he's inactive and then traded in the middle of 2016 for a conditional 2017 third round pick. And like we were talking about earlier, this is sort of the Brady, I mean the Belichick MO.

Rather than facing a decision where you might have to pay a guy, trade him and at least get something for him. And that's what they did. But I think the Collins pick was a good pick. Third-round picks. I'm skipping the pick of 59. The other second-round pick will get to that. Third-round picks.

Logan Ryan, cornerback from Rutgers, and Deron Harmon, safety from Rutgers. They were teammates in college, and they're still teammates today in the same secondary. Not a bad little return there in that third round. Fourth round, Josh Boyce, wide receiver, TCU. That didn't really pan out. Their two seventh round picks, Michael Buchanan and Steve Bajarnais,

defensive end from Illinois and a linebacker from Rutgers, respectively. Those guys didn't really pan out. The pick at 59, Aaron Dobson, wide receiver from Marshall, who made a splash early. His first reception was a touchdown as a rookie, but then he had injury problems. He struggled at times. He was eventually released by the team as part of roster cuts. That was the pick at 59. Who was on the board at 59? Well, Robert Alford, cornerback out of southeastern Louisiana,

came off the board at 60 right after the Dobson pick, and he's done some nice things. Eddie Lacy, running back out of Alabama, comes off the board at 61. At 63, Travis Kelsey comes off the board and I know look the Patriots probably weren't going to go tight end

I mean you look at their roster you know you do sort of wonder if they had gone tight end here. Because Gronkowski got hurt that year. They lost Gronkowski. Obviously, the Aaron Hernandez situation was playing itself out as well.

So they could have gone tight end here. They could have drafted Travis Kelsey. Imagine what this offense would look like right now With Gronkowski and Travis Kelsey Huh Interesting But that's not the direction the Patriots went Other guys that were on the board

Tyron Matthew Comes off the board early in the third round Keenan Allen comes off the board early in the third round Jordan Reed comes off the board early in the third round. Keenan Allen comes off the board early in the third round. Jordan Reed comes off the board at 85. I mean, again, the point of this exercise isn't to just say,

oh man, they really screwed it up. The point is just to kind of wonder what could have been. And this is one of those, man, what could have been situations. But we forge on. That will do it for today's show. I will be back tomorrow. We'll do some AFC South over-unders. We'll do the 2014 draft. I'm sure there's something already going on in the timeline

that we can talk about at the outset. Remember, check out nordictrack.com slash locked on. Check that out. Get yourself in game shape. You got to get yourself ready, right? Because it's a sprint from pretty much right now until the Super Bowl and then to the draft. You got to be ready to do it.

I'm off to the gym right now. Maybe I'll check out NordicTrack.com slash LockedOnPatriots myself because it's still pouring and I don't want to walk outside. Until I get myself a NordicTrack, until I get myself set up, I got to do it. But check it out. Use promo code LockedOn when you do. I'll be back outside. But until I get myself an order track, until I get myself set up, I got to do it. But check it out.

Use promo code LOCKEDON when you do. I'll be back tomorrow. Until then, keep it locked right here to me, Mark Schofield, and Locked on Patriots.