Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots March 7, 2018 - Mailbag Extravaganza Part the First

Episode Date: March 7, 2018

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Good morning and welcome into Lockdown Patriots for Wednesday, March 7th, 2018. Mark Schofield here in the big chair as I am four days a week, bringing you all the Patriots news, notes, and analysis that you need to stay up to date with your New England Patriots. Reminder to follow me on Twitter at Mark Schofield. Check out the work over at InsideThePylon.com where I am one of the lead writers. Reminder, you can get your hands on the ITP draft guide. As of right now, we have 481 players scouted.

We're going to push above that 500 player mark here in the next couple of days. We're taking a look at everybody you can think of to get you the best ITP draft guide that we can put out there. If you want $5 off that, use promo code TOTO when you pre-order today at ITPDraftGuide.com. Follow me on Twitter at Mark Schofield. Check out the video work I do on the quarterbacks in this class over at YouTube.com backslash InsideThePylon. Today's show, I have to give massive amounts of credit to the loyal listeners to the Locked On Patriots podcast. I put out a call for some questions for a mailbag show for today.

I had so many great questions come in. We're going to do a two-parter. Questions answered today, questions answered tomorrow, again on Thursday's show because I get so many great questions from in. We're going to do a two-parter. Questions answered today, questions answered tomorrow, again on Thursday's show because I get so many great questions from you guys. As always, I'm going to read out the Twitter handle for everybody that submitted a question. Please go and follow

each other. Let's build a nice little relationship and network of loyal listeners to the Locked On Patriots podcast of which there are thousands and thousands. I'm proud of you all for stepping up this week. Some great questions that we're going to dive into again on a two-part show. Let's start off with this first question. It is from my friend Bill Rossetti.

He is at Bill underscore Rossetti, R-I-C-C-E-T-T-E on Twitter. Please give him a follow. Bill does some great work. Locked On Panthers, DailyM him a follow. Bill does some great work. Locked on Panthers. Dailymarkdraft.com. Bill's a really good guy, so give him a follow. His question, what are the best fits for Malcolm Butler if the Patriots don't bring him back?

And I think at the outset, look, the Patriots didn't use the franchise tag on him. Something we'll address in a second. And I think in the outset, look, the Patriots didn't use the franchise tag on him. Something we'll address in a second. And I think in the wake of the Super Bowl, we can be pretty clear that Butler's not coming back, right? Patriots going to move on from that relationship. I think the handwriting is kind of on the wall there. So I think it is time to wonder about where Brown could fit in the NFL in terms of finding a new home.

And luckily for him, from his point of view, there are a number of places where he could end up. There are a number of teams that need some cornerback help. I mean, you could start in Arizona. Look, they've got Patrick Peterson at one corner. But the other corners are a big question mark. Tremont Williams, Justin Bethel. There are some question marks there.

Buffalo Bills, they've got Tredavious White, who is excellent as a rookie corner. Somebody that really had a great rookie season. And you could make the case that, you know, other than Marshawn Lattimore, not too many defensive players had a better rookie season than Jardavius White. Now, the Bills just signed Vontae Davis,

but he's had injury issues. I'm not sure if Butler will be the best fit there, but that's a team to consider. Cleveland gave up a passer rating of 102.3, worse than the NFL last year. Jason McCourty is one corner, but he's 30 years old. One year left on a deal. So he might be an addition.

A lot of people look to the Detroitroit lions i think that's probably the easy answer to say here obviously you've got matt patricia the new head coach has a relationship with malcolm butler if that relationship is still solid it's not frayed after the superbowl that might be a spot they've got darius slay at one corner that's great he's one of the best at the position on all pro gave up a passer rate of just 52.4 with 800 receptions last year. But they've got question marks at the other corner spot. DJ Hayden and Nevin Lawson about to hit free agency. Jalen Tabor, a rookie from last year, might be their CB2.

Maybe that's an option San Francisco might be a spot where he could end up they need some help in the secondary there so there are a number of options for Malcolm Butler in free agency. If you're a corner, given the number of teams that need some help at that position, it's not a bad year to be a free agent corner. So if the Patriots do decide they are moving on from Malcolm Brown, Malcolm Butler, excuse me,

he's going to find some suitors. Next question from Russell Brown brown at russ nfl draft russ does great work over at cover1.net russ wants to know what are some prospects you could see the patriots taking a look at for the early part of round two you know and this is something we've talked about with luke inman a couple of times the patriots have really set up fairly well at the start of this draft. Obviously, they've got a pick at 31. They have that pick at 43 from the 49ers as part of the Garoppolo trade. And then they've got the pick at the end of the second round as well.

Those are three nice picks in that sort of, I'd say, 25 to 65 range where drafts can be won or lost. And I think there's some good depth in that area. If you look on the defensive side of the ball, there's some names that I think would be there at 43 stand out to me. Malik Jefferson, linebacker from Texas. He didn't do athletic testing at the Combine. We'll have to wait to see his pro day numbers.

But as we'll talk about a little bit more today, a little bit more in tomorrow's show as well. Patriots need to get more athletic at linebacker. I think that was kind of one of the themes coming out of Super Bowl 52. They need to get athletic at that second level.

Especially seeing how offenses are evolving right now. And so Jefferson would be a good fit there. I think down up front on the defensive side of the ball, Taven Bryan had a huge combine, the defensive lineman from Florida. And as we've talked about, more of a one-gap player. Might he be a little bit redundant with Malcolm Brown?

Maybe, but still a very good player. Harrison Phillips, defensive lineman from Oklahoma. Talked about him some. He's somebody that always seems to be there, regardless of the draft board I use over at DailyMockDraft.com when I do daily Patriots mock drafts. Whether it's Chris DiPrasso over at CBS, whether it's Matt Miller or others,

he always seems to be there at 43. And Patriots need some help up front. Sam Hubbard, Ohio State edge defender, perhaps the quintessential New England Patriot, lacrosse background, nice three-cone time for somebody of his size. Talked to John Ledger about him, very fundamentally sound player.

So I think he's somebody that would be there at that spot. Would be interesting. Cornerbacks, Mike Hughes, if he's there. I know he's rising a little bit. Carlton Davis from Auburn, if he's there. And then I think if you look on the offensive side of the ball, tight end, I don't see tight end on a lot of other boards as being a need for New England.

I still think it is in a sense, a number of senses. One, you've got questions after Gronkowski anyway with Dwayne Allen, Martellius Bennett, what they did or failed to do this year. I know they like the Hollister kid, but still, I think they could upgrade a t tight end too and then you've got the gronkowski issue with maybe he looks to move on from the game and it's a nice tight end draft mike joseki dallas goddard mark andrews you know one of

those guys would probably be there at 43 probably not jose. Had a huge combine. You know, really showed out in the athletic testing. So he's probably not there at 43. But one of the other guys might be. Although I did see Jacksonville at 29. Somebody mocked Goddard to Jacksonville at 29. So maybe he's not. So maybe the Titans won't be there.

But if they are, I think they'd consider it. Offensive linemen, still something that the Patriots need to address. Will Hernandez probably played himself into the first round with his combine. But I still love Isaiah Wynn to New England. I still think he's somebody that can play tackle. You could at least try him there. He could at least be sort of a swing tackle, depth tackle, while still being effective as a guard. Colton Miller had a very athletic combine.

Maybe he comes off the board in the first, but if he's there at 43, would be somebody worth considering as well. So those are some names of that pick at 43 early in the second that the Patriots probably keep in mind. Up next, we're going to talk some wide receiver depth and tackle perhaps the greatest question of our time.

That's ahead with me, Mark Schofield, and Locked on Patriots. Mark Schofield back with you here on this Wednesday edition of Locked on Patriots. Again, we're doing a double shot of mailbag episodes here. We've got so many great questions. I didn't want to miss any. Reminder to follow everybody who submitted a question.

I'm reading their Twitter handles out as well. If I happen to miss a question, yell at me on Twitter, at Mark Schofield. DM's always open if you want to yell at me in private. Let's talk a little wide receiver depth right now. This made a little bit of news with the Patriots

deciding to bring back Kenny Britt. Question from Matt Cook at TheMattCook13 on Twitter. Matt, big fan of the show. One of the loyal listeners here to Locked On Patriots. As the roster stands now, what do you see as the Patriots' wide receiver depth chart to start the season? And similar to tight end,

I still think that wide receiver is a position that the Patriots might address here in the draft for a couple of reasons, which we'll get into. With Brendan Britt back into the fold at the start, I think here's the guys that are in the mix. Obviously, Julian Adeline, Brandon Cooks, Chris Hogan, Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt, Philip Dorsett, and then Danny Amendola, who they still would need to re-sign to bring him back.

Those are seven pretty good names. Now, New England, in their offense, they do use a little bit of positional versatility. You know, in that Aaron Perkins system, you can move guys around. But I think if you want to slot these guys into true X, Z, and slot types, again, with the caveat that they do use positional flexibility a bit, I think at X, you're looking at Hogan, and then behind them, a combination in some order,

Malcolm Mitchell, Kenny Britt. I'd give Mitchell the nod, just in terms of familiarity with the offense. Had a little bit more experience in the system. Brady trusted him in Super Bowl 51. I think at Z, you're looking at Cooks and Philip Dorsett behind him. And at that slot position, you're looking at Danny Amendola backing up Julian Edelman and that's if Amendola comes back and now looking at it that way some questions and issues jump out to me

could they move Malcolm Mitchell around? could they make him more of a Z and slide Phillip Dorsett to that slot spot if they don't bring Amendola back? do they try that with Britt? Do they try to bring Britt more of a Z? Slide Dorsett behind Amendola. I mean, excuse me, behind Edelman.

Do they look to add somebody? If it stacks the way I initially stacked it with just Edelman and Amendola at that slot spot. Now you've got two guys getting a little older, particularly for slot receivers, where there's a lot more stress put on the knees, the hips. So those quick cuts, those option routes, those pivot routes that the Patriots love to run out of that spot. Longevity issues, injury history issues there. So I've long wondered and long speculated and long held the belief that the Patriots are going to address slot receiver perhaps later in the draft.

Now guys like Deshaun Hamilton, Richie James, they might have helped themselves over the Senior Bowl, Shrine Game, Combine type circuits and moved themselves up. Braxton Berrios screams Patriots pick late in the draft. The kid from Miami, I've talked about him a ton on this show. And so I think that's how the board kind of stacks up right now. And I think

looking at it that way, whether they bring Amendola back or not, I still think they probably take a flyer on a slot receiver late in the draft. But that's just one man's take. Finally, a couple of questions here. Some of the pertinent questions of our time. Jebberwocky Project Leader, a great Browns fan on Twitter.

You can follow him at Jcosmo, J-C-O-Z-M-O. Tackle the pineapple on pizza debate war. I'll be listening. Okay, here's the thing, friends. And if I lose followers, if I lose listeners, so be it. Pineapple doesn't belong on pizza, period. Full stop. If I'm eating pizza

and I want to help myself to some pineapple during that process, here's what I do. I reach across the table to my son's plate and I steal a piece of pineapple off of his plate because pineapple is the only fruit he'll eat. But it's not on his pizza. It's just in a nice little pile and his little spider-man dinner plate

that's how I address pineapple when I'm eating pizza the only fruit that belongs on pizzas tomatoes remember kids tomatoes of fruit and if you want it in your sauce if you want a little margarita style pizza with tomato slices I'm fine with that either way. But pineapple doesn't belong on pizza. You're not talking about putting blueberries on pizza. We're not putting raspberries on pizza. We're not putting strawberries on pizza.

So get out of here with this pineapple on pizza business. And I know people will come back, ooh, the Hawaiian pizza, it's got ham, it's got pineapple. No, not doing it for me. And now this might have something to do with the fact that having been to Hawaii when I was younger, when you go to Hawaii, you get pineapple with everything, okay? We went to see Don Ho. My parents, myself, I was a seven-year-old kid. We went to see Don Ho.

It was an afternoon show, I believe. I wasn't hungry. They asked me what I wanted. I said, all I want is a glass of milk. They brought pineapple with it. Okay? They just hand it out with everything when you're in Hawaii.

So maybe part of my stance is the fact that having been to Hawaii, I kind of grew tired of the pineapple. It soured me on the pineapple experience. I just wanted a glass of milk. I didn't want pineapple. But that's my pineapple on pizza take. No.

Finally, my friend Michael Kissed, my friend Joe Ferriola, a two-part question. First from Michael Kissed at MichaelKissedNFL on Twitter. How much do you value quarterback face symmetry when scouting for the draft? And the follow-up question from Joe at NFL draft Joey

And what about the attractiveness of their spouse? Let's deal with Joey's question first. This is not a Lane Kiffin situation Lane Kiffin recently said that when he looks at assistant coaches potential assistant coaches He looks to see their spouse how how attractive they are, because he wants to know how good of a recruiter they are. Interest and take? That's,

I don't take that into account, let's just say. But I'm scouting quarterbacks. As for the face symmetry, look, we saw anonymous scout takes this draft season already about Sam Darnold has the quarterback face, whatever that is. Come on.

I'm not... The attractiveness and symmetry of a quarterback's face means nothing when you're looking at how quickly the ball gets to where it should be and whether it gets to where it should be in the right spot or not. You know? I'm a video game guy. Every night I'll unwind for an hour or so playing a little Xbox. Some of you have probably seen the carnage footage from Battlefield 1 with Mr. Kiss, with Mr. Furriola at times. If I'm not playing that game, I'll be playing a little Witcher 3.

Great game, by the way. If you're looking for a game to dust off, a little something to play that you haven't tried, Witcher 3 is a fantastic open-world game. Love it. In Witcher 3, they have the rock trolls, very, very unattractive creatures. If a quarterback looked like a rock troll, but threw the ball on time, in rhythm, got it where it needed to be, give me a rock troll at QB1. That's what matters. So again, those are some of the critical takes of our time that needed to be addressed.

Again, if you don't like the takes, yell at me on Twitter, at Mark Schofield, slide into the DMs. DMs always open. Final quick word here. Kevin Love over at the Players Tribune had just a phenomenal piece up about his struggle with mental health. For those of you that know me, that have followed

the work for a long time, that have followed me over at Inside the Pylon for a while, perhaps you heard the podcast I did on this issue with Matt Harmon on the Backyard Banter podcast a long time ago. I think it was last year, maybe. You know that I've had my own struggles with this issue,

the issue of mental health. You know that I've been fairly open about my struggles with mental health and how it sort of spurred a career change in me. One that I have to say, may have saved my life. Let's put it that way. May have.

If you're struggling with similar issues out there, if you're struggling with anxiety, with depression, with whatever it is, I mean it when I say this. Listen and it helps. My DMs are open. You know, this change into becoming a football writer,

this change into this new career, it saved me. It's made me a happier person. It's made me, which has enabled me to be a better son, a better husband, a better father. And a large part of it is the fact that there's this community out there that welcomed me into this, that enjoys my work, that shares the work, that definitely sort of keeps me

going. And so the least I could do is to try to pay that back. And so if you're listening to the show, if you're struggling with similar issues, slide into the DMs. Reach out to me. Oh, I just hit my hand on the desk. Getting animated here. But it's an important issue. And so that's why I'm getting animated. Because as I told Matt in that episode of the Backyard Banter podcast, it was after I had written a book, 17 Drives, breaking down one drive from one college game from each week of the 2015 season. And the analogy I made was this. You only get one drive in this thing called life. You only get one shot at it.

There's no, oh, we'll go get them next week. No. You get one crack at it. So you've got to make the most of it. And if you're struggling with issues like this, it can be paralyzing. It can be debilitating. That's how it was with me. I would freeze. I would physically freeze at times and just couldn't move on.

And so if you're struggling with similar things, if you're going through similar things, my DMs are open. I will get back to you as soon as I can. Because listening helps. It helped me. It can help you too. That will do it for today's first half of this mailbag show. I'll be back tomorrow on Thursday with some more takes. Again, great questions from all of you

that I really appreciate. Again, follow me on Twitter at Mark Schofield. ITPDraftGuy. Check it out. ITPDraftGide.com. Use that promo code TOTO for $5 off. Trust me, you're going to want to get your hands on this. Until next time, keep it locked right here to me, Mark Schofield, and Locked on Patriots.