Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - November 6, 2019: Patriots Mid-Season Medallions

Episode Date: November 6, 2019

With the New England Patriots having just passed the midpoint of the 2019 NFL Season, host Mike D’Abate presents his Mid-Season Medallions to those on the Patriots roster who have performed at a standout-level thus far in 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and welcome to your mid-week, mid-season, bi-week Wednesday episode of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Today's episode is brought to you in part by DoorDash. Treat yourself to the meal you deserve and have your favorite restaurants come to you with DoorDash. Right now, our listeners can get $5 off their first order of $15 or more when you download the DoorDash app and enter promo code LOCKEDON. My name is Mike DeBate, and I am your host of Locked On Patriots, which, as always, is

a part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDAD-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C, and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Folks, today is November 6, 2019, and the countdown has begun. No, I'm not talking about Thanksgiving, which, by the way, including today, is 23 days away, or even Christmas, which again, including today, is 50 days away. Unless you go into a retail store and then you'd swear it was Christmas next week. But that's a conversation for another day. Not going to go there right now.

No, I'm talking 12. And again, folks, no, this is not the 12 days of Christmas. It's 12 days, including today, until your New England Patriots are back in action. November 17th, 425 p.m., Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the city of brotherly love, the home of Rocky Balboa, the place where Lane Johnson loves to have all of his fun, and of course, the home of the Philadelphia Eagles, who will be the Pats opponent when they kick off the second portion of the 2019 NFL season. And there will be plenty of time to break down the Pats' matchup with the Eagles in Week 11 next week. However, it's Week 10 in the NFL, which means the Patriots' bye week.

Yes, that's right, folks. No Patriots football this weekend. I know. I'm not happy about it. You're not happy about it. But stay calm. All will be well. And it does come at a very opportune time for the New England Patriots. After all, the bye week is designed to get guys rested and healthy for the stretch run. And the Patriots definitely have some guys that are banged up. They will utilize the week off to their advantage. Now, it's not a complete week off for the team.

The Pats are still hitting the practice field on Wednesday. They'll have the rest of the week off before coming back to the facility on Monday, and they'll resume their normal schedule in preparation for the game against the Eagles. And I'm sure you've heard a lot of people, myself included, refer to this as the midway point in the season, talking about how the Patriots played in the first half and how they will play in the second half. That's not entirely accurate, as the Patriots have played nine games, they still have seven to go. So technically, we're a little past the midpoint of the season. But for most teams, and not just the Patriots, when the bye week falls between that week eight, week nine, really up to either week 11 or week 12, it has that midpoint feeling. And that being said, it's the perfect

time to stop and take a look at what's transpired in the Patriots season so far. With the team currently sitting at 8-1, top spot in the AFC, you can bet there were a lot of highlights, folks. Some of those highlights came on offense. Quite a few of them came on defense and on special teams. But there were some lowlights as well. And what better time than right here today on Locked on Patriots to hand out what I like to call my midseason medallions. I could have just called them the mid-season awards, but quite frankly, folks, I couldn't resist the alliteration. In any case, I'll be sharing with you who I feel to be the standout performers

this year in New England so far. I'll be awarding the medallions very similar to the way they award medals in the Olympics. There'll be a gold, a silver, and a bronze, and then there'll also be some honorable mentions as well. Now, the Patriots did have some lowlights in the first half of the season, and I will identify a couple of those as well, but all in all, despite what you'll hear on the Hot Takes Morning Sports Media Machine, there were a lot more positives than negatives in the first half of the season for the New England Patriots.

So sit back, folks. I had a lot of fun coming up with these. I hope you have a lot of fun listening, and most of all, I hope you enjoy the show today. Once again, today on Locked On Patriots, I will be handing out my midseason medallions. And in just a moment, we will get to the gold, silver, and bronze winners, as well as the honorable mentions. But this week especially, I think it's important that we end on a high note. After all, we're treating this bye week as if it's the end of the first half of the season.

And if we're being honest, the Patriots didn't exactly end the first half of the season on a high note. After all, we're treating this bye week as if it's the end of the first half of the season, and if we're being honest, the Patriots didn't exactly end the first half of the season on a high note. They suffered a 37-20 loss at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens, and we've broken down the game. We talked about what the Patriots did wrong and what they need to improve upon in the bye week going forward into the second half of the season. So in that vein, I'm going to get the negatives out of the way first, folks. And before we talk about awarding medallions, these distinctions may take you back to your school days. And whether you're currently in school or Patriots kicking game, and it's been a while since the Patriots have had to be concerned about their kicking position. Prior to 2019, they had only started three kickers in the entire Brady Belichick era, Adam Vinatieri, Steven Gostowski, and for a very brief period, Shane Graham. Now, since taking over for Adam Vinatieri, Steven Gostowski has been as close to automatic as you

can possibly get. But as the 2019 season began, some concerns started to creep in, and you saw it last year with a couple of missed extra points, including one in the Super Bowl. Now, Steven Gostowski comes in, has a very good game to open the season. He played against the Pittsburgh Steelers, went 4-4 on field goals, 3-3 on extra points. However, he missed a 48-yard field goal along with two point after tries the following week in Miami. In the next two games, he missed an extra point in each one of those as well. At that point, a lot of us started to question Steven Gostowski's consistency, and then we found out why. Ultimately, he had to be sidelined with a hip injury, he was placed on season-ending IR, and while Gostowski was headed for surgery,

the Patriots were in search of a kicker. Enter Mike Nugostowski was headed for surgery, the Patriots were in search of a kicker. Enter Mike Nugent. Nugent signed with the Patriots in early October, and he came in with a decent NFL resume. There were definitely some questions about his leg strength, but overall, he was a serviceable option. But ultimately, he wasn't the reliable option the Patriots hoped. In the Patriots' 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 8, he missed a 38-yard field goal, and he had a 29-yarder blocked. That was the first blocked field goal against the Patriots 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns in Week 8. He missed a 38-yard field goal, and he had a 29-yarder blocked. That was the first blocked field goal against the Patriots since 2006. Overall, he wasn't terrible.

He went 5-8 on field goals and 15-16 on point after attempts. But again, the consistency was not there. It led the Patriots to make a change. So they released Nugent and signed Nick Folk. Folk handled the kicking duties on Sunday night's loss in Baltimore and was effective. He went 2-for-2 on field goals. He went 2-for-2 on extra points. 4-for-4.

So far, so good. Folk's leg is a little bit stronger than Nugent's, but ultimately, I believe the Patriots have a very short leash on their kicking game. I think they're looking at a pool of talent that they could possibly use this year, and if Folk starts to falter a little bit, it wouldn't shock me to see them go with someone else. So right now, you have to count the Patriots kicking game as a big question mark, and that is a huge departure from what they're used to under the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick regime. The second needs improvement sticker that I'm going to be handing out is to running back

Sonny Michel, and a lot of people may be surprised by this. I am a big proponent of Sonny Michel. I actually scouted him in college as someone the Patriots might have their eye on. He is the type of back that Bill Belichick loves, and I still have a lot of faith in Sonny. But ultimately, there has been a lack of production, and that does deserve this mention. He was a huge part of the Patriots' postseason run just last year. He was expected to continue where he left off. Instead, he's only averaged 3.3 yards per carry and has just 482 yards through nine games. Those are certainly not the numbers we expected Sonny to put up, but it wouldn't exactly be fair to Sonny if we didn't mention that the offensive line has not

exactly opened the same seams that they opened for him last year. That has been a problem, and because of that, he's struggled to find yardage. Where Sony needs to improve is in his decision making. There have been times when he's been hesitant to show that combination of strength and speed that he'll need to push forward and get that ground and pound yardage. There have also been times where he's run into coverage when it hasn't been to his advantage to do so. Good thing for Sony is he's been relatively healthy this year. That's something that's always a concern with him. So seeing him out there repeatedly taking snaps is a great sign for the New England Patriots.

Bottom line, Sonny has too much talent to be considered a bust. I know a lot of people love to label him with that moniker, but I think that's unfair. I do believe he'll get on track, and I do believe that as the weather gets colder and the Patriots realize that they need to run the ball a lot more, you'll see more heavier dosages of Sonny Michel, and I think he's up to the challenge. And my last needs improvement sticker that I'm handing out today is to the offensive line.

And look, a lot of this is not the fault of the O-line or the personnel that they have on it. They've been decimated by injury, folks. Marcus Cannon, Shaq Mason have all missed time due to injury. David Andrews, they lost at the beginning of the year. He is the captain of this offensive line, and having him out for the season is definitely a huge loss. Credit Ted Karras, who I think has done an amazing job in his absence, but losing a guy like David Andrews is not something you can expect to endure and not feel a difference. On the left side is where the Patriots have really struggled.

Unfortunately, Isaiah Wynn went down with a turf toe injury and has spent much of the season on IR. That means that Marshall Newhouse has taken his spot. No one's going to argue that Newhouse has been a great fit in that position. He's been a liability at times. His protection of Tom Brady has been subpar at best. But keep in mind that Newhouse is not a starting left tackle in this league. As a matter of fact, he's most comfortable on the right side.

He's playing out of position and out of direction. So Tooney is a very versatile lineman, but he's most comfortable at the guard position. And Dante Skarnecchia is a stickler for consistency, and he's let Tooney remain at the guard position. The good news is that the Patriots expect Isaiah Wynn to be back in Week 12 for their matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. So hopefully the bye week will give Newhouse a little bit of time position. The good news is that the Patriots expect Isaiah Wynn to be back in Week 12 for their matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, so hopefully the bye week will give Newhouse a little bit of time to study the playbook, shore up on his protection, and hopefully it won't be

an issue until they can get Wynn back in Week 12. So now that the negativity is out of the way, I'm ready to hand out my medallions, but I did want to address the Patriots' run defense, which I'm sure some of you were surprised didn't warrant a needs improvement sticker. Look, there's no question about it. The Patriots' run defense has been their Achilles heel of a very formidable defense. We've seen them give up a lot of yards on the ground. Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram just combined for 210 yards on the ground against this team. We saw Nick Chubb run for over 100 yards against them. Frank Gore did as well earlier in the season. But here's why I didn't give them a sticker of needs improvement. Simply because I believe it will be improved. It's not a situation

where the logistics of the matter question whether or not this can be improved. It's a matter of scheme. The Patriots have the defensive personnel to improve their run defense, and I believe during the bye week, Bill Belichick and his team will definitely be hard at work devising schemes that allow them to defend against the RPO. The more analysis and the more film I watch on the Baltimore Ravens game, I'm seeing that the Baltimore Ravens offensive line, as well as Jackson and Ingram, really didn't show the Patriots anything exotic or these looks that they hadn't seen before, what they did very well was disguise their intentions.

The handoffs were very crisp, very difficult to pick up, and the Patriots couldn't decipher whether or not it was going to be a run or a pass, hence RPO, run-pass option. A lot of ways what the Ravens did on Sunday was show the Patriots a worst-case scenario. The Pats got a first-hand glimpse of their most prominent weakness, and Bill Belichick does two things very well, folks. He takes notes and studies weakness. I also believe he's seen the best punch that teams like the Baltimore Ravens have to throw. Traditionally, the Patriots have been very good at knowing what their opponent does very well and then taking that

away. Should the remaining teams on their schedule want to take a page from the Baltimore Ravens, or if the Patriots see the Ravens again in the playoffs, I would look for a different outcome. So to me, putting a need to improvement sticker on the Patriots run defense is redundant. I believe they're already improving it, and I think you're going to see a vast improvement even as soon as when the Patriots take the field on Sunday, November 17th against the Philadelphia Eagles. But let's start with the era of positivity, folks. And it being the 6th of November, I'm going to start with a six-pack of honorable mentions. And the first of which is quarterback Tom Brady. And I know a lot of you were probably surprised that Tom Brady wasn't a medalist in this,

but I'll explain my reasoning. Look, Brady has had a stellar season. He hasn't had the easiest season in the world. There's been a lot of upheaval in his wide receiver core. And in the interest of staying positive, I'm not going to get into the names that have come and gone in and out of the Patriots' wide receiver core like a revolving door around here in New England. His running game has been suspect, and he has not gotten nearly the productivity out

of the tight end position that he's been used to for so many years. That being said, Tom Brady is still first in the league in pass attempts with 355 he's second in the league in passing yards with 2,536 and he's tied for 11th in the league with 14 passing touchdowns are Brady's best days behind him probably but he's still playing at a very high level considering his age and considering the circumstances that have surrounded supporting cast at the offensive skill positions his productivity is probably worthy of a medallion, but I held off simply because I believe that there are three others that are just a bit more integral in the Patriots being 8-1

and the top seed in the AFC. But overall, I think Brady has played very well in 2019, and I only look for his play to improve in the second half of the season. My next honorable mention is running back James White. And look, the offense has struggled at times in the first half, but it hasn't been because of White. White has been dynamic out of the backfield catching passes and continues to do so. Really earned White a spot on this list for me is in week eight over Cleveland after building

a 17-0 lead thanks to the defense. The offense was having trouble mustering anything. And at one point, Cleveland even cut the lead to 17-10. That's when Brady faced a 3rd-and-10 from his own 16, and in what some may consider one of the Patriots' best offensive plays of the year, Brady threw a perfect screen pass to White, who made a dynamic catch. It was a 59-yard gain. It set up a Julian Edelman touchdown, gave the Patriots the momentum, and from there on in, they cruised. And that is what James White does for this team.

That's why he gets an honorable mention, and he's going to continue to have a very big second half as well. My next three honorable mentions are on the defensive side of the ball, and how can you argue that? The Patriots' defense has been excellent. It starts with Devin McCourty. The defensive captain had five interceptions on the season. That leads the league.

He was the defensive player of the month in September. And look, McCourty continues to play some of the best and smartest positional football you'll find anywhere. He continues to be in the right place at the right time. And that's not by accident, folks. Devin is one of the smartest guys on this team. He's one of the leaders of that defense. And they all look to him for guidance, especially the secondary.

And that's one of the big reasons why the Patriots secondary has been so formidable this year. Also on the defense, another honorable mention goes to Jonathan Jones. And he's been one of the best corners in the slot this year. As a matter of fact, earlier this year, he was ranked as the best corner in the slot. And that ranking is very well deserved. Anyone that questions Jonathan Jones' smarts and toughness only need to look to, once again, the Patriots' Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns, in which Cleveland running back Nick Chubb took off for what would have been a 44-yard deep run. It appeared as if he might score,

but Jones not only chased him down, but he stripped the ball with a strong closed fist from behind, and Devin McCourty recovered at the Patriots 4, and the Browns lost a chance to get back in the game. It was one of the more heads-up plays you will see in football this year, and Jonathan Jones was a big reason why, so he definitely deserves an honorable mention, and for plays like that to continue in the second half of 2019. In the fifth slot of the six-pack of honorable mentions are the boogeymen. That's right, the Patriots linebackers.

Kyle Van Noy, Dante Hightower, Juwan Bentley, Alandon Roberts, even guys like John Simon and Chase Winovich have seen time in linebacker-like sets. They've been the boogeymen, save for a sputter on Sunday night in Baltimore. They have been a fearsome collection of defenders, but maybe the most fearsome has been Jamie Collins. His second stint in New England is off to a great start, and look for that to continue. He's got three interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown to go with 48 tackles and a team-high six sacks. He has been amazing, and his athleticism has been one of the major keys for the Patriots' defensive dominance.

Look for Collins to continue doing big things and possibly even making a name for himself for Defensive Player of the Year. And last but certainly not least, earning the last honorable mention in the six-pack is Jake Bailey, the rookie punter, whose punting has been excellent. He's averaged 44.6 yards and a 42 net over the first nine games, with 21 kicks down inside the 20 against just two touchbacks. Unfortunately, he's had to do a lot of punting, which means that the Patriots haven't been doing a great job of moving the ball on offense. But you can't fault Bailey for that. He also earns points for stepping in to handle kickoffs

following the loss of Steven Gostowski to a hip injury. He replaced a very good and a very popular punter in Ryan Allen, and for a rookie, he's handled those duties very well. So those are my honorable mentions, folks. Did I mention your favorites? Did I leave some out? Let's pace it. That's part of the fun of it. But the best is still yet to come. And in just a moment, I will reveal the top three spots of this year's 2019 New England Patriots midseason medallions. And at long last, here we are, folks. We have arrived at the revealing of the gold, silver, and bronze medallions for your 2019 New England Patriots

first half of 2019. Taking the bronze medal, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick. And I know a lot of people will point to the fact that Belichick continuously does an amazing job of coaching this team year after year after year and has done so for 20 years now. But so far in 2019, I believe Bill Belichick has earned the bronze medal for two major factors. First, keeping the team together. I know it sounds simple, but it really is not very easy. First of all, this is a team that's coming off of a Super Bowl win. You always have a Super Bowl hangover with teams that win, except in New England, because it's expected, and it comes from the top. It's set by the example of the head coach, and Bill Belichick will not allow his team to rest on their laurels. On offense, the Patriots have had a lot of uncertainty when it comes from the top. It's set by the example of the head coach, and Bill Belichick will not allow his team to rest on their laurels. On offense, the Patriots have had a lot of uncertainty when it

comes to the skill positions, and I alluded to that earlier. Well, this time I will name some names. Antonio Brown and Josh Gordon were expected to be big parts of this offense. Neither one of them are here in New England any longer. Tight end position has not been anywhere near what the Patriots have hoped in terms of productivity, so in those cases, it's very easy for a team to lose focus. The Patriots don't lose focus, and that generally starts with the coach and even the quarterback. So I want to give Tom Brady some credit there as well, but it does start at the top, and Belichick runs a tight ship. We all laugh at the on to Cincinnati press conference and how surly he sounds when he says things like that,

but it's truly what he believes. He turns the page and makes this team focused on the problem at hand, and that is their next opponent. And as long as he does that, he maintains that locker room and keeps them sharp in their pursuit of another Super Bowl title. The second reason why Bill gets the bronze medal is because of the job he's done with the defense. Keep in mind, the Patriots do not have an official defensive coordinator. They thought they were hiring Greg Sciano for that position. That faltered in the offseason, meaning that Bill has had to take a much more hands-on approach with this defense. And under his tutelage, they became a team that was putting up historic numbers in the first half of the season. Always want to give some credit to his assistants

as well. Gerard Mayo, Steve Belichick, his son, doing a phenomenal job. But it begins and ends with Bill. And the job he's done building that defense this year and creating something that has the chance to be special earns him my bronze medal. And we move on to the silver medallion. And who else would be the recipient of this but one of the Patriots' most reliable offensive weapons?

You probably guessed it, folks. Julian Edelman checks in and is awarded my silver medallion for the first half of the 2019 NFL season. This is so well-deserved on so many levels, especially impressive given the punishment that he absorbs on a weekly basis. Edelman leads the team with 63 receptions for 663 yards and four touchdowns. Keep in mind, he is spending significant chunks of the season as the lone true receiving threat at Brady's disposal.

He's the constant. Everybody knows the ball is going to him, yet Julian Edelman usually comes down with it. Yes, the fumble in Sunday's loss to the Ravens was costly, but you cannot fault Edelman for that. He's playing with bruised ribs. He looked like he was exasperated on that play and definitely

needs some help. The offense hasn't been nearly as productive as it has been in years past, but the reason why that it has been respectable and even great at times is really because of Julian Edelman. So this is a well-deserved award, in my opinion, giving Julian the silver medallion. And last but certainly not least, the gold medallion on the Mid-Season Medallion Awards is going to be awarded to Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore. And this was probably an easy decision, folks. Look, few players have less to say and did more than Gilmore during the first half. His ability to completely eliminate the opponent's top receiver, and he's done that in most

weeks, is really, I I think the key cog in what the Patriots do on defense a lot of the schemes and a lot of the blitzes that the Patriots employ are made possible by the ability of Gilmore to lock up and defend one-on-one he does that better than anybody in the league the Patriots may have had their worst performance of the season on Sunday night but Gilmore was not to blame for that. He was assigned the duty of covering Ravens wideout Marquise Brown. Hollywood Brown, that's their top guy. For most of the evening, Gilmore held him in check. He only held him to three catches for 48 yards on four targets.

The Patriots have no fear with putting Gilmore on anybody, regardless of how big or how fast they are. He can do it all. In return, Gilmore has delivered. Per NFL Next Generation stats, he's allowed a passer rating of just 39.3 as the closest defender in coverage. That's the third lowest mark for cornerbacks who have at least 100 snaps in coverage. He's also been targeted 55 times, so opposing offenses are desperately going at the star

corner in single coverage, and they're failing to do so. As valuable as it is to have a cornerback who wipes away one side of the field and allows the team to focus on your coverage efforts elsewhere, it's even more valuable to have a cornerback like Gilmore who can draw lots of targets and then erase those pass plays in the process. His ability to do what he does is second to none. Look, pass rushers usually are the recipients of the Defensive Player of the Year award, but Gilmore, to me, is the consensus top cornerback in the league. His value to the Patriots is unquestioned, and in my opinion, that puts him in serious contention to take this trophy home.

Of course, if he doesn't win, I'm sure that he'll be happy with a midseason gold medallion from locked on Patriots, but ultimately, to me, Stephon Gilmore has stood out above the rest on the Patriots roster this year. And that is why I chose him as my gold medallion recipient for the 2019 New England Patriots first half mid-season medallion awards. So there you have it, folks. My mid-season medallion awards have been presented. I would love to hear whether you agree or disagree with my selections.

And please be sure to reach out to me on Twitter and let me know what you think. Make sure to send your feedback either to at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C or at L-O underscore Patriots, and I will be sure to respond to you, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on who has stood out for the New England Patriots thus far in 2019.

I will also be back tomorrow to bring you the latest Pats news notes and analysis, and also be joined by a couple of special guests for the remainder of this week. You've heard my voice enough, I'm sure, and it'll be good to get a little bit of different perspective. As always, please join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and listen via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots.

I thank you all so much for listening today. Have a great day, everyone.