Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - October 15, 2019: Welcome Back, Watson; Pats look to stay Unbeaten

Episode Date: October 15, 2019

The New England Patriots return to the practice field on Tuesday, as they prepare for a Monday night showdown with the New York Jets. Joining host Mike D’Abate is beloved ‘friend of ours ‘ Thomas Murphy. The duo break down the Pats roster additions, and take an early look at what we might see on Monday in the Meadowlands. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

and hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your back to work back to school Tuesday episode of Lockdown Patriots your daily home for news notes analysis and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions the New England Patriots this episode is brought to you in part by Roman folks at Roman a men health company, are changing the game with Roman Swipes, the secret to lasting longer beneath the sheets. Get $10 off your first order of Swipes and free two-day shipping at getroman.com slash lockedonNFL. I'm Mike DeBate, and I am your host of Locked On Patriots, which, of course, is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network.

Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFBC and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. I hope that you all had a great holiday weekend, and the Pats have had a bit of a long weekend themselves after another impressive victory over the New York football Giants, 35-14 on Thursday night. Pats dominant on defense, folks. Serviceable on offense, according to most.

Honestly, I think they were a little bit better than that, but don't take my word for it because when I need the definitive word on all things Foxborough, I call in my big green friend. And that's right, folks. Thomas Murphy of One Patriots Place and DieHardBostonSportsFan.com is back to offer his Pats wisdom, as only he can do it. And we will talk in the Pats victory about over the G-men and get his thoughts on some of the New England roster reinforcements, and we'll begin to look ahead to the Pats Monday night showdown with the J-E-T-S Jets, Jets, Jets. So settle in, folks.

Murph never disappoints. This will be a fun one, as it always is when he is here. But first, we start with the news of the day. And Benjamin Watson's free agency apparently has been short-lived, it seems. The New England Patriots are re-signing the 38-year-old tight end after releasing him a week ago. ESPN's Field Yates was the first to report this on Monday. He was eligible to play in Week 5. He didn't travel with the team to Washington, led to some speculation on his future in New England. But when the Patriots did not activate him prior to last Monday's deadline

to activate the previously suspended player, that made him a free agent. Patriots are bringing him back now. They are thin at tight end, though. Ryan Izzo, Matt Lacoste, who I'll get into him in just a moment, they were the only ones that suited up Thursday night against the Giants. And Tom Brady could definitely use a veteran presence like Watson. With New England placing Jakob Johnson on injured reserve on Friday, Watson is taking his roster spot,

and we wait on the official word of the signing. But per all accounts accounts it looks like he is at the facility in foxborough and should be uh contributing right off the bat uh when it comes to the new england patriots offense also nfl.com's ian rapoport has reported that the patriots are signing former jets and giants tight end eric tomlinson to the 53 man roster tomlinson has good size 6 6'6", 253 pounds. He's only caught 16 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown in his NFL career, but he's known more as a blocker.

That's something Izzo has struggled with mightily, and he is a good special teams contributor as well. So between Watson and Tomlinson, now it looks like the Patriots are trying to move toward upgrading their position, their production out of the tight end position, and we'll see if that works. And this all comes on heels of the news that Matt LaCoste is expected to miss at least a few weeks with spraining his MCL and Thursday's win over the Giants. NFL Network's Mike Giardi was the first to have it on Monday.

Giardi reported that LaCoste suffered the injury on the Patriots' opening drive of the game. On a failed fourth-and-one attempt, he played through the injury but only logged 15 snaps in the game. But it looks like Lacoste will be sidelined temporarily, and Watson and now Tomlinson will bring their leadership to Foxborough and hopefully upgrade the position a little bit there. But luckily for the Patriots, reinforcements might also be on their way and two players that were initially projected

to play considerable roles this season, now they're eligible to return to practice, I should say, off of the team health-related injury reserve lists. And that is wide receiver Nikhil Harry, who did open the year on injured reserve, and offensive tackle Yanni Kajusti, who spent all of training camp and the early portions of the regular season on the non-football injury list.

Harry and Kajusti are members of the New England rookie class, you'll recall. Harry was drafted with the final pick of the first round in April. Kajusti came to the Patriots via a third-round selection. Their respective tenures with the club were off to a rocky start, but injuries limited them, so it's not something where it was a lot within their control. They call Harry hurt his leg when just three snaps into the preseason opener. Kajusti was still recovering from an offseason quad injury, so it'll be interesting before the Patriots are able to bring them off of the

respective lists exactly how they will handle them, because the circumstances surrounding each one is different, and I'll explain a little bit how that is. Harry, for example, is allowed to start practicing right away, and Bill Belichick indicated yesterday that if he's ready, health-wise, he's going to be put into the Patriots' offensive game plan fairly quickly, but he can't return to the active 53-man roster until after week eight. Once he's back at practice, he's going to take one of the two available IR return spots. Remember, the team has IR designations to bring two guys back. That opens a 21-day window in which he either is able to join the active team

or he'll return to the injured reserve list for the rest of the season. Now New England does not have to bring him back to practice right away, so they may bring him in close or they may look to extend his time a little bit, but ultimately that's how they'll have to handle Harry. With Kajusti, it's a little bit different. Over the next six weeks, the Patriots have to decide whether or not to bring him back into the fold. If they do and he returns to practice, the team has that same 21-day window it has with Ari

or even the other IR return candidates when it comes to activating him. He either joins the 53-man roster or he spends the remainder of the season on the non-football injury list. And the latest New England can therefore bring him back would be Week 15. So with Kajusti, I was more of the school that they would probably let him spend the rest of the season on the NFI. But with the Patriots issues on offensive line, Kajusti

was very productive in college. It will be interesting to see if he, if healthy and able to contribute, if he's brought back. So definitely keep an eye on that as well. And lastly, with some movement expected on the practice squad, kicker Young-Wei Ku was informed this morning that he is being released. That was first reported by ESPN's Mike Reese.

So some familiar faces are returning, and each of them are hoping to be that B-12 shot that the Patriots seemingly need. But the question is, are they done? Will one of these trade rumors that we're hearing about come to fruition? Is there a name out there that we haven't considered? Or will Watson and Harry be enough, along with Dorsett, Burkhead, and even Edelman getting healthy? Well, for this and more, I went to my revered source of all knowledge. This man would fit in quite nicely in House Lannister because, quite frankly,

folks, he drinks and he knows things. At this, it is a family show. We're not going to delve into the former, but we are going to talk about the latter and pick his brain on some of those things that he does know. He's a featured columnist for DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. He is the co-host of the One Patriots Place podcast, which, again, is one of the best casts in the region. I guessed it on the show last week. Always, always one of my go-to listens for the week when it comes to all things Patriots.

Host that with another one of our great friends here, Steve Balistrieri. But he is my main green man and the incomparable Thomas Murphy. Murph, thanks for joining me. Welcome back to these familiar confines here at Locked On Patriots. I'm just going to sit back here and enjoy that intro for a little bit.

That was great. He drinks and he knows things. Oh, my God, House Lannister, we love it. Absolutely. Thank you for having me, my friend. It's always a pleasure to wake up and, you know, roll off the couch and over here into the studio. Well, the pleasure is all mine.

Anytime I get to welcome you to the guest chair here at Locked on Patriots, it's always a fun time. Our listeners love it. Selfishly, I love it. And you always, always bring it, my friend. So that's why we keep having you back. The opinions, the analysis, and just the charisma that you bring to the show, to me, is second to none.

And I truly mean that from the bottom of my heart. It's always my honor to share the microphone with you. We are on lockdown. Murph, the Pats roster is starting to undergo a tuck or two here, and we're going to go to that shortly. But first, the Patriots remain undefeated at 6-0. They fought back a solid defensive effort by the Giants on Thursday night, but the Pats offense, defense,

special teams, they opened this one up for a 35-14 win. The Giants made this one a game for three quarters, but again, when the Giants defense showed signs of fatigue, the Patriots capitalized. In your opinion, who stood out in this one, and what was the biggest key for the Patriots' victory over

the Giants on Thursday night when you took a look at what happened on the field. Can I collectively say that, once again, the defense as a whole, Stephon Gilmore was once again amazing in this game, but the defense as a whole was just fantastic. They left another young quarterback guessing at every single turn. After that, I'd have to say Brandon Bolden stood out. I was waiting for a good Brandon Bolden reference, and you know what? He really did. There you go.

He's out here on special teams getting people cut. He's making sure that the Pats score once again. Just give him a red jacket right now. It was another fantastic day for the Bolden family. I'm sorry. No, it truly was. I mean, you know, Brandon has been called upon, especially the last couple of games, with guys missing time,

Rex Burkhead notably, and needing to come up big, not just in special teams, which he does, and he's a specialist at that. Pardon the pun, but it's true. He really is, and he does that so well. But coming through in the offense and being an integral part of what this team is able to do offensively, he's showing his veteran leadership,

showing why the Patriots wanted to bring him back and why they are so glad that they did. So I agree with you on Bolden. I really, I always enjoy his game. Every time he makes a move on the field, you know, you're the first person I think of without question. And, you know, I think really, I think the collective Patriots Twitter as well is catching on that,

that, you know, Murph is definitely driving the Brandon Bolden train. And he, and for good reason, definitely well-deserved. But I completely agree with you in your assessment on the defense, and you really have to call them out as a whole. The linebackers, the front seven, the secondary. I think if I'm always reticent to give out game balls when it comes to games, I think that it's so difficult to pick out maybe one guy that had that standout game. Every once in a

while it does happen where they're just so overwhelming that you have no choice, but if I were forced to, I think yes, Stephon Gilmore definitely has to get consideration on Thursday night. He was masterful and really continues to show why he's emerged as the best corner in the league, in my opinion.

So, yeah, it was a fun game for the Patriots to be able to come out on top of. It was one of those games that looked like it could go either way at times. The weather was definitely a factor, maybe not as much of a factor as people had originally anticipated, but it definitely was there. And, again, the defense coming up big and the offense as well. I mentioned offensive struggling, and, Brady in the offense is always going to get some criticism, both from national media, fans, and local media alike, when every drive is not picture perfect, when every drive is not crisp, accurate, efficient, doesn't maybe have that 10-second media bite

that people love so much with either a throw or a pass or whatnot. There were a couple of these in this game. His toss to Julian Edelman that nearly made it into the end zone was a thing of beauty and really, really should get a little more attention than it has been. But why do you think the offense has been maligned by some, you know, heading into the Patriots next matchup on Monday night? And do you think some of the new additions that they've put out here will be able to assist Tom Brady in being able to be a little bit more efficient,

I guess, is the best way to put it on offense? Well, a lot of the reason actually goes to the front line and the play of the running backs. It's been a slow-plotting offense this year. It has not been the quick-strike thing. Everybody, rightfully so, is giving a lot of credit to the defense this year. They caused another three turnovers over the weekend. And things just haven't been breaking out for the Patriots on offense. They're doing what they have to do.

Tom Brady's still putting up 300 yards a game. He got two rushing touchdowns this week because at the goal line he just wants points. He doesn't care. Style points, he knows. Style points don't count, except when it comes to people talking on Monday morning and through the week. He could care less. He could really care less about it. He put up another 300-yard game. He had two rushing touchdowns instead of two passing touchdowns. Plenty of quarterbacks would have

taken two-step drops and tried to hit somebody in the end zone. But right now, when you're throwing to Julian Edelman and two undrafted free agents, it's not as pretty as it was in 2007. Let's just put it that way. Yeah, I completely understand. And I think that a lot of people are looking at that. There are some nationals that will look at what brady is doing and they'll look at it at an interception or they'll look at an uncharacteristic throw by him and they'll use that as the example of saying

oh well there it is there's the cliff there it is i told you this was coming he doesn't look sharp no brady shouldn't throw that or the goat would never make that pass, whereas 99.9% of the quarterbacks in the league make those throws, make those plays on a weekly basis, but they're not magnified the way they are when number 12 does them here in New England. And I agree with you. I do think that there is a little bit, maybe more criticism here than you would see anywhere else. Maybe it's a little bit clamoring to try to see if maybe this

is the opportunity for some of the other teams to be able to capitalize on the Patriots' miscues, but you're right. He's putting up over 300 yards a game. He's still playing at a very high level and still one of the best quarterbacks in the league, regardless of what some people will tell you. Now, in terms of his weapons, his offensive weapons, I know a lot of people are going to make the big deal about, well, look at who he's throwing to. And we've heard this so many times throughout Brady's career, Murph. It's amazing.

But on Thursday night, he's throwing to Julian Edelman, who is not 100%. I mean, I've gone over the fact that every time he catches a pass, he winces. It's difficult to watch him out there in pain, but he's doing it and he's still playing at a high level. Jacoby Myers has played well the last couple of games. I think he showed some flashes of what he could be in this offense,

but he's still a rookie. He's still being brought along. Philip Dorsett was obviously out for Thursday night. We're hoping, we're hearing that the injury is probably minor and he should be able to give it a go on Monday against the Jets, but we don't know that for certain yet. Nikhil Harry was an interesting name this week that reemerged. I opened the show by saying that he was eligible to come off of injured reserve

and that he's eligible to start practicing. And it looked like from Bill Belichick's comments yesterday that he could be an integral point of the, or an integral part, I should say, of the offense going forward. If the Patriots do indeed bring Harry off of injured reserve, they're obviously

bringing back Ben Watson. We've heard reports about Tomlinson coming in. Are these pieces enough to be able to say, this is going to be enough for Brady to work with the defense the way it is, to be able to say this is going to be enough for Brady to work with, with the defense the way it is, and be able to still be the favorite in the AFC? Or do you look at them using this week as an opportunity to possibly bring in a new face? We're talking, we still have 10 weeks of football left here, 11 weeks of football.

You want to count the bye week coming up. But is it enough? That's the rub, enough. I think what they have on the roster right now is enough. I think bringing Harry on board is fantastic. He is, people, this kid is that talent. He led his division in college in passing yards, in receiving, in touchdowns last year. This kid is no slouch.

He is, I don't want to say everything Gordon was five years ago, but he's damn close to it. That's how talented this kid is. Putting him outside and not having to throw to Julian Edelman on the outside in and of itself is going to be fantastic. I think bringing Ben Watson back smartly, I thought it was a huge mistake not to find a roster spot for him last week, is going to give Tom another place that he feels comfortable going to. Somebody that he knows, if they have a route tree, is going to be there at every single turn on every single branch,

exactly at the knot in the tree where he wants him to be. And as for Eric Tomlinson, they just got another offensive tackle to put on the outside. That's basically what this guy is. That's what he's going to be able to do and bring to this team. I really like the pickup. Yeah, it's time to do something, a tight end. And I think the football gods decided, yeah, we'll give everybody a little tweak injury over here just to wake Bill up a little bit.

No, great points. Great points on all. And, yes, there is still 10 weeks of football left. You do have to recognize that, that this is a marathon, not a sprint when it comes to the NFL season. Even though it feels like it goes by so quickly, every week brings new challenges. And I'm glad that you made a clarification on Tomlinson because I think I did a poor job of kind of characterizing what I wanted to say with that. In terms of being an offensive weapon, Murph is definitely right when it comes to that. He's an offensive tackle. He's coming in to be a blocker. What that will do for the offense, folks, is it will allow Tom Brady a little bit more time.

You get an extra blocker out there, someone that's capable of getting out into the field, making blocks. We've seen the Patriots utilize blocking tight ends so well, whether it be Algie Crumpler, whether it be, you know, obviously Dwayne Allen was a big blocking touchdown. A big block, excuse me. I'm getting ahead of myself. Chris Blackie just went crazy. I mentioned Dwayne Allen in a sentence. Our mutual friend Chris Blackie is a big, big Dwayne Allen guy, but in any case, they've utilized that position so well, so I think that they're going to look to Tomlinson to do that. I think it is a great pickup and it will help to solidify some of the issues that they may have had protecting Tom Brady. Murph, you might be my green man. And lastly, not all green things are beloved in Pat's nation,

though, and that is the New York Jets. And Sam Donald returned through two touchdown passes on Sunday. The Jets defeated the Dallas Cowboys. They collected their first win of the season. And they looked pretty impressive on both sides of the ball. As our eyes turn to the Meadowlands this week, my friend, what can we expect to see from the Pats both leading up to this contest and a little bit of what we might see in the game itself? I think we're going to see a concerted effort to tear apart this Jets secondary.

I really do. I think Brady is going to step back, throw the ball. We're going to get into 21 personnel, get into 22 personnel, spread things out, and then just rip these kids apart. On the defensive side of the ball, expect to see a lot of the amoeba defense. Let's try to keep Junior a little confused, a little off of his game. And I also think that the Pats are going to do everything they can to get out quick and make sure that this team becomes a one-dimensional team.

Last week we did not see a lot of Le'Veon Bell in that game. He only had 17 touches. The Jets faithful, the gangrene out there, and I mean that as the appendages that fall off of your body when you didn't get the care that you were especially needing, is up in arms over this win over the Dallas Cowboys. They have gone in short order from wanting their coach, their GM, and everybody on the team fired in or cut to going to the Super Bowl

just off a win off of the Cowboys. And, you know, it's, yeah, no, that's not a real good idea, guys. This is still the Jets. Make them one-dimensional. Get out quick. And in the end, I'm seeing the Patriots winning this game 35-10. Yeah, I mean, and very similar to what the original contest was on September 22nd when these two teams met in Foxborough.

I agree. I think that the New England Patriots have to come out aggressive on both sides of the ball, really establish their dominance and really establish who still is in control in this division because, again, the Jets are chirping a little bit this week. They're coming off of a big win against the Cowboys, no question

about it. It was a big win for them. It was their first win of the season, and now it's giving them hope. And they do have a very good defense. I mean, their defense is ranked top ten with DVOA. So this is a defense that can make plays. They can get after Brady, and they could make things interesting if Brady does struggle a little bit and the offense struggles to find its footing. If they can control the run, eliminate and force the Patriots not to use play action,

things could get a little interesting here. But again, I like the Patriots' defense being able to match up, even with Sam Donald and maybe with a heavier dosage of Le'Veon Bell. I think you've definitely hopped on a very interesting point. And we'll see, because we're going to continue to break down this Jets matchup here on Locked On all week long. And, of course, I can't stress enough, folks, Murph's keys will be out toward the end of the week. When those are, then we are free to then go ahead and roam about the country,

as they say, or we are free to get the game played because his keys will be telltale. And he's right more often than he's wrong. So I can't stress enough. Definitely check those out when they come out. Thank you, Murph, for not tipping your hand too much but giving us a preview of what we can expect in that column, which is always one of my favorites throughout the week. Murph, I can't thank you enough for coming on, bud.

You always, always come on, bring it, and you bring the opinions and the analysis as well as anyone in this business, and not only are you a dear friend of mine, but a dear friend of the show, but just you always, always come equipped with some great information, and today was certainly no different. Again, I don't think our listeners need to be reminded of where to find you and where they can find your great work, but just in case we have some newbies out there, please let everyone know where they can find your great work and where they can find you on social media.

Well, folks, you can find me on social media at TeamERF207. You can read me at DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. And you can listen to me twice a week on the Locked On Patriots. It almost feels like that. On the Full Press Radio Network for Patriots Place with my partner, Steve Balistrieri, who is really the brains behind the entire operation. You guys would love listening to Steve. His analysis is fantastic.

We do two shows a week now, one a recap on Monday, and then on Fridays we go back into the studio to give you guys a game preview. And it's always a pleasure to stop in here Bud and talk to you thank you so much it's a great way to start today have my morning cup of coffee and shake out a couple cobwebs absolutely and for our

listeners I'm sure it's a great way to either move into their morning or begin their lunch break or even their afternoon commute and you always always bring some great content. And again, thank you from the bottom of my heart, Murph, for coming on today. Always a pleasure. And we will look to see what will happen in this week as the Patriots prepare for the Jets in another divisional showdown. Because as for me, I will be back tomorrow and I will be back on Crossover Wednesday here with my colleague John

Buchko, the host of Locked On Jets. He puts on an amazing show for fans of gangrene, and that will be a lot of fun. We will look ahead to the Pats Monday night matchup with the Jets, and John and I will break it all down for you tomorrow. Also, we're very excited here on Locked On about the launch of our newest sports channel, covering the NHL. As you know by listening to this show, we feature local experts covering the biggest news, We'll be right back. LockedOnPodcast.com slash NHL. As always, make sure to join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast and subscribe to Locked On Patriots via your favorite podcast provider.

Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Thomas Murphy for his time and insight today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening today. Have a great day, everybody.