Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - October 25, 2019: Browns Come to Town, Bennett Says Buh-Bye

Episode Date: October 25, 2019

It’s almost GameDay! With the Cleveland Browns about to visit Foxboro for their Week Eight showdown with the New England Patriots, host Mike D’Abate provides his prediction for this AFC matchup at Gillette Stadium, and offers his thoughts on the trade of Michael Bennett to Dallas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful, and welcome to your It's Almost Game Day Friday 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. This episode is brought to you in part by Roman. The folks at Roman, a men's 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. My name is 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 MDABATEFPC, and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. Who let the dogs out? And who let the dog pound find their way up to Foxborough? And for those of you that missed that turn-of-the-millennium nostalgia, you're welcome. For those of you that don't quite like the Baja Men hit,

I deeply apologize for getting that stuck in your head. But as for who did let those dogs out, the NFL schedule makers did, because it's week eight on the NFL schedule, and your 7-0 New England Patriots look to make it eight in a row. And they welcome the Cleveland Browns and the members of their Dog Pound fan base to Southern New England at a 4.25 p.m. start time for this AFC showdown at Gillette Stadium. And this will be a fun matchup. There's a lot of personalities on the Cleveland Browns, a lot of bravado on the Cleveland Browns. Begins and ends with quarterback Baker Mayfield. We all know his history. Odell

Beckham Jr., definitely not at a loss for confidence. And did Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry really guarantee victory earlier this week? I think those comments were blown a little out of proportion, but the Patriots defense picked up on them. They weren't happy about it, and you know who wasn't happy about it either? Head coach Bill Belichick. Traditionally, if there's one thing you don't want to do against a Patriots team, it's give them bulletin board material. But we will get into that, and I will break down this game for you and tell you exactly

what to watch for on Sunday evening when these two teams hook up in Foxborough. And I will get to the game in just a moment, but I start with the news of the day, and the Patriots bid adieu to another high-profile player yesterday when they traded disgruntled defensive end Michael Bennett to the Dallas Cowboys. ESPN's Adam Schefter was the first to report this on Thursday evening. In return, the Pats are to receive a 2021 7th round pick. Now, that could eventually improve to a 6th round pick if some trade conditions are indeed met. Bennett had been a pretty high-profile offseason acquisition for the Patriots, coming over in a trade from the Philadelphia Eagles.

Turns 34 on November 13th. He was suspended by the Patriots for last week's game against the Jets for quote-unquote conduct detrimental to the team. Now, we learned later that this was following a disagreement with defensive line coach Brett Bilema, and according to sources, it got heated and it happened in front of other players. So definitely not something the Patriots could just let slide. They had no choice but to suspend Bennett for the week, and at that point, it looked like the handwriting was on the wall and his days were numbered in New England. So what caused the disagreement? Well, Bennett had

been upset that his playing time with New England had noticeably declined since he started the season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers. His final in-game appearance in Week 6 against the New York Giants, he played just 11 out of 50 defensive snaps, and this was primarily due to the Patriots' switch to a 3-4 defense. Now Bennett is most effective when playing in a 4-3 defense, and you're going to hear that as the reason for Bennett's trade an awful lot. And for those of you that really don't know the difference between the two, don't feel bad. You're not alone. So in the simplest terms, here's the difference. A 4-3 defense is considered the NFL standard. It's really the older of the two

defenses, and it consists of four defensive linemen and three linebackers. Hence the 4-3. And in a 3-4, there are, yep, you guessed it, three defensive linemen and four linebackers. In a 4-3 defense, pressure on the quarterback is mainly created from the front four of the defensive line. One tackle occupies two blockers, and the rest of the line get one-on-one matchups. The linebackers might do some blitzing. However, their primary responsibility is to stop the run and guard against the pass. And this is the type of defense that the Patriots have been employing now for quite some time. And, it should be added, this is the type of defense Bennett thought he was joining

when he joined the Patriots via trade in the offseason. But besides just a reversal of the numbers, the 3-4 defense does differ from the 4-3. In a 3-4 defense, the pressure is mainly created from the linebackers. The job of the defensive line is to occupy gaps and occupy multiple offensive linemen. The outside linebackers in a 3-4 have a much greater pass rushing responsibility, and the fact that there are two middle linebackers allows for a lot of creative blitzes and a lot of creative coverages. The 2019 incarnation of the Patriots is a 3-4. They've seen Danny Shelton emerge as a true force at nose tackle in the defensive line

and filling those gaps and keeping the O-line in check. That's why you're seeing linebackers like Kyle Van Nooy and Jamie Collins get free. They're able to run, get pressure on the quarterback, and as a result, they're collecting more and more sacks. And particularly because of the emergence of guys like Collins and Shelton, and of course, rookie Chase Winovich, who's been a hybrid defensive end slash linebacker, he's been a pleasant surprise as well. And all of these factors contributed to the Patriots' defense evolving into a 3-4.

For the vast majority of 2019, the Patriots regularly blitz at least one linebacker to get pressure on the quarterback. A 4-3 team can leave that job up to the defensive line and assign the linebackers elsewhere. Bennett's natural position is a defensive end, and in a 4-3 defense, that's the most active pass rusher. And therein lies that difference in philosophy. The Patriots were employing a different defensive scheme, and Bennett simply wanted a more active role.

And I'm certainly not blaming Bennett for that. He's a talented player. He wanted to showcase that. During his time with the Patriots, he had five tackles, two and a half sacks, and one pass defended, and that was in six games with New England. In that span, he had been on the field for only 35.6% of the snaps. For a player of Bennett's caliber, that had to be a tough pill to swallow. So it's understandable that he would want more time on the field. What's also understandable is that because the Patriots saw their personnel

fitting better into another scheme, they adapted to that scheme. And it's hard to argue with the results. The Patriots are the top-ranked defense in the NFL. They continue to have great success against their opponents. So at the heart of this disagreement, neither side is really to blame here. As Michael Corleone would say, it's not personal. It's strictly business. Had it remained business, Michael Bennett might still be a New England Patriot, folks. Look, the Patriots are well aware of his talent, without question. They probably wanted to continue to keep him on the roster, which is why they suspended him instead of outright releasing him when this altercation happened. And Alex Barth of CLNS

Media joined me yesterday and reiterated that same point. They were probably hoping that a week away from the team would help cooler heads to prevail, and that Bennett would come back and accept his role. Well, it was obvious he wasn't going to do that, and on Wednesday he addressed the media and continued to chirp a little bit, stating that he really didn't take anything away from his suspension. All it did was cause him to lose money, and comments like this made it painfully obvious that Bennett was probably going to be more of a distraction than he was going to be an asset.

And when that happens, folks, that's a line you simply do not cross in Foxborough. And as a result, Bennett is on his way to the Cowboys. Now, a draft pick is a nice thing to have, and a lot of people are saying that a seven seems a little low, even though it could move up to a six. But the Patriots trading Bennett actually does help them, and it helps them in the short run because they clear about $2.5 million of salary cap space by trading him. That figure is significant because the Patriots have been extremely tight to the cap. Miguel Benzen of Boston Sports Journal, who was last Friday's guest here on Locked On, reported at one point on Thursday morning that the Patriots were only about $10,000 above the cap.

For a contending team, that is extremely risky and really unacceptable. In fact, they had to restructure Shaq Mason's contract in order to free up cap space just to be able to fit their newest acquisition, Mohamed Sanu, onto the roster and still make it work within the parameters of the salary cap. So in the final analysis, the salary cap relief really is the greatest benefit to the club as a result of trading Bennett

because they gave up a fifth rounder to get him, so they're not quite getting fair value back in return. But ultimately, Bennett was not happy with his role. The Patriots took what they could get, and they did clear up some cap space in the meantime. And also, it should be noted that Bennett did take some time to say nice things about the organization as he knew he was on his way to Dallas. So all appears to be okay, and the Patriots are now moving on, and so will Michael Bennett. However, that's not the last the Patriots will hear of Michael Bennett this season.

In fact, Bennett will return to regular season action on the Gillette Stadium turf, but this time as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. Don't forget, those two teams are scheduled to meet on November 24th at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, so that's going to be a fun one to watch and definitely an added twist to what already was going to be a highly anticipated game. But that game is a month away, and right now, the Patriots have all eyes focused on the Cleveland Browns and this game coming up on Sunday, and I'm going to break down the offensive

defensive strategy, what to watch for, and offer my prediction in just a moment. But first, I have a question for you. Yes, you, listening out there. Do your weekend plans involve watching football? What a ridiculous question. Of course they do. And you love watching your favorite team fight for victory. As a true football fan, you already know just as sure as the seasons change,

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and the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium. But there is still some talking being done. And yesterday, Cleveland Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry didn't seem to be the least bit scared when offering his prediction on exactly what would happen on the field on Sunday. And look, no one is faulting him, least of all me, for being confident in his team's ability. But when you provide sound bites like this and people actually put it into print,

you know that Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots are going to be printing it, they're going to be using it as bulletin board material, and they did that in the locker room yesterday. But let's clarify what Landry actually said. And he was asked by reporters yesterday, as all players are, what his thoughts of the game were and how he believed Cleveland was going to fare on Sunday. And I'm quoting him exactly here, quote-unquote, We're going to win. We're going to win.

I think it's just that simple. We're getting guys back healthy again, and we're going to win. Landry was then quoted as saying, I wouldn't say they faced a first or second year quarterback like Baker Mayfield. He closed his quote by saying, again, we're going to win the game. Now again, Landry is simply showing confidence in his team. He should do that. He's an athlete. He plays for the Cleveland Browns. You have to go into a game with a mindset that you're going to win. No one's faulting him for that. It should also be noted that the context in which he said it was referencing the mindset that the team has going into each and every game. So it wasn't really a personal attack on the Patriots. It was simply saying that this

is how they approach every single game. That being said, you know the Patriots are already using this to their advantage. Kyle Van Nooy kind of raised his eyebrow when he heard about what Landry had said. Some of the other defenders were in the locker room yesterday making comments about it. Look, if there's one unit that you don't want to upset this year, it's probably the New England Patriots defense. They have 18 interceptions on the year so far, folks, this year. Which quarterback in the league has thrown the most interceptions? That's right. Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Patriots face him on Sunday.

But I'll break down the defense and the offense in just a moment. But first, let's get to some of the logistics of this game. And Patriots enter this game with a chance to go 8-0 at the halfway point in the season for only the third time in team history. Also, with a win on Sunday, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will notch his 300th win of his head coaching career. That career he started with the Cleveland Browns. And who did he earn his first victory against? The New England Patriots. That's right, full circle for head coach Bill Belichick. Could be a good milestone for him. We'll see if the Patriots players can get that win for him and earn him that spot in the 300 club.

For those of you who will not be in attendance in Foxborough this weekend watching the game from the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium, this game will be broadcast by CBS. And it's a 425 start time. Jim Nance, Tony Romo handling the duties on the call. Obviously, Nance gets the play-by-play, Romo the color commentary. And with Romo on the mic, folks, gets the play-by-play romo the color commentary and with romo on the mic folks you can definitely expect expert analysis spot on calling sometimes by tony

romo and also one or two maybe emotional moments that might cause you to cringe but all in all it's always entertaining when tony takes the microphone uh the game will also be aired on the patriots flagship radio station 98.5 the The Sports Hub. Bob Sose, as always, with the spot-on play-by-play. Scott Zolak with some of the best color commentary you'll hear anywhere. And believe me, folks, if you can't be in front of a television or if you just rather hear a local call, these guys set a visual picture of what's going on in the game as well or better than anyone else out there. So however you choose to enjoy the game, I hope you will, and I think we're in for a really interesting and really fun game to watch on Sunday. So what should you be watching for as

the Browns and the Patriots take the field on Sunday? Well, I'll start on the offensive side of the ball with the Patriots having the ball. For me, the key to the Patriots offense this week, once again, is going to be running the football. They're going against an offensive line in the Cleveland Browns that has been able to yield a lot of running yards. Cleveland is allowing a whopping 154 yards a game on the ground. That includes five yards a carry. So this is a matchup that in theory the Pats should dominate and that's exactly what they should be looking to do on Sunday. They've been without running back Rex Burkhead who really has been their most effective back when he's healthy this year. That's the

question with Burkhead. Is he healthy and will he play on Sunday? He's still listed as being questionable on the injury report. If he's able to go in this one, and if he's able to be effective, look for Burkhead to be heavily utilized. Forecast in Foxborough on Sunday does call for rain, so the Patriots may look to utilize the ground game as their primary way to move the football. If they can do that, that will open up play action, and that opens up the opportunities for guys like Sonny Michel and James White to catch the ball out of the backfield. White is one of the best in the league at doing so, and he continues to show his skill each and every game. Michel, on the other hand, hasn't been as effective as the Patriots had hoped. This is something he worked on in training camp, catching the ball out

of the backfield. He tried it on Monday night, wasn't met with too much of a positive reaction. He had a pretty bad drop, and from that point on, they didn't try that again. Now, has that earned him a spot in the Brady doghouse when it comes to this? We'll see. Michel, as far as straightforward running, has not seemed to find his traction. He was held to only 42 yards on 19 carries on Monday night. If he continues those struggles, the Patriots will definitely look to take to the air to be able to put points on the board. And once again, Tom Brady's going to have a new target this week in newly acquired wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. Sanu is going to join

Philip Dorsett, Julian Edelman, and Jacoby Myers in a pretty good four-man tandem. Sprinkle in Benjamin Watson at tight end, and also don't forget Brandon Bolin out of the backfield. That's also an option that the Patriots have been utilizing. They've been utilizing Brandon more as a receiver than a runner. That's why I'm mentioning him with the pass catchers. Brandon is someone on whom you might want to keep a sharp eye, as I like to say. And I know my good friend Thomas Murphy is going to be watching him very closely. Loves his Brandon Bolden.

If he makes it into the end zone, folks, Murph is going to be celebrating, as will all of Pats Nation. But ultimately, the success of the Patriots offense is going to be determined by the offensive line's ability to contain a very formidable pass rush by the Cleveland Browns. Tom Brady is so effective at picking apart a team's secondary, and Cleveland's corners especially are nursing some injuries. Denzel Ward, Greedy Williams, both are very likely to play, but they are hampered with hamstring injuries, so look for Brady to test that. But he'll only be able to test them if he has the time he needs in the pocket to throw the football.

That's going to be determined by the play of the offensive line and whether or not they can contain Miles Garrett. And look, Miles Garrett has been phenomenal, and Cleveland's pass rush is legitimate, folks. As a unit, they've collected 19 sacks. Miles Garrett has been phenomenal, and Cleveland's pass rush is legitimate, folks. As a unit, they've collected 19 sacks. Miles Garrett has nine of those. He's been an absolute beast in that defense for the Cleveland Browns. Olivier Vernon is also someone to watch for. So these guys can get after the quarterback.

The offensive line simply has to neutralize Garrett, and to do so, I think you're going to see Joe Tooney shift a little bit and give some assistance to Marshall Newhouse at left tackle, because even though Newhouse has been getting better each week, he's still struggling to be able to provide the protection that Brady's going to need, especially against a very formidable pass rush like this. If the O-line can neutralize Miles Garrett, look for the Patriots to run the ball, that will open up things and play action, and then if the Patriots have to go to the air, you're definitely going to see him try to get the ball to Mohamed Sanu and build that chemistry.

Julian Edelman, folks, will probably be most likely on the outside in this one. On the other side of the ball, the Patriots continue to play lockdown defense and expect them to do more of the same against a Cleveland Browns offense that has some star power. On paper, you look at this team and you see a quarterback in Baker Mayfield, wide receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry. You see a running back like Nick Chubb, and you see a quarterback in Baker Mayfield, wide receivers like Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, you see a running back like Nick Chubb, and you're thinking, why isn't this team scoring as many points as they should? Well, the primary reason for that is that Baker Mayfield leads the league in interceptions with 11. That's primarily been because the offensive line has been

so terrible at providing pass protection for Baker Mayfield. Once again, the Patriots defense is unquestionably the best in the league at forcing turnovers. They have picked off opposing quarterbacks 18 times this season. That's tops in the league. And right now, they have to be looking at Baker Mayfield and his 11 interceptions and absolutely licking their chops on this one, folks.

Look for the Pats to continue to allow their linebackers to run free. That means a heavy dose of the blitz. And if the Patriots' linebackers can get to Baker Mayfield and put pressure on him, it's going to force him into making bad decisions, and his decision-making has not been great this year, folks. This is an opportunity for the Patriots to really exploit that and allow their secondary to shut down the Browns' primary weapons.

Stephon Gilmore almost absolutely will be on Odell Beckham Jr. As for Jarvis Landry, look for JC Jackson, possibly even Jason McCourty to come up and help out. And then you have the safeties back there in Devin McCourty, Patrick Chung if he's able to go. If not, Deron Harmon has done a nice job in that backfield. They will continue to be aggressive. And if Mayfield is able to adjust,

look for the Patriots to do what they've been doing right along. They will show blitz. They'll drop seven back into coverage and simply take away the outlets and not allow Baker to be able to pass anywhere downfield. Lastly, the true key for a Patriots victory on Sunday may lie within containing the Cleveland running game. Nick Chubb is a very adept runner, and the Patriots defensive line will need to stop him, primarily their front three.

And that typically includes Danny Shelton at the nose tackle, Lawrence Guy on the left, and John Simon at the right, with Dietrich Wise and Adam Butler taking some snaps there as well. It'll also be interesting to note that Michael Bennett was the right side sub. I look for Chase Winovich to take over that role this week, so keep a sharp eye out for that. They will need to do a good job of locking up Chubb, because if Chubb can get the running game going, and Baker Mayfield can get some pressure taken off of his shoulders, he has enough

talent at the skill positions to be able to start picking apart the Patriots. And this one could get interesting, even though the Patriots defense is very formidable. And this is not a knock to them at all. The key to being able to take it to the Patriots is to run the football. We've seen Frank Gord do it. We actually saw Le'Veon Bell do it very quietly because the Jets were absolutely getting annihilated. But he had a pretty decent game against the Patriots on Monday. And ultimately, it's going to be up to the Patriots' defensive line to control the run. If they can control Chubb, Patriots' defense will dictate this matchup,

and it will be a long day for the Cleveland Browns' offense. If not, things could start to get interesting. Will they? Nah, folks. Unfortunately for the Cleveland Browns, I don't see this one being an interesting matchup. The Pats defense has been playing at such a high level this season. I think that will continue. Mayfield hasn't done a good job of protecting the ball.

That really will come back to bite them, I believe, in this game. Look for Tom Brady to work the short area of the field with Julian Edelman. James White will get open and play action. And I do think we'll see a little more of Ben Watson this week. That could be an interesting thing to keep an eye on as well. I look for him to be a bigger part. Look for Mohamed Sanu to get a couple of maybe big eye-opening catches that will allow Patriots fans to get excited about this acquisition, because there is a lot to be excited for.

He will be a great addition to this offense. On the defensive side of the ball, look for the Patriots lineman to contain Chubb, stop the run, and that will allow the linebackers to break free, put pressure on Baker Mayfield, and force him into a turnover or two or maybe even three. In the final analysis, I'm very impressed with this Cleveland Browns team. I believe they will figure things out. They will live up to the prowess that so many bestowed upon them early on this season.

Problem is they're just running into the wrong team this week to do it against. New England Patriots offensively put the points they need to. Defensively, they will be great once again. I look for the Patriots to come out on top in this game, 27-17. Will I be correct in my assessment? Well, we'll find out on Sunday. And as for me, I to come out on top in this game, 27-17. Will I be correct in my assessment? Well, we'll find out on Sunday. And as for me, I will be back on Monday

to recap all of Sunday's action from Gillette and also continue to bring you all the latest news, notes, and analysis from the world of the New England Patriots. Keep in mind, folks, the trade deadline is Tuesday, October 29th. A lot of activity flurrying around, and Monday could be a very, very interesting day

so as I always like to say, keep a sharp eye. As always, please be sure to join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike Debate of Locked On Patriots. I thank you so much for listening today. Have a

great weekend everyone and enjoy the game on Sunday.