Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - October 28, 2019: Browns-Bagged Victory, Belichickian Milestone

Episode Date: October 28, 2019

The New England Patriots improved to 8-0 with a 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. Host Mike D’Abate breaks down the action from Foxboro and provides his thoughts on Bill Belichick��s coaching milestone of earning 300 career victories. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your Victory Monday 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 of 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 LockedOn Patriots,

which, of course, is a part of the LockedOn 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. Thank you, as always, for joining me on this Monday. I hope everybody had a great weekend, and I know many of you are in the New England area. Some aren't, but most of you are, and I hope that you're not feeling as waterlogged as

the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns looked last night. It was a rain-soaked Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, but we all know the Patriots are never one to let the elements bother them. As for the Cleveland Browns, well, they got brown-bagged last night. Tom Brady threw for 259 yards and two touchdown passes as the Patriots defeated the Cleveland Browns 27-13 last night. And if that score seems a bit familiar here to all you fans of Locked On, it's because that was almost my game prediction on Friday.

I had predicted a 27-17 victory for the Patriots. Final score ended up being 27-13. So my prognostication skills, they're not all that bad, folks. That being said, I still never encourage you to put any large sums of money down on what I have to say. But that being said, much like the New England Patriots, I never rest on my laurels. No hubris here. But there was plenty of hubris for the Cleveland Browns coming into this game, and I mentioned this very briefly on Friday. The Browns were coming off of their bye week, and I like to say that they were buoyed by

bravado as they arrived in Foxborough yesterday. There just seemed to be an aura of confidence surrounding this team all week, and even wide receiver Jarvis Landry, who I understand might have had his comments taken out of context. But still, when you make a statement like, we are going to win, you reiterate that statement, and then you take it a step further by saying that the New England Patriots defense hasn't faced a quarterback like Baker Mayfield, that Bill Belichick is not the all-knowing defensive guru everyone thinks he is, that's bulletin board material, folks. And the New England Patriots are going to use that.

And right from the get-go in this one, the Patriots' defense looked like they were on a mission. And make no mistake about it, this is a very talented Cleveland Browns team. At times, they looked like they were really putting together some very impressive drives. Nick Chubb, particularly, in this game was great. And he ran the ball very well.

But ultimately, the Cleveland Browns were done in by three major factors. Nick Chubb particularly in this game was great, and he ran the ball very well, but ultimately the Cleveland Browns were done in by three major factors. One, they ran into, again, a formidable Patriots defense that just always seems to make plays, get key stops, and force turnovers when they need to do that. And those Cleveland turnovers were the second factor as to why I believe the Browns were so unsuccessful on Sunday. Three turnovers on their first three possessions, and that really hurt Cleveland, and I think set the tone for the entire game, and they seemingly never recovered from that.

And the last, and what I believe to be the most important, and for me personally, the most disappointing, if you're a Cleveland Browns fan, is the lack of preparation with which Cleveland came into this game. The Browns were coming off of their bye week. That means they had two weeks to prepare for this game. They looked out of sorts. They didn't look like they had any continuity on offense or on defense. A lot of great playmakers on both sides of the ball, and they made plays.

There were some offensive plays that opened up eyes. There were some defensive plays that opened up eyes, but never any continuity. And again, costly penalties were a big part of the reason why Cleveland struggled. False start penalties, offensive pass interference penalties. These are a matter of coaching. And teams that are consistently in contention year after year are teams that are very well disciplined. Your New England Patriots, folks, one of the most disciplined teams in the league,

consistently, year after year. And that begins and ends with coaching. And look, no one is expecting freddie kitchens to be bill belichick that is not a realistic expectation and is not what i'm saying but when your team is committing penalties and costing your team yards that's a problem and then to make matters worse you throw the challenge flag on a couple of plays that really had i think little to no chance of being overturned, particularly the Jarvis Landry pick play. I don't know how Freddie Kitchens thought that had any shot at being overturned, but those

two challenges cost your team timeouts, and down the stretch, those timeouts could have helped your team regroup, especially when the Browns were showing signs of being able to move the ball at times, and it definitely hurt the Browns' chances. Now, in all fairness, I'm not suggesting that those two challenges were the only reason why the Browns lost to the Now, in all fairness, I'm not suggesting that those two challenges were the only reason why the Browns lost to the Patriots. The Patriots beat the Browns more than the Browns beat themselves. However, as a head coach, you always have to have awareness of your surroundings, and it just seemed like Cleveland was very ill-prepared for a game that really was the definition of their season, and we spoke about this last week here on Locked On

with Jeff Lloyd of Locked On Browns and also with Alex Barth of CLNS Media. This was the biggest game of the schedule for the Cleveland Browns. This is one they wanted. It was a coveted 425 time slot, a lot of national eyes on this game, and it was the perfect opportunity for them

to come in and make a statement. They did not do that. The statement that they made was not the statement they wanted to make. And as a result, the Patriots easily defeated the Browns 27-13. And before I break down last night's action and give you my takeaways from the game, I just wanted to take a moment to address all you guys out there. And ladies, you'll appreciate this too. Now, this is a topic that is often taboo, but always commands your attention.

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It's the 8th Victory Monday of the 8th week of the NFL season. That's right, folks. In case you haven't heard, the Patriots are 8-0, undefeated so far in 2019, and they remain that way thanks to a 27-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon. A determined Patriots defense, along with some early turnovers and costly penalties by the Cleveland Browns, helped teach the Browns a lesson that guaranteeing a victory coming into Foxborough almost never works out as you would have hoped. But let's take a look at Sunday's action from

Foxborough. And again, I opened the show by stating that Tom Brady threw for 259 yards and two touchdowns. Brady completed 20 of 36 passes, eight of them to Julian Edelman, including both touchdowns. And one of those touchdowns I think was one of the best plays Tom Brady has turned in all year. I'll get to that in just a moment. However, the tone of this game was really set by some of the early turnovers that Cleveland put out. Again, three turnovers in their first three possessions. That's unacceptable if you're the Browns, but you have to credit the Patriots' defense not only for forcing the turnovers, but for capitalizing on them, and that's a big reason why the Patriots have been so successful.

After taking a 3-0 lead on a 20-yard field goal by Mike Nugent, the Pats capitalized on their first of three first-quarter Cleveland turnovers. Browns running back Nick Chubb, again, we said he had a very good game. He did, but unfortunately did not do a good job of protecting the ball in this case. Took a handoff from quarterback Baker Mayfield, and again, very slippery and sloppy conditions in Foxborough last night because of the rain. The ball was actually inadvertently kicked out of his hands by his own left guard, Joel Batonio.

Dante Hightower, always in the right place at the right time. That's not coincidence. That's because he is that good. Scoops up the fumble and runs it 26 yards back for the touchdown. And just like that, the Patriots were on top 10-0. But on the ensuing defensive series, New England cornerback Jonathan Jones brilliantly and cleanly used a close fist to hammer the ball out of Chubb's hands, and this negated what would have been a monster run and a huge gain for the Cleveland Browns offense.

Chubb was really impressive on the ground in this drive, but fortunately for the Patriots, ball control was not part of his strong suit, and credit Jonathan Jones for a great play. Devin McCourty, again, someone else who's always in the right place at the right time. That's by design, not by luck. He scoops it, and once again, the Patriots turn a promising would-be drive for the Browns into their own offensive possession.

But wait, there's more, and this one was the highlight of the night, turn a promising would-be drive for the Browns into their own offensive possession. But wait, there's more, and this one was the highlight of the night, and if you're a Cleveland Browns fan, this is probably the lowlight of the night, and that's when defensive lineman Lawrence Guy broke into the backfield and stepped in front of Mayfield's shovel pass attempt to Chubb on the Cleveland 16. Guy snagged the first interception of his career, and the Patriots would only need two plays following the turnover as Tom Brady found Julian Edelman for an eight-yard touchdown pass. Just like that, the Patriots were up 17-0,

and this one had all the makings of a disaster. The Cleveland Browns offense definitely does deserve some credit in this one. They became the second team to score one of only two passing touchdowns scored against this New England defense all year long. And that touchdown came in the second quarter, capping a six-play, 54-yard drive with a 21-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to tight end Demetrius Harris. Add in a 38-yard field goal from Austin Seibert in the third quarter, and all of a sudden the Patriots' lead is cut to 17-10.

But the Browns wouldn't get any closer than that. The next Patriots drive, Tom Brady did what Tom Brady does. He strikes back, and this drive was a beauty. It really took the momentum that Cleveland was starting to develop and put it right back in the hands of the New England Patriots. Brady and the Patriots offense drove 84 yards on seven plays in only two minutes and 26 seconds. This drive featured New England's two offensive highlights of the night. The first came with about 8.26 left in the third quarter. At 3rd and 10 from the New England 16, Brady from the shotgun finds James White, and James White defined yards after the catch on this one.

Takes Brady's short pass for 59 yards and put the Cleveland Browns defense on their heels, and this was a great demonstration of exactly how valuable James White is to this team. They needed a big play, and White delivered as he's done so many times before. But Brady had one more highlight left in him, and from the Cleveland 14-yard line, he took the snap and adjusted to coverage by shifting left, and then shifting slight right, and then threw a dart to Julian Edelman,

a 14-yard touchdown pass, put the Patriots up 24-10, and they didn't look back from there on in. To me, this drive really showcased Brady's brilliance here. Not forcing the ball into coverage, knowing the difference between holding on to it and when to get rid of it. It's what makes Tom Brady who he is. He just has that uncanny ability of not only knowing where he is on the field,

where his receivers are on the field, and most importantly, where his opponents are on the field. And that field awareness, to me, is what separates Brady and puts him head and shoulders above the rest of the quarterbacks in the league. And in my opinion, I don't think there's a close second at doing what he's able to do in those situations. And with the exception of trading a couple of field goals, the New England Patriots rode that touchdown to a victory. And they are now 8-0, the first time they've been 8-0 since

2015. It's only the third time in team history that they've been 8-0. Now, they would love to head into their bye week with a record of 9-0, but there is a very formidable opponent standing in their way of that, and some consider this the Patriots' biggest test of the season so far in taking on Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens. And this team is for real, folks. Offensively stout, defensively stout. This is going to be a great test for the New England Patriots

coming up in Baltimore on Sunday Night Football. Patriots' wins are often good for some statistical tidbits that are amusing and fun to discuss. For example, Baker Mayfield's touchdown pass to Demetrius Harris in the second quarter actually snapped a scoring streak of such for the New England Patriots. They had outscored their opponent 71-0. This dates back to October 10th when the New England Patriots took on the New York Giants. They scored the final 21 points in that game and then shut out the Jets 33-0 on Monday

Night Football earlier last week. Just another example of the Patriots efficiently putting up points on offense and absolutely playing shut-down defense. Ho-hum, just another day for the office for the boys in Foxborough. But I've got a couple more for you. The Patriots now have won 21 straight games against first- or second-year quarterbacks. That is the longest streak of its kind in NFL history. And what is the reason for that, folks? A Bill Belichick coach defense. And that leads me to my last tidbit, and this is a

little more than just a statistical tidbit. This is a milestone, and one that is so well-deserved. And of course, with Sunday's win over the Browns, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick earned his 300th career NFL coaching victory. And in such a great example of things coming full circle, which really, even from a literature standpoint, might not be believable, Bill Belichick earned his first NFL head coaching victory as head coach of the Cleveland Browns. And he did so in Foxborough, Massachusetts, against the New England Patriots, and his former mentor Bill Parcells, who was coaching the Patriots at the time. Fast forward now to October 27, 2019, and Bill Belichick is now head coach of the New England

Patriots, the team he defeated for his first NFL coaching victory. Of course, it should be noted he's been the New England Patriots head coach for the past 20 years, and he earns that 300th victory over the Cleveland Browns, the first team with which Bill Belichick had an NFL head coaching job. I know, folks, you can't script it any better. Belichick now joins only one of three men in the NFL that have 300 wins. Don Shula, of course, at 347 sits atop the list. George Hallis at 324. And it really is an incredible milestone for Bill Belichick. Following the game, team owner Robert Kraft presented Belichick with the game ball, and he got a lot of congratulatory applause from his players, but never won for individual praise. Belichick deflected the credit to his players, and he always does this. And it still amazes me that the narrative on Bill Belichick is mostly an uninformed narrative. So many like to label him as

arrogant and self-centered, and that really could not be further from the truth. Can he be surly at times? Absolutely. But despite of what you may hear, it doesn't come from arrogance or selfishly seeking the spotlight. The quote-unquote surliness of Bill Belichick seldom comes from a question that's asked about football. It's usually about the distractions of the game around him. It frustrates him, and to be honest, it frustrates most of the great coaches in any of the four major professional sports. But Belichick is often the subject of a lot of media snark, and it's probably because his delivery is so blunt and monotone. It makes for a funny narrative, and even Belichick himself has been known to have some fun with it. But when the subject turns to himself or his individual accomplishments, Bill Belichick is never one that's comfortable with giving himself praise.

And last night was no different. When he was asked about what winning 300 games meant to him, he replied with the following, and I quote, It's a privilege to coach this team, and to coach the guys I've coached throughout my career. Fortunately, I didn't play in any of these games, and that's a good thing for us. I've had a lot of good players, a lot of great players, and they're the ones that win the games. Unquote. Now that type of humility is not exactly the narrative surrounding Bill Belichick, a lot of good players, a lot of great players, and they're the ones that win the games, unquote. Now, that type of humility is not exactly the narrative surrounding Bill Belichick, especially at a national level. However, anyone that's played for him, anyone that's been around the team can tell you those feelings are genuine. Bill Belichick truly believes that it is his

privilege to coach in the National Football League. That's what continues to drive him each and every day. And you saw that last night in the outpouring of support from not only his current players, but also former players like Teddy Bruschi, who eagerly took the chance to congratulate him. Robert Kraft taking on the role that Bill Belichick usually holds during postgame and giving out the game ball. He wanted to make sure that Belichick was honored,

something he knew Belichick would never do for himself. And perhaps the most eye-opening tribute of the night, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whose relationship with Belichick would never do for himself. And perhaps the most eye-opening tribute of the night, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, whose relationship with Belichick is frequently, and in my opinion, very unfairly scrutinized and even vilified at times. Brady went out of his way and had glowing things to say about the only head coach for whom he's ever played throughout his NFL career. And Brady summed up his relationship with Belichick and his accomplishments in this

quote. He's the best coach of all time, and it's a privilege to play for him for as many years as I have. He's taught me so much on and off the field, just been a great mentor for me. Being here 20 years ago, it was his first year. It was my first year. It's been a great journey. Just proud of him and everything he's accomplished. Amazing to think that he coached for another place and they didn't think he was good enough. And then he comes here and does a great job. It's a great celebration

for him and certainly hard earned and well deserved. Now, before I offer my opinion on Brady's statement, let me just make clear the other place to which he's referring is Cleveland. Cleveland fired Bill Belichick in 1995, obviously freeing him up to come back to the New England Patriots as defensive coordinator in 1996 after a very brief stint with the Jets. We all remember I am resigning as HC of the NYJ. One of the great moments in Patriots history, one of the worst moments in Jets history, he comes back to New England and has had unparalleled success since that time. But Brady's statements are very revealing for a lot of reasons, folks. The first of which is Brady is often characterized as someone who is very frustrated with Bill Belichick's success.

And we've heard them all. Brady and Belichick don't like one another. Brady wants to win without Bill. Bill wants to win without Tom. And so many clamor at the thought of these two being at each other's throats. What you don't often hear, and to be fair, there are some out there that do push this narrative, but again, what is seldom heard is that Brady and Belichick have had a 20-year relationship.

You do not go through a 20-year relationship with any human being without having disagreements and without having moments of tension. There have definitely been both when it comes to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. They are two strong-minded individuals that are very good at what they do. But never, ever make the mistake of thinking that there is not a healthy respect between these two, or even an affection. And I'm not talking about a buddy-type relationship. Brady and Belichick are not designed to be best friends.

They have a great working relationship. Head coach and quarterback. And no one has ever done it better in this league. It's the nature of any athlete, any great athlete, to want to be the absolute best at what they do. Bill Belichick wants to be the best head coach he can be. Tom Brady wants to be the best quarterback that he can be. Is there a part of each of these gentlemen that may want to see

if they would be as good without the other? Perhaps. And no one's blaming them for that. However, to take the leap of faith that some choose to take and translate that as these two want to get as far away from each other as they can is probably wishful thinking on behalf of 31 other fan bases in the NFL. At the end of the day, Brady and Belichick both know that their best chance to win is with each other.

As long as that continues to be the case, it's unlikely that that relationship is nearing its end. So congratulations to Bill Belichick on his 300th career victory. Congratulations to the New England Patriots on moving to 8-0. Getting to 9-0 will take their best effort of the season, and I will be back tomorrow as I start to look ahead to the Patriots' Sunday night football matchup with the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore.

As always, please be sure to join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Please subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate, and I thank you so much for listening today. Enjoy the rest of your Victory Monday, and have a great day, everyone.