Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - October 8, 2019: Pats Breakdown with Buchmasser

Episode Date: October 8, 2019

Today, host Mike D’Abate is joined by Bernd Buchmasser Of Pats Pulpit of SB Nation, as the pair discuss the news on Benjamin Watson, his closing thoughts on the Pats victory over Washington on Sunday, and a look ahead to the New England’s Thursday night matchup with the New York Giants.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your Tuesday edition 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. I'm Mike DeBate and I am your host of Locked On Patriots, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. You can always reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATEFBC and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. There is another great show for you on tap today. I am honored to be joined this morning by Bernd Buchmasser of SB Nation,

specifically Pat's Pulpit. And Bernd is a tremendously talented writer. He puts out amazing content each and every day. His insight is always spot on, and I will be discussing some of his thoughts on the Patriots' victory over Washington on Sunday. We'll start to look ahead to the Pats Thursday night matchup with the New York Giants, and of course we will be discussing the news on tight end Benjamin Watson. And that's where we begin this morning, folks. And the Patriots announced yesterday that they had released

Watson. Watson had been signed by New England as a free agent back in May, but his roster exemption, which they had received when he became eligible to play last Monday, expired yesterday at 4 p.m. Eastern, and thus Watson is now a free agent, and of course that four-game suspension stemming from a violation of the league's policy on banned substances. Now, Watson was in the Patriots locker room at the same time during the media on Monday, and he declined to be interviewed before packing his belongings and heading out of the locker room. And afterwards, he did post a message on his Twitter account confirming the news. And Watson seemed shaken by it, but as always, he was professional. And

while he did make it a point to say that he was beyond disappointed, and absolutely you can understand his feelings on that, he did go on to praise his faith, he praised his family, and he did tell reporters that he is in the process of determining his football plans for 2019. And right now, that includes playing. So keep a sharp eye on that. It could be interesting to see if Watson does indeed play this season, but it's clear he won't be doing so with the Patriots.

And that is a little bit of a surprise, and I'll get into that and the Pats' possible reasoning behind this in just a moment, and I'll discuss that with Bernd when I do bring him in. However, the move does mean that the Patriots will be going with Matt Lacoste and Ryan Izzo at tight end. And the handwriting on the wall began to emerge a bit over the weekend that Watson's spot might not be ironclad. After Sunday's win, Bill Belichick made it a point to note that it was nice to have both

tight ends active and contributing. Don't forget, Lacoste had missed some significant time earlier this season with an ankle injury. So with the Patriots' offense hitting some rough patches, the possibility of Watson helping to boost the attack seemed pretty promising for the Pats. But again, there were signals from the team that Watson's spot was not going to be certain. And that really started with him not being at practice last Wednesday, and then it also continued when on Saturday it was announced that he did not make the trip with the team to Washington.

During his weekly interview with Ordway, Merloni, and Fourier on WEI, Bill Belichick did confirm the roster move and essentially said that the reason behind it was a lack of a roster spot. To quote Belichick directly, we only have so many roster spots. If we put somebody on, we have to take somebody off. Right now, there wasn't a roster spot. We didn't feel like there was somebody we could create a roster spot with. Everybody came out of the game healthy. We have a decent team. So I think that's where we're at, unquote. Now, it's true that the Patriots did not have a roster spot open, and from that quote, it seems evident that they did not want to release or cut someone to create one.

So, the Pats seem prepared now to move forward with Izzo and Lacoste at the position, but it should be noted that the Patriots are a bit tight with the salary cap right now. This move created about $2 million in space by not activating Watson. So now the Patriots have in excess of $3 million in cap space available. Will they use it? That's the question, folks. And I will be joined by Byrne in just a moment

to get his take on the situation with Watson and what that may mean for the Patriots roster as we head deeper into the season. And we'll also look ahead to the Pats Giants on Thursday. However, before I proceed with that, I 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. And that is performance in the bedroom. Now you can increase your performance and get that extra confidence.

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And I can't think of a better person to embody that phrase than my guest this morning. He covers the Patriots for Pat's Pulpit of SB Nation. And folks, if it's happening in Foxborough, he's not only reporting it, but he's giving you some high quality insight and analysis on this as well. It's my honor to be joined today by Bernd Buchmasser. Bernd, thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome to Locked On Patriots. Thank you so much.

It's my pleasure to join. And you know, what way to start off the date and to talk about the Patriots being 5-0. So I'm happy to be on board and I'm excited to get this going. Oh, absolutely. I mean, you can't beat it when your team is undefeated, one of the only two undefeated teams in the nation right now. It's definitely a great thing, and we saw Jimmy Garoppolo take his 49ers to unbeaten. So I know Twitter is abuzz right now with possible Patriots being at 5-0 definitely something to be happy about if you're a Patriots fan. And if you're listening, I'm sure you are a Patriots fan. But we do get some hate listens, Bernd. I've got

to be honest with you. So, I mean, there are some that will, but most of our listeners here, I think, are like-minded in terms of what we're going to bring to the table. And I did bring you in today to talk about your thoughts on the Pats Washington game on Sunday, and also to look ahead to bring to the table. And I did bring you in today to talk about your thoughts on the Pats-Washington game on Sunday, and also to look ahead a bit to the Patriots-Giants matchup in Foxborough

on Thursday. But first, the news on Benjamin Watson is clearly on the minds of Patriots Nation. And I'll admit, I was surprised because I hadn't heard a lot of rumors that he might not get a roster spot. And even after Saturday's news that he wasn't going to travel with the team to Washington, to me, the vibe was that it dealt more with game planning and conditioning than it was anything else. And the fact that he wasn't active on Sunday would probably be related to that. But ultimately, this does save them $2 million in cap space. And when you look at it logistically,

it starts to make more and more sense. First, did this news about Watson surprise you? And if so, was this a pure cap move, or were there football reasons for this as well? Because anyone who knows Ben knows that this absolutely was not about character. So what are your thoughts on Watson's release from the team and why it happened? Well, I feel like the moment he was not activated right away after returning from his suspension last week was kind of like the first, at least in my opinion, point of view that maybe the team is not quite confident with where he is at, be it conditioning, as you mentioned, or be in game planning for the game in Washington.

But, you know, the Patriots tight ends did a pretty good job against the Redskins. And I get the feeling that the team wanted to take a look at them, give them many different responsibilities. We know that Matt LaCoste played 73 offensive snaps. Ryan Issa played 20. They did a lot of blocking. They did a lot of pass catching. So it feels like the Patriots wanted to reaffirm that they can't move forward or they won't move forward with Watson.

And if Sunday's game had gone any differently, I feel like they might have been willing to keep him around despite his salary cap hit. But with both Lacoste and Izzo looking good and looking serviceable in their roles, it kind of feels to me that the Patriots knew they could move on from him without having to fear about the depth of their tight end position or the quality of it. Yeah, I think you're spot on in that analysis.

And I think that in a lot of ways, the emergence of Ryan Izzo and Matt Lacoste having big games on Sunday, I think really kind of turned the tide a little Izzo and Matt Lacoste having big games on Sunday I think really kind of turned the tide a little bit when it comes to Watson's spot on the team and I think Bill Belichick looked at this and said it's a situation where I can save two million dollars in cap space and still get probably similar if not identical production out of the position that I'm getting right now so ultimately it looks like it was probably a cat move, but also a football move as well. And character-wise, I mean, Ben is just, he's a great person. You've heard a lot of the media, you know,

talking about how players on the team were going out of their way to praise him. And Lacoste was one of them saying that he would not be where he is without learning from Ben Watson in training camp this weekend, excuse me, this weekend. So this, excuse me, this week, this year in, and of course this weekend's game being the,

the deciding factor. Sorry for that folks. You know, every once in a while you get things in your head and all of a sudden words pop in. So it's good that it was weekend and it's good that it wasn't anything, you know, other than that. So we'll take it.

But I do want to follow up on that, Vern, and the Pats do have $2 million in cap space now, as we've said before, and the question on everybody's mind is what are they going to do with that? So I put the question to you. What do you think they're going to do with the space? Will they let it sit? Is it part of a long-term plan for either extensions or something like that, or can we expect a new face in Foxborough within the next weeks or so? Well, I mean, it's the Patriots.

We know that everything is possible. So whatever I say, I'm pretty sure it might be wrong. But I don't care, you know. We're in a safe space here. I feel like the Patriots know that there are some spots on their team that could benefit from an upgrade. Let's just call it that. And I think the wide receiver is on the top of the list.

I mean, you have Julian Ellman and Josh Gordon, who are both really good players, are in sync with Tom Brady. So I feel like the top of the depth chart is good, but looking further down the list, you have Philip Dorsett, who's dealing with a hamstring injury. He's week to week and probably won't play this week, but you never know how those things develop. And then you have Jacoby Myers and Gunnar Olszewski,

and both of them, being rookies, are, of course, unexperienced. They don't have the rapport with Brady yet that other players do. So that's not a knock on them, but it's just the situation they're in. It cannot be denied. So I feel like the Patriots, if they get a chance to acquire a receiver by a trade, and they have, I think, 3.7 million in cap space, or way little now. So if they go for a position, in my opinion, it will be wide receiver, because that's one of the spots in the team where,

you know, what if Julian Edelman gets hurt? What if Josh Gordon gets hurt? I mean, both dealt with injuries, but then you had Philip Dorsett to pick them up. But now that he's hurt, there are no long-term issues yet, but you never want to leave yourselves vulnerable to in-season injuries, and adding another wide receiver, even though it's maybe not A.J. Green or somebody like that, will help the team from an overall best perspective. And to get to one point that you mentioned, you can also see the Patriots try to extend some players.

We know they have a long list of candidates to hit free agency. I mean, of course, Tom Brady, but you also have guys like Dante Hightower, excuse me, Calvin Noy. So I can see the Patriots try to extend one of their guys. But if I had to guess, I would say they will make a trade within the next few weeks before the trade deadline and bring in a wide receiver. Yeah, and I think you're absolutely right on the money when it comes to that. The Patriots now, especially with the wide receiver depth chart and the injuries that they've been dealing with,

I think that coupled in with the fact that they do have a little bit of extra space now might force their hand in terms of bringing in guys that could be a reliable target for Tom Brady. You mentioned Philip Dorsett with the hamstring. We'll get into Thursday night's game in a little bit, but right now it looks like with the hamstring injury, I don't think they're going to be looking to rush Dorsett back. Julian Edelman, every time you see him catch a pass, the guy gets up, he grimaces, clutches his chest. You know he's playing in some pain. And he's as tough as they come. He'll continue to be out there, I'm sure. But at the same time, you also don't want to have to rely on someone

that's playing through pain to be your either only option or your most reliable option. And then, of course, there's Josh Gordon right now who looked good in flashes on Sunday, but no pun intended there. Well, maybe a little pun intended. Give me one, though. Absolutely. Thank you. I appreciate that. But when it comes to what Gordon brings to the table as well, he's dealing with a knee.

So, you know, you're always, always keeping an eye on what these guys can bring to the table. So it's going to be an interesting week in Foxborough. It always is. There's never a dull moment covering this team. You know that. I know that. It's definitely interesting. And, Burns, I'm sorry, go ahead.

I would add one thing. Because the Patriots are playing on Thursday, that means they have a mini-bye over the weekend. And I feel like they will use the time to really evaluate what they have in terms of health and in terms of overall depth. So it will be a crucial two weeks, in my opinion. Yeah, that's a great, great point. And then don't forget, their next game is a Monday nighter on the 21st against the New

York Jets. So Patriots have a little bit of a layoff over here, and it really does give Bill Belichick and the Brain Trust a chance to evaluate the roster. So I think that's an excellent point, and I'm glad that you brought that up. Again, your wisdom, your counsel, Bern, that's the reason why we brought you in today, and I am so far thrilled with everything that you bring to the table. And we're going to talk some gridiron with you in a moment, breaking down the Pats win over Washington,

and a bit of a preview of the Giants matchup on Thursday. I'm going to take 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. At the end of a hard week, it's great to sit down, take some time off,

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That's promo code LOCKEDON. Visit MyBookie.ag today. You play, you win, you get paid with MyBookie. Once again, my guest today is Bernd Buchmasser of SB Nation. And the Pats are now 5-0 after a 33-7 victory over Washington. They continue to look dominant on defense. They look better offensively in the second half without question. Bernd, what were some of your takeaways from this game as you watched the Patriots in Washington? I know early on a lot of people were very worried about the offense without question

and even the defensive snafu that Sims ran up the seam for the 65-yard touchdown. Naturally, any time the Patriots give up any points or can't put points on the board, the sky all of a sudden falls in Patriots Nation, especially Patriots Twitter, but they seem to right the ship. What were some of your takeaways from this game, and what can we look for in the Patriots game plan going forward based on what you've seen? Well, I'm happy the sky did not really fall,

so we can have to talk about that. Absolutely. That doesn't count as a takeaway from the game, so I'll just leave that out in front. I feel like there's a few points that I would say stood out to me personally from this game. And the first and arguably the most important is that the Patriots finally found a way to get their running game going. They ran only seven times over the first half of the game,

but they really invested a lot in pounding the ball down the Redskins' throat, if you will. So they brought Jakob Johnson in as fullback. They played two tight end sets. They really were focused on getting into rhythm offensively by doing what they did very well last year, which is just pound the ball. They used a lot of different blocking schemes. They used a lot of different motions. And seeing it work, it wasn't always perfect, but it really was an improvement over the last few years. That's one of the biggest things that I took away from this game,

because the Patriots are a very, very good play-action team. And if the running game works, the play-action game works, and it makes the passing game easier, it makes the pass protection better. You know, it's all tied together. And seeing this one part function pretty well, albeit only for 30 minutes, is something that I feel Patriots fans can't feel good about. And, you know, on the other side of the ball, what we saw was just a continuation of everything the Patriots did, even without Patrick Chung. They shut down the Washington passing game,

didn't allow a lot on the ground with the exception of the end-of-round score that you mentioned. It's really like watching this defense play is a treat. I almost wanted to say because they are so technically sound they are so smart to read plays recognize motions they are just really really good and i know the redskins are not the best team in the nfl in fact they're probably one of the three worst teams right now and they're factor coach so it's all you know you have to take it in perspective. But the Patriots do what you want a team to do, which is thoroughly dominate the opponent.

And the Patriots' defense did that. They had the one slip up with the score. But other than that, nothing happened. Like Washington had never had a chance. Once they were down 12-7 or 9-7, actually, you get the feeling that the game is over because the defense was so stout. And I know anything can happen on a football field. But the way that Patriots' defense was playing and continues to play,

it's really astounding to watch. And Sunday was more of the same. So that's a big takeaway, that they can really continue playing this high-quality football. And a third thing I want to mention is the kicking game. And A, Jake Bailey performing kickoffs and doing it really well, in my opinion. And B, Mike Nugent, as a place kicker, he missed one extra point. He pushed it to the right. But other than that, he was perfect.

And I feel like if that's what the Patriots are going to get from him, they can be happy about it. He doesn't have to be automatic and make every kick. But as long as the team is confident in bringing him out there and making short or medium-range field goals, I feel like they're good to go along with Nugent in the future. So those are – I'm talking a lot right now, but those are my three takeaways. No, by all means.

I mean, no, I thought you had great takeaways, and I'm glad you mentioned Nugent. Our mutual friend Thomas Murphy joined me on Lockdown on Friday. We talked a lot about Nugent and the Patriots putting him in the right position to be able to succeed. We know the knock on Nugent is that his leg is not as powerful as a guy like Steven Gostowski. He tends to struggle when it gets beyond 50 yards or greater. The Patriots aren't really a team that looks to take those chances beyond 50 yards anyway. They tend to be a little more aggressive with going for it and pushing the ball down the field,

utilizing Tom Brady to the best that they possibly can, and having their kicker kick manageable field goals. So if that's the situation with Nugent, then I agree. I think they can be happy with what he brings to the table. As for the missed extra point, I think it was beginner's jitters. I really don't think there's anything that people have to look into or anything like that. I think he'll end up being okay. But you mentioned the defense, and absolutely.

I mean, they have been a joy to watch, and they really have been a treat. I like the fact that you brought up that and use that word because it really does. It really does lend into just how great they've been. They're putting up historic numbers. They're able to lock teams down and essentially take away what your team does well, whether it be the Redskins,

the Dolphins, we saw them do it against the Buffalo bills who have, you know, a pretty, you know, good offense as well, and their defense really matched them point for point a couple of Sundays ago. So it is going to be interesting to see when they start to face some explosive quarterbacks,

quarterbacks that aren't afraid to make things happen. It will be interesting to see how they rise up and meet that challenge. And right now, it looks like they'll be able to do so. That does lend me into my final question for you today, my friend. There is a game to be played on Thursday night. Quick turnaround for the Patriots as they welcome the New York football giants to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Thursday. Daniel Jones comes in with a little bit of hype.

He's definitely injected some life into that Giants team. They're coming off of a loss against Minnesota this Sunday. In terms of what we can expect to see on the field, not only from the defense but also from the offense, if you're the Patriots, how do you approach this game against the New York Giants coming up on Thursday, especially when it looks like guys like Sterling Shepard might still be out. He's battling a concussion. I don't think he'll be cleared in time.

And it also, word broke this morning that Saquon Barkley is unlikely to be cleared in time for Thursday's action as well. So how do you look for the Patriots to match up with the Giants this coming week? Well, looking at it on paper, it's really, it should be a lopsided game in the Patriots' favor. They are, you know, they are better. They have better players across the board. So when looking at it from this perspective,

it kind of feels like it should be another automatic win for the Patriots. I know it sounds a little bit rough to say that because you never know what happens. But just from a talent standpoint and from how the season went, I feel like the Patriots should win this game. And it also, you know, when you play a rookie quarterback against a Bill Belichick-led defense, it really could be tough. I like Daniel

Jones, and I like what he did taking over for Eli Manning, but you saw it last week against Minnesota. He's learning. He's a young guy. That's absolutely fine from the Giants' perspective.

You can't expect a rookie to come in and to look like Tom Brady, of course, or to look like Patrick Mahomes. But there will be growing pains. And if the Patriots do what they do best, which is confuse opposing quarterbacks and really play mind games with them, then I can see the Patriots, you Patriots use a lot of Amigo front, use a lot of movement before the snap, just to really challenge Jones,

who, as you said, does not have a lot of weapons available. I mean, Saquon Barkley is out. Ingram's probably out. Shepard is probably out. So you have a lot of players who are trusted weapons for the Giants and for Daniel Jones. Without them, it will be

really hard for him to consistently, on a drive-per-drive basis, move the ball down the field. I can see the Patriots' defense really put the clamps on him and play a similar game to the one they did against Washington, not do anything overly exotic,

but just flat-out win their battles, execute well, and in the end just come away with a victory, even on a short week. And the same is basically true for the offense. I feel like we won't see Philip Dorsett because the Patriots won't risk him. But I can see the team just try to control the tempo of the game, control the, you know, get into rhythm with the running game. And it may not be the prettiest game.

It may not be like 40 to nothing. But it doesn does matter. As long as the Patriots win, and I feel like they have the tools to do that, they will be happy. The biggest story for me is to come out of a short week without any major injuries or without any injuries at all. That's the biggest thing for me because the talent, the Patriots have the talent, the Patriotsots have to coaching they should win the game but if you win a game and you lose one or two players to injury that's not ideal against the team like the Giants on a short week so that's the most important thing

for me is just to get out of the game healthy. Yeah, and I'm so glad that you brought that up. I think that's an excellent point, especially with health. We talked about Julian Edelman. We talked about Philip Dorsett. I don't think Dorsett will go, but Edelman and Gordon probably will be in there. They've played the last couple of weeks despite being on the injury report. So you definitely want to make sure that they stay healthy, and the defense right now especially as well. You want to make sure that the team does stay healthy going into a little bit of an extended rest period, but still they have some very formidable games coming up on the schedule.

The really difficult part of the Patriots schedule is still to come, so you want to make sure that the team is as healthy as possible. And I agree with you. I think they will play a conservative game on Thursday night. I think that should be enough to beat the Giants. There's always some squeamishness when the Patriots see the Giants on the schedule. I think there's still a little snake bit from 2007 and 2011. There's always

those memories that come back but listen, this is not the same Giants team that's coming in here, folks. Also, Bill Belichick is known to cause a lot of problems for young quarterbacks like Daniel Jones. So we'll see what happens. I think you're going to be right in your assessment, Vern. You usually are, but we won't hold it against you just in case you're not, so don't worry about it.

We won't plaster any of these all over the place. We appreciate your wisdom and counsel. And I thank you so much for coming on here today. Before I let you go, my friend, please let our listeners know where they can find your great work and where they can follow you on social media. Well, first off, thanks for all the nice words. Thanks for having me in. You know, it's always my pleasure to talk about the Patriots, to talk about football,

and to enjoy nice company. So I had all those things today, which is good. Excellent. I'm glad. About following along, dear listener, please tune into petspulpit.com to read all my commentary on the Patriots and to read all the other stuff that our writers are doing. It's really a great group of people I'm fortunate to work with. So you can follow us, as I've just said, on patspulpit.com. You can follow us on Twitter at Pats Pulpit.

And you can follow me personally on Twitter at BurntBuckmaster. So, yeah, good luck finding that, but it's probably the best to go through the Pat's Pulpit loop. Anyway, I'm just happy to be able to write about the Patriots, talk about the Patriots,

and I'm happy for everybody who joins in, who listens, who reads what I'm doing and what the rest of my wonderful colleagues are doing. So thank you again for this opportunity to come to the show today, and thank you to the listeners for listening. Oh, absolutely, and it's our pleasure. And on a personal level, I want to thank Bernd and the Pats Pulpit,

the entire staff that they have over there, great writers, great people. They have been a tremendous support for me in terms of my endeavors in covering this team. You guys always, always say kind things and share my work and my information. It's the least I can do in return. And listen, the Pulpit employs some of the greatest writers that you'll find. An old friend of the show that people in the Lockdown Nation know very well, my good friend Mark Schofield, your colleague, manned this chair for a couple of years on Lockdown.

So we know the quality of work that comes out of the pulpit, and Burns is second to none. Highly recommend following him on social media. Check out his work, folks. You will be absolutely so glad that you did. And as for me, I will be back for Quasar over Wednesday with my colleague Patricia Trena, the host of Locked on Giants, who puts on an amazing show for Giants fans.

She's one of the best in sports media. And we look ahead to the Pat's Thursday night matchup with the New York football Giants, and Patricia and I will break it all down for you. And also, we're very excited about the launch of our newest sports channel covering the NHL, and as you know by listening to this show, we love to feature local experts covering the biggest news, and now we're covering the ice with daily hockey podcasts. Check out the upcoming season preview for Locked On Bruins with host Ian McLaren, and also

find your favorite NHL team on our website, www.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 Bernd Buckmaster for his time and insight today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening today. Have a great day, everybody.