Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - September 5, 2019: Pats/Steelers Strengths and Weaknesses

Episode Date: September 5, 2019

As we move closer to Sunday’s New England Patriots season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, host Mike D’Abate welcomes Steve Balestrieri back to Locked On Patriots to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each team, and what fans can expect to see on Sunday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

and hello to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to another 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. Locked On Patriots, as always, is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover the Patriots for fullpresscoverage.com, which is where you can always find my written work, and you can also reach out to me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C.

And while you're at it, please follow the Locked On Patriots account as well, at L-O underscore Patriots. Once again, a great show on tap for you today. And when the Steelers are ready to come to town, there's one man I always think of bringing in, and that is my good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. He returns to the hot seat today, and he'll be joining me in just a moment to break down the 2019 incarnation of the Patriots, and we'll also take a quick look ahead towards Sunday's matchup against the Steelers. But before I welcome Steve in this morning, I

just want to remind our listeners that today's show and the opening week of the NFL here on Locked On is brought to you by Mack Weldon. Mack Weldon is a premium men's essentials brand that believes in smart design, premium fabrics, and simple shopping. Guys, what more could we ask for? Mack Weldon will be the most comfortable garments, whether it be underwear, socks, shirts, undershirts, hoodies, sweatpants, and more that you will ever wear. In fact, they have a line of silver underwear and shirts that are naturally antimicrobial, which means they eliminate odor. And most importantly, Mack Weldon wants you to be comfortable.

So if you don't like your first pair, you can keep it, and they will still refund you. No questions asked. Mack Weldon is better than whatever you're wearing right now. Promo code LOCKEDON gets you 20% off at MackWeldon.com. Visit the website today, and guys, it will be the best sartorial decision you have ever made. Again, that's promo code LOCKEDON at MackWeldon.com. My guest today is one of the best and most knowledgeable columnists that you can find in Patriots media anywhere

and it is always my pleasure and my honor to welcome him and to talk football with him here on Locked On Patriots today. You know his great work from Patsfans.com as well as being the co-host of two amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and One Patriots Place. It is my honor again to welcome my friend Steve Balistrieri back to Locked On Patriots. Steve, thanks so much for joining

me this morning. Oh, you're too kind, my friend. I love hearing that intro. It makes me feel like I'm looking over my shoulder like, is there somebody else in the room here? No, I assure you, it is all well-earned, well-deserved. And believe me, the pleasure is all on this side of the table, as we know from Office Space to Bob's, the whole scene. Believe me, right now I'm doing that thing with the fingers, saying the pleasure is all on this side of the table, my friend.

No, seriously, all kidding aside, it's well-deserved, and I'm always, always happy to welcome you in. Yeah, it's great to be here. As you know, I love talking football with you. We've hooked up quite a few times down in Patriots training camp, and then afterwards we sat in the end zone this summer and watched the fireworks display. I mean, how much better can it get than that?

You can't ask for better than that. We really, really can. And I'm glad that you brought up training camp because it does lead me into my first question. And we've seen this team in training camp now. We've seen them grow and develop and evolve into the current incarnation that we see now in the 53-man roster. We've also seen them play four preseason games,

and albeit we haven't seen a whole lot of the major starters, we've seen a lot of these guys come forward and make strides. There's been a lot of feel-good stories this summer, no question about it. Jacoby Myers comes to mind right off the bat. He's been solid. He's been very good. Another guy that's really kind of been another feel-good story is Gunnar Oshelski and his emergence of making the team after most people, you and I both included, did not believe he had a really good shot at making this team. Defensively, we've seen some new faces in Michael Bennett. We've seen old friends return to the team like Jamie Collins and Brandon Bolden. So there is a lot of good stories heading into this season. However, the preseason is a different animal a lot of times

than the regular season. And with Patriots fans, there's always that push forward and that, I don't want to say bravado, that kind of exists here in New England. But it seems to be always a foregone conclusion that they're going to go deep into the playoffs, deep into the winter, and be able to come out on top, and a lot of people feel that way, and I completely understand and actually do agree with a lot of the assessments that are going around about the Patriots right now, but you're as dialed into this team as anybody that I know, and your analysis is always spot on. If you're looking at this team right now, I don't want to put you on the spot too much, but what do you see as the strengths of this team, and what should Patriots fans be concerned about when it comes to this team?

Because as you know, no team is perfect. It's going to be difficult to maneuver around some of the other teams this year that have made great strides. So what should Patriots fans be optimistic about, and what should they be worried about heading into the season with this team? Well, first of all, I think one of the strengths is the front seven and the entire defense as a whole. I think this is the most solid defensive team they've had in several years. And I saw Ted Johnson, the great linebacker from the early 2000s, compare them favorably to that 2004 team, which is pretty heady praise.

When you look at this front seven, I think they're really deep, they're really versatile, and they can play in a variety of ways. They can play in a 3-4, they can be multiple, they can go 4-3, they can play a 2-5. However they want to play, they can do this depending upon their matchups. So I'm really excited about the defense this year. I think it's going to be one of the most solid units they've had in quite a few years. And I'm really excited about this running back group they have.

I think the running backs are as deep also as they've had. You know, they had a good group last year with Sonny Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead. Now they've added Damian Harris, and they brought back Brandon Bolden, as you mentioned. I think they're really deep there. They're going to lean on those guys a lot. You know, and I think the running game is going to

be really solid. Now, that being said, as you asked, what are some of the concerns? Well, obviously tight end. I think we're all in agreement there. They're not going to have Ben Watson for the first month of the season. Who's going to step up?

That's a really good question. I think we've all kind of resigned ourselves to the fact that this group might not be lighting it up, especially that first month of the season. I'm also a little concerned with the wide receivers. And on paper, I mean, you're looking at Julian Edelman, Josh Gordon, Demarius Thomas, Phillip Dorsett. I think those names right there, normally you'd be like, okay, we're all set.

But those guys hardly played at all during training camp in the preseason. And I'm just worried about when they start, especially week one. You know, is their timing with Tom Brady going to be down? Is their chemistry going to be there? Or are these guys going to struggle a little bit until they find their feet? No, and I think that's an interesting point. And I had our mutual friend, the big green man himself, Thomas Murphy, on Tuesday. And we talked a little bit about Demarius Thomas and what he's going to bring to the table and lack thereof.

As you know as well as I and our listeners know now as well Murph is not a huge fan of this and I could understand his cause for concern on that there have been some knocks on Demarius Thomas and in this type of an environment where Tom Brady does ask his receivers to have to get a little bit physical at times he has an amazing knack of being able to put the ball where only his guys can get it but there may be times where they do need to get a little bit physical with some of these defensive backs and that's never been Demarius Thomas's strong suits to put the ball where only his guys can get it. But there may be times where they do need to get a little bit physical with some of these defensive backs, and that's never been Demarius Thomas' strong suit.

So, again, I think we've all come to that realization that there are question marks at a lot of these wide receiver slots here, pretty much with everybody when you think about it. I mean, even Edelman, who is about as good of a lock as you can get on this team, there is the question about his hand. And you always wonder about it, especially the first couple of games. I know fans are going to be looking very closely at that to see how he's able to develop.

I don't anticipate any problems. I don't think you do as well. But everybody held their collective breath when he took a pretty good shot in the preseason game against the Giants, and he was a little slow to get up, shook the hand out, and everybody was wondering if he had re-injured it. So it is a question mark, and I think you hit the nail right on the head with the tight end position.

I think that's going to be a question mark for them. They definitely need to get good blocking out of that because that prolific catch and pass threat that they've had for so many years with Rob Gronkowski is not going to be there this time when they dial it up. Is there an Achilles heel to this team, other than just the wide receivers and the tight ends that we've seen here? Do you feel that there is an Achilles heel to this team that really is a weakness that teams can exploit? We know that the wide receiver crew is going to be a little bit suspect at first, getting used to playing with Brady, and that the tight end position might be a problem.

But do you see anything in this team that really worries you and say, no, that could really end up being a huge problem for them? No, I really don't. I feel really strongly about this group. I mean, last year when we were this time entering the season, I felt a lot less sure about that team than I do about this one.

And, you know, granted Tom Brady's 42 now, and as he said himself, we're entering uncharted territory, but I haven't seen anything from Brady the way last season ended and what we've seen this summer, that leads me to believe that he's anywhere close to that cliff

everyone keeps putting him at. You know, I mean, he can still put a zip on the ball. And Brady's always won with his head. And he's such a smart quarterback. He recognizes things. And his recognition, his play recognition, and his processing is still the best.

So I'm not worried about him whatsoever. I really feel like this is a really strong team entering the season. I agree, and I'm glad that you said that, because I think a lot of fans right now, some of the feedback that I'm getting from some of my listeners is that they're looking for that Achilles heel. They're looking for that crack in the pavement that is something that they should keep their eye on. And I don't see anything glaring. Yeah, there's always cause for concerns with teams. I mean, you know, this is not a super team that the Patriots have put together, but I think they're as solid of a group as they've had. And the defense, to me, really is the shining star when it comes to the Patriots' 2019 prospects, and I think

they'll continue to have that, and I think they're going to be on full display on Sunday night, and we'll get into that in just a minute with Steve, but before I continue on with Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com this morning, I just wanted to remind you that it is time to celebrate, and our friends over at DraftKings.com are eager to remind you to celebrate. Football is finally back, folks, and DraftKings is the leader in one-day fantasy football, and they have huge week one contests.

The first one starts tonight, this Thursday, when the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers kick off the season in a single-game showdown with $2.5 million in total prizes up for grabs. Draft your single-game showdown lineup and feel the sweat like never before. It's simple. Just draft six players from the season opener, stay under the salary cap,

and see how your team stacks up against the competition. Plus, new users who sign up today on DraftKings using code LOCKEDON will receive a free shot at the $1 million top prize. Nothing adds to the sweat of watching the game quite like having a shot at a million-dollar payday. Get in on the season opener action. Download the DraftKings app now and use LOCKEDON as your code for a limited time for both new and existing users,

get a deposit bonus up to $500. And new users, don't miss this extra special week one bonus. Enter my code LOCKEDON to get a free shot at $1 million with your first deposit. That's code LOCKEDON only at DraftKings. Make it rain. Minimum $5 deposit required. Deposit bonus requires a 25-times playthrough.

Eligibility restrictions apply. See DraftKings.com for details. Steve, there is most definitely a game on Sunday night, and I know you and I are chomping at the bit to have football back, not just in Foxborough, but all over. It's just a great time of year, especially for doing what we do for a living. It's part of our lifeblood, and we love that. The Patriots come in to face the Pittsburgh Steelers,

and it's going to be interesting. You wrote in your column earlier this week that they unveil the sixth championship banner against the only other team in the NFL that has six banners as well. So definitely a little bit of posturing for position there. And you know the Patriots definitely are thrilled to be able to do it. But the game itself on the field I think is going to be a great one. And the Steelers come in with a little bit of a new look offense, but a lot of the same pieces that they had last year. Very speed-oriented offense with a very talented quarterback that's under center. If you're the Patriots defense, how do you look to attack not only Ben Roethlisberger,

but also Juju Smith-Schuster, James Conner. We saw them had problems with Jalen Samuels last year. James Washington is a pretty speedy receiver. These guys come in with some weapons, even though there's no Antonio Brown, no Le'Veon Bell. So if you're the Patriots defense, what type of strategy do you want to employ to maximize being able to keep them off the field? Well, I think, you know, if I'm Bill Belichick, and this is just me talking, because Bill never answers my voicemail. Mine either, man.

Yeah, but if I'm Bill, I put J.C. Jackson on Juju Smith-Schuster with safety help over the top, which they did last year for a good part of the game. Yeah, it worked pretty well. Yeah, they held him to four catches and 40 yards. And then I put Stephon Gilmore on, you know, Dante Montreve. And I'm just going to try to force them into beating us with their third option, Vance McDonald, their tight end, or maybe James Washington, and maybe Jalen Samuel or Ryan Switzer.

I mean, they have a lot of weapons, but I'm forcing them to go elsewhere. And, you know, your top guy isn't going to beat me. If you're going to beat me, you're going to beat me with somebody else. So that's what I would do if I was Bellas. And we've seen them do this in the past. This isn't anything, you know, new and earth-shattering, but it's been successful for them. I'm very aggressive with Ben Roethlisberger.

I think you have to get after him. If he starts extending plays, that's when bad things happen for your defense. So I think they have to be aggressive with him, and they have to put some dogs on him on Sunday night. Yeah, I think so too, and I think it's really going to be aggressive with him, and they have to put some dogs on him on Sunday night. Yeah, I think so, too. And I think it's really going to be an interesting dynamic to see what the defensive ends are able to do. I know Trey Flowers had a huge year for the Patriots last year, and a lot of people were sorry to see him go.

But I like the addition of Michael Bennett, and I think that does wash a little bit of what they might lose in Flowers. I think Bennett brings a good amount of pop to that defensive line, as well as Chase Winovich. And we saw him in training camp. We've all seen how he fared in a couple of preseason games. This kid's got a nonstop motor, and it'll be interesting to see if they can get some pressure on Roethlisberger.

Flipping to the offensive side of the ball, and when the Patriots have the ball, that is. And Tom Brady has been surgical when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers throughout most of his career. At Gillette, he's been amazing. I mean, if you take a look at some of the numbers that he's put up, he has a 5-0 record.

He's averaged over 350 passing yards. He's got 18 touchdowns to zero interceptions. I mean, some of these, I think his career passer rating at Gillette against the Steelers is 131.6. So that gives you an option or an opportunity to see exactly what he's been able to do. A lot of that is because Pittsburgh, for a good portion of this rivalry, especially under Mike Tomlin, has kind of sat back in zone and let the Patriots kind of essentially do their thing. And Brady is about as surgical of a quarterback as you can get at dissecting the zone. Last couple of games have been a lot closer, and it's because

Pittsburgh has actually increased their productivity by playing man coverage. I think in the last couple of games, they've averaged man coverage on 60% of their drives. So I think, or defensive stands, I should say. So they're learning a little bit more and they are doing more to play man coverage. If the Pittsburgh Steelers continue this trend, how do you see Tom Brady being able to attack man coverage and evade some of the pass rush that they would look to put on him. Because I think if they revert to zone, I think we can all say there's going to be a long night for the Steelers in Foxborough. Brady is surgical and he'll pick that apart. So do you think that

that's still the best strategy to employ in terms of putting man coverage on Tom Brady? Yeah, I think the Steelers will play a lot more man coverage because they got Joe Hayden now and, you know, they locked him up with a new deal and then they picked up Steven Nelson from the Chiefs, who I wasn't overly impressed with in the two games that the Patriots played against them. But I think he's a clear upgrade over, you know, the two guys he replaced, which are Artie Burns and Cody Sensabaugh. So I think the Steelers feel a lot more confident that they can play more cover one this year

with man coverage on the outside than they have in the past. So I look for that, especially with that pass rush that they have. I think what the Patriots will do is put guys in motion like Edelman, try to get that free release. I think they're going to use the running backs. Now, last year in the game, I thought the Steelers did a really good job of covering the backs out of the backfield.

You know, they completed a lot of passes, but not for a lot of yardage. And, you know, with Devin Bush and Mark Barron now, they're a little bit better at defending the middle of the field. So it'll be interesting to see how this dynamic works. But I think you'll see a lot of motion trying to get somebody on a free release. And I think the backs will play a huge role in this game for the Patriots on Sunday night. Yeah, I agree with both of your assessments. First of all, the addition of Bush by a draft was huge for Steelers fans

and the Steelers organization alike. I think they really, that middle of the field was definitely an Achilles heel for them last year. And I think they have shored that up in bringing in Bush as well as some of the additions they've made in the middle part of that field.

And I like the addition of Nelson as well from the Chiefs. I think it does give them a little bit of a dynamic, like you said, and I think you said that very eloquently, it's not so much that he is such a dynamic player, but he is an upgrade from what they had. And fitting into a better equipped defense to utilize his uh his strengths and weaknesses i think is going to be huge so yeah i do i see the uh the patriots employing that i do think they'll use a lot of the running backs and they'll use edelman in short gain

and i think that's a smart move to be able to do that and i do agree i think pittsburgh will continue the trend of using man coverage simply because the zone hasn't worked. The Patriots just absolutely dismantled them. The last time that Pittsburgh played full zone against the Patriots was the 2016 AFC Championship game. We all know how that ended. That was an absolute disaster for Pittsburgh, and the Patriots really took them apart when it came to that.

So, yeah, good stuff on the horizon coming forward. I am going to put Steve on the hot seat in just a moment and ask for his game prediction. But first, I just want to remind you that if you found $100 on the street, would you keep walking or would you pick it up? Of course you'd take the money. So why do you keep picking winners and not betting on them? That's why I go to MyBookie.

It's fast, it's easy, and they pay when you win. Let's face it, whether you're betting is just as important as who you're betting on. I wouldn't be telling you guys to bet with them if they weren't the best. Do the smart thing. If you're going to bet this football season, bet with my bookie. Did you know you could bet on games even after kickoff? If by the second half it looks like your bet is going to lose, you can always take the other side. If you're that kind of guy that likes to bet a little and win a lot, try a parlay.

If all of your picks come through, you'll multiply your winnings. And no matter how you bet, the NFL season is the best time of year. Join now and MyBookie will double your first deposit. Use promo code LOCKEDON to activate the offer. That's promo code LOCKEDON. Visit mybookie.ag today. You play, you win, you get paid with MyBookie. Steve, again, I can never thank you for coming on

and joining me on Locked on Patriots. Your insight is always solid. The game analysis that you have in being able to break down offense and defense, in my opinion, is second to none. And really, I think you do a tremendous job. So I think you've given our listeners something to look for this

week and also a lot of things to think about as well. I always hate to put guys on the hot seat, but I'm going to put you on the hot seat. How do you see this game shaking out on Sunday night, the game prediction? Some guys are superstitious about giving a final score, so I'm not going to put you on the spot for that. But who do you see coming out on top, and who, in your opinion,

are guys that fans of both teams can expect to look at and say, he was the difference in this game. Well, since I put my keys to the game online this morning with the score prediction, I will give you the score. I think this is going to be a really close game. I don't think it's going to be quite as high scoring as some people think because first week of the season, there's always some hiccups. You know, and Ben Roethlisberger, you know, he hasn't got a lot of snaps in the preseason either.

So, you know, I think him and Tom Brady, they may miss a pass here and there during the game, but normally in midseason, they might not. So I think it's going to be a little bit lower scoring. I think it's going to be a really close game. I have the Patriots coming out 24-21. I think special teams might play a role close game. I have the Patriots coming out 24-21. I think special teams might play a role in this. You know, the Patriots got Jake Bailey this year. They got him for a reason,

and I think what they really want to do is, you know, punt the ball and make Pittsburgh go the length of the field and try to have them working from, you know, really bad field position early in this game. And I think the running game will play a huge role in this. And I think when you're looking at guys after the game, I think you're going to be looking at guys like Sonny Michel, Julian Edelman always, of course. And then defensively, the guy I'm really circling in this game is Jamie Collins. I think they brought him back for a reason.

I think they see where they could use him in certain situations, and I think they're going to have a package of plays for him to do. I think he's going to be very disruptive, and I think he's going to be my player of the game on defense. I think that's a very interesting insight. And look, Collins has looked like the Collins of old in what we've seen him it'll be interesting to see if he's still wearing number

58 apparently he still is I think that's always comical that the number battles tend to get blown off proportion in training camp and in preseason but I'm excited to see him back and I think he really I think he's not only bought into the system this time around,

but I think he's also bought into the mental preparedness that needs to come with playing here in Foxborough. So I agree with you. I think my prediction was very similar to yours. I went on Lockdown Steelers yesterday as part of our crossover week here on Lockdown and gave my prediction. I predict the 27-21 victory for the Patriots. So just three points ahead. Maybe a Steven Kostowski field goal makes the difference in our predictions. But we will see. And, yeah, you're absolutely right on Bailey. Some of the booming punts that we saw him boot in the preseason

and in training camp, I think it's quite possible a few of them haven't landed yet. So we expect them to land on the practice fields in Foxborough very shortly. Steve, once again, I really do appreciate you coming on. Before I let you go this morning, please just let our listeners know once again where they can find your great work and where they can follow you on social media. Folks, I guarantee you, you will not find a more dedicated and a more accurate prediction and depiction of what's going to happen in Foxborough than if you follow my friend Steve Balistrieri. So, Steve, the floor is yours, my friend.

Well, thank you once again for the very kind words, and I greatly appreciate that. And the feeling is also mutual, my friend. Oh, thank you. I appreciate it. You can find me at patchfans.com. I write it. You can find me at patchfans.com. I write there. Pretty much I have something posted there every day, and we do pregame, postgame analysis and, you know,

some matchups and things that we look for and things that I think fans look for. And that's where we try to do it from a perspective where the fans can get into it a little bit more. So that's what we look for. You can find me on Twitter at BB7SFG. And, you know, we do a couple of podcasts. I do one, Patriots 4th and 2 for past fans.

I also do another one that's on the Full Press coverage website, and that's One Patriot Place with Thomas Murphy. And you've been a frequent guest on there, and we hope to do that again with you real soon. Absolutely. I always love coming home and joining you guys on One Patriot's Place. I've always said it feels like coming home, and it truly does. You guys make it easy, and you guys make it fun,

and I really, really enjoy it. And, Steve, once again, thank you for joining me today. I know you'll enjoy the game on Sunday, and we look forward to having you back on, locked on, each and every time. It's always a blast and always insightful. As for me, I just want to make one quick apology before I go through my closing here. I think I believe I called the acquisition from the Pittsburgh Steelers Frank Nelson instead of Stephen Nelson, and I apologize for that.

I don't know where Frank Nelson came from, but it is Stephen Nelson, so I do apologize for that. If Stephen's listening, I doubt he is, but if he is, trust me, I don't think he's losing any sleep over me getting his name wrong, but I truly know who he is, and I do actually look for him to be a big part of Sunday night's game, but as for me, I will be back tomorrow as I start to take a look ahead to game one of the 2019 regular season with a very special guest. So please stay tuned for this, folks. You are not going to want to miss it as the Patriots take on the Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium on Sunday night.

And again, folks, NFL regular season football is back. So make sure to join us 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 Mack Weldon for their sponsorship today and most importantly, I thank you so much for listening. Have a great day, everybody.