Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Locked On Patriots - September 6, 2019: The Patriots Voice of Reason

Episode Date: September 6, 2019

With the New England Patriots’ season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers close on the horizon, host Mike D’Abate is joined by the voice of the Pats’ play-by-play, Bob Socci of 985 The Sports Hub to discuss his thoughts on Sunday’s game, the 2019 Patriots team, and some of his favorite memories on the job.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

and hello to all you foxborough faithful and welcome to your it's almost game day friday edition of locked on patriots your daily home for news notes analysis and the occasional opinion on your six-time super bowl champion the new england patriots locked on patriots as always is a part of the locked on podcast network i. I am your host, 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 be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter as well,

at L-O underscore Patriots. Today's show and the opening week of the NFL here on Locked On is brought to you by Mack Weldon. And Mack Weldon is a premium men's essentials brand that believes in smart design and premium fabrics. Mack Weldon is better than whatever you're wearing right now. So use promo code LOCKEDON to receive 20% off at MackWeldon.com. The Patriots begin their 2019 regular season with a very familiar foe as they take on the

Pittsburgh Steelers at Gillette Stadium in the season opener on Sunday Night Football. Prior to kickoff, the team will reveal their sixth Super Bowl championship banner, and they do so in front of the only other team that can claim six championships. You guessed it, their opponents, the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the Patriots and Steelers have won as many Lombardi trophies during the Super Bowl era. The game can be seen on NBC, and

as always, will be called by Al Michaels and Chris Collinsworth. But the game will also be aired on the Patriots' flagship radio station, 98.5 The Sports Hub, with former quarterback Scott Zolak providing the color commentary, and on the call will be my guest this morning. Since April of 2013, this man has handled the play-by-play for your New England Patriots.

Since joining the Pats broadcast, he and Scott have called so many great and memorable Pats moments, including three Super Bowl championships. He is one of the most acclaimed professionals in the business, and on a personal level, I can attest to the fact that he is one of the best guys you will ever meet in this or any industry. I am beyond honored to welcome my guest this morning. He is the voice of the New England Patriots, Bob Sose. Bob, thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome to Lockdown Patriots. Hey, Mike, thank you, and thanks for that flattering introduction. I'm not necessarily sure that all of it is completely 100% accurate, at least that last paragraph or so, but I do really appreciate it. Thanks.

No problem. Well, in my estimation, I believe it is, and I think you'll find that I'm very like-minded in that situation. Look, having to take the call from a legendary guy like the great late Gil Santos is definitely a daunting task. I felt a little squeamish coming in here to Locked On and taking over that mantra from a guy like Mark Schofield. I can only imagine the butterflies and the uncertainty that you faced when you did take that microphone and became the voice of the New England Patriots, but you've done such a phenomenal job. Your calls are always spot on. You're entertaining, you're affable,

and you give the fans something to listen to and something to enjoy every single time out. And, of course, sharing the microphone with Scott probably helps as well. I can imagine he is a riot to be around. The fans love him. I've had the opportunity to talk to Scott a couple of times in person, and he's truly a great one as well. So, again, thank you for joining me this morning, and I'm glad you're here,

and I'm glad you're on the microphone. Well, I appreciate that. And a lot of those butterflies didn't necessarily and entirely disappear, but I think nonetheless they were diminished in their strength, turning in my stomach right before my first broadcast trying to follow Gil Santos, not replace him, of course, follow him. When Zoe turned to me seconds before we went on the air in Philadelphia in the first preseason game of 2013, my first broadcast

and an introduction to Patriots fans and said, Hey, Bob, don't blank this up. So it calmed the nerves a bit, and I think because of the style of our broadcast, so different in its substance, too, than Gil and Gino, it's helped me gain acceptance over the course of time. But more than anything else, Mike, it's the play of the team on the field and the continued excellence of the Pats themselves. As I said recently to someone who was writing about another broadcast team,

the crew that calls the games for the Browns and how things may change for them this year if the Browns deliver on expectations, a hometown broadcast always sounds a lot better when the home team wins. And, yeah, I've been very fortunate for a lot of reasons to have a lot of big moments to try not to screw up because of the team on the field and the players and coaches who've made it possible. Well, I mean, in getting to know you on a personal level with, you know, obviously being in the media and then covering events and having a chance to get to know you personally,

I've also been a longtime fan even before getting into this industry. And I can tell you I've never heard one screw up. So if you're worried about that, I don't think that there's any question. You've done this position with a lot of justice, a lot of poise, and you've definitely made it your own. And I like the point that you brought up about having a little bit of a different banter and a different feel with Scott than Gil and Gino had. It's knowing your own lane and knowing how to appeal to your audience and knowing your strengths.

And I think that's something that you guys have done such a great job with and look forward to continue to hearing you for so long. Call some great games on 98.5, the Sports Hub, and beyond. But on Sunday, the Patriots will begin their defense of the franchise's sixth Super Bowl championship. And as you know, expectations are always high in Foxborough. We all know that all too well. And I suppose it's cliche to say that this never gets old, but it really doesn't. It really does not get old

seeing the Patriots succeed and be able to raise a sixth Super Bowl title. As someone that grew up watching this team, I was skeptical as to whether or not they'd even win one when I was a child, and now seeing them unfurl six is amazing. As you prepare for your seventh season

at the Mike, what are some of the things that you most look forward to in the season, as well as the postseason as well? Because as we all know, that's pretty much the norm here in New England. So as you're getting ready to begin another regular season, what are some of the things that you're looking forward to most? Mike, I'm going to sound so much like a player on a Monday or Tuesday to start the week in the Patriots locker room. Honestly, I look forward to that week and the game to come. I'm excited about the game between the Pats and the Steelers this Sunday night, obviously, but I was excited about the fourth preseason game between the Patriots and the Giants last week.

I think you have to approach it like that, and it goes along with the notion and the idea of following someone who is a legend like Gil Santos, relating it back to that experience, because if you start to think about long-term objectives and long-term goals, and actually those are there, I want to do this job for a long, long time, health provided. But if you are so focused on those things and not focused on what the next task in front of you is, I've got to finish my spotter charts for Sunday's game, I've got to finish the Patriots offense and get all my notes in order and all the stats recorded, and I better check those injury reports again. You know, I want to watch the video of the Steelers' third preseason game

when they had the starters in there to familiarize myself with all those players. Well, you can forget about the long-term goals if I don't tend to all those nuts and bolts in the short term, just like for the players. You can't think about the Super Bowl and the postseason before you think about Thursday's practice or Friday's practice in preparation for Sunday's game. And again, I know that's cliché, but that's really what I look forward

to. Naturally, finding answers to questions we have today with this team specifically. Who is going to emerge among the receivers as reliable targets for Tom Brady, not just the early part of the season, but throughout the year and late in the year? Will Sonny Michel continue to build on his success of a year ago by becoming an even more dynamic player in the passing game and with his running skills. He's going to be more explosive this year and break off more runs

because he certainly looked like he was poised to have a season like that in training camp and in his one preseason appearance. Will the offensive line hold up without David Andrews at the center position given his leadership on this team? What does it say about him, for example, that he was voted captain once again, even though he's going to be absent from the field the entire year? What does it say about him, too, that he went through what he did early in the week before the preseason finale and yet was on the sideline for that game

and was out of practice before that game. And that speaks to his importance, I think, from a leadership standpoint, but also from a technical standpoint, just how good he's been for this team at that position. And beyond that, of course, Isaiah Wynn and the tight ends. Is Benjamin Watson in Week 5 going to be enough of a passing target for this team and enough of an effective blocker for this team to enable the Patriots to ultimately get where they want to go? Can Matt LaCoste

continue to build on his late-season success last year as a Bronco? And will the defense be as good as everybody expects? Absolutely, and spoken like a true professional in most of the cases there, and it's amazing how not only does the preparation that you put in factor into that, but also the expectations of what you're going to see on the field. And that will lead me into my next question in just a moment. Once again, I'm speaking with the play-by-play voice of the Patriots,

Bob Sose, today on Locked on Patriots. And before I ask Bob that question in just a moment, our friends from DraftKings would like to remind you that it's time to celebrate and football is finally back. And DraftKings, the leader in one-day fantasy football, has a huge week one contest this Sunday that you won't want to miss. To kick off the season, DraftKings is giving new users a free shot at $2 million in prizes with your first deposit when you put the code locked on during your sign-up.

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playthrough. Eligibility restrictions apply. See DraftKings.com for details. Bob, you do have what I like to call the best seat in the house. You call every snap, every play, and Scott as well. And you guys see it all. You've been at the mic for three championship seasons, and you went into a little bit about how the Patriots are going to evolve this year and what you're looking for from this team specifically.

Pulling on some of your past experiences and even what you may anticipate this year, is there a point in the season where you start to see the emergence of a team that stands out above the rest, meaning some of the championship teams that you've called? And if so, is it a specific week, or is it more of like a turning point type of win or loss, or even a big play that leads you to believe that this team has the ability to go the distance? Yeah, Mike, that's a great question. And I think that prior to last year, I would have said, yeah, around week eight,

week nine, middle of the season. I think back to 2016, I believe it was, after the Patriots beat the Steelers in the middle of the year. Matthew Sletter talked about the togetherness and the toughness of that particular team, and they won out, of course, to show that, rallying from the big deficit, down 25 and Super Bowl 51. But last year was so unusual in that sense, because typically we see the Patriots, especially if they don't have division games right away, we see them in September come out of the gate with a little experimentation with Belichick almost seemingly approaching it as an extension of preseason. And then they hit their stride around November, as he says,

football season doesn't begin until after Thanksgiving. Last year, of course, was an exception to what I thought were rules. The previous several seasons with the Patriots struggling as they did in December, losing the game in Miami the way they did, and then the following week to have two drives deep in Pittsburgh territory and not be able to make the play we're used to seeing them make when a game hangs from the balance. And then they reinvented themselves and were able to finish as a different team offensively

than the early part of the year, becoming a run-dominant team. And we saw Rob Gronkowski, of course, break out in the postseason and become the kind of reliable in-the-clutch pass catcher he had always been up to that point, with the exception of the early part and the middle part of 2018. So I look back on last year, I look back on those other championship seasons, and they are all a little bit different. I think you get a sense of the personality of the team and the makeup of the team.

And last year maybe we were fooled a bit, some of us, who really wondered where this team was headed, if this team was capable of getting not only to the AFC championship, of course, but to have a real shot of winning the AFC championship. And they didn't just do that. They won it all. And they won it with their defense as well in the championship game, the Super Bowl against the high-powered Rams.

And who saw that coming? Early in the year, who saw that coming in Tennessee, for example, or Miami when they got carved up by Frank Gore and Brandon Bolden on the ground, and yet they shut down Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson in the Super Bowl. So I think you look back on it with a feel in certain situations, and then at other times you also realize, you know, every season's different, as Belichick reminds us all the time. Every season's different. Every team is different.

The personality of every team is different. And, you know, at some point this year, probably more in retrospect than when it happens, there will be a moment or a game or a turning point. A lot of times, of course, Mikey, it's an injury, unfortunately. This ultimately helps dispel the demise of a team. I think back to 2015, Julian Edelman in the Meadowlands, the Patriots won that game coming from behind, the kick by Gostkowski at the end of that game. But then there was the injury.

Fredelman and Vollmer got hurt. And that offensive line really struggled in the playoffs. And there were signs of that really all season long, but especially crystallized with that win over the Giants. And that was a team that people were talking about going unbeaten early in the year. I think back to Gronkowski's injury in 2013 against the Browns and how that impacted the Patriots in the postseason. When they went out to Denver and Tom Brady had to throw to the Who man,

as well as the likes of Austin Colley and the young receivers that never really delivered on the promise that people anticipated for them, Tompkins and Aaron Dawson and so forth. Right, and a lot of times it's sort of a staple with this team where you hear that mantra, next man up. And again, I think you bring a great point back to even the first question that I asked you about what you're looking forward to in the season, and that's essentially looking forward to each individual game as they come. And that's something that this team has always done, whether it be the example

that Tom Brady sets on the field, or the example that's set by Bill Belichick on the sidelines, or even the example that Mr. Kraft sets in the owner's box. These guys approach a game, one game at a time, and it really becomes a way of life here in Foxborough. We hear that Patriot way all the time, and it really is a way of life up here, and I think it's trickled down from every aspect of the team, whether it be ownership, coaching, or the ability for the guys to play on the field. And some of the perspectives that you've brought in past seasons is definitely interesting, and it really does make you think about what we might see this year.

And I do have a really quick question for you. And it's a question that you've answered on other podcasts before. And I don't want to steal your thunder away. But our listeners, I think, would be very happy to hear if you had to choose a favorite call or a most memorable call that you've had. And I don't mean to put you on the spot too much, but is there something where you might be able to either do that or is this a conglomerate of a lot of different calls or a different memory that really sticks out in your mind as saying, you know what,

that's one that I was so proud to be a part of. Or it could be even just a moment that you've witnessed with the Patriots that really is one that you've been proud of. Yeah, Mike, there have been so many incredible opportunities in championship games or playoff games, whether it's 2014 against the Ravens, really January of 2015, that divisional playoff, or the Super Bowls that I've called, or even during the regular season, thinking about some of the comebacks, the Brady throw to Ken Rel Tompkins.

Now, that's not one of my favorite calls, by the way, and it has nothing to do with Zolak. I just think back to that call, and I hear it while everybody else remembers Unicorn Show Ponies and World of Beef. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I think about that screeching, screaming, play-by-play guy trying to cry out the name Ken Brill Tompkins. But when I look back on it, and Evan Lazar, who's a guy that we both know well and covers the past, does a great job of covering this team and breaking down the film of this team and trying to cover the nuances.

He asked me that recently when I had him on my podcast, and I gave him the James White touchdown from Super Bowl 51. And, you know, that's probably of the Super Bowl calls for obvious reasons. My favorite, certainly, you know, the Butler call, the interception against the Seahawks is one that still resonates with a lot of people, but there are things about that technically as I look back

and listen to it and think about the experience of calling it that I'm not necessarily satisfied with to this day. The White call I was proud of because in the moment I thought that I described what happened, I thought I set it up well and

was able to punctuate the greatest comeback ever in a Super Bowl with that call. But you know, it's funny, Mike, it's going to sound a lot like my first answer to you when I really, really think about it. There are a lot of calls, sometimes

they're in the middle of a game, that really give you gratification and satisfaction as a broadcaster. Now, one of them late in the game last year, for example, was the interception by Stephon Gilmore against the Rams. And I don't know that it was a great radio call per se, but to see something about to unfold. And as a broadcaster, one of the things I want to do in calling play-by-play

is to deliver the call as the play happens. Now, there are broadcasters who might wait that extra beat because they want to describe exactly what happened, and they will say touchdown, but it's after you've heard the crowd roar, and there are great broadcasters who do that. In my case, and sometimes I get myself in trouble for this, I want to anticipate. I want to call it as it happens.

So when you hear the catch and the touchdown, you hear the crowd react at that very split second. And last year when Harmon pressured Goff on the blitz, to see that coming and then to see the ball released and just to react and say, Gilmore is there, those are the kind of plays that to me really make me feel proud because I know that there was a lot that went into that. It was seeing the whole field.

So often I'm concentrating so much and solely on just the football itself and who has the football, but also the preparation, the anticipation, watching some video during the week or just having a sense of how a game might unfold that lead you to some insight that helps set up a play call. And Joe does a tremendous job as an analyst of seeing the field as a quarterback does and often anticipating where the ball is going to go because he has prepared himself. He knows what Brady sees when he diagnoses a defense pre-snap. And you don't get a chance to do that as a play-by-play guy,

and I'm certainly not suited to do that on a regular basis. But once in a while you make a call, and again, it could be in the middle of a game. You know, it kind of is the byproduct of, you know, the time you put in prior to the game, or at least just being ready to kind of see the whole field and anticipate what's about to happen. But there have been, like I said, there have been so many,

and I've been so fortunate. Brady says his favorite championship is the next one. I think as a broadcaster you have to approach it that way. Your favorite call, your favorite game is going to be the next one. I certainly don't want my calls that I've gotten right in the past to be overshadowed by calls I'm going to screw up in the future. And, you know, so you just, again, you approach each game the same way, and you hope that by the end of the day you've got a product that you're proud of.

It's not going to be perfect. It never will be. It never has been. But you want something you can be proud of. Absolutely. And, again, spoken in true Patriot fashion, that pursuit of the next one and something that I think is so indelible to not only your work, but the work that we see at Foxborough and the work that we see at Gillette Stadium each and every Sunday and each and every game

day. I do have one more question for you, Bob, before we wrap this week on Locked On Patriots. But first, I just have one quick question for our listeners. And that is, if you found $100 on the street, would you pick it up or would you keep walking? 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 my bookie. It's fast, it's easy, and they pay when you win.

Let's face it, when you're betting, it's 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. Do you know that you could get bet on games after kickoff? If by the second half it looks like your bet is going to lose, you can always just take the other side. If you're the kind of guy that likes to bet a little and win a lot, try a parlay.

If your picks all 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 today. You play, you win, you get paid. Bob, it's truly been my honor to speak with you this

morning. Some of the wisdom and counsel that you've given to our listeners is far above what I could have expected, and I really look forward to your call on Sunday night against the Steelers. I've thoroughly enjoyed having you on, and I hope to have you back here on Locked On Patriots during the season. But I do have one more question for you. You've watched this team during training camp, as I have,

but you've called the action during their four preseason games. In your expert, professional opinion, and I'm like Kevin Bacon in A Few Good Men, I didn't mean that facetiously, Bob. I meant that accurately. I was being genuine. One of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, I just love how Bacon delivers that. I had to throw that in this morning.

But how do you foresee them faring in this game on Sunday, and what do you believe might be their ceiling for 2019? Well, I think the ceiling for 2019 may very well be what the ceiling for 2018 turned out to be. I think that there's a realistic expectation that the Patriots are not only competing for, but certainly a leading contender for another championship, particularly because of what we saw from the defense, Mike. The offense has questions, though, as we all know, as we all witnessed during the preseason.

And for this particular team, will the receivers hold up? Will Brady have enough consistent, reliable targets offensively to prevent some of what we saw early last year? Because we recall in Detroit, for example, how the Patriots' offense seemed so dysfunctional. But also even later in the year, when they really struggled to get people open consistently, whether it was in that game in Pittsburgh, for example, down the stretch

when there were so many opportunities to win it at Heinz Field. So I think you look at the receiver core. Can Julian Edelman be healthy and continue to be Brady's go-to guy? Watching him react to the one catch he made and the one preseason appearance for him, that certainly was cause for concern. Great to see that he's not on the injury report this

week. Demaryius Thomas is, though. And I think that I wasn't alone as someone who had questions about whether he would even be on the roster when the Patriots signed him in the offseason because he had looked like he'd diminished as a Bronco and as a Texan and then tore his Achilles. And what a pleasant surprise to see him in the preseason finale. But he's got a hamstring problem right now. And will health issues continue to linger

during this season? Or is this just a minor hiccup for a guy who's going to at least resemble the kind of player he was a couple of years ago as a Bronco? And again, there's the Josh Gordon situation, which truly is hour by hour, day by day. And you look at the running backs, they held there last year for the most part. I know that Sony got hurt, but then he came back in such a strong way. Are they going to be able to not only

run it as well as they did last year, but become even more effective as pass catchers? Can James White approach the kind of season he had? Can Sonny Michel be the kind of dynamic player we thought he would be out of Georgia and show signs of becoming, as I said,

during training camp and his one preseason appearance. And then beyond that, Rex Burkhead can be healthy enough to be there at the end the way he was last year in Kansas City and on that clinching drive against the Rams in the Super Bowl. So many of

the questions that I have revolve around health and availability and reliability, and the same goes for the offensive line. So I'm going back to an earlier answer in a lot of respects and repeating myself, but for me I think all of those things affect the ceiling of this team. I will say this, Mike, that some of the questions that people had in the offseason, including myself, about the coaching staff, I think have been asked, how would the Patriots adjust with the loss of Brian Flores

and so many coaches on both sides of the ball? Well, they look, based on what we saw in the preseason, like they're poised to be even more aggressive defensively this year with Gerard Mayo and Belichick collaborating. And when I say Belichick, it could be Steve, it could be Bill, more likely the latter, but collaborating to run that defense. So it's going to be an exciting year. It's going to be an intriguing year.

It always is with this team. There's never a dull moment. And I'm going to repeat the most cliched expression, I think, around the NFL, not just in New England. As long as Belichick is on the sideline and Brady's a quarterback for this team, the Patriots always have a chance. And the Patriots remain the team to be. Yeah, and we certainly hope so as Patriots fans, as those that cover the team. And really, as those that cover the team,

and really I think all over the NFL standpoint, even though fans may not want to admit it, the Patriots always make things interesting, and it's always an intriguing storyline. So we look forward to the season, and we definitely look forward to hearing you call the action this season. And once again, Bob, I thank you so much for joining me today. I know that your schedule, especially this close to game day, is a busy one,

and it truly means a great deal to me and everyone here at Locked On Patriots for having you joining me today. It's been an honor and a pleasure, my friend. Hey, Mike, I really appreciate it. The pleasure and the honor has been equally true for me. And I've got to say that I always enjoy talking to Mark, who did a great job on Locked On and really does a great job analyzing the NFL and the Fats. But your podcast is in great hands.

I really appreciate it. Well, thank you. And I really, really do appreciate that. And that's a pretty humbling compliment. And like I said, it really does mean a lot to me. And, again, I remain a big fan and a good friend of Mark's, and just to be able to continue this and do him justice is something that really means the world to me. You can definitely catch Bob alongside Scott Zolak on 98.5 The Sports Hub each and every game day,

and please take every opportunity you can to listen to Bob on The Grid Honor and beyond with Bob Sose, which can be found on 98.5thesportshub.com. It is a great listen. I think a must listen for any Patriots fan, really any sports fan, and honestly anyone and everyone. It really is such a great show. It's one I look forward to every time a new episode is released. So please check that out this weekend if you haven't done that already. Bob, I wish you the very best of luck this season.

Please extend my best wishes to Scott as well, and enjoy the game on Sunday. Thank you, Mike. Anytime. And as for me, I will be back to recap Sunday's Pat Steelers opener. I'll break it all down for you, and as the week progresses, I will start to look ahead to the Pat's Week 2 matchup with Miami in Miami against the Dolphins, and we all know how those tend to go with the Patriots,

so this should be an interesting week. I will be speaking with some special guests along the way as well, so please be sure to check that out. As always, make sure to join me each and every day on the Locked On Patriots podcast, and please subscribe to Locked On Patriots via your favorite podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike

DeBate. I thank Mack Weldon for their sponsorship of today's show. I thank Bob Soce for joining me. But most of all, I thank you all so much for listening. Have a great weekend, everybody, and enjoy the game on Sunday.