Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mac at One? Newton to Miss Practice Time as Patriots Prep for Final Preseason Tilt — 8/23/2021

Episode Date: August 23, 2021

The New England Patriots have begun their final full week of 2021 training camp. With internal team practices set for Monday and Tuesday, the Pats will host the New York Giants for two joint practices on Wednesday, August 25 and Thursday, August 26. On Sunday (August 29), the two teams will face off in East Rutherford, New Jersey for their third and final preseason tilt of 2021. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss the latest COVID-related setback for quarterback Cam Newton, what it means for rookie Mac Jones, the injury conundrum of receiver N’Keal Harry and potential Patriots roster cuts.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Monday, August 23rd, 2021, and it is time to kick off the final week of Patriots preseason here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Pats fans, the NFL season is about to begin and nobody covers it like the Locked On Podcast Network.

August 30th through September 8th, Locked On's Ultimate Season Preview is taking you through every team and every division with the help of Odyssey's lineup of NFL experts. Follow the Ultimate Season Preview 2021 feed on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts to tune in beginning August 30th. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation. Thank you for joining me here to kick off your work week on Locked On, Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated.

I'm also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Pats fans, I said to open the show. The New England Patriots are ready to kick off the final week of preseason and training camp this week, continuing to put in the work as they progress toward the start of the 2021 season. And internal team practices set for today, Monday, and also Tuesday, the Pats are preparing to host the New York football giants for two joint practices on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. Of course, all of this done in anticipation of August 29th, this coming Sunday. Two teams will face off in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the third and final preseason tilt of 2021. Under normal circumstances, that would be enough to constitute the big story of the week.

However, as the Pats took the practice field on Monday morning, quarterback Cam Newton, conspicuous by his absence, and of course, that led to an onslaught of social media speculation as to why Cam was not present at practice. Well, thankfully, it would be short-lived because shortly after the start of Monday's practice, the Patriots released the following statement explaining Newton's absence, and I quote, On Saturday, Cam Newton traveled to a club-approved medical appointment that required him to leave the New England area. He received daily COVID tests, which were all negative. Due to a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities and as required by the NFL and NFLPA protocols,

Cam will be subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility. Cam will continue participating virtually in team activities and will be eligible to return to the club facility on Thursday, August 26th. So, in short, Pats Nation, the soonest we'll see Cam Newton back on the field this week will be Thursday, the date scheduled for the second of two joint practices against the Giants. Now obviously this is a tough break for Cam. This is the first team practice that he's missed all season. He needs as much practice time out on the field as possible in order to continue to make his case to be the Patriots starter. Even though Bill Belichick

and Josh McDaniels have said that Cam is the starter on numerous occasions, they've also gone out of their way in the last couple of days to let everyone know that it's a competition until the final decision has been made. And really, folks, I don't think there's anybody out there that would doubt that. In a Belichickian environment like the one that's run in New England, nobody gives you anything. You have to earn it every step of the way, and that's exactly what's happening out on the field right now. Of course, this opens the door for Mack Jones, and Mack tried to take advantage as best he could on the practice fields on Monday, saw a significant increase to his reps, as most people expected. Overall, Mack had a pretty decent day, but he did struggle with some completions a bit more

than in the past. He connected on a few nice throws, one on a route to John O'Smith, the other on an out to Nelson Aguilar, and arguably the play of the day to Kendrick Bourne on a dig route. Bourne made a beautiful one-handed grab on the play. All in all, Mack unofficially finishing the day, completing 12 of 24 passes in full-speed organized team drills. So again, a pretty good day for Mack, but not that dominant, I'm the number one quarterback type performance that a lot of people are expecting from him. That is in no way a knock on Mack Jones. Just remember, folks, he's still a rookie, he's still learning, and he's still developing. But the question is, has he developed to the point where the Patriots coaching staff

believes that he's the better choice over Cam Newton to start the season? Folks, no matter what you read or hear on terrestrial radio out there about this subject, I can assure you no decision has been made just yet. And because of that, always be mindful of everything you read, everything you hear, before making an informed decision on what you believe the Patriots are going to do. Speculation is part of the fun of sports. But always remember that there's two sides to every story. And here today on Locked On, Patriots, we're going to explore the green side of this story.

That's right, folks. It's Monday, which means it's hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. And if you think Murph and I weren't going to delve into this subject today, well, then you've got another thing coming. My good green friend joins me here on the hot seat today, and we will talk about the future of both Cam Newton and Mac Jones as the New England Patriots quarterbacks. We'll also delve into the recent injury woes of wide receiver Nikhil Harry. Does Harry's recent injury make it more difficult for him to make the roster in 2021?

Last but certainly not least, Murph and I will talk potential difficult roster cuts as the Patriots march toward tomorrow's 4 p.m. deadline to get the roster down to 80 players. An action-packed agenda on the pod today. Always a lot of fun when Murph joins me here, and in just a moment, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself will continue our discussion on the Patriots preseason when this Monday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, it is that time of year again. All eyes are now turning to football as teams are back on the gridiron to start the football

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Patriots fans, the Pats are beginning the final full week of training camp and preseason. And as things continue to progress on the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, there is a whole lot to talk about other than just the action on the field. And here today to break it all down, that's right, folks. It is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. It is time for some green wisdom and counsel. He is here and he is ready to roll. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business,

the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked on Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship. Thank you for joining me today, Don Murph. Pleasure, Bud, always my pleasure. Glad to see you made it out of the storm.

Yeah, the calm that was the storm. I think that really is the best way to put it. A lot of hype, a lot of noise, and very, very little action. Totally opposite of the team that we cover on the football fields in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Because if the storm didn't hit yesterday, yeah, I think a little storm is kind of brewing right now. At least a media, social media storm. Maybe it's not that big a deal on the field for the Patriots or in the locker room or anywhere else, but you know this is going to be the topic of conversation for a few days, Murph. So you know what, bud?

Let's dive right into it. Hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. We make Mondays fun, but this Monday is eventful. Folks, I said today to open the show, Cam Newton, about to miss five days under COVID-19 protocols. Obviously, we all saw the statement from the team Saturday, Cam traveling to a club-approved medical appointment that required him to leave the New England area, receive daily COVID tests. All the COVID tests, by the way, folks, have been negative, according to the Patriots statement. But a misunderstanding about tests conducted away from NFL facilities, as required by the NFL-NFLPA protocols, Cam now subject to the five-day entry cadence process before returning to the facility.

In short, folks, it means that five days Cam will need to sit out. He's eligible to return Thursday for the final day of joint practices at the very earliest. Murph, as you read this statement, as you take a look at what's going on around the Patriots right now what's your take on all of this and what does it mean for the Patriots both in the short term and could this have long-term implications yeah I call BS um you know we're keeping it clean we are a family show this isn't my show where I will totally go off off the rails on this a misunderstanding really that this came down to a misunderstanding what do you think michael i think it's very interesting i think it's very um uh i'm fumbling very i'm trying to be diplomatic yes yeah go ahead yeah you do that i'm trying to

be diplomatic here but uh it surprises me that a team that is so attentive to every detail would not know these protocols. When these protocols have been out there, the Patriots always place such a premium on understanding the rules, knowing what's going on. Yeah, I know there are a lot of people out there that will listen to this, hate listen to this, and go, oh, what about the flight gate? What about spy gate? Yeah, those were completely different circumstances, folks. COVID-19 is something that has been first and foremost frame of mind for every NFL team, not just the New England Patriots. And they pride themselves on knowing exactly what needs to be done, what should be done, and what is done. Yeah, I think it's interesting. Now, that being said, there are a lot of fluctuation

between the interpretation of these rules, between the communications that teams have received, exactly what went on communication-wise between Cam and the team. So there's a lot that we don't know here, folks, a lot. And I do want to preface that by saying that, you know, right now we're having a visceral reaction to what we've seen and just pulling on some sort of previous knowledge of what this team is capable of doing. We're pulling on the example that this team continues to set and really just kind of looking at it with a little bit of a dumbfounded look because it just doesn't seem very Patriot-like.

But it is very possible and very uh you know um much uh in the realm that new england and cam either had a miscommunication or there was just a misunderstanding or things of that nature that's what they're saying but right now i mean we just we don't have enough but it does seem a little odd that both cam who is a multi-year veteran in this league and bill belichick who's as attentive to detail as anybody, weren't able to come to a happy medium on this. It just strikes me as a little difficult. Bar none, one of the best in the NFL, if not the country. There are so many doctors within a stone's throw of Gillette,

not to toot our own horn or anything, but the best in the world practice medicine in Boston. I don't get why he would have to leave the facility for something. I am really scratching my head as to the underlying issue that's going on here or what is happening? Is this coming down to Bill deciding that, you know, maybe the way to go at the beginning of the year is with Mac and, you know, Cam is off trying to digest whether or not he wants to be a backup here during the long term or not, just to get to the second part of your question. It might just be my conspiracy theory freaking brain happening, along with running backs in the final year of their contract

don't get a lot of runaround here until they sign their new deal, things of that nature. But it does. There are layers to this. There's an onion, people, that we need to peel back here. Yeah. And I think that as the days and the hours, really, if you think about it, we measure things really in hours here in New England, not even so much days and weeks. There are new developments, new things coming out all the time, and we'll continue to see that throughout the day. Be it the weather or sports, it changes every 15 minutes. It truly does.

New England is unpredictable. Everybody saw that yesterday henry was going to hit with a vengeance came in like a lion but he ended up coming in and going out like a lamb so that's basically what we're dealing with here folks is there's still a lot of information that needs to be forthcoming and at this point we'll try to put the speculation train uh at least at bay for a little while. Bill did say earlier today that Cam Newton is the starting quarterback. So, you know, I mean, take that how you want it.

Take my conspiracy theory as it is. It's just fun. No, it is. And I mean, you know what? A part of what we do in this business, Murph, is speculation. I mean, it's a part of the job. So for everyone that is going to lament, and I've been very critical and very cynical about the speculative machine and the speculation train, it is a part of the job. And we're going to continue to wonder what is going to happen. But for the sake of argument right now, Bud, let's put the speculation aside and talk about logistics on the football field. There you go. Aside from whether or not Mac Jones is in the position to pounce or, you know, Wally Pip or anything like that, we're hearing all of this on social media right now. This is his golden opportunity to seize the job from Cam Newton. Putting that aside and saying that even if that is not the objective

here for Mac Jones, what does he do with this time on the field now? Three padded practices, Monday, Tuesday, and of course, the first joint practice on Wednesday against the New York Giants. If you're Mac Jones, just purely from a field perspective, how are you approaching these three days and what do you expect to see from the rookie yeah this is jones's um best opportunity to to go out here and seize seize the day seize the job um the fact that he is going to be the man getting all of the first round reps that he is going to be the man um when it comes to the joint practices. What he shows this week could change the tides that a lot of people have been, including myself, have pounded the desk for in starting the veteran to start this year and not feeding this kid to the Lions right out of the gate.

Yeah, and I think, you know, in a lot of ways, you know, we've heard Mike Lombardi say this as well, according to several reports and his advice and his own words and his advice to Bill Belichick. Why rush this kid along when you have an option that is able, fully able? I mean, the way Cam played the other night, it's definitely capable of running an NFL offense for everyone that wants to say that this guy is just completely, you know, off the cliff, so to speak. Yeah, like that cliff. How's that? How's that cliff treating, Max? But that's another conversation for another day. Conversation. I'm not going to go there.

But although I really should. But yeah, but but in any case, Cam is obviously still capable of leading an NFL offense. So why throw this kid to the wolves, especially when you have Tom Brady coming in here in week four and knowing the hype that's going to be surrounding that, almost an insurmountable. You want to talk about needing a bigger boat? You know, Mac Jones is going to need the biggest ocean liner possible in order to be able to carry that load, knowing that the greatest of all time is coming back in here.

The house that he built here in Gillette for two decades uh and uh bringing a Super Bowl ring back in with him yeah exactly so it's it's a very daunting task to say the least for the rookie but that being said I look for Mac on the field today tomorrow and Wednesday to continue to lead this team the way he the way he has been um getting quick pre-snap reads, something that he's done a tremendous job with in training camp so far, finding his receivers in stride, being able to lead this team. I think they're going to be practicing a lot,

two-minute drills, end-of-game scenarios, situations of that nature, amping up the pressure a little bit on him and seeing if the kid can handle it. If he can, you know, there have been stranger things that have happened before. I still, even with all of this, I still think it's behooved the Patriots

to give Matt a chance to develop, get Cam's keys to the kingdom right off the bat. Bill Belichick makes those decisions. Josh McDaniels makes those decisions. I don't. And in a lot of ways, I think that's probably a good thing. A lot of Patriots Nation is probably agreeing right now and breathing a big sigh of relief that I don't make those decisions. But I appreciate your insight and your information on this, Murph, because it is a big story, and we'll continue to monitor that.

So good opportunity for Mac Jones. Tough luck for Cam in this situation. But how it all shakes out is really going to be something to behold when it comes to the New England Patriots. Being said, one absence that we knew was going to happen on the field today, but switching gears a little bit, is the injury to Nikhil Harry. And obviously the last time we talked, we wondered about whether or not we were going to see Nikhil Harry get meaningful reps,

being targeted a lot more than he was in the Washington game. Well, he never got the opportunity, of course. A great opportunity for a great connection with Mac Jones. Lands awkwardly. The shoulder injury now, of course. He's resting. Looks like it's going to keep him out beyond week one. Murph, again, the Patriots face a

very difficult decision here not only do they have to pull on their depth at wide receiver and they're going to be right short for the next games and practices but now they have a roster conundrum as well because if Nikhil needs to be out longer than week one and he has to start the season on pop the Patriots have to roster him that's not a roster spot that they can just you know If Nikhil needs to be out longer than week one and he has to start the season on PUP, the Patriots have to roster him. That's not a roster spot that they can just forget. They have to roster him. Then they put him on an extended injury list.

And then they would have to fill the roster spot after that. Does this severely weaken Nikhil's chances to make this team? Or do you think he's shown enough in camp to be, at this point, one of their best options at the lower end of the wide receiver core? I still think he's one of the best options at the lower end. The problem is that you weren't expecting him to be at the lower end. The way that he's produced in practices has been everything that you want. The problem is it hasn't happened in games.

He injured himself going for a pass and, and making a move that he didn't have to make. If, if he had run through that ball he would have caught it in stride and would have been a score and he would have made this team right now. I'm I are week one after the final cutdowns and then bring somebody back. He may want to do that with another player. I'm not sure right now if he's going to do that with Harry. I'm really not. I tweeted out right after when we heard about the injury that that's probably what he's going to do. And, and, you know, but using my head,

I'm not sure he's, he's going to be here. I'm not sure that, that Bill is, is convinced that this kid is a, uh, is a Patriot and, um, it might be time to move on and cut bait. Yeah. I mean, I know a lot of people are talking about the Patriots. desire to... And this hurts because I've been on his bandwagon. I've been one of the ones banging the drum that he hasn't been used correctly. He hasn't had the quarterback in there that is going to get him the ball where he needs to be or is brave enough to use him in a way that is going to allow him to shine and show what he can do. But this last hiccup, it might have Bill reaching for the big glass of water and trying to drink it backwards.

Yeah, I mean, I think that's definitely a possibility when it comes to what this team is able to do and how they're able to do it. Look, I've been on the Nikhil Harry bandwagon as well and trying to beat that drum and say that he's someone that can really contribute to this roster. And I still believe that there is a good NFL player lurking below the surface. But at some point, do you just come up and look and say, maybe it's just not a fit here? Maybe there are external signs that happen that kind of get you to realize that it's going to be interesting to see what happens with with Nikhil especially with all of the running backs playing so well Bill Belichick even mentioned the running back core this morning saying everybody on that depth

chart has done a great job he had nothing but glowing things to say about all the running backs and you wonder if maybe they try to go much deeper at that position and look at the wide receivers and say, you know what? We've got a couple of healthy tight ends if they do get healthy enough for the start of the season and say, you know what? We've got pass-catching options. Maybe we're better off diversifying at the run rather than the pass and going with maybe a lighter crew at the wide receiver situation, especially with McKeel's injury. So this is going to be interesting to watch, folks. No question about it. And Murph and I will continue to break it all down here for you on Locked On Patriots.

But don't worry, folks, because we're not done yet. In a moment, I'm going to ask Murph to put on that Murphian crystal ball. He's going to have to turn it on and look deep into the green part of the crystal here. We're going to talk about difficult roster cuts coming up. Maybe we already did a little bit, but we're going to dive deeper into that now when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, when it comes to repairing or maintaining your vehicle, why would you spend 30%, 50%, even 100% more for the exact same auto parts at a chain store or a new car dealership.

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for 15% off at Bilt.com. Pats fans, Thomas Murphy joins me here on the pod today. It is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday and obviously Cam Newton, Nakhil Harry right now, those are the big ticket questions for the Patriots at this point.

I know there's concern about Stephon Gilmore and getting him back on the field. Bill Belichick addressed that a little bit this morning, but and said that, you know, he's doing all he can. Josh Uche obviously

left Thursday's game. We're a little concerned about his injury history. He was back on the field today for Monday's practice. So good stuff to see in terms of Patriots getting healthy. And Bill sounded pretty optimistic about Stefan. So I'm keeping my options open to be cautiously optimistic at this point. But we all know that roster cutdowns are imminent. As a matter of fact, Tuesday at 4 p.m., Patriots have to cut the roster back to 80 players. And that would mean that either they're going to cut some guys loose or they could get a little more creative with the pup list and the NFI, move those guys to long-term injury lists.

And if they do that, that will free up the roster spot. So a lot of creativity in the next 24 hours, Murph. But when you look at this roster, eventually that's only going to last for so long because they have to cut down to 53. And it's going to be a tough cut this year. When you look at this roster, let's start on the offensive side of the ball. Who do you look at as a potential difficult cut for the Patriots on offense? And do you see a surprise maybe lurking here somewhere? The name everybody is waiting for me to come to,

I'm not going to say. I'm sorry, people. There's no way I'm going to cut Brandon Bolden. He could be a cut down before the season starts to squeeze somebody in on the IR and then brought back the next day. But Brandon Bolden is going to be on this team. I'm sorry. And this is going to probably upset you a little bit.

And I'm, you know, because you have liked this kid and shown what he's been able to do. But I don't think Christian Wilkerson is going to make this squad. I really don't. No, and in a lot of ways, but I can sympathize and understand where you're coming from. And to be totally honest with you, I think the Christian Wilkerson hype train has kind of died down a little bit.

I think there is a reason for that. Look, you can start off with all of the great media attention and all of the great support that you're getting on social media early on. He didn't look good in short and shells. And he did. He did look good early on. But in game settings, it's a completely different circumstance. As the camp progresses, then you see who really is going to be the fit here and who may not be the greatest fit that you might think. Evan Lazar joined me here on the program last week, and we talked about Maurice Harris.

And you remember, as well as anyone, Steve and I talked about it a little bit offline about how much we loved watching this kid. And he was really developing into a great receiver here, developing a great relationship with Tom Brady. He's going to be the camp dark horse. And they kind of faded off toward the end of camp and didn't make the final cut. And a lot of people were surprised by that but I'm not saying that's going to happen with Wilkerson because I think there is you know glimmers of opportunity there if the Patriots if he doesn't

have enough light on him and the Patriots can sneak this kid out of the practice squad I think it's a steal because I think with development he can really develop into a very solid nice receiver on the depth chart if not this season season, then next year as well. But at this point, I think it's going to be tough. And it's going to be tough for them to justify a roster spot for him when some of the other guys have performed so well. That being said, if Nikhil Harry is jettisoned, all bets are off. All of a sudden, Wilkerson's looking like a pretty solid addition at the bottom of that.

But I agree. I think that might be a tough cut. So excellent done, Murph. And thank you. It's just I could see him taking Oslewski's spot, but he's just so important on special teams. And I can't do it. I can't do it.

I would have liked to have seen more out of Gunner in the passing game this year than we have at camp and in a couple of games. But it's still nobody on this roster is better than him where he's running in special teams, and I think that keeps him on the squad. Yeah, absolutely. His prowess in the punt return game is what makes him a roster lock, in my opinion, and rightfully so.

But I agree with you. I mean, there is room for development there as a pass catcher. And some of the other pass catchers on the roster, you know, really, I think, face an uphill battle as a result of it. Whether it's fair or not is really, I think, a conversation for another day. But, you know, I love me some Gunnar Ryszelski, so I'm not going to complain that he's on the roster, but I love having him there and especially his prowess in the punt return game. He deserves it, folks. I'm not implying he doesn't, but there are some question marks and who knows, it might end up being at the wide receiver position. Well, they say offense gets the headlines, but defense wins championships. But I don't care what anybody says, it does. You need a solid defense in order to be able to do it.

You need to put the points up, but defense is a vital part. So when you look at this team top to bottom, there is a lot of stacked things, whether it be the defensive line, whether it be the linebackers, the defensive backs, corner, and safety. We've talked about them all here on Locked On Patriots, and these are going to be some very difficult cuts for Bill Belichick. When you look at likely roster cuts coming in the next week or so, who do you have your eye on as someone that is a kind of a foregone conclusion, albeit maybe difficult to take,

or maybe in your opinion, it's actually a good thing? And is there a surprise lurking below the surface on defense where a player may end up on the cutting room floor and fans are going, wow, I didn't see that coming? I'm not sure if it's something that they didn't see coming. It's somebody that people have grown to like just because, you know, they enjoy saying his name. But I probably see straight Cash Maloua not making the squad. It's just it hasn't worked out. The growth hasn't been there. And I don't know.

I thought with Raekwon McMillan out for the year with a torn ACL, he might figure into a backup role, but it just hasn't happened. Yeah, it really. And, you know, I like cash again. I like my catchphrases, you know, cash me outside or straight cash homie or whatever. You know, I mean, it's always fun to kind of label those guys. And of of course, you know me with Gunnar Ryszewski. That's baseball's meme. I love it. It would have been very heartbreaking if he didn't make the roster a couple of years ago for me. But I think he's done enough to solidify his position like we just said. But I think Lange's done enough in game situations that he's climbed up into the depth chart for me.

And it's, you know, Bentley, Hightower, Lange, Vannoy. And then it gets a little, you know, iffy as to where we're going. And Cash is probably, you know, one of my last cuts. But that's the way it's going to go. Yeah, I think it is the way it's going to go. And look, Lange definitely faces an uphill battle as well. You look at the linebackers on this roster. That is a very tough linebacking core to cut down.

When I've done my 53-man roster projections, and folks, there will be another one coming this week very soon as we march toward final cut down next week. I don't have Brandon King making this team either. Yeah, Brandon King was left on the cutting room floor for me. You know, you look at guys like, you know, Anthony Jennings has missed a lot of playoff. Right. Excuse me, has missed a lot of playing time. Where does he factor into this?

I normally, I've had him on both of my rosters, but does the play of a guy like Harvey Longy make Bill Belichick seriously look at Anthony and say, well, you know, what do we do? He was back out on the field today. So any type of long-term pup or IR doesn't seem likely, but you never know. I mean, the Patriots, we don't know what, what's going on in those rooms. So that could be a position to watch as well. Um, in terms of a guy that I don't think has, uh, you know, played played himself off the roster but really played himself back on I want to give a lot of love to Carl Davis too

I think he's had a tremendous camp he really really has developed into that type of two gapping defensive lineman that Patriots love to employ I can see them going six at the D line with Godchow of course Lawrence Guy being the anchor of that Dietrich Wise

obviously I think has played his way onto this roster. He's been good. Barmore is going to be a true stud in this league. And I like Henry Anderson. I really love what he brings to the table. I think this kid has the chance to not only stuff the run, but he can also get into coverage and rush the passer. He did so in his days with the Jets.

So that's a very formidable grouping, and that's going to be tough to cut down as well. Do the Patriots maybe go a little leaner at linebacker? I've had two roster projections. I've had them covering eight linebackers. That's including Chase Winovich in that. I guess you can probably classify him more as a hybrid defensive end, an edge, a linebacker. He does kind of all those roles. And we haven't even

mentioned the defensive tackle i've only got five i've got five yeah making the team right now and that was my first one yeah yep that was my first one i've got davis on the second one and who knows folks on number three you're gonna have to tune in to see but uh but i think you know you make some interesting points and we always do here this was a a fun Monday and a great way to get back into the swing of things after what we thought was going to be a storm-delayed day. A lot of action right off the bat. So good stuff for the New England Patriots and great stuff when you join us, but couldn't be happier to have you here on Locked on Patriots

with us each and every week. Folks, once again, you should always be following my good friend here, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself. But just in case we have new listeners and they don't, please follow my good friend at TeamMurph207. The content that this man puts out on E2G Sports, whether it be football, whether it be baseball, of course, dabbles into the other sports as well. Murph does it all, and he does it all with class and accuracy,

and it's always point, click, and learn material. And, of course, I'd be remiss if I did not tell you never miss one single episode of the One Patriots Place podcast, my second favorite podcast for the Patriots, of course, starring Murph, our great mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and the countess of class herself, Miss Claire Cooper. Bud, what can I say? Always honored, always humbled by your presence.

Thank you, my friend. Thank you. You know, please, folks, keep coming over to E2G for more on the Patriots and, of course, MLB. I write for them over there. One Patriots Place will be out tomorrow morning. Matt Chatham's going to stop by the by the studios and and give us his takes and and i'll probably steal a couple of questions that mike asked me today for that show well please do proper credit is always appreciated

but never always given because well you know and not for anything but the knowledge that we all share i like to think we all pull from the same aura pool. So you know what? It really isn't. It's kind of just we're all tapped into the same cosmic power that we have up here in New England in our sect of Patriots media. But no, all kidding aside, Bud, we look forward to doing this all with you again next week, post-game breakdown for the Giants and, of course, roster cut-down day.

There you go. Big day next monday and murph and i will be here to bring you all of the information you need on your new england patriots until then my friends stay safe and well and we'll talk to you again next week you too always glad to be here pats fans one down but still a lot of patriots coverage to come here this week as we march toward the patriots third and final preseason game with the new york football giants joint practices roster cutdowns and so much more to come so to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action download subscribe to and follow the locked on patriots podcast on platforms such as spotify

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Follow the Locked On Bets podcast brought to you by betonline.ag wherever you get your podcasts. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until next time, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to

see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.