Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mac in the Saddle: Newton out, Jones in as the New England Patriots set their 2021 Roster — 8/31/21

Episode Date: August 31, 2021

It was the debate that captured the attention of nearly the entirety of the New England region since the conclusion of the NFL Draft. Would rookie Mac Jones be able to unseat incumbent Cam Newton as the 2021 starting quarterback for the New England Patriots? On Tuesday, as rosters throughout the league were being trimmed to 53 players (in accordance with league directives) football fans everywhere received their answer. Host Mike D’Abate breaks down the release of Cam Newton and the decision to start Mac Jones. He also provides his thoughts on some other surprise roster cuts and the placing of Stephon Gilmore on the physically unable to perform list.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.NorthOneWith NorthOne, you’ll never pay overdraft or NSF fees again, saving you hundreds of dollars per month. To get started, visit apply.northone.com/locked.RunYourPoolCheck ‘em out TODAY and get $10 off at RunYourPool.com and use promo code LockedOn at checkout. 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 in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. It is Tuesday, August 31st, 2021, roster cut down day in the NFL. But in New England, it's time for the beginning of the Mac Jones era. And that will be the primary subject 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. And don't forget, Patriots fans, the NFL season is about to begin and no one 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 Ross Tucker and Jason Lockenfora. Follow the Ultimate Season Preview 2021 feed on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this Roster Cutdown Day episode of the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am 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, 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 Tuesday traveling through that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, in the immortal words of Michael Corleone, and you all, if you've listened to the show before, you know how much I love to quote the Godfather,

there are things being negotiated that are going to answer all your questions and solve all of your problems. That's all I can tell you now. Well, apparently Bill Belichick took that quote to heart. That quote served as the theme for this day in the NFL throughout the entire NFL landscape, but especially here in New England. A flurry of roster activity expected throughout the day, and one unexpected move that not a whole lot of people saw coming. Cam Newton out as the New England Patriots starter. The Mac Jones era has apparently begun.

And before we get into the ins and outs of exactly why this happened, and what it means for the Patriots going forward, I was truly surprised by this move. All throughout training camp, all the signs seemed to point toward the Patriots going with Cam, at least early on. But there was just something about the way that Mack looked on the field, and apparently Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, and the Patriots brain trust

had seen enough of the rookie to let them know that he was the proper choice to lead them into the 2021 season. But how did we get here, and what does it all mean for the Patriots? And not to be forgotten, there are now some former members of the New England Patriots that also found themselves on the cutting room floor on Tuesday. Lots to get to when it comes to the roster action of your New England Patriots today, and in just a moment, we'll break it all down for you, but most of all, we'll be talking Cam Newton, Mac Jones, and the decision that rocked Foxborough on Tuesday, August 31st. More on roster cutdowns and quarterback competitions when this Tuesday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, it is that time of year again.

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Would rookie Mac Jones be able to unseat incumbent Cam Newton as the 2021 starting quarterback for the New England Patriots? Well, on Tuesday, as rosters throughout the league were being trimmed to 53 players, of course, in accordance with league directives, football fans everywhere received their answer. Jim McBride of the Boston Globe was the first to report this. And as I said to open the show today, folks, it sent shockwaves throughout Foxborough. The Patriots releasing Cam Newton and going with Mac Jones as quarterback one to begin the 2021 season. Now, obviously, the first question is, did Mac truly beat Cam out or did Cam lose this

job due to some unforeseen circumstances? We're going to get to that in just a minute. However, it should be noted that once the Patriots knew that they were going to make the decision to go with Mac Jones as their starter, Cam Newton was not going to be relegated to a backup role. At 32 years of age and the prowess he showed on the field during training camp and during preseason games, he's definitely got something left to give and he wants to go out and start for an NFL club. Problem is, not a whole lot of NFL clubs are looking for starting quarterbacks right now.

Most of them have at least an opening day starter, or at least one that's penciled in for the foreseeable future. So it may take a little bit for Cam to earn a starting job somewhere, but you have to think that the Patriots think enough of Cam Newton to give him his release now and give him an option to try to hook on before final rosters are set for the opening weekend coming up in just over a week's time. It's a daunting task, but Cam is a true pro, did something similar here in New England last year, albeit with a lot more lead time, but he is capable of coming in, learning a playbook pretty quickly, and putting things together on the field. He truly has an amazing leadership ability,

one of the things that really struck me about Cam in my two years covering him as quarterback of the Patriots. As for Jones, it puts the questions to rest. Since the kid was drafted number 15 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft, a lot of NFL fans, media alike, all speculated as to whether or not the Alabama product had it in him to be the Patriots' starting quarterback for 2021. Obviously, Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, and the Patriots' brain trust had seen enough on the field to let them know Mack was indeed the guy. Should everything go according to plan, he will be the first rookie quarterback to start week one for the Patriots since Drew Bledsoe did it in 1993. Also the same year that Drew Bledsoe was taken number one overall by the Pats. And as good as the 22-year-old has been, and he's been very good on

the field, those are some pretty big shoes to fill. But how did we get here? How did Back Jones end up beating out Cam Newton for the starting job in 2021? Especially given the fact that Newton had performed relatively well. He came in with better shoulder strength, a greater deal of comfort in the Patriots passing offense, his footwork looked a little bit better, Cam looked to be more in command, and looked every bit the starter of this ball club. But ultimately, I think this is where the decision lay with Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels, and again, the Patriots offensive coaching staff. For all the discussion surrounding New England's desire to change their passing game, incorporate more RPO, more zone

reads, give Cam the chance to run the ball a little bit, use his legs to extend plays, we hardly saw that in this offseason, and my good friend Thomas Murphy pointed this out yesterday on the pod. Not many plays in the preseason games were run to accentuate Cam Newton's skill set. It looked like he was trying to run the offense that's better suited for Mac Jones, and I think that's exactly what happened here. New England is not changing their passing game, folks. They're still operating under that timing-based system predicated on vertical routes, completions from quick and accurate throws. That's what Mac Jones does well. He did it so well during his time in Alabama.

I know he had a very talented supporting cast of playmakers around him, but give Jones credit. He was able to create plays by leading his receivers under the defense, releasing the ball quickly, and delivering it accurately. This gave his playmakers, whether it be his receivers, his tight ends, his running backs, the space they needed to catch and run with the football. And if we're being honest, the Patriots struggled to make these types of plays in 2020. Not all of that was Cam Newton's fault. A lot of it was the supporting cast he had around him. Some of it was unfamiliarity with the Patriots' playbook, but the Pats definitely upgraded their playmakers in the offseason,

bringing in key pieces of offensive firepower such as tight ends John U. Smith, Hunter Henry. Wide receivers were upgraded with Nelson Aguilar, Kendrick Bourne. The drafting of running back Ramondre Stevenson, who can catch the ball out of the backfield, all to go along with solid incumbent players like running back Damian Harris, Jacoby Myers at the wide receiver position. Patriots have themselves some playmakers in 2021,

and for that reason, I believe they felt that Mac Jones was in good hands to lead this team this year. Don't forget, the Patriots also are boasting one of the highest rated offensive lines, at least from a projected standpoint, in the NFL. That O-line should give Mack the protection he needs to be able to process the play quickly, get the ball out of his hands quickly, and deliver it accurately to his receivers out in the field. And if for any reason he struggles a little bit, whether it be in a game setting or a prolonged setting, he does have the capability of leaning on a very strong

running back core. Damian Harris, Ramondre Stevenson, J.J. Taylor, James White, Brandon Bolden, all of these guys are capable of picking up the slack for a play or two, maybe even a half, or maybe even the entire game if Mack is really struggling. But for all intents and purposes, we haven't seen Mack struggle too much during training camp. That type of stellar performance likely tipped the scales in his favor. And folks, here we are. The Mack Jones era has begun, and Mack will head into this season as quarterback one with Brian Hoyer as his likely backup, and of course, add Jarrett Stidham into the mix when he returns from being on the physically unable to perform list. As for Cam Newton, he ends his New England tenure having started 15 games for the Pats in 2020, completed 65.8 of his passes for 2,657 yards with eight touchdowns, did throw

10 interceptions for an 82.9 quarterback rating, but here's where Cam really stood out. He rushed for 592 yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, and added a new dimension to the Patriots offense, something we haven't seen up here in quite a while. Value with his legs instead of his arm. In fact, Cam scored multiple rushing touchdowns in four games in 2020, the most by any quarterback in the league. He also set the Patriots record for most rushing attempts with 137 and rushing yards 592 in a single season by a quarterback. But even more so than his prowess on the field, the thing that I think most Patriots fans, and I speak for myself on this, that will miss most when it comes to Cam Newton is the camaraderie that he had with his teammates, the respect that he commanded on the field, and the enthusiasm that he just exuded every single time he touched a football. Folks,

it's a near impossible task to ask a quarterback of any skill level to succeed an organizational legend like Tom Brady. Let's be honest, it just is. You can't follow the goat. It's nearly impossible. But Newton not only handled this job with logistical efficiency, he did so with a class and a poise that I believe is beyond his years. Nobody could have asked more of Cam Newton than what he gave to this organization. He'll continue his career, and he'll likely do so with the same skill set and the same likability that earned him the respect of the true Patriots fan here in New England. And I thank Cam for his contributions to this organization and to finish up on a personal level to say that it has been an honor to cover him the last year and a half here in New England. But in the final analysis, football is a

business and the New England Patriots will always do what they believe to be in the best interest of their football team. They certainly believe that starting Mac Jones in 2021 is what's best for the football team. And as such, folks, the Mac Jones era in New England is about to begin. And here on Locked On Patriots, all week long, we'll continue to discuss what this means for the Patriots roster moving forward and what it means for the Patriots' plans for the season opener on September 12th. But don't forget, today is also roster cut-down day throughout the entire roster,

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Patriots fans, once again, it is roster cut down day and in the previous segment, we're absorbing the enormous news of the cutting of Cam Newton and the decision by the New England Patriots to start Mac Jones as their quarterback in 2021. But the release of Cam Newton wasn't the only news to come out of Foxborough on Tuesday. And as I'm recording this podcast, news is still trickling in on those Patriots who were trimmed off of the 80-man roster in order to meet the league regulation of the rosters being set at 53 players by 4 p.m. Eastern time. Well, in addition to some roster trimming, Bill Belichick also started the day with an early morning trade,

and the Patriots have acquired Kansas City Chiefs backup offensive lineman Yasser Durant. This happened in a trade very early on Tuesday morning for a 2022 7th round pick. Incidentally, the same 7th round pick that the Patriots acquired from the Las Vegas Raiders when they traded for Trent Brown back in the spring. And just a little background on Durant. He joined the Chiefs as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Missouri last year. Got great size, 6'6", 331 pounds. Took 91 offensive snaps as a rookie. Allowed one sack around three other pressures. Of course, the stats according

to Pro Football Focus. But for the Patriots, this was all about depth. They add now tremendous depth, especially at the tackle position. And again, at the time I'm recording this pod, it's looking likely that Yadni Kajust will be on the roster. Durant comes in and really solidifies some of the depth that the Patriots were looking for. So the Pats offensive line, already a formidable unit, got a little more formidable with the adding of Yasser Durant. And before we get to some of the notable cuts, of course, prior to 4 p.m. on the Tuesday,

August 31st deadline, another eye-opening move that the Patriots made was more health-related than roster-related. Well, I guess that one can be debated, but that's up to your point of view. Bottom line, the Patriots entering the regular season without cornerback Stephon Gilmore for a minimum of six weeks. And this one comes as a bit of a surprise. The veteran cornerback being placed on the physically unable to perform list prior to roster cutdowns, meaning that Stephon will have to miss the first six weeks of the regular season. Now, Gilmore did begin training camp on New England's active pup. He didn't attend organized team activities or mandatory minicamp in the spring, and that continued into training camp

and into the preseason, saw no on-field action whatsoever. Now, before the conspiracy theorists go into overdrive on this one, there is a medical reason for Stephon to be on the pup list. Undergoing surgery in December to repair a partially torn quad, that saw him end last season on injured reserve after 11 starts. But it's been reported in several circles of Patriots media that Gilmore's absence may not just be related to the injury, that it might be contractual. And of course, we've said this several times here on the pod, he's entering the final year of his five-year $65 million contract, scheduled for a base salary just north of $7 million. Considering the annual salary of some of his peers at the position, cornerbacks

who I feel are lesser corners to Stephon Gilmore, you might begin to understand why he might be looking for a pay bump or most likely a contract extension. Well, the Patriots now have at least six weeks to be able to work that out with Stephon while he continues to heal, but it does mean the Patriots are once again very thin at the outside cornerback position. J.C. Jackson will now be cornerback one and we'll get a chance to see if J.C. is capable of taking on that role. He's looked excellent during training camps so far and pretty formidable during the Patriots three preseason contests, but it's a whole different ball game when the regular season starts. Jackson struggled

a bit last year in this role. Let's see if he's able to take that next step and be that true lockdown corner that the Patriots need him to be, especially with all of the upgrades they made along the front seven. And the acquisition of Sean Wade last week, all of a sudden looking much bigger. The Patriots are going to need to lean on guys like Jawan Williams, Jalen Mills, even Jonathan Jones in the slot. These guys are all going to have to step up their game as the Patriots patiently wait for Stephon to make his return to the field. But as shocking as the release of Cam Newton was, he was not the only New England Patriot

that was jettisoned from Foxborough earlier today. Several New England Patriots now find themselves former New England Patriots. And one in particular that caught the sharp eye of Patriots Nation was wide receiver Christian Wilkerson. Wilkerson had a strong start to camp, looked like he was really coming on as a pass catcher, developing a pretty good relationship with both Cam Newton and Mac Jones. But in the course of the last couple of weeks, his production cooled significantly. And while some still believe that Wilkerson could push

Nikhil Harry for depth at the X receiver position. Wilkerson, unfortunately, finds himself on the outside looking in. Now, the Patriots would love to see him back on the practice squad. Problem is, Christian Wilkerson got an awful lot of publicity this offseason, and teams are always in need of help at the wide receiver position. Because of that, I look for Wilkerson to be picked up off of the waiver wire by a team that does need help at the wide receiver position. And whichever team does get him, they'll be getting a pretty good developmental project and someone that can contribute right away. If in fact he makes it through waivers, Patriots definitely dodged an obstacle there. I can imagine that they would jump at the chance

to bring Christian Wilkerson back on the practice squad. Another cut that caught my sharp eye on Tuesday was the release of cornerback D'Angelo Ross. Ross's release was a little bit of a surprise to me. He was starting to emerge as a potential depth option at corner, and I thought really had a very solid end to training camp. In fact, D'Angelo Ross even got the start at the Patriots' opposite cornerback position in the preseason finale against the New York Giants. Again, Ross is someone that has an awful lot of light on him. He may be claimed by a team that does need help at the cornerback position,

but if he does clear waivers, Patriots would be smart to jump at the chance to bring him back, especially with the problems they may have at outside corner in getting some depth. And we close out today's pod with the decision that the Patriots made on yet another competition in training camp, and this one is at the kicker position. The Patriots expected to retain the services of rookie kicker Quinn Nordine as their starter, taking over the job from veteran Nick Folk. And this one was a bit of a surprise to me as well. In my 53-man roster projection earlier this week, I had speculated that the Patriots would in fact cut Quinn Nordine loose and they would retain the more reliable, steady leg of the veteran Nick

Fole. But this makes a lot of sense for the New England Patriots. Quinn Nordine was almost going to be certainly claimed off of waivers. He had a lot of light on him, is known for that absolute cannon of a leg that he's got, and there are a lot of teams out there that would love to procure his services. So if the Patriots cut him, they were almost certainly going to lose him. Not necessarily the case with Nick Folk. At 36 years old, Folk doesn't have to clear waivers in order to be released. He's simply free to sign with whichever team he'd like. That means that the Patriots could set their 53-man roster, and then they could bring back Nick Folk either to the practice squad, or maybe even sign him to the 53-man roster. Either way, this one looks like Folk might be sticking around.

Not for certain, at least not at the time I'm recording this podcast, but once again, folks, one to keep a sharp eye. And as news continues to trickle in about Patriots roster moves, we'll continue to bring you up to date right here on the Locked about Patriots roster moves, we'll continue to bring you up to date right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast tomorrow. 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, the Odyssey app,

Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts, just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank each and every one of you for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage by listening today. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world.

Have a great day, everyone.