Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mac Jones and the New England Patriots: The Good, The Bad and The Long-Term Future?

Episode Date: January 19, 2023

New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones had an interesting season in 2022, defined by ebb and flow. While there were some positive moments, the Pats offensive struggles as a whole caused the quarterback to take a step back in his second season at the helm of the Patriots offense. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Mark Schofield of SB Nation. Mark provides unique insight on Jones’ performance, both good and not-so-good, while weighing in on whether the latest rumors surrounding Lamar Jackson mean that Mac’s future in Foxboro may be uncertain.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONUltimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Back to the future, blast from the past, or are we going to see a Gillette smiley face in 2023? We're talking quarterbacks with the Whisperer himself, so stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. 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. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day.

Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse,

please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, it may not be Crossover Thursday any longer here on the Locked On Podcast Network for us anyway, because the New England Patriots season came to an abrupt end not too long ago. But it doesn't mean we still can't cross the streams and cut it up with one of our very favorites here, the host emeritus of Lockdown Patriots, the man I unabashedly call the excellence of execution, simply, folks, because he is, SB Nation's own Mark Schofield, the host emeritus here on Lockdown Patriots.

Welcome back to the pod, my friend. Michael, it's great to be here with you. It's always great to do a show together and to get a chance to catch up before the show. Very excited to be here because I know that Patriots fans are experiencing some angst right now, myself included. Look, I mean, I have a Mac Jones 10, like, T-shirt kind of thing that my parents gave me for the holidays last year, you know, and we're hoping that this Patriots team can sort of get back on the right track after being, you know, bounced out of the playoff picture in week 18.

There are certainly some struggles on offense this year, some struggles with the quarterback position this year, and so there's a lot that this team has to figure out over the coming weeks and months leading into free agency, the draft, and the offseason, and so I'm excited to get into it all. Absolutely. We are excited to get into it all here on Locked On Patriots. Going to talk a lot of Mac Jones, a little bit of Bailey Zappi, maybe even a little Tom

Brady and Lamar Jackson for you. That's right. All things quarterbacks with the guru, the whisperer himself, and my good friend. Anytime I get a chance to share the microphone with him, it's always a good time. Folks, before we get into today's program please remember that today's episode is presented by our friends at prize picks and prize picks is so much fun it's so easy to play whenever you do you're never competing with other players it's just you versus the projections available you pick two to five players and if they score more or less than their

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And Mark, when we talk Patriots quarterbacks, if I were to tell you that a rookie quarterback for the New England Patriots in his first season led all rookies with a 67.6 completion percentage, 92.5 passer rating, 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns, completing at least 70% of his attempts in nine of his games, and twice throwing for 300 plus yards through the air, you'd probably say that's a pretty good rookie season. And by consensus, I think a lot of people looked at Mac Jones as having a very good

rookie season in his first year. PFF chose him as one of the best in the NFL at the time, ranked him 12th among quarterbacks, and was also selected to the PFWA's all-rookie team. So Mack came in with a lot of expectations on his shoulders, but the results in 2022 were mixed. Obviously, there's the high ankle sprain, missing a couple of games. You have to factor that in. But there were times on the field where Mack looked confused.

He looked frustrated frustrated still having difficulty under center when under pressure and the decision making led to suspect problems got a lot of criticism from media from fans and it led to a couple of notable sideline tirades that have been well documented throughout the league I always like to end on a high note, so we'll start on a sour note. With regard to the criticism that Mack got this year, when you evaluate his performance, start to finish, games in, games out, what did you see out of Mack Jones that led you to cultivate some concern regarding not only his present play, but even potentially his future? Yeah, I mean, look, we can be honest here.

This season was a step back for this team, obviously on the offensive side of the ball and for Mac Jones. Like you said, he had a very good rookie season as far as expectations go, as far as what we thought we were going to see from Mac Jones coming out of Alabama and what we ended up seeing from him as a rookie. I remember talking to you about, we saw a little bit more athleticism. We saw a little bit more arm talent. We saw a little bit more, you know,

with respect to handling an NFL offense and breaking down an NFL offense with his mind and his arm and at times his legs than we expected. But I remember being on with you in the summer. And one of the things that we talked about, and I know you were at training camp and i know you mentioned how they were stressing this was playing the quarterback position when pressured playing the quarterback position in the face of the blitz because that was an area where mac jones last year where you know it wasn't great you know when he was blitzed last year you know his adjusted completion percentage as charted by pro football focus was

just 18th in the nfl you know when he was pressured his adjusted completion percentage as charted by Pro Football Focus was just 18th in the NFL. When he was pressured, his adjusted completion percentage was just 24th. When he was kept clean, everything was great. But you wanted to see him make some better decisions and throws when under pressure. You wanted to see him spot blitzes better. You wanted to see him be excited to get blitzed. Because as a quarterback, you should be excited when you get blitzed. It's an opportunity to make a big play. It's an opportunity to punish a defense for the

decision to blitz you. Adjusted completion percentage when pressured this year, 54.2%, which was 37th in the NFL. He threw eight interceptions when pressured this year. His adjusted completion percentage when blitzed,nd in the NFL dead last among qualified passers. He took a big step back when he was pressured this year, decision-making took a big dip when he was pressured, his mechanics broke down at times when he was pressured, you would see him, you know, not set the hallway properly.

You know, there was a disconnect, almost a break in the throwing chain between the upper body and the lower body. It was bad when pressured this year. And I have some unfortunate news for anybody thinking about the quarterback position. Pressure is part of the job. Like it, look, if throwing from a clean pocket was all that was required of you, I would have been a much better college quarterback than I was. And I have no qualms about saying this. I've said it before. I'll say it again.

From 97 to 99, I was the worst quarterback in all of college football, all three levels. Like I was bad. I didn't know an adjusted completion percentage could be negative. It wasn't my case. Because as soon as I get pressure, it changes. It changes the complexity. It changes everything you're asked to do as a quarterback.

And so that was a big part of the problem. Mechanically, even from clean pockets, there were times when it – and Mack is coming out of Alabama, you know, generally speaking, a very clean quarterback mechanically, but there were times when that front foot, you know, front toe, it was just kind of not right. There were times when he was, you know, not set in the hallway properly. What I mean by that is feet, hips, everything pointed to where you want to be. You know, Steve Axman, coaching quarterback, passing mechanics. I've got that book just outside my arm's reach right now.

You know, he talks about how you want to step just to the left as a right-handed quarterback, just to the left of your target spot to allow that back hip to come through. He was stepping well to the left at times, stepping well to the left at times to the right at times with it. Mechanics were not where they needed to be, at least on a consistent down, down, snap to stop, throw to throw basis. And so those were some things that sort of, you know, watching him throughout the season, studying him throughout the season, studying him again. You know, when I knew I was coming on,

I took my Joe Burrow work by Josh Allen, my Patrick Mahomes stuff. I put it to the side, and I spent most of my Tuesday watching Mac Jones. And this is what I saw. Can it be fixed? Yes. Is there reason for optimism that it can be fixed? Yes. Is a lot of work necessary?

I think so. Are these valid concerns? And are there concerns that this might not get fixed? I think that's fair, too. the guy you're going to be the franchise guy you need to live up to those expectations or at least give the impression that you're working as hard as you can to live up to those expectations now i know mac went through an awful lot in the off season in terms of trying to improve his mechanics trying to improve his body type uh trying to improve his work ethic things of that nature uh we'll get into that in a little bit when we talk about what Mac did well and how he can build on that in just a moment. But again, you mentioned the decision making, you mentioned the difficulties, you mentioned a lot of the issues that Mac had.

I have to mention the thing that everyone is thinking, everyone has mentioned. A lot of people have either used it as an excuse for Mac or maybe even used it to pile on. How much of this, Mark, was related to coaching and play calling? Do you think that Mac was not put in a proper position this year as opposed to the game that or game plan that Josh enacted in 2021? Yeah, I think there is something to be said about, you know, everything from the offensive coaching side of things, from a play design, from a play execution, from an attention to detail standpoint, from a philosophical standpoint. I know we've talked about sort of past game identity and things like that.

I mean, there are some like, you know, crutches that we can use in the analysis world. And I'm as guilty of this as anybody else. You know, you do a radio spot before a big game. What does this team need to do? Oh, they need to get pressure with four. Yeah, sure. Okay.

Every defense would love to get pressure with four. You know, and another one has become you need to use play action. You know, it's become this sort of band-aid, crutch, cliched kind of thing. You know, but when you look at mac jones and his you know adjusted completion percentage of 83.1 percent in the national football league this year when using play action which was seventh best in the nfl okay you've got a quarterback that's struggling you've got an offense that's sputtering you're trying to figure out some things that you need

to do better some ways to get more out of this offense get as much as you can out of this offense you've got a quarterback that's among the league's best in this one specific category that maybe run it more right maybe you'd want to run that a little bit more mac jones had as a percentage basis of his dropbacks like 16.7 percent of his dropbacks, like 16.7% of his dropbacks were play action throws, which was 39th in the NFL. And just in pure percentages, because you had some quarterbacks that played in fewer games, you know, so you want to do it by a percentage basis. You look at just the sheer number of dropbacks and it ticks up to 28th. He had 83 dropbacks that were play action plays, but you've got a guy like Taylor Hideki who only played in nine games with

103. I mean, I know it's a cliche that people like me use all the time. I'll run play action. It's a cheat code and all of that. But when you're trying to get as much as you can out of an offense and you've got a quarterback, that's doing this one thing pretty well,

maybe do a little bit more of it. Maybe do a little bit more of it. There's an intent. There's a, a string and, you know, plays together kind of thing that I think Matt Patricia, because this was new to him, a little bit more of it maybe do a little bit more of it there's an intent there's a a stringing you know plays together kind of thing that i think matt patricia because this was new to him you know didn't quite have that sort of feel like want to do this or want to call this or or how to sort

of string plays together in this sort of open portion of the game you know putting the together your sort of 15 play game script like that's one thing but when you get into like the second the third the flow of the game kind of situation like want to go back to things that have worked how to set things up for a play later in the game and then you saw look people much smarter than me and got people like dan orlowski and kurt warner and others piloted all sorts of like attention to detail moments when like routes were getting run into the same area and guys weren't breaking routes off when they should and quarterback and receiver were never on the same page like that's a lot for a quarterback

to overcome now you know is is that part of the context of the greater mac jones discussion that's necessary absolutely i mean it's it's difficult for any quarterback to learn a new system you know start to you know adjust to life and continue to adjust to life in the n to learn a new system, start to adjust to life and continue to adjust to life in the NFL under a new offensive coordinator. And we've seen that part of the recipe for young quarterback success is consistency around them. I mean, everybody looks at Josh Allen and says, look, part of the reason Josh Allen is Josh Allen is because same play callers

really until this year when David left from New York but look at some other young quarterbacks you see you know consistency around them helps success Zach Taylor and Joe Burrow for example I mean Zach Taylor and Joe Burrow they're running basically a pure west coast offense and it's working so I do think that that's part of the discussion and that leads us into if Mac Jones is going to be the starting quarterback next year what do you do how do you get him back to where he needs to be and I think you know trying to find some consistency around him is a big part of that absolutely and I think that that leads us very nicely into our next topic is if Mac Jones is going to be the guy in New England in 2023 and beyond how How do we go about fixing that? Mark alluded to it a lot earlier and things that he'd like to see.

We're going to talk a little bit more in depth about that in just a moment, including Mark's research on Joe Burrow and a statistic that puts both Mac and Joe Burrow in rarefied air together alone atop a list. I'm going to go ahead and share that stat with you in just a moment and much more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends at BetOnline.net, your number one source for betting info, statistics, news, and analysis. Get the latest odds and trends for every professional and amateur league out there from pro to college got it all at betonline.net

so if you love sports podcasts you can even find those at bet online as well they're always the fastest and easiest way to get your betting info head to the website today or use your mobile device to learn more bet online where the game starts patriots, I am always honored, humbled, and just elated to be joined by my guest today, my good friend, the host emeritus here on Locked On Patriots, SB Nation's own Mark Schofield. We haven't talked much Toto yet. We know we're going to. That poster is still affixed on the wall here, folks. That is not going anywhere, but we're talking all things quarterbacks. If Mark is in the house, he If Mark is in the house, he is the best in the business of being able to break this down and already dropping pearls

of wisdom that have broken the wisdom and counsel meter here at Lockdown Patriots, as he always does when he's here. But Mark, we've talked about what went wrong with Mac Jones in the previous segment, and definitely there was some things that did go wrong. There's no question about it. In terms of preparation and coming in, I think most, even the most ardent critics of Mac Jones would argue that in the off season, this kid definitely showed a willingness to come in and do the best he could to improve upon his rookie season. Stricter offseason workout regimen. He talked about incorporating a healthier diet, getting more rest. He looked leaner.

He impressed his teammates with his work ethic, his leadership. You saw support for him all throughout the season, start to finish from the guys in his locker room, whether it be offensive linemen, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends. They all seem to have Max back. And that's something that you know is not easy to do. They'll earn his respect. It looks like they've definitely earned it. He also took steps to increase his velocity. We talked about this the last time you were here, working with Tom House, trying to improve his mechanics, trying to improve his arm strength so Mac definitely bought into what he needed to do we've talked a little bit about why that didn't translate on the field but for anyone that is

ready to completely bury Mac's season or determine that there is no hope for this kid in the future he actually finished the season with a 66.5 completion percentage that's this first through the first through two seasons. That's the second highest a quarterback has done in his first two NFL seasons, second only to 68.2 completion percentage by Joe Burrow. You mentioned Joe Burrow in the previous segment. That's the entire list, folks.

Those are the only two quarterbacks that have finished with that type of percentage in their first two seasons. So if that's a jumping point, Mark, what does Mac Jones need to do in 2023 to move forward? What can he build on that went right for him this season that you see, or you give kind of credence to the fact that he can be a better quarterback in this next season? Yeah, and I think it sort of starts with another one of the concerns that people, again, myself included, had going into this year, which was velocity in the downfield passing game.

You know, that was sort of a bugaboo last year. Missed opportunities downfield. Sometimes he wouldn't take those chances. Sometimes he did, and, you know, throws into tighter throwing windows were a little bit difficult for him. And I saw, particularly in the final couple of weeks of the season, but even earlier in the year, the game against Baltimore, before you got hurt, you saw some success in the downfield passing game.

And if you want an example of increased velocity from Matt Jones, there's a play from the game against Cincinnati fourth quarter, 7-10 mark of the fourth quarter, where they've got four verticals against a too high structure. A ball is on the left hash mark. Now, typically as a quarterback, you're probably going to take the whole shot to the boundary side, to the shorter side of the field.

It's an easier throw. That whole shot to the field side, you know shorter side of the field. That's an easier throw that hole shot to the field side, you know, left hash mark to right sideline. That's a tough throw to make, but that's the one he made and he hit it and he got it there, you know, a split second or a half step before that's that safety to that side of the field broke on the throw. That's a tough throw for a quarterback to make. And it's one of those, you know, if I'm watching it as a coach or a fan, it's like, no, no, no, no, no.

Don't throw that. Don't throw that. Don't throw that. It doesn't matter who you are. That's a tough throw to make. But he made it. And I'm not quite sure he's completing that in 21. And so that stood out to me.

You know, some of the success in the vertical passing game, you know, he had a wheel route throw to Jacoby Myers in week 17 against Miami out of the backfield. The wheel route is an extremely a wheel route throw to Jacoby Myers in week 17 against Miami out of the backfield the wheel route is an extremely extremely tough throw to make you know because you've got to get the trajectory on it the angle on it it's not an easy throw but he put it right where it needed to be gutting it got it over I think two Defenders on that play so they found some stuff that worked in the vertical passing game. I think his relationship and his chemistry with Devontae Parker stood out. You saw it in that game against Baltimore.

You saw it later in the season. There was a trust level there. They got Bourne involved a little bit more. They got Thornton involved a little bit more as the season went on. And so I think there are some things to build on offensively. Maybe their offensive identity at some level is, you know, some, some more play action and some more shot plays downfield, even off of play action, because there were times when, you know,

even at Alabama, he would take some shot plays off of RPOs and shot plays off of play action. It's where he seemed to be pretty comfortable as a quarterback. And so, you know, I think those are some things that you could build on, you know, whoever the new offensive coordinator is, whoever they are coming in, you know, I think those are some foundational principles that look, if we're going to go forward, Matt Jones, this is some stuff that we can do.

This is some stuff that has worked. Yeah, absolutely. I took the words right out of my mouth in terms of if we're going to talk about maybe coaching, holding Matt back a little bit in 2022, and maybe being a detriment to some of the growth that he was trying to put out there, how much of a factor is a new coach coming in and what that new coach's relationship is going to be to him in terms of his long-term success. And if the Patriots hire someone that doesn't necessarily kind of coordinate the same type

of game that Mac is adept at being able to navigate, you know, that vertical passing game where, you know, you're looking at, you know, short completions where only the receiver can get it. You know, those, those routes that Mac is very capable of running that we saw him run so many times at Alabama, if they're going to go away from that, or if that's something that is not going to be in the new OCs wheelhouse, does that, you know, give any indication as to whether or not Mac is the guy for the future? I think that's definitely a question on everyone's mind,

but there are a lot of things to continue to build on where you look at Mac and you say, okay, this is an opportunity for him to be able to grow. And I think you've articulated that perfectly, but Mark on everyone's mind, the question on everyone's mind from start to finish, and it will be until the first snaps are taken in New England when it comes to the 2023 season, is who will be the long-term quarterback of the future for the Patriots.

Mark's going to weigh in on that in just a moment because there are several options out there, including one that's familiar to everybody. Believe it or not, folks, still being talked about. We're talking quarterbacks. You know I'm going to pick Mark's brain on this one in just a moment when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast wraps up. But first, if you continue to look for a delicious treat, even though it's after the holidays, folks, and you don't want all of the fat and calories that came with some of the excess

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knowledge on the quarterbacks. And we've talked a lot about Mac Jones, Mark, in this segment, we've talked about what went wrong, what could potentially go right, but there are still a large section of the fan base that believes that Mac is not the guy for the team long term we've heard give the kid a chance meaning Bailey Zappi and in the small uh you know sample size that we have with Bailey the offense looked pretty good under him although I think there were play calling measures that were put in place that accentuated his abilities to navigate

the team without maybe rookie jitters or nerves or any deficiencies showing through there but give the credit to the kid he came in and did a pretty solid job there are a lot of fans that would like to see the Patriots trade for an established starter depending on the books that you see the Patriots are very much in the mix especially when it comes to laying odds on this for the services of one Lamar Jackson, who continues to contemplate his own fate. We've seen the Patriots go anywhere from being the favorite to being third on the list. That possibility exists out there. And yes, Mark, as I alluded to in the previous segment, there are still people that would love to see Tom come

back for one more go round. I'm not going to ask you to be a prognosticator of prognosticators. I'm not going to ask you to give your opinion, but I am going to ask your opinion on whether you believe the Patriots have their guy of the future on the roster right now, or if not, what measures should they be putting in place right now to make sure that they get that guy sooner rather than later? Yeah, I mean, I think a lot of this is unknown. I mean, do they have the right quarterback? Do they have the quarterback of the president in the future on the roster?

Maybe, maybe not. You know, I think after a season like they had, everything, every position basically is going to be evaluated. Every position group, every unit is going to be evaluated. Now, you know, I think offensive line is going to be something they're going to take a long look at. I think receiver, you know, a number of positions are on the table. You do that after a season like they had. I think ultimately they're going to go into this offseason portion of the calendar year with an idea that Max R1, Zappies R2. Can we improve upon that somehow via free agency trade or the draft?

And I think they'll explore options. This might be a year of perhaps unprecedented quarterback movement. When you look at some of the players that are becoming free agents like Tom Brady, when you look at, you know, a Lamar Jackson situation, when you look at other players like Derek Carr, who might be on the move, San Francisco suddenly has maybe three quarterbacks, but, you know, how do they handle that situation? There's going to be some quarterback movement. We've got an intriguing draft class of quarterbacks and and so i think the approach will be we're going into the super bowl senior bowl shrine game circuit to combine and all this stuff with the idea that max r1 zappies r2 can we improve at either of those spots right now maybe they can't you know maybe they will find a way to negotiate a trade for a Derek Carr

or a sided trade situation with Lamar Jackson. I'm sure they will explore all of these opportunities because I don't think you could be confident right now that, yes, absolutely, Mac Jones is the guy, 100%. If the Ravens call us up right now and say, hey, do you want Lamar Jackson for a third round pick? I know that's absurd, but it's just to make the point. I don't think it's going to be a situation where they'd say, no, no, no, we're good.

We got Matt Jones. I think they're going to explore all options. But I think ultimately, you know, Matt Jones will be the starting quarterback in week one. I think that's where this ends up because the cost might be so much that does it make more sense to build around the quarterback position, the quarterback room you currently have with improved talent around that position, offensive line and elsewhere, or to just throw all those eggs into one basket and hope the quarterback fixes it all.

Now, maybe some people will take a different approach and say, no, no, no, do that. That's fine like they've got enough talent the defense is great like go all in on a quarterback a veteran you know whoever it is you know and they can fix that and maybe that is an approach that they explore and ultimately take but i think you know from where i said you sort of give mac the opportunity to remain the starter and then keep that job. But he's on thin ice. I mean, I think that's a fair assessment, regardless of where you stand ultimately on Mac Jones, whether you're sort of in the pro-Mac, the anti-Mac,

whatever camp you're in, he's got to prove this. And I think the organization is going to explore every potential opportunity to upgrade most, if not all positions on this roster, including the quarterback role. Yeah, without question. And I think that in so many different ways, we get caught up in the inertia of, should this guy be the quarterback?

Should we go after this? Obviously, Lamar Jackson is a huge name. When you're talking about raw talent and you're talking about ability and playing on a big stage and being able to handle the pressures and the rigors of a modern NFL offense you're gonna be hard-pressed to find someone as equipped to be able to do it as Lamar Jackson I mean there's no one that would look at a situation and say well we're not going to at least kick the tires and explore every option that's on the table but ultimately you, finances are always going to be an

issue. Can they make it work? The Patriots would find a way to make it work if they felt it was in the best interest of the football team to make this move. And I think they would do anything that they could, but just because you could doesn't necessarily mean that you should. And that's where the Patriots have to take a look at their entire roster. And I think that you've articulated that perfectly in saying, is defense enough is this offensive line enough do we have enough around this quarterback to be able to say this puts us over the top and into an echelon where we can compete with the Kansas City Chiefs we can compete with the Buffalo Bills because being mediocre is not something the New England Patriots want to do for an extended period of time. They're not going to be happy competing for a wildcard spot two, three, four years down the

line. Robert Kraft and this organization is used to winning. They want to get back to that level. How do you do that as quickly as you can? Do you continue to build in what you have and be a contender, or do you make the move forward immediately? That's going to be the off-season question. I think that's a bigger one than just the quarterback position for the New England Patriots. Mark, what can I say? You're always, always spot on when it comes to this type of analysis, and I think you've given probably some of the most level-headed analysis on Mac Jones and on this quarterback position that we've seen really anywhere, I think, throughout the offseason when it comes to national media and even when it comes to local covering the issue.

That's why I was so happy that you agreed to join me here today, as I always am. That total poster, folks, is never coming down. That is here. That is in his honor. Every day I take the microphone here on Locked On Patriots, Bud, and it's been quite a while now. I still try to do it in your honor and do you justice each and every day. I'm still striving to do that, folks,

but I hope to get there and get closer each and every day. So before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you, all of the great work that you're working on, and what we can look forward to in terms of quarterback coverage, NFL coverage, draft coverage. Hulls your bang, my friend. It's all yours.

Well, Michael, it is always an honor to be here. It always warms my heart to see that total poster up there, and you continue to blow what I was doing over here, locked on, out of the water every single day. I've been so impressed to see what you've done and how you continue, and I'm very excited to see what you're going to be doing out over the draft season and what you might have planned And I'm very excited to see what you're going to be doing out over the draft season and what you might have planned.

And I'm not going to give anything away, but I know you've got some big stuff coming down the pike. Yes, definitely. As for me, look, SBNation.com. I'll have something on Joe Burrow up probably Thursday or Friday. Before that, Bengals-Bills game. Probably going to take a look at the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Probably going to take a look at the Philadelphia Eagles offense. But you can find all of that on Twitter at

Mark Schofield or SBNation.com. Absolutely. And folks, definitely continue to watch and learn and listen for everything that Mark is doing. If quarterbacks are your thing, really, this man is excellent in every aspect of analyzing football. Don't mean to pigeonhole him into just quarterbacks, but you've got quite a few good ones that are left in this hunt, whether it be Josh Allen, in every aspect of analyzing football. Don't mean to pigeonhole him into just quarterbacks, but you've got quite a few good ones that are left in this hunt, whether it be Josh Allen, whether it be Joe Burrow, Dak Prescott, Danny Dimes looking pretty good right now. A lot to look forward to in the NFL if you're a fan of quarterbacks, and if you are a fan of their play and analyzing,

you're not going to do much better. The best in the business is right here on this side of the screen. Folks, thank you for taking time out to join us here on Locked On Patriots, making us a part of your daily Patriots coverage and hopefully your first listen every day. Make your second listen, our good friends over at Locked On NFL, covering all things related to the Shield, all the latest news notes and analysis,

and they do it all in a great package don't miss it subscribe to wherever you get your podcasts and don't forget to smash that subscribe button and download subscribe to and follow locked on patriots on behalf of my good friend the host emeritus here mark scofield i'm mike debate stay safe stay well be the change you wish to see in the world have a great day everyone