Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mandatory Musings: Mac, Matty P, McGrone and the New England Patriots Get Set for Minicamp

Episode Date: June 7, 2022

With the New England Patriots set to begin mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, the team has several players and storylines on which fans and media will be keeping their sharp eye. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports, as the duo discuss the return of Isaiah Wynn, the ‘Shanahanian’ influence on the Pats offense, and the top priority on defense for the Pats heading into the three-day camp.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!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.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Blue NileMake your moment sparkle with jewelry from Bluenile.com, and LOCKED ON SPORTS listeners get $50 off purchases of $500 or more using code LOCKEDON.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maddie P gets the upper hand. The New England Patriots have a prominent offensive lineman returning to action and a lot of prominent storylines on offense and defense. I'm Mike DeBate. Stay tuned, folks. 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 daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network,

your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Remember, folks, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button and download, subscribe to, and 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. Also your host of this great podcast.

Follow, subscribe. Definitely check out all the great work that all of our hosts do on the Locked On Podcast Network. If you want to interact with me, let me know what's on your mind. You can reach out to me on the Bird app at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. While you're out there showing some love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, we are less than a day away from the start of mandatory minicamp in Foxborough for 2022.

You're in New England Patriots taking the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium. And there are a lot of storylines to talk about. One coach emerging as the top contender to call plays this year. Offensive plays, that is. And our guest today, you pegged this from day one, my friend. And it's a great time to welcome him into the show. You know him as the Green King of Sting, the Count of Murphy Fisto. I've recently dubbed him the Dancing Destroyer because of his introduction and his love for our entrance music here on Locked On Patriots.

He is a columnist extraordinaire for E2GSports.com, covering the Pats and all things Boston sports. He is my good friend, my benefactor in this business, the only man on this show, the only guest, I should say, with his very own branded hashtag. The legendary Thomas Murphy joins me here today. Thank you for coming to me in friendship. Thank you for joining me today, Don Murph. A man isn't a real man unless he spends time with his family.

So here I am every Monday, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, whenever you call, buddy, I'm here. It's always a blast to talk some Patriots and any Boston sports with you. But we're a Patriots show. So let's do a little of that today. That's right. That's wonderful. I appreciate it.

It means an awful lot to me. Anything to hear Mike freaking drop into is Don Corleone. Any day of the week. I don't need much encouragement to drop into the Don Corleone, my friend. I'll do that just pretty much automatically. I'll just be in random restaurants.

I'll just start ordering stuff. The caramel chicken looks good. Slightly basted. It's the best in the city. Can I get that without the green beans? It really is. But anyway, getting back to what I was saying, folks, this is yes, this is this is always, always fun. Don't forget today, folks.

Today's episode of Lockdown Patriots is brought to you by Blue Nile. Make your moment sparkle with jewelry from Blue Nile dot com. Lockdown Patriots listeners get fifty dollars off purchases of five hundred dollars or more. This podcast, this podcast exclusive includes engagement, so use the code LOCKEDON at checkout. Murph, it's always interesting to revisit subjects we've talked about here on LockedOn

Patriots, and it's pretty typical when I have the fortune of telling you that you were right about a lot of predictions that you make on this show. It happens more often than not, folks. I told you, if Bill had a beeline into Murph's hotline, I don't know how many banners would be hanging right now in Gillette Stadium facade.

There'd be a lot. Let's put it that way. Bottom line, my friend, you had this pegged right from the beginning. And our good friend Jeff Howe from The Athletic reported this morning, on Monday morning, that Matt Patricia has taken the upper hand when it comes to play calling. Now Jeff was very careful in his report. I don't want to put things into his mouth. I don't want to make you know more out of his report than what it was. He did say the team has not made an official announcement. This is per one of Jeff's

sources but I can tell you if it's a Jeff Howe source it's pretty reliable. Jeff is one of the more reliable guys in this business not just on the patriots beat but all throughout the nfl some great work being done by him continuously over and over again and definitely jeff tip of the cat we wish you well health wise too my friend definitely glad to see that you're back up and running and you're you're you know on the uh the road to good health. And that's the most important thing. But this report to me, Murph, only solidifies what you've been saying right along. Offensive line is such an important part of everything. It's almost like the catcher position in baseball. Everything's in front of you. You see everything. You're calling the game. You're looking at everything that's

going on. And when you have an offensive line coach that's calling plays not only is there intricate knowledge of the offensive line but also you're talking about a former head coach in this in the nfl you're talking about a former defensive coordinator super bowl winning defensive coordinator i think a lot of people forget that maddie p has a pretty impressive resume so when you look at this now and you also look at the report that Jeff put out on Saturday that Isaiah Wynn will be joining his teammates tomorrow in Foxborough, what does this mean for the offensive line? I'm assuming you believe this is a good thing, but what really does it mean for the offensive line going forward? Well, I mean, we said we said both things here over the last few weeks. You know, people were losing their minds about Isaiah Wynn not being in camp, not being at OTAs.

OTAs are optional, people. It's a voluntary thing. How often do you go into the office when you're not getting paid? I know I don't. I don't check in. That check doesn't clear, then you don't see Murph. Mike's check's always clear.

That's why I'm here. But no, it's a fantastic thing that he's back. It means a lot to the depth of this offensive line. It means that there's more cohesion to it, that guys aren't going to be forced into positions that they might not be too happy about. Okay? Certain guys, they enjoy being on the right side or they enjoy being on the left side.

And this allows things to go much smoother for Matty Patricia and what he has to do. When you have a more veteran squad, a squad that has played together for a longer period of time, it just makes your job easier. That's what this does. Isaiah Wynn being It just makes your job easier. That's what this does. Isaiah Wynn being in camp makes the job easier. Absolutely. Without question. It creates continuity. And ultimately, when you're talking about an offensive line, continuity is so important. Murph, we saw this last year. I mean, for people that don't want to take our word for it, and I can understand me, folks, but you definitely want to take Murph's word for it. But go back and

take a look at the 2021 offensive line. shuffling all over the place the Trent Brown injury really threw a wrench into their plans and it really caused a lot of problems and you saw a lot of miscommunication you saw a lot of breakdowns you saw a lot of lets up in coverage and that will happen when you have different players plugging into different areas players that weren't planning on playing a starting role all of a sudden thrust into it. Players that are trying to play a swing position where maybe they're playing out of position, definitely not a good thing. When you have a – I took some flack for calling him a star a couple of weeks ago. A lot of people were not happy with me about calling Isaiah Wynn a star.

But, folks, look at the stats. Look at the way this guy is graded. When he's healthy, he's one of the better left tackles in the league. You're not just jettisoning somebody who's, you know, and also ran at the position. Isaiah can play. You're talking one of the top 12 to 14 offensive tackles in the league on both sides of the ball.

Now, you make that a left tackle, that's even more important. You folks don't want to call him a star, that's fine. We're not going to jump on you for it. But don't jump on Mike for actually doing that, for honestly understanding the importance of the position. Absolutely. Thank you, Don Murph. I appreciate the protection.

I appreciate the support. It's always good to know people in high places, but at the same time, folks, no, all kidding aside, having Isaiah Wynn back there definitely does create continuity. It helps the protection of Mac Jones. It's someone who also allows the rest of the line to play in position. Now, you know, pretty much from what we've seen, and I expect this to continue tomorrow, I expect to see cole strange taking snaps at left guard i think that's where they're trending i think that's where they should be trending they spent first round draft capital on him i can tell you the kid's

got the athleticism to do it maybe there's going to be some growing pains but he's athletic enough to plug into that position david andrews solid as a rock claire and i talked about him last week he is your anchor in the middle of that uh offensive line and really i don't think you can find a better steward to shepherd this flock than david andrews but then you've got the right side now michael wayne who gonna move back in to the right guard position the position he played so well at michigan and then you got trent brown on the other side playing right tackle so if that's your unit the patriots are doing pretty well for themselves and matt patricia championing this unit and being the head and being the coach

uh don't want to say head that's not he shouldn't say head coach there's only one head coach and but being the head man when it comes to the offensive line and then taking an active role in play calling i think it's a hand in glove fit at this point. It is. I'll be honest. I still have some doubts. I want to see what this is going to look like out on the field in game settings before I give my unqualified endorsement of Matt Patricia being the play caller. But I will say I do feel confident enough to say this, that this is not going to be the disaster people are thinking it's going to be. No. It all comes down at the end of the day.

Quality OCs, the OCs that end up being talked about in circles for head coaching jobs, things of that matter. They're the guys whose players execute. It's very rarely that you made a stupid call. More likely or not, it's somebody on the offensive line that missed a block, somebody that didn't notice something when they're looking across the field as to coverage, the quarterback or a wide receiver who doesn't fight for a ball, a wide receiver that doesn't get a block off,

things like that. It's not always, I mean, you can go back to Super Bowls and wonder why you were throwing the ball from the one yard line. Okay, that might've been a stupid call. But other than that, it's execution of the players that are on the field. I think Matt's going to call the right plays. We'll see if the Patriots can execute them. Absolutely. And you know what? Ultimately, that will be the litmus test for the New England Patriots

is getting these guys out there on the field. Preseason's going to be telltale. And I'm not saying the Patriots are going to open up their world to other teams they're definitely not going to do that but you will see some of the tendencies and what these guys can do not just on the field but also on the sidelines i'm looking forward to some preseason action this year but mandatory mini camp has to happen first folks and it will continue to happen starting tomorrow in foxborough june 7th through the 9th. Three days of nonstop action for New England Patriots fans as we start to build the narrative of what this team will look like heading into 2022.

It's week-by-week. We call it Hell Week. Absolutely. Who is that? It's a labor of love. There's no number there. What the hell is going on? Yeah, guys without numbers numbers dogs and cats living together

mass hysteria in foxborough this weekend or this week i should say leading into the weekend but we've talked about the offensive line murph we talked about isaiah win we talked about matt patricia big storyline without question but what is the biggest storyline is it mac jones is it kendrick bourne is it the running back core is it the fact that the patriots will no longer be hosting brandon bull and wearing a patriots uniform these are all questions that are burning on everybody's mind but my good friend the kind of murphy fisto is going to give us his top storylines heading into the new england patriots mandatory minicamp on the offensive side of the ball in just a moment.

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to do that wherever you're living you want to get out and see the world a little bit we can expand our horizons now that things are opening up a little bit more and it looks to be a more active summer well to be active folks got to make sure that your ride is in tip-top shape and that ride can be in tip-top shape if you visit my good friends at rockauto.com for all your auto improvement needs you can save time and money when using rock auto why choose to spend 30%, 50%, even 100% more for the same parts at a chain store or a dealership? Getting around is expensive enough as it is right now, Murph. You know and I know we feel the pain at the pump, but you can feel a relief when you do business with rockauto.com for your auto improvement needs. They're a family business serving do-it-yourselfers for over 20 years. And Rock Auto's prices are always reliably low for every customer.

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Patriots fans, the legendary Thomas Murphy, columnist extraordinaire from c2g sports.com covering your new england patriots joins me here today as he does each and every monday it is hashtag locked on murph monday and murph in the previous segment you did mention that my check's clear all the time i'd like to thank you and let me just add if you consider a million dollars in cash just finance de salud on murph um but we've talked a little bit about the offensive storylines um some of them uh one of the big ones obviously isaiah win will be in attendance after missing ota that's a good sign for the patriots the patriots also look to be leaning in the direction of matt patricia to be that in the direction of Matt Patricia to be that primary play caller. No confirmation on that yet, but this week is going to be telltale.

That's also not the only storyline going on in Foxborough right now. There's a lot going on on both sides of the ball. Before we jump over into defense, let's stick with the offensive side of the ball. Murph, there's a ton of offensive storylines heading into this season. Patriots trying to infuse some speed, maybe a little veteran presence into the wide receiver position. They've done that by bringing in Devontae Parker from Miami and drafting Taequann Thornton. The running back core is still going to be formidable on this team. They are missing a key component in Brandon Bold bolden but they've made a couple of interesting draft selections uh james white looks to be on his way back from a hip subluxation last

year uh there are items to discuss of course i can't displease the countess tight endage we're going to be looking at the tight ends and seeing how that's going to come across will there be we will be talking tight endage later this week. Guess who we will be talking that with folks. You know, the first thing he'll give you three guesses. The first two don't count. But in any case, I Claire, I Claire, but in any case, getting back to what I was saying about that,

those are the offensive storylines heading into this. But what do you say Don Murph? When you look at your Belichickian crystal ball what are you looking forward to on the offensive side of the ball most for mandatory minicamp this week i'm gonna i'm gonna put throw a name out there that not a lot of people are talking about and it's kyle shanahan i am i am really looking for you last week, a lot of Shanahanian plays were being called. A new system is in town. Talk of things like that, a system of the downs.

I'm looking forward to seeing how much of the Kyle Shanahan-style offense is being run this week. Not so much who's running it, but, you know, how that's being incorporated into what is already done here. Whether you know it or not, the Patriots have had a little bit of difficulty in the past couple of years facing old coaches because they know what's coming. They know the terminology. They know the sets.

Bill is done with it. I'm not saying that he's scrapping everything that has been done here over the last 20 years, people, but there are new aspects that are going to be brought in, new plays that are going to be run, new formations that they're going to be run out of. And getting down to the nitty-gritty, this is one hell of a running back's room, and he's going to use the Shanahan system to enhance those strengths.

Absolutely. I think that that is an excellent, excellent point, and I think one that not a lot of people are talking about. Not the sexy thing you guys all wanted to hear, but that's what I'm going to be looking for. But see, that's it though. That is the sexy thing that we wanted to hear. You gave us what we wanted without us knowing what we wanted. This is why you have your very own branded hashtag, my friend,

because it really does make you think, and you're absolutely right. The Patriots were incorporating a lot of those. We saw a lot of zone read in the last two weeks. Evan joined me a couple of weeks ago here on a Friday episode of Locked On Patriots, and we talked about a lot of the things that you see on the field and how this team is gearing up to maybe combat some of the defenses that they're going to see and take it to them. Also on the defensive side of the ball as well, and we'll get into that in just a moment.

I don't want to jump the gun here, but the Patriots are making adjustments on both sides of the ball. But the fact that there is a new sheriff in town, so to speak. All right, Patriots fans. No, we won't use that. There's a new Don on the sidelines. It's, I think, interesting that a lot of the reports coming out, that a lot of people are really, I think, souring on Joe Judge

and what this is going to mean for him. But I think in a lot of ways, seeing that infusion of speed and running that more Shanahanian type, like you said, I like that word, Shanahanian. We're going to put that into the lexicon here on Lockdown Patriots. My good friend Brian Snow is a big 49ers guy. I think he's going to like that too. So he may steal it.

You have our permission, buddy. But in any case, there is a lot and there will be an infusion of some speed moves. You know, I think you're going to see jet sweeps. I think you're really going to see guys like John Smith really blossom in that type of role. Kendrick Bourne can definitely do it. We've seen him do that in the past as well. Patriots drafted some speedy guys that, you know, are going to infuse some, you know, a good amount of rapidity in this. Yeah, absolutely.

Let's get Devonta Parker intervening really quick. You know, let's give more work to these tight ends and see what they can do. These are all things coming out of the Shanahanian system that, that Bill is going to bring here and keep folks guessing on the other side of the ball. Absolutely. He's got multiple weapons with a lot of versatile skillset to be able to do it.

And that's what I like about this, especially the draft picks. Cause you look at Taequann Thorntonnton you know blazing speed perimeter guy he's going to go down field and he's going to get open and then let me tell you from watching this kid he is everything is advertised when it comes to speed maybe people have questions about his route running maybe people have questions about his frame his size this kid can fly down the field but i'm looking forward to watching these two rookie running backs as well pierre strong Pierre Strong Kevin Harris a lot of speed a lot of ability a lot of raw talent who gets to harness it who gets the dreaded red shirt but who also becomes a part of this um this

offense because I think one of these guys and we've talked about it before we think it's going to be strong but at least one of these guys I think is going to be incorporated into the offense this year. Right. Absolutely. So when it comes to the offensive side of the ball, Murph, obviously we can't take our leave of the subject just yet until we talk about the man under center and that is Mac Jones. What more can be said about Mac that hasn't already been said? He's worked't already been said he's worked on his physique he's worked on his training regimen he's worked on getting more sleep eating right the diet just the whole health regime has been you know regimen I should say excuse me not regime has been a little bit better and also you're hearing a lot of players talk about his leadership

ability on the field the fact that this kid is ready is this something that is really just inherently in him or is this just maybe a little bit of sophomore swagger on his part coming in knowing that he's the quarterback now he doesn't have to compete for the starting job um do you think maybe it's a little bit of both or do you think this is just who mac jones has been all along um i'm not sure if it's who Mac Jones has been all along. He was, pardon me, he was quite patient while he was at Alabama in sitting and learning. And then last year he had to be patient once again with Cam Newton and camp and really not knowing where to go, what cues to take, how much of a leadership role he would be expected to have, or how much he wanted to let out. So I'm not quite sure if it's the former or the latter.

It might be a little bit of both, but I'm beginning to think that it's the latter. He knows that he's the man this year. There's, there's no looking over his shoulder. There's nobody to leapfrog over. Um, it's his show and he lets everybody know that it's his show. You know, uh, nobody talks in this huddle except me. That's, that's the kind of man that, that he is. And he's letting that be seen right now. He's out there running routes for his wide receivers saying, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. This is how I want you to do it. I don't care how Bill wants you to do it. I don't care how your coaches in the past wanted you. This is how I want you to do it. This is the right way to do it. This is the way that we're going to move the ball.

I love what I've seen from him so far this summer. I think I'm going to continue to enjoy the maturation of Mac Jones. Without a question, and I think most Patriots fans will as well. And I'm glad that you mentioned that it is something where he is feeling very secure in his position, as he should. He is the starting quarterback of the New England Patri patriots and that does carry a lot of weight and i'm not just saying that not putting the patriots prowess and putting their history aside and being one of the more storied franchises in the nfl when you're handed the keys to the kingdom of any nfl team that is a huge responsibility and a huge feather in the cap of any player that gets to be the starting quarterback for an NFL team. Anybody that's done it at any level knows that that's prestigious. And I think Matt feels it. And I think because of the Patriots history, and I think because of the folklore that surrounds him

in Foxborough and Gillette Stadium, I believe that he does feel that responsibility. So Matt came in this year knowing that not only do I have to take this team on my back but i've got a legacy to keep up here and it's something that i do continue to cultivate that being said if anybody's wondering if he's more worried about the legacy than he is about the guys on the field i can tell you that's not the case mac is 100 laser focused on what he needs to be focused on and i think that's going to make him an effective leader and look we heard tom talk about this years ago when he's going into a huddle and he says, I'm looking at all of these offensive linemen, all of these guys are big Drew guys, meaning Drew Bledsoe.

He needed to convince them. He needed to show them that I can take you on my back and I can lead you. And it took him a very short amount of time to be able to do it because these guys believed in him. I'm hearing a lot of that same type of sentiment coming from offensive linemen, wide receivers, running backs about Mac Jones. I'm not comparing the two. I'm not saying that Mac is going to fall into Brady's shoes. But that's the type of leadership you need to exude to be successful. And I think Mac Jones is doing a great job of it.

He's filling his own shoes. Nobody else. Absolutely. Perfectly said. could not have said it better and because of that because he has that swagger and that little maybe chip on his shoulder this year to prove that he's not a one-hit wonder i think this is going to be a good year for him and i think he's got the ability and the team around him to turn some heads in the process i agree this is the second best decision that bill belichick's ever made yep absolutely and we all know what the first one was. Putting Murph on speed dial, folks. That was the number one decision Bill Belichick has ever made. Now, all kidding aside, bud, it has been fun talking offense with you, but we're not done yet here on Locked On Patriots because we're

going to talk about Murph's top storylines on the defensive side of the ball. Does it involve that need for speed in the linebacking core? Is there still some question marks at the cornerback position? Was Malcolm Butler and Terrence Mitchell enough to offset the loss of J.C. Jackson? Well, we're going to discuss all of that in just a moment, but we're going to get Murph's top storyline most importantly when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, great time to be a sports fan.

Basketball finals in full swing. Hockey finals coming up on the horizon. We also have Major League Baseball all around. Third leg of the Triple Crown coming up this weekend. It's always a lot of fun. And if you want to really cultivate your sports fandom and make a little something on it, you definitely want to do so by visiting our good friends at betonline.net,

your number one source for all of your sports betting stats and information. You can find all of the latest developments, league reviews, and news when you do business with your continued source for all of your sports wagering information from live betting to playoffs, esports, and more. Head to the website today or use your mobile device to learn more about the trends and the action. Bet online where the game starts. Patriots fans, it's almost time to wrap things up here on hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday.

Join each and every Monday as I am. Always my honor, always my privilege to have the great Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports joining me here today. Murph, we talked about offensive storylines. We talked offensive line. We talked Mac Jones. We talked some Shanahanian influence on the Patriots' offensive play-calling style. But we all know that if offense gets the headlines, defense is what wins championships.

And there are a lot of defensive storylines as well. I mentioned just a couple of them heading into the break. We talk about the need for speed and the linebacking core and infusing some youngsters into this linebacking core, whether it be Rayquan McMillan or Cam McGrone or Josh Uche or Mack Wilson. A lot of people are excited about that. Then you look at the cornerback crew and you say, well, the Patriots lost J.C. Jackson. Huge hole there. Brought in Terrence Mitchell, brought in Malcolm Butler.

But a lot of people feel that's still an Achilles heel of this team. There's also the safety crew, which I think may have even gotten better over the course of this year in the offseason. And, of course, the front seven. But you see things us mere mortals don't see, Don Murph. So I leave the question to you. When you look at all of the defensive storylines stacking up, heading into mandatory minicamp, what's going to catch your sharp eye this week? It's going to be the lost rookies, the lost rookies of last year.

It's the Cam McGrones. It is the Ronnie Perkins. It's those guys, how they're going to be fit in and integrated into this defensive scheme. What changes we're going to see because at the most, not necessarily who's running with the ones out there. It's the changes. It's the change in philosophy. It's how well these guys come together and are able to incorporate their special blend of athleticism to this Patriots 2022 defensive squad. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch people.

It's going to take us some time to figure out, nevermind everybody else in the AFC East, in the NFL, what Bill is going to be able to do with this group of ballplayers. This is not. The elimination of two spots completely changes the outlook on the field. We have guys that are going to be dropping into coverage in a much better way, filling holes in a much better way are a lot quicker than the, the, the gentlemen, you know, uh, that have been here in the past and have moved on to, to, uh, less green pastures, shall we say, and guys who are just at a point where I don't know if I want to play anymore. So give me a call at the end of spring training, and maybe I'll be back. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch to see how the new pieces,

the new faces fit into the collage that Bill Belichick has on the defensive side of the ball, and how Mayo is going to utilize the chess pieces that Bill has given him. Absolutely. And I'm glad that you mentioned the amoeba defense because I think that is something that we saw Brian Flores do so well in Miami and really, I think, did a great job of doing it up here as well when he was a defensive coordinator, a de facto defensive coordinator.

For those of us that don't know what the amoeba defense is, folks, that just means that it's like an amoeba. It's ever-changing. The shape of it is not the same thing. Flores was really, I think, so good at doing what he did. And based out of a 3-4, which, again, I think that's still where the Patriots are serving their bread and butter. Unfortunately.

Yeah, I think that's still the Belichickian blueprint that you're going to see. But I can definitely say, and there's a lot of argument with the personnel that they have that that could end up being maybe their ideal type of fit but and i still think yeah we'll see uh two two you know nine one one ten set up there yeah that's the point of this defense is the fact that you do not know what's coming. You do not have to show your hand pre-snap. It looks like you're in man, but you're really not. It's perfect for my favorite defense, which is match quarters. It's fantastic. The things that he's going to be able to do with the personnel that he has. They're not the biggest names in the NFL people, and the Patriots do that on purpose. Yeah, absolutely. Of course they do it on purpose, because what better

way to sneak up on someone when your opponent thinks you're weak? That's when you can strike the hardest, and that's exactly what I think the Patriots might be gearing up to do. Now, you can make the argument, do they have the personnel do they not have the personnel we'll eventually find that out but i do look for them to use those exotic fronts maybe use some different looks um i think you're going to see the return of the patriots using that tight front that brian used to like to run i think they have the personnel to do that getting the defensive lineman on that inside shade especially against some of the offensive tackles that they're going to be facing maybe try to slow down some of those high-powered offenses that you're seeing in the NFL right now. One of them very primarily in their own division in the Miami Dolphins.

Let's not sleep on the Buffalo Bills. They're pretty fast when they want to be as well. Opportunity is knocking for guys like Uche, Jennings, and Perkins, man. Let's see if they open the door and freaking step through it absolutely and yeah i talked a little bit uh over the weekend here about guys like uche and guys like mcgroan and rayquan mcmillan who i think can really make a jump this year you may as well count him as someone that's a new right you know free agent acquisition here as well because rayquan missed the entire season last year he looks good uh in terms of physicality, in terms of what he can do. He doesn't look like he's hampered by that injury any longer, folks.

So, yeah, he looks good out there, and we're looking forward to seeing what Raekwon can bring to the table. Murph, we're almost done with your wisdom and counsel, but I wouldn't be doing my job unless I mentioned the same type of mention that I had when I talked about the offensive side of the ball. And it always amazes me that quarterback and cornerback become the marquee positions that everybody seems to have their eye on. We talked a little bit about Mac Jones in the previous segment. I'm going to put you on the spot here and talk a little bit about the cornerback position.'ve discussed before jc

jackson moving on you're not going to fill jc jackson's shoes especially this year they just didn't bring in the personnel to bring in a like-for-like replacement for him but i think malcolm butler coming in here is smart especially if the patriots want to incorporate more zone defense because i think malcolm still has the potential to be one of the better zone corners in this league. Jalen Mills, Jack Jones, Joanne Williams, a lot of these guys feel that they're going to be kind of fumbling to get that other outside corner spot. What are your thoughts on the cornerback position? Is that the way that it's shaping up or are we not seeing something here that the Patriots may be seeing? No, at the moment, it's Butler and Terrence Mitchell.

They're both experienced guys, and I think they'll both be in there starting early, letting the rookies live and learn and then come in behind them and get their spots. We'll see it evolve over the season. I've said it many, many times, and other people have said it after me, that Bill splits the season in two quarters in the same way that a football game is. OTAs are now, and then you get into all the summer workouts, and that carries into the first four weeks of the season. And then you start to see how this team is really going to shape up. And by the time you get to, say, Thanksgiving,

I don't want to say things are set in stone, but that's the way Bill is going to roll this year. And then into December, they end up turning up the heat a little bit, expecting more out of the rookies and the guys that are what some people would consider second string. Strings don't matter here. Depth chart doesn't matter here. You're going to be in there when you're needed to be in there. You're going to be put in a position where you're going to help this team the most. And whether that's you play 14 downs or four downs or 40 downs on the defensive side of the ball or the offensive side of the ball, that's what Bill's going to use you for.

And that's the way of it. So there it is in a nutshell, folks. That's the way that I'm looking at this. Absolutely. And I'm glad you mentioned mitchell because i didn't have the forefront to mention him so see you pull my fat out of the fire again my friend but no terrence is a he is a seasoned veteran and i think that is going to be important in terms of giving the youngsters a chance to be able to learn

jalen mills did a very admirable job last year he might be someone that could challenge for that second spot um he also could be someone that could challenge for that second spot. He also could be someone that may, you know, relegate back down to that third spot that he was going to man last year before everyone thought that Stephon Gilmore might show up. Everybody thought it was going to be Gilmore, Jackson, and then Mills as a third option. Maybe that returns this year, depending on the Patriots scheme.

We'll see. Ultimately, I think in terms of guys that are going to be able to take the mantra as rookies, I think you're going to see Jonathan Jones continue his ability in the slot. I think you're going to see Marcus Jones probably groomed for that role sooner rather than later. And I think Jack has a chance to win one of the outside corner jobs. He's one of the guys that I'm really looking forward to. Claire and I talked about that last week. Got my sharp eye on him as a rookie.

Don't forget Peppers. Absolutely. And when you look at what Jabril can do, especially in that safety core and that safety core is a core that we know very well. You did your homework on Kyle Duggar and mostly before anybody did Murph. You and I were one of the very few that scouted him and predicted he might be on the Patriots uh you know radar going into that you know where he went but yeah neither did i i thought he was going later but you know very similar to what called it this year and you know i mean so but you know what the patriots found their guy and wherever they take him ultimately that's their decision but um that's why i write a wish list and not a not a mock. That's why I don't mock the draft.

Absolutely. We do not make fun of the draft here. We always muse it. And, you know, before you know it, we'll be musing the draft again. That's how fast time flies here on Locked On Patriots when you're having fun. But Peppers, I think, is going to be a great addition in the box to that safety. You want to talk about a trio that really can do some damage there. You've got Adrian Phillips. You've got Kyle Duggar.

You've got Jabril Peppers. And then at the free safety position, it's a reliable Kevin McCourty. It's a freaking nightmare. Yeah. I'm going to be able to do this year and where he's going to do these moving pieces. It's going to be a lot of fun, folks.

Don't blink. Don't blink. It will be. It will be. Absolutely. And maybe under the radar, maybe a lot of people are not giving the Patriots their just due now, but you know what? That's just the way they like it in New England.

Maybe the ability to turn some heads this year in Foxborough. People in Buffalo? Give me a break. On that note, folks. Buffalo? It's all about the wings, bud. In any case, my friend, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to join me here on Locked on Patriots.

Folks, if you're not already following this, man, you should be. But just in case, for the benefit of our new listeners, follow my good friend, the Dancing Destroyer, the Green King of Sting, the Monster Master of Disaster, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy at TeamMurph207 on Twitter. You can catch all of his great written work when it comes to your New England Patriots, the Boston Red Sox, and really anything that's on the man's mind at E2GSports.com.

Give them a follow as well. Great writers and great covers they have over there at e2gsports.com and of course i'd be remiss if i did not mention the true the true great when it comes to the new england patriots podcasting coverage and at one patriots place with our good friend right here our resident voice of reason steve balistrieri who returns this week to the lineup, and also the Countess of Clas herself, Ms. Claire Classey, Claire Cooper, who joins us here each and every Wednesday. But always honored, always humbled by your presence.

Thank you, Don Murph. Always my pleasure, bud. Always my pleasure. Folks, head over to e2gsports.com. I've got a nice little piece on Jaron Duran and whether or not he should stick around for the remainder, for the long haul, and what Alex Cora could be able to do with an actual fourth outfielder.

Absolutely. The Red Sox may be a little up and down right now. Some very high moments, some questionable moments, but Murph has got you covered no matter what. It's the Oakland AAAs. We all understand that. Absolutely. And you know what? Hey, who knows? Maybe there is some good stuff coming on the horizon for the Red Sox after a slow start. Again, we all live in hope here.

Back to 500. We're definitely hoping for it. And our best wishes to the Celtics. Sputtered a little last night, but they will get back on track as they continue their journey in the NBA Finals. Huge shout-out to my colleague here on Locked On. John Corrales. Host of the Locked On Celtics podcast. One of the best Celtics podcasts that you'll find anywhere in sports media.

If you're not following that and checking out John's great work. Please by all means do that. Smash that subscribe button. And follow everything that you need for Team Green. As they continue their pursuit of Banner 18. And here on lockdown patriots will continue to bring you the very latest news notes and analysis from foxborough including boots on the crown coverage starting tomorrow when it comes to your new england patriots and mandatory minicamp

until tomorrow foxborough faithful stay safe stay well be the change that you wish to see in the world have a great day everyone