Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - MidWeek Mailbag - Your Patriots-Chargers Questions - 12/2/2020

Episode Date: December 2, 2020

Once again, it is time to open the Locked On Patriots MidWeek Mailbag. Today, host Mike D’Abate, addresses the questions from our listeners regarding the New England Patriots. Topics include: Cam Newton’s strength vs. his struggles, the continued uncertainly surrounding Sony Michel and N’Keal Harry, Chargers players to watch this weekend, and what is the one thing that Mike would change about the 2020 season, if he could.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! EchelonRight now, you can try any Echelon Fitness equipment at home for 30 days. Go to EchelonFit.com/NFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order.MyBookieINVEST IN YOUR INTUITION. USE PROMO CODE LOCKEDON AND DOUBLE YOUR FIRST DEPOSIT. NEW PLAYERS GET UP TO $1,000 IN FREE PLAY - DESIGNED TO ADD MORE EXCITEMENT TO THE SPORTS YOU LOVE AND THE GAMES YOU BET. YOUR WINNING SEASON BEGINS TODAY...ONLY AT MYBOOKIE!BuiltGoVisit BuiltGO.com and use promo code “LOCKED,” and you’ll get 20% off your next order. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Wednesday, the 2nd of December 2020, and it is time to open up the midweek mailbag 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.

Locked On Patriots is presented today by Pepsi, made for football watching. This football season will be different, and Pepsi is here to get you ready for game day, no matter how you watch this season. Pepsi is the refreshment you need to power through game day and become a member of the League of Football Watchers. These passionate fans are the real generational talent that Pepsi fuels. Because Pepsi isn't made for those who play the game, it's made for those who watchers. These passionate fans are the real generational talent that Pepsi fuels. Because Pepsi isn't made for those who play the game, it's made for those who watch it. Pepsi, made for football, watching. Happy Hump Day, Patriots Nation, and thank you for joining me here on this

midweek mailbag episode of the pod. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and very much appreciated. Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-F-P-C. And while you're out there doing some Wednesday wandering through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriotsots account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Patriots fans, we've reached the midway point in the work week, and now it is time to turn our attention from the Patriots' 20-17 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last Sunday to this Sunday and the Los Angeles Chargers. A 4.25 p.m. Eastern start time at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California. The Patriots taking on a team I know quite well. I spent three years covering the Chargers, both for Cover32.com and for Full Press Chargers. And even though the personnel may look different, don't let their 3-7 record fool you. This is still a team with a lot of talent on both sides of the ball.

And besides this just being a road game, the Patriots are going to need their A game in order to get a win on Sunday. And at the midway point in the week, because I've spent time behind enemy lines in Los Angeles, I thought this would be the perfect time to open up the midweek mailbag and see what's on the mind of all of you, the great listeners here at Locked On Patriots,

when it comes to the Patriots, but also when it comes to the Chargers. And I received some amazing questions as always. A good cross-section coming up here on today's pod, starting with my analysis of three players that are within Patriots Nation's crosshairs, Cam Newton, Sonny Michel, Nikhil Harry. For the last couple of days here on the pod, I've been joined by both Thomas Murphy and Steve Balistrieri, and we've kind of danced around this subject, but I will give my opinion on why I don't believe hope has been lost for any of around this subject, but I will give my opinion on why I don't

believe hope has been lost for any of these players yet, but I'll also be very honest and candid in the fact that if they're going to turn it around, it needs to happen quickly. Of course, on the flip side, I also received some great questions when it comes to the Chargers and who Patriots fans should have their eye on this weekend. Of course, we all know that rookie quarterback Justin Herbert has been having an amazing season. Definitely keep your sharp eye on him, folks. But a couple of chargers in particular create some matchup problems for the Patriots. One you might be able to figure out, one you might not. And it just so happens that the one you might not figure out is the one that I believe could cause the Patriots the most problems on Sunday. Of course, you can't talk bolts without Bosa.

Joey Bosa. Joey is one of the most feared defenders in the league year after year, and this year, he continues to prove why. And I'll provide my thoughts on Bosa thanks to a great question from a valued listener. And last but certainly not least, I'll bring it all home with a great question of what I might change about the Patriots season if I could pick out one aspect. Maybe my answer might surprise you, maybe it won't. But in any case, keep a sharp ear to the conclusion of today's show where I will bring it all home with that great question

from yet another beloved listener. So folks, sit tight, settle in. It's always one of my greatest honors to open up the midweek mailbag here on Locked On Patriots. And again, I thank each and every one of you for taking the time to send in a question. You guys always amaze me with your insight and your ability to read the pulse of Patriots Nation.

After all, you're a part of that pulse. And let's face it, without a pulse, you're dead. And the Patriots are not dead yet when it comes to the playoffs. At five and six, their hopes are alive, but they need to get a win on Sunday. All of us here in Patriots Nation know it, but the New England Patriots organization,

the coaching staff, and the players know it. Before we open up the mailbag, I just wanted to share a quick tidbit from Bill Belichick's conference with the media this morning. And one of the biggest problems the Pats have had this season is getting out to a quick start. That's been such a staple of Patriots teams in the past. Scoring often, scoring early, putting your teams on their heels, and letting your defense be able to dictate the tempo. This year, the Pats have really struggled doing that. They've actually been outscored 56-21 in the first quarter this season. And at this morning's conference, Bill was asked what he might be able to work on in

practice to help improve that. And Bill was in an engaging mood, as Mike Reese liked to put it on ESPN.com. I kind of agree with Mike's sentiment there. I say that tongue-in-cheek. But he said the Patriots have been working on it every day, and that I do believe. Belichick's exact quote was, honestly, if I had the answer, I would have done it 10 weeks ago, which should tell you that the New England Patriots are well aware of their woes in starting slowly. Against a team like the Los Angeles Chargers, it's going to be very important for

them to start quickly. Los Angeles is a team that starts quickly. They're also a team this year that has been self-destructive with some questionable coaching decisions in crunch time, which have led to them coming out on the losing end of games, maybe even a little bit more than they should. And we'll cover that this week, folks, in our Crossover Thursday and our Game Preview Friday episodes of Locked On Patriots. But the Patriots know that this is a fixable problem, and Bill Belichick was very tongue in cheek even toward the end of his response.

He kind of said with a smirk, thanks for pointing that out. I appreciate it. The Patriots know this is a problem and look for this to be something that the Pats address very strongly and very prominently in practice today, tomorrow, and throughout the rest of the week as they prepare to take the trip to LA to take on the Chargers on Sunday. But with that being said, I know you all have questions, and this week, I'm somewhat confident that I have the answers for you. I kid you folks, I hope I always have the answers that you're looking for, but this week in particular is sort of a pseudo homecoming. And anytime I can talk

Chargers football and Patriots football, it's a good day for me in the hot seat. And in just a moment, you all will put me on the hot seat as we open up the midweek mailbag talking Patriots, Chargers, and this Week 13 matchup when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, we know we're almost a week removed from Thanksgiving, and those extra holiday pounds are starting to pack on a bit. The December holidays don't exactly help that. We all do a lot more eating this time of year, but you also owe it to your help to stay in shape. And when it comes to getting in shape or

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Echelonfit.com slash NFL. Patriots fans, welcome back to the Locked On Patriots podcast. And I don't know about you, but the holiday season always makes me think about my favorite things. In fact, that song, which is from The Sound of Music, is actually played on radio stations throughout the country at this time of year. It's widely considered to be a holiday song, and I can definitely see the point behind that. I've always said that one of my favorite things is being able to open up the midweek mailbag. And that truly is one of my favorite things about being the host of the Locked On Patriots podcast.

A very close second is being able to cross the streams with my colleagues here on Locked On Patriots. And don't forget, tomorrow here on the pod, we will be crossing the streams with Dave DeGrogermeyer, host of the Locked On Chargers podcast. Crossover Thursday is once again back as we break this all down from a Patriots perspective, from a Chargers perspective, and hopefully you'll come out of the crossover with a little bit more knowledge when it comes to both teams. So definitely make sure to stay locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast for Crossover Thursday between Locked On Patriots and Locked On Chargers right here on the Locked On Podcast

Network. But we get back to my favorite of favorite things, and that is opening up the midweek mailbag. Once again, folks, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to send thoughtful, insightful, and very relevant questions here to the pod. Each and every one of you are amazing listeners. I'm truly humbled by your support, your contributions, and Locked On Patriots would not be what it is without all of you.

So that being said, without further ado, let's dig into the midweek mailbag, and our first question comes to us from Joe Costa at Joe P Costa on Twitter and Joe didn't waste any time he tapped right into the pulse of Patriots Nation and this is an excellent question Joe he starts hi Mike hi Joe so it seems Cam has been a great fit as quarterback in so many ways leadership works, gets along great with McDaniels, great with media, teammates love him, etc. But his performance has been poor, especially passing accuracy. Do the Patriots think they can fix Cam, and is he back? And Joe, this is an excellent question, and to be honest with you, I'm not sure it's necessarily a fixing of Cam. I think it's a fixing of a lot of the circumstances.

Cam is a big part of it, and I will get into why. But you're absolutely right. He has been a great fit here in New England. He's been an amazing leader for this team, both on and off the field. Working hard, no question about it. Cam is one of the first guys into practice, one of the last guys to leave. Everyone that I've talked to who's close to the team, Cam puts in the work. Don't ever let anyone tell you differently. He does get along greatly with Josh McDaniels, also with Bill Belichick. You can see the love and respect his teammates have for him every single time these guys take the field. And of course, he is great with the media as well. He's accountable, he's informative, he's insightful, and he never shies

away from the tough questions. From a subjective standpoint, Cam has been absolutely everything the Patriots fans and the media could have hoped for and more. But we're talking objectivity. And on the field, he's had his ups and downs. And despite what you'll hear from a lot of Patriots fans and even some media members, not all of those downs are Cam's fault. Some of them have been breakdowns and pass protection. That's been few and far between.

I don't want to put a lot of this on the offensive line, Joe, because the O-line has been phenomenal. But I think we all can agree that Cam Newton is at his best when he's utilizing the zone reads, maybe incorporating an RPO or two into his repertoire, but he's at his best and at his most comfortable when he's operating out of play action. I'm a bit surprised that the Patriots haven't used Cam, especially in the last couple of weeks more, out of play action. If you want to put some of that on Josh McDaniels and the play calling and the strategy, I don't think that's necessarily an unwarranted criticism of Josh. But at the same time, where Cam has struggled is holding onto the football and taking unnecessary sacks. That's been his kryptonite this year. And Sunday's game is a

pretty good example of that. According to Pro Football Focus, the Patriots offensive line wasn't credited for one of the sacks that were let up on Cam Newton on Sunday. The sacks were credited to Cam himself. And Murph and I talked about this a little bit on Monday's pod. Again, according to our friends at Pro Football Focus, Cam held the ball for an average of 5.1 seconds on two sacks let up on Sunday. That's something he needs to improve on. When you're holding the ball for that long,

there's only so much that you can blame on pass protection breakdown or even wide receivers not getting open. That's on the quarterback, and I think Cam would be the first to admit that. One of the better examples of this is a play that Cam made in the first quarter against the Blitz. Again, that continues to be a problem for Cam and the Pats offense as a whole, but this play was on a mesh concept that both Demir Bird and Jacoby Myers were running, and according to the coach's film, at least according to my interpretation to it, it looked like Demir Bird was his intended target.

Both Bird and Myers were running that mesh concept, and they were supposed to intersect downfield. On this play in the first quarter, you can clearly see that Demir beats his man at the line, and his release on a slant, he's open right away. But Cam just held on to the ball. If he threw the ball as soon as Demir Bird shook his defender, it's a surefire completion to him and maybe even some yards after the catch. And again, this is just one of the examples of Cam holding on to the ball too long, having some

confidence issues and being able to release quickly. And because of that, it's leading to a lot of sacks and a lot of errant throws. Basically, Joe, what this tells me, and I want to credit Matt Chatham on this one as well, because he outlined this very well in his post-game buffet thread. That's really a great breakdown, folks. I definitely encourage you to check that out. Matt's played the game. He knows his stuff as well as anybody, and his analysis is always spot on. It's been my honor to have him on several times here on the pod.

And again, Matt is in that rare echelon of handful of guys that I would say you can take their analysis directly to the bank. I digress. back to the action. From the footage I've been seeing, when Cam has difficulty is that he ends up fixating downfield on balls that he doesn't end up throwing. And some may make the argument that Cam not throwing those footballs is the right decision. Not going to necessarily argue that either way. Sometimes Cam holding onto the ball in those circumstances is the right decision. But when it happens more often than not, and I'm noticing a pattern developing, especially when Cam has struggled, it makes him more vulnerable to these types of sacks because he's simply holding onto the ball too long.

If Cam is not going to be able to pull the trigger on these, and sometimes it's a mental issue that you have to work through, sometimes it's timing with your receivers. Don't forget, Cam Newton did not have a whole lot of acclimation time to get used to his targets, to get used to playing with his receivers, to absorb and learn the Patriots playbook fully and be able to execute it on the field. I think it's a little unfair to evaluate quarterbacks playing on new teams, especially in a year like this when it's been very difficult to form those types of bonds that usually are formed even before training camp begins. But again, I'll digress. If that's something that Cam is not capable of doing this year, then he has to improve his pocket feel. He's got to improve his movement so that these pass rushes,

and I hate to say it, but a lot of the pass rushes that have been able to get to Cam Newton have not been phenomenal coverage. It's not like these guys are playing unworldly football. A lot of times, they're middle-of-the-road pass rushes. The problem is because Cam is holding the ball so much, and he's telegraphing where he's going to be throwing it, it makes him an easy target. That has to improve. That's on the quarterback. I know that Cam is getting dragged a lot by the fan base, especially for the game that he had on Sunday, but ultimately, I'm going to chalk this one up to a bad game because I saw a lot of positives in the previous couple of weeks that lead me to believe that Cam is

on his way back. Not back fully, but on his way back. However, and that's a big however, he does have to improve his pocket presence, his pocket movement, and the feel he has in the pocket in order to become an effective quarterback of this offense. If Cam doesn't do that, he's going to continue to struggle more often than not this season, and you're only going to see that chatter about him not being the guy to lead this team increase. So Joe, excellent question. I firmly stand behind Cam. I think he's the quarterback for this team. I think he should be the quarterback for this team,

but he's got some work to do. And you know what? I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know, and I'm certainly not telling you anything that Cam doesn't already know. He'll be the first to admit that he's got some things to work on. He's a consummate pro, and I think he does it this week. Again, Joe, thanks for the great question, and I hope that I was able to answer it to your satisfaction. Our next question comes from John on the other side of the pond, found on Twitter at BelfastPatsFan. And John's question is kind of an offshoot to what we talked about yesterday here on the pod with Steve Balistrieri. John asks, barring injuries to others,

do you foresee any increase in play time for Sonny Michel? John, this is a great question. And you know I've always been a guy that advocates for Sonny Michel. I like his run style. Despite what so many out there will tell you, I do not question this kid's talent. I think he's had a tough break with injury. Because of those injuries, I think it's affected his confidence.

As Steve and I talked about yesterday here on the pod, I was really surprised that he only got one snap and zero touches, especially in a game where both J.J. Taylor and Rex Burkhead were both on the shelf. Rex is gone for the year. He's not coming back. J.J. Taylor, I do expect him back in the lineup at some point, but the Patriots look very comfortable using Damian Harris and James White as their primary options. I don't have an argument with that at all. Damian Harris has played phenomenal. He's played his way into the starting position. He's your running back one.

He should be this year, next year, and in my opinion, as long as he wears a Patriots uniform. As for James White, what can you say about James White? He's always there when you need him, always comes up with a big play, the best third down pass catching back in the NFL. I say that without hesitation. He's solidified in his role. But you need a number two, someone that's going to be able to take the pressure off of Damian Harris and eventually be able to maybe share that third down role with James

White a little bit so he doesn't get worn out, especially if the Patriots are trying to make a run to the playoffs. Damian Harris and eventually be able to maybe share that third down roll with James White a little bit so he doesn't get worn out, especially if the Patriots are trying to make a run to the playoffs. That has to be Sonny Michel. I understand a lot of the fan base doesn't like him. I understand a lot of the fan base is fed up with him. But at the end of the day, if he's healthy and he does have a fresh set of legs, Sonny has proven that he can rip some impressive runs.

Go back to some of his play before he got injured. Sonny was playing at a pretty high level. And call me crazy, John, but I think it could start this week against the Chargers. The last time Sony played against the Bolts, January 13th, 2019. Divisional round playoffs of that year. A game that I was at Gillette to cover between the Patriots and the Los Angeles Chargers. Sony Michelle's stat line in that game? 129 yards on the ground and three touchdowns.

Folks, I understand. It was a different lineup. It was a different set of circumstances. Two teams and their personnel are not equal, but Bill Belichick is still on the sidelines of the Patriots. Anthony Lynn is still on the sidelines of the Los Angeles Chargers. Sonny knows how to find the seams against this team. I like the way this offensive line matches up against the defensive front that Los Angeles

employs. So if there's going to be a game that Sony can get a little bit of a breakout, I think it could be this one. Don't expect 129 yards. Don't expect three touchdowns. But I do expect Tony to get some touches, and I think that will continue as we progress into the season. As for the offseason with Sony Michel, I think there's still a lot of question marks.

It depends on what the Patriots choose to do for that second back. Don't forget, Brandon Bolin is also waiting in the wings here as well, and I know my man Murph wants to see him come back at all costs. The Patriots have a free agency decision to be made with Rex Burkhead.

What they do with Sonny in the offseason I think is much more of a question mark, but as for the remainder of the season and starting this week, I think you're going to begin to see him acclimated back into this offensive scheme. Of course, everything I just said about Sonny Michel is contingent upon his health. But assuming he's going to be healthy, yeah, look for him to get more touches. Damian Harris will still be the feature back. James White is still your third down option.

But I do think Sonny gets more involved. And at the end of the day, it's going to take some pressure off of Cam Newton as well. So John, thank you so much for the great question on Sony Michelle. Hope I was able to answer it to your satisfaction, and thanks for all of your support and kind words that you have for Locked On Patriots. Our next question on this Patriots Under Fire segment of the Midweek Mailbag comes to us from Devin at aw77221. And Devin's question is one that much of Patriots Nation, including the media contingent, and even right here on Locked On Patriots, have been asking themselves for the past 24 to 48 hours.

Should we expect Nakheel Harry to become, quote unquote, the invisible man in the Patriots offense at the wide receiver position? Devin, that is an excellent question. And much like Sonny Michel, who we just mentioned here on the pod, I've been a pretty big advocate of Nakheel Harry. In fact, I've even been called a Nakheel Harry apologist. I'll own it because I bought into it. I really thought this kid was something special when the Patriots drafted him. I looked at what he was able to do on the field at Arizona State. The acrobatic catches he was able to make were something that really stood out to me. He continued to make those in training camp of his rookie season.

His willingness to get hit and make contested catches to me made him the prototypical Patriot, someone that could play the wide receiver position physically, over the middle of the field, and maybe even dip into that hybrid tight end role that the Patriots love to employ. Well, McKeel just hasn't been that at all. And some of that can be attributed to the fact that he spent the first half of his rookie season on injured reserve, but last year he fell out of favor with Tom Brady pretty quickly. And I know a lot of people blame Tom for that. He doesn't like young wide receivers.

He's not trusting his guys. No, there was a reason why Tom was shying away from Nakiel at the time. He was slow off the line of scrimmage. Defensive backs were really having an easy time jamming him. And as for his openness downfield, he just wasn't getting separation. He was really struggling to create that. So naturally, you're going to fall out of favor pretty quickly with a Tom Brady-led offense when you're not doing either one of those things properly. This year, we thought with Cam Newton coming in, a fresh start, fresh opportunity. Cam and he seemed to really be getting along on the same page. Nikhil Harry

looked to be solid. And honestly, in training camp, his footwork was better. He was showing more confidence at the line of scrimmage. He was actually getting open downfield a little bit. Looked pretty promising. But then Nakiel had his struggles with health once again. And since he's made his return to the field this season, he's just not running with the same power, the athleticism that he had in training camp.

Certainly not what we saw from him at Arizona State. And because of that, Cam's not targeting him. Even when he is open, Cam's not looking for him. That's not a good sign when your own quarterback is not really even looking for you. Harry has firmly been supplanted by both Demir Bird and Jacoby Myers as options on this team. If Julian Edelman gets healthy and he comes back, you have to think that Harry is going to be a distant fourth in terms of the pecking order. And when you add all of those together, Devin, it becomes a stew of negativity when you talk

about Nikhil Harry's potential future with this team. There's still a chance that he can turn it around. Look, he has an amazing catch radius. The kid is tough at the point of attack. And even though he's not making as much of an effort as he once did, Cam is still making his best effort to get Nikhil involved in the offense, mostly when he throws off frame, and Nikhil hasn't been able to pull in those targets. But if he starts showing that he has the ability to do so, then you may see Cam test him down

the field a little bit, maybe get his confidence going, test him to see if he can go down and make those contested catches. But that's not something you do right away. You have to get him involved in the offense first, which is why you're seeing some of these short routes, most likely designed by Josh McDaniels. Cam is trying to get him the ball. I look for that a couple of times this week. But if you continue to see Nakiel Harry drop passes, run bad routes, have terrible footwork, and most importantly, draw unnecessary penalties, he's going to find his way into the Belichick-McDaniels doghouse very quickly.

And even though Cam Newton seems to like Nikhil an awful lot personally, I don't think even he'll be able to pull him out of that. Then you really are looking at a serious doubt for Nikhil Harry's future here in New England. So Devin, thank you for your question and adding the third chapter here on this Patriots Under Fire segment of the Midweek Mailbag. Again, I hope I was able to answer it to your satisfaction, but now it's time for me to dip back into that Chargers blue and gold. In just a moment, I will dive into the Midweek Mailbag and choose your Chargers questions.

Who should we in Pat's Nation be watching closely on Sunday? And if I could change just one thing about this Patriots season, what would it be? Find out when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, you've all heard the phrase, often imitated but never duplicated. I mean, is there a better phrase to describe your favorite football team in Foxborough? Six Super Bowl titles in just under two decades? Yeah, no other NFL team in the modern era can even come close to making that claim.

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to get 20% off your next order. Don't delay. Do it today. Use promo code LOCKEDON for 20% off at BiltBar.com. Patriots Nation, once again, tomorrow is Crossover Thursday all across the Locked On NFL network of podcasts. And again, I'll be crossing over with Dave DeGrogemeyer, host of the Locked On Chargers podcast.

And we will be discussing this one from a Patriots perspective, from a Chargers perspective, and each of us will lend a little wisdom and counsel on the other. So Crossover Thursday is a great way to get a quick breakdown of every game for your fantasy team or for your parlay. Crossover Thursday is only on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Pats fans, we continue our dive into the midweek mailbag this week. And of course, as I said earlier, having the opportunity to not only talk about the New England Patriots this week, but also the Los Angeles Chargers is something I've been waiting

for for quite a while. A big part of my experience in this business is due to covering the Chargers, and it's a time that I'll always treasure and I'll always be grateful for. And as a result, I decided to lend my insight a little on the Chargers, and you came through with some very, very good questions, two of which in particular that I've chosen to address today here on the pod. And without further ado, let's dive right into it. And the first comes from our good friend Joel.

Joel from Hull hyphen Pats number one at Joel Shapiro 20. And Joel asks, who is one player, offense and defense, that Patriots fans should keep an eye on against the Chargers? Joel, this is an excellent question, and my defensive pick is probably an easy one to pick out. And the reason being is he's just one of the most feared defenders in the league. It also happens to tie in quite nicely to another question I'll address on the Chargers in just a little bit.

But on offense, the obvious choice would be Chargers rookie quarterback Justin Herbert. Since taking over for Tyrod Taylor, he showed command and he has definitely solidified himself as the quarterback not only of the present in Los Angeles, but also the future. Even Bill Belichick this morning when he addressed the media sung Justin Herbert's praises, and make no mistake about it, the Patriots heavily scouted this kid. Had he slipped or they've been able to make a trade, I think they would have jumped at the opportunity to draft Justin Herbert. Got tremendous poise, great accuracy under pressure. He navigates the pocket so well, protects the football, and he's able to throw off of leverage. Not to mention the fact that his mental processing is among the best I've ever seen from a rookie.

So based on that kind of endorsement, Joel, you would say that Justin Herbert is the guy to keep an eye on. I think the Patriots are already keeping an eye on him. As a matter of fact, I know they've had their eye on him for quite some time. So I don't think it's a stretch of the imagination to say that he's going to be a focal point of the Patriots' defensive strategy. So he's a player to watch, but not necessarily my player to watch. I came very close to selecting tight end Hunter Henry in this group, and Henry is someone that I've followed since he was a rookie. I covered him in Los Angeles. This kid is a complete tight end.

Sorry, Claire, but he's a lot better than Ryan Izzo. Although, chin up, Claire. Devin Asiasi is back on the practice fields. Dalton Keene returned to the practice fields on Wednesday. There is hope for the tight ends just yet. Sorry, Joel, I'll get back to your question now. Hunter Henry is intriguing and someone to keep an eye on because he creates a lot of matchup problems. He's not only a very good blocking tight end, which may mean that he matches up more often than not with a defensive lineman, maybe even a linebacker in coverage, but also he's an excellent receiver, which means that someone is going to have to step up and provide coverage on Hunter Henry. Kyle Duggar has been the tight end eraser

this year for the Patriots, and for all intents and purposes, Duggar's been very good, but he is a rookie, and it's a lot to put on a guy like Kyle's shoulders to be able to defend someone as prolific as Hunter Henry. That being said, Kyle's going to get his shot at defending Hunter Henry, but I think you're going to see Jawan Williams get more snaps this week. He'll look to help out in that regard, and you might even see J.C. Jackson draw him in coverage if Hunter is used primarily as a receiver in certain packages. He creates a lot of issues. Definitely keep your eye on him this weekend, Joel. But the player I'll have my sharp eye on is Chargers running back Austin Eckler, and again, I've covered Eckler since his days as a rookie, playing his way onto the Chargers roster

when not a lot of people thought he'd crack the 53 man. Eckler hasn't really gotten the spotlight he deserved playing behind a guy like Melvin Gordon for a number of years. But last year, when Gordon held out, Eckler got a chance to show what he can do. And this kid can definitely run. He's got power, he finds the holes well, and is able to run to the outside

and even get some yards after the line of scrimmage. But what really makes Austin Eckler so effective is his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. Since Justin Herbert took over as the quarterback, Eckler's been used a lot out of the passing game. In fact, Evan Lazar of CLNS Media in our conversations referred to him as sort of the safety net for Justin Herbert. Austin is the guy that he looks for when he's under pressure, and as a result, Austin sees a lot of running back screens. They flex him out a lot, and he's really emerged as one of the best receiving backs in the league. When I covered the Chargers, he was always one of my favorite guys to watch, and because Austin is so versatile, the Patriots are going to have to dedicate a legitimate cover guy in order to be able to keep him in check on Sunday. Don't be a bit surprised to see guys

like J.C. Jackson, maybe even Jonathan Jones out of the slot, maybe a Jason McCourty, somebody keeping a constant eye on Austin Eckler at all times, especially when the Patriots are planning to pressure Justin Herbert. Again, Herbert's going to look for Eckler as a safety net. Patriots are going to have to take that away on Sunday, and that's why Joel, he's my player to watch when it comes to Sunday afternoon's game. So Joel, thanks again for the question. A huge thank you for all of the great support and kind things that you have to say about Locked On Patriots. Definitely appreciate you, bud. And I hope I was able to answer that one to your satisfaction.

Our next question comes to us from, again, a couple of fans from the other side of the pond. Two gentlemen who have a pretty good Patriots podcast of their own. Patriots Football Chat with Jake and Matt at PatsChatUK. And Joel, Jake and Matt actually stole a little bit of your thunder, so I'm going to combine your previous question into their great question, and that is, who should the Patriots keep an eye on defensively this weekend? Well, Jake and Matt nailed it.

And they asked, how much do you think we need to fear Joey Bosa this week? Jake, Matt, Joel, I can tell you all, Joey Bosa is the real deal and is one of the most fearsome defenders in the league. Anytime he takes the field, you have to account for him. You have to fear him. Simply put, Bosa is just one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. This year, he's got seven and a half sacks in nine games. I think he's got a strong chance to finish with 10 this year, even more, and that'd be the fourth time in five pro seasons that he did that. In fact, the only time he failed to reach the 10-sack mark came in 2018 when I was still covering the Chargers.

He only played in seven games due to injury that season. Make no mistake about it, Joey Bosa is going to be a difficult matchup for the Patriots offensive line this weekend. Against the Buffalo Bills last week, he had three sacks, five quarterback hits, six tackles for a loss, and a fumble recovery. In fact, again on his Wednesday press conference, Bill Belichick called him, quote, a one-man wrecking crew, and I think that's a pretty accurate assessment. He just does everything well. Bosa can make plays against the run, he can make plays on short yardage, he can rush the passer, and in Belichick's own words, especially on Sunday, Bill said, quote, he sacked

the quarterback on play-action situations where he converted a run read into a play-action rush. That is not easy to do, folks. How does he do it, you may ask? Well, he's got great instincts. He's got a tremendous motor, plays hard, never gives up, makes a lot of plays on effort and on hustle, and in terms of the physical prowess he brings to the table, he's got strong hands, he can control the blockers, he knows how to find the ball. That's really the best thing that I can say about Joey Bosa. Every time it's snapped, he never loses sight of it, and he quarterback hit. Chargers did lose that game 21-13 against the Pats, but he did make life difficult for Tom Brady. The other, of course, was the 2018 AFC Divisional Round Contest. He didn't get a single sack in that game or a quarterback hit.

And if any of you out there are paying attention to Twitter, you're probably seeing the video circulating around social media of Bosa going up to Tom Brady and saying, Stop throwing the ball so fast, Tom. And if there is a kryptonite to Joey Bosa's Superman, that's it, folks. Get rid of the ball quickly. That's something the Patriots are going to want to do. Again, we bring it back full circle to the problems that we discussed earlier with Cam Newton.

That hasn't been his strong suit over the last few weeks. Not getting the ball out quick enough has led to sacks. It's led to other bad outcomes. Patriots need to correct that because with someone as fierce as Joey Bosa always being the ball hawk that he is, he's going to get after it and Cam Newton's going to have to get rid of it fairly quickly. Now the Patriots do catch a little bit of a break in not having Melvin Ingram on the opposite side of Joey Bosa. Together, I still say it's the most fearsome pass rush in the NFL, but Ingram remains on injured

reserve. And as a result, Joey Bosa is going to have to shoulder the load, but he's more than capable of doing so. If the Patriots want to marginally disrupt Joey Bosa on Sunday, the easiest way to do that is to run the football and run it early. Chargers defense right now is allowing 4.8 yards per carry. This is where the Patriots can be most effective, and that means Damian Harris, Sonny Michel, and Cam Newton himself are going to have to be willing and ready to run the ball often and early. If they do have to drop back and pass, Cam's going to have to get rid of the ball quickly if he wants to have any hope of keeping Joey Bosa away from him. But this is a dangerous defender, and if Cam continues to hold the ball longer than he should, it's going to be a very,

very long day for the Patriots because the Chargers do have guys in the secondary. Both Chris Harris and Casey Hayward are capable of making plays at the cornerback position. So don't neglect that part of the game. But that all begins and ends on whether or not Joey Bosa can generate some pressure up front. And if he does that, it could be a long day for New England. So Jake and Matt, thank you for the great question.

And Joel too, because that was also part of yours. Hope I was able to answer that to your satisfaction. On a personal note, keep up the great work with the pod. You guys do awesome work. Definitely check out Jake and Matt, folks, at Pats Chat UK. You'll definitely be glad you did so. And thank you for all the support that you provide to Locked On Patriots. Pats fans, we're almost done digging into the midweek mailbag,

but a trip into the mailbag wouldn't quite be complete without a question from our good friend, the classy one herself, a phenomenal writer, podcaster, and a pretty good person to boot, our good friend Claire L. Cooper. And, brace yourselves folks, Claire's question is not about tight ends. Shocking. I know. But it's a very good one.

And she asks, Mike, if you could change one single thing about this team, realistically, Claire's question is not about tight ends. Shocking. I know. But it's a very good one. And she asks, Mike, if you could change one single thing about this team, realistically, what would you do? And would you prefer to change something this year or guarantee something for next season? Claire, that's actually a really, really good question. And I'm not the type of person that always likes to look too far into the future, especially when it comes to football. There's so many what-ifs surrounding this season that it's even difficult to prognosticate into next season, but there is one thing I would like to change about this year if I

could. And that one thing that I would change is that the players who made the decision, the brave decision, to opt out of this season didn't have to do so in the first place. Meaning that guys like Patrick Chung, Dante Hightower, Danny Vitale, Brandon Bolden could all suit up for this New England Patriots team and thus give the Pats a chance to field the roster they thought they were fielding when the season began. I know some of you would rush to say, oh, I wish they had a tight end, or I wish they didn't have Nikhil Harry and they had DK Metcalf, or I wish Sonny Michel wasn't still

on this team. There were a lot of different wants and desires for this Patriots fan base, but as the Rolling Stones once eloquently put, you can't always get what you want, but sometimes you just might find you get what you need. And in my opinion, the Patriots definitely could have used and needed the wisdom, the counsel, and the veteran leadership of guys like Hightower, Chung, and Bolden especially. Definitely not knocking guys like Juwan Bentley, Kyle Duggar, Jakob Johnson. They've done a phenomenal job filling in,

trying to help the Patriots be everything they can be in the absence of these players. But you can't expect guys with experience like that, abilities to make plays on the field, guys that are battle-tested, that have been to Super Bowls, won Super Bowls, and made big plays on the biggest stage Guys that are battle-tested, that have been to Super Bowls, won Super Bowls, and made big plays on the biggest stage not to have an impact. When those guys go out of the lineup, it's going to affect the team. And I think that's exactly what's happened with the Patriots this year.

I think maybe some of the struggles that they've had might just not have been as bad if you have someone like a Dante Hightower in the middle of your defense. If you have someone like Patrick Chung capable of being an everyday tight end eraser, someone that you can rely on game after game, Kyle Duggar is the future of that position, folks. He's excellent. I'm glad the Patriots drafted him. This is in no way a slight on Kyle Duggar, but he is a rookie, and he hasn't had that luxury of playing behind a guy like Patrick Chung,

learning from him, and then putting into action what he sees on the field. He's been called to do a lot in his rookie season. I think he's done a great job, but having a guy like Patrick Chung learning from him and then putting into action what he sees on the field. He's been called to do a lot in his rookie season. I think he's done a great job, but having a guy like Patrick alongside him could make him even more formidable. So Claire, that's the one thing that I would change on the 2020 Patriots if I could. I'd love to be able to have the opt-outs back on this roster. And of course, by extension, I think I speak for almost everyone in the world right now that the reason these players felt they had to opt out to begin with

is perhaps the most important thing that we all in the world would like to change, and that's to make this pandemic a thing of the past. So, Claire, thank you for your question. Again, folks, you can check out Claire's great work for full press coverage, Patriots, and also the wisdom and counsel that she lends to two Patriots plays each and every Friday with great friends of the program like Thomas Murphy and Steve Balistrieri. And with that, Patriots fans, it's time to close up the Locked On Patriots midweek mailbag. And it's always my hope that you enjoyed the wisdom, counsel, and insight not only on your

New England Patriots, but also some of my wisdom and counsel on the Los Angeles Chargers. And if you're looking for more wisdom and counsel, more in-depth analysis, and most importantly, current analysis on the Los Angeles Chargers, please be sure to check us out here tomorrow on Crossover Thursday when Dave DeGrogemeyer, host of the Locked On Chargers podcast,

joins me here on the hot seat as we cross the streams here on Crossover Thursday. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, subscribe and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank all of you who took the time to submit a question for today's Mailbag episode. But most importantly, I thank each and every one of you listeners for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Until tomorrow, Pats Nation, stay safe, stay well. Always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.