Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Monday, Monday - Patriots-Broncos Moved to Monday Evening - 10/9/2020

Episode Date: October 9, 2020

For the second time in as many weeks, the New England Patriots have had a Sunday Showdown turn into a Monday Matchup. The Pats will now host the Denver Broncos on Monday evening at 5:00 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Mark Schofield of USA Today to discuss some key offensive and defensive matchups, as well as the most likely quarterback strategies to be employed by both teams.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.Built 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 $10 off your first 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!NFL Game PassThis season, get football on your time with NFL Game Pass. See all the action from every game with full game replays.Go to nfl.com/gamepass to start your free trial today.  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, where it is one day closer, yet one day further apart from game day. And today, I will explain exactly what I mean by that, 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 NFL Game Pass. This season, get football on your time with NFL Game Pass. See all the action from every game with full game replays. You can also replay an entire game and catch all of the plays in just 45 minutes with condensed games. Go to NFL.com slash Game Pass to start your free trial today. NFL Game Pass, where football never stops. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation.

Thank football in Foxborough. It is Friday. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Patriots podcast, which of course is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Feel free to share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there giving the weekend nod and saying, how you doing, to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Patriots Nation, you heard me correctly by saying that today is one day closer,

yet one day further away from game day. And you're probably all sitting there wondering, what do I mean by that? That doesn't make sense. How is it even possible? Well, yesterday evening, we found out. As was first reported by Mike Kliss of Nine News in Denver, Colorado, the NFL has officially decided to move Sunday's game from 425 p.m. at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough to Monday evening at 5 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Mountain Time. The game will now be a part of an ESPN doubleheader, as this Week 5 contest between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos

will precede the Monday Night Football contest between the New Orleans Saints and the Los Angeles Chargers. Meaning that today's pod, which is generally a game preview, will still be a preview of sorts, but I'll be refraining from providing my notes and analysis on Sunday's game, as well as my game prediction. I'll hold off on doing that until Monday's pod. But fear not, because to take you into the weekend, we are still chock full of news, notes, and analysis when it comes to this Sunday's game between the Broncos and the Patriots.

Because joining me here today on the pod is someone who knows a thing or two about offensive style, a thing or two about defensive style, and a whole lot of quarterback style. That's right, folks. If we're talking quarterbacks, it could only be one man. We blessed the reins today here on Locked On Patriots by welcoming back my predecessor

and good friend Mark Schofield. And Mark and I will be discussing the Denver Broncos offensive skill position players. As we all heard yesterday here on the pod from Cody Roark, host of Locked On Broncos, the Denver Broncos are a little banged up in that department. What type of offensive strategy might they employ against a formidable but slightly weakened Patriots defense, especially if Stephon Gilmore is not able to go in this one? Will they rely on a rookie at wide receiver in Jerry Judy? Or will they look to establish the run using both veteran Melvin Gordon and Phillip Lindsey,

who has been on the shelf for a little while, folks, but is expected to play in this one? Last but certainly not least, Mark will provide his second-to-none expertise and analysis when it comes to the potential quarterback matchups we might see on Monday evening. Will the Broncos look to second-year quarterback and former practice squatter Brett Rippon, who came in and played serviceably against the New York Jets last Thursday? Or will Broncos head coach Vic Fangio determine that the shoulder of Drew Locke is indeed durable enough to suit up in this one? But after all, folks, this is Locked On Patriots, so Mark will bring it all home by lending

his expertise on Cam Newton's status for this game. Whether or not the Patriots are better suited going with Brian Hoyer or Jarrett Stidham. And no matter who's taking snaps under center for New England this weekend, Mark will break down exactly what you can expect to see on the field. So a stack to the max agenda here on the Locked On Patriots podcast today. Settle in and let the wisdom of Mark Schofield and myself bring you into the weekend as we prepare for Monday evening's matchup between the Denver Broncos and your New England Patriots. But before we bless the rains and welcome Mark into the hot seat today,

the question that continues to be on everyone's mind is the health of your New England Patriots. Are we fooling ourselves into thinking that Cam Newton could even suit up in this game after testing positive for COVID-19 just one week ago? Well, folks, as I outlined here yesterday, the league protocols have changed a little bit. As long as the player in question returns two negative COVID-19 tests, separated by 24 hours, of course, they can be cleared to play. Seeing that Cam tested positive last Friday evening into Saturday morning, Monday would mean that he has satisfied the 10-day requirement since his first positive test. Now, even though it's yet to be 100% confirmed, all of the information surrounding

Cam Newton right now indicates that he has been asymptomatic throughout this entire process. If that is indeed the case, and Cam returns two consecutive negative tests, separated by 24 hours, then yes, folks, Cam Newton could theoretically suit up and play in this game on Monday evening. Again, as I stated yesterday, there is still the matter of him being cleared by team physicians as well as NFL physicians. That timeline may be a little bit more difficult to circumvent. However, there is a chance, and while I'm not saying it's a very good one,

I'd be lying if I said it was a poor one that Cam Newton could end up playing on Monday. Bottom line, the most important thing to remember here, and this is really true of the health and welfare of all New England Patriots players and personnel, continue to keep a sharp eye on the Patriots medical reports that come out each and every day. So far, the Patriots have enjoyed very good fortune in that regard. Since news broke about Stephon Gilmore's positive test, the Patriots have yielded zero positive reports. Thursday morning's test results were all negative, as were the overnight

tests that were released on Friday morning. But the Patriots are continuing to do the smart thing here. On their own accord, not because they're being mandated by the league, the Patriots are continuing to take precautions and will keep the facilities closed through Friday. They will not have any in-person practice. Virtual meetings will take place on Friday. Right now, there are tentative plans to open the facilities on Saturday. That, of course, is assuming that all tests from Friday come back on Saturday morning negative as well. Of course, there is the injury front to watch, and even though the Patriots are not practicing on the Gillette Stadium fields in Foxborough, they are still required to issue injury reports, and if the Patriots were to practice on the field, four of

their players would have been limited. That includes defensive lineman Adam Butler, who continues to be listed with a shoulder injury, wide receiver Julian Edelman, continuing to be listed with a knee, and a pair of offensive linemen, both Isaiah Wynn and Shaq Mason, listed with calf injuries. Naturally, folks, this report will become more and more poignant

as we get closer to kickoff, but it's always smart to keep an eye on the players that the Patriots might be limiting and who might end up being active or inactive for this game. Don't forget, the Patriots will head into their bye week after playing the Broncos on Monday night, a very good opportunity to get everyone healthy, everyone rested, as the Patriots get set to begin the home stretch of a very difficult schedule in 2020. So even though this contest has been moved to Monday, Patriots Nation, we still have a lot of questions regarding the Denver Broncos and your New England Patriots as well.

Luckily for us, my guest today has the answers to those questions. In just a moment, Mark Schofield will join me here on the hot seat as we discuss strategy, analysis, and provide a little prognostication when it comes to the Patriots' Monday evening matchup with the Denver Broncos. But first, Locked On listeners, help to support your local businesses. Whether they're your corner stores, coffee spots, or favorite shops, local businesses have always been on your team, supporting you and your community. They remember your order and call you by name, always giving back, making a difference, and

going that extra mile. But right now, more than ever, local businesses need our support. So let's be there for them. The next time you go shopping, help your team score and choose to shop at local businesses. And while you're there, look for the contactless symbol and tap to pay with a contactless Visa to help support your community. Because where and how you shop matters. Visa, everywhere you want to be.

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This Monday, 5 p.m. Eastern in Foxborough, the Patriots hosting the Denver Broncos, and we will be getting you ready for this Monday evening Week 5 matchup at Gillette. Advantages, disadvantages, and of course, quarterbacks. And that means bringing in the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. The excellence of execution. The host emeritus here at Locked On Patriots.

That's right, folks. Today, we bless the reins and welcome back my predecessor, my mentor, and my good friend, Mark Schofield of USA Today's Touchdown Wire. Mark, thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome back home. Oh, Mike, it's a pleasure to be back with you on this fine Friday. It's always great to get a chance to catch up with you, talk a little non-football stuff before,

talk a little football stuff once we hit record. And I'm just excited that we get a game to talk about this week because even that looked dicey for a while. It truly did. And, you know, it's been an interesting week for the last interesting couple of weeks here in Patriots Nation. You know, normally I would use a dad joke here and say there's nothing going on. Typical dull week in Foxborough. Nothing ever happens.

But the COVID scare affecting this team and really the league as a whole, Mark, it really isn't a laughing matter. And I know you've seen the reports on the Patriots COVID-19 testing both Wednesdays and Thursdays rounds coming back all negative. And that's very good for the Pats but still some hurdles to get over in terms of whether this game will be played or not but as of our recording we're approaching this as all systems go and Mark I just wanted to get your take on everything that's happened in Foxborough over the course of the last week or so from the time that we found out Cam Newton tested positive last Saturday to Stephon Gilmore's positive test earlier this week,

Bill Murray also testing positive as a member of the practice squad. What are some of your concerns still heading in and what your feelings are about the Patriots and their ability to get this game in on Monday night? Well, Mike, I think the concern sort of has to start with just the timeline here, because as we've seen, not just with players in the league, whether it's Tennessee, whether it's other teams, whether it's the Patriots, whether it's just real-world examples of how communities are dealing with COVID-19,

there is a lag between, say, an initial positive test and when you might see more positive tests starts to pop up. And we had, you know, we're still under a week from when Cam Newton tested positive, because my understanding is the test that he took was administered on Friday and it came back positive on Saturday. So there's usually a five- to seven-day window. So we're at the end of that, which is good. But there's, like you said, like you said at the outset, there are still some hurdles left.

We're understanding that, you know, no more positive tests today, which is a very good sign. If we get to tomorrow and Sunday and there's still no more positive tests, then I think the Patriots will have done a good job at sort of containing any potential spread beyond Cam Newton, Stephon Gilmore, and Bill Murray, the positive tests that we have right now. So we're kind of going to hold our breath, cross our fingers point of time. Hopefully, we continue to get good news. But as with everything in 2020 and everything related to COVID-19, now we just sort of have to wait and hope for the best. Yeah, absolutely. So well said. It's almost like a not-so-fast type feeling that everyone has

around the league. And I'm not just saying it's limited to the Patriots. Obviously, there's a bigger feel for the New England Patriots because they have had positive tests. We even saw one pop up this morning in New York with the Jets. So a lot of concern throughout the league. Still, there will be concern throughout the league. Still, there will be concern throughout the league. Unfortunately, positive tests will continue to be the case. Hopefully, the NFL will have the protocols in place to be able to contain it. So, Mark, putting that aside, it looks like all systems go for this weekend. And again, the Patriots once again are having their Sunday game pushed back to Monday evening,

this time at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, taking on the Broncos. And there are some questions surrounding both teams with regard to health, with regard to availability. And putting aside the quarterback questions on both teams for just a moment, Denver comes into this game with skill position players that have really taken an injury hit this year. Cortland Sutton, obviously, their star wide receiver on injured reserve. K.J. Hamler, another promising rookie wide receiver. He's almost certainly out for this one with the hamstring injury. Tight end Noah Fant probably won't be able to go in this.

Vic Fangio has essentially tipped his hand already, saying that he will not be out there. So those are big hits for a team like Denver to take Jerry Judy, obviously the crown jewel of the Broncos draft this year. He's a tricky cover since he mostly lines up in the slot is about six, 193 pounds. Usually Jonathan Jones will draw this type of a coverage. Um, but he does better in my estimation against smaller or faster slot receivers. I don't know if this is necessarily an ideal defend, um, having Jonathan Jones on Jerry Judy, but they may not have a choice because to me, this is where the Patriots would most

miss Stefan Gilmore. I think he would actually be the better option to follow Jerry Judy into the slot. If Gilmore remains on the COVID list mark, then the expectation is that JC Jackson, Jason McCourty are going to man the two outside cornerback spots. Jones, I think, will continue to play in the slot. If Judy, seeing that Judy, I should say, poses the best threat to the Patriots secondary this week, in your estimation, how would you defend him if, in fact, Stephon is not able to go? Yeah, I think we'll make two assumptions here to sort of answer this question. The first being, you know, Guillermo will not go because I'd be surprised if he gets cleared in time to play this game. And the other assumption is that for the sake of this question, we'll put whoever is under center for the Broncos to the side for a moment,

because I think the answer might change. It might be a big quarterback dependent. So generally, I think you're going to see a game plan with respect to Judy, particularly given Sutton is out and Hamler is out, that it's going to be similar in a sense to what we saw last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. You are going to start with Jonathan Jones on Jerry Judy in sort of man coverage situations,

but you are going to cone him with safety help. You are going to bracket him with safety help. You are going to use one cross and other kind of robber type coverages to take away any crossing routes where whoever is the quarterback of the Denver Broncos will look to him first on those routes, working either right to left or left to right, so that quarterback then has the sense of the Denver Broncos will look to him first on those routes, working either right to left or left to right. So that quarterback then has the sense, the impression that those are getting double teamed from Judy. And you have to look elsewhere with the football.

You know, I think regardless of who the quarterback is, a big part of this week's game plan against Denver is going to be to either trap, you know, initial reads from that quarterback or force whoever that is to get to their second or third read in the progression. Because both Brett Ripett and Drew Locke, while they have their positives and their pluses as quarterbacks, both of them do, they're both young. And if you watch both of these guys in the games that they have played so far, there has been a number of situations where they either get baited into making throws or whenever they are forced to come off their first read,

they get into trouble. And so I think you are going to want to take away the proverbial Belichick, take away what a team does best. You're going to want to do that with Jerry Judy, with these cone coverages, these bracket coverages, and these Robert type designs where you show that quarterback that Judy is, in a sense, double-teamed, force him to look elsewhere, and then the advantage tilts in your favor

because you're getting that quarterback on unfamiliar and uncomfortable territory. Yeah, very well said. And, of course, I'm glad that you mentioned the possible dichotomy in that when it comes to either starting Drew Locke or starting Brett Rippon. And we will get to your quarterback prowess in just a moment my friend after all one of the big reasons why we brought you here that and to check on the total poster but we'll get into that in a little bit as

well um mark the pat the patriots run defense has had its moments this year on both sides of the spectrum some good some not as, but I think they perform very well in defending Clyde Edwards, L.A., and the KC ground attack on Monday night. For the Broncos, Melvin Gordon, a player that I covered in L.A. with the Chargers, is enjoying a bit of a bounce back season in his first season in Denver. He's averaging 4.3 yards per carry with three rushing touchdowns. The problem is that Denver has been playing mostly from behind. They really haven't had a chance to lean on him as much as they would like. Another problem with Denver's running game to me has been Phillip Lindsey, who's been out since week one with a toe injury. Vic Fangio seems to believe that Lindsey is going to be able to play in this one

against the Patriots. That could provide Denver with a solid one-two backfield punch that they haven't had in quite a while. Considering how banged up Denver's pass-catching arsenal is right now, and you mentioned this a little bit with their penchant to be able to try to use Judy as a way to establish some offensive continuity, how much effort do you think the Patriots' defense is going to put into containing Denver's run game on Monday evening? Well, I think part of that will also be quarterback dependent on who gets to start for Denver. But I think just generally speaking, Denver is going to want to come into this game regardless

of who's under center, you know, hoping to run the football a little bit. You've got some of your skilled receiver players banged up, your tight ends banged up, you know, a good way, a good, you know, sort of general approach would be to try to run the football. You know, you mentioned that in a lot of their games against Tampa Bay, for example, against Pittsburgh, for example, against even Tennessee at the start of that game, they were down. So the game script kind of wasn't working in their favor.

I think you saw a better example of what their run game could be against the Jets last Thursday night. You saw a mix of zone as well as gap power type stuff. One of their first runs of the game, you know, 15-yard game from Melvin Gordon. It was on one of your gap power designs where you get a little pull. You get, you know, a nice little trap up front. You know, but they also had, you know,

an outside zone run play early in that game as well. They went for another, you know, 15-plus type of game. And the 43-yard touchdown, That was a simple inside zone play. And so I think that the Denver Broncos are going to want to run the football. I think if you're in new England, conversely, regardless of who the quarterback is, you want to have the opposite game plan that you had last week at one sense last week against Kansas city,

you want Patrick Mahomes hand of the ball off as much as possible. You'd rather have him turn to hand the ball off than drop back to throw. So you run lighter fronts. You run, you know, tight fronts with 3-2 personnel up front or even sometimes 1-3 personnel, which they did a couple of snaps, and dare them to run the football. This week, I think you dare them to throw, whether it's Drew Locke or Brett Rippon.

You sack them a lot of times. You bring more people down to the box, and you dare them them to throw and so I think that's going to be a part of their game plan this week try to say look Denver you may want to establish the run but you're going to have to do it against loaded boxes I completely agree and I didn't mean to interrupt you there but no I do

I do completely agree on that I think the mindset on defense should change this week the Broncos limited passing attack should translate into more bodies being devoted to stopping both Gordon and Lindsey if he's able to go. I think you hit the nail on the head. Fangio is going to want to establish the ground game, help to protect his quarterback, whether it be Rippon or whether it be Lockby, who's coming in fighting off an injury, even if he's ready to go. You want to keep them out of obvious passing situations, but the Patriots shouldn't allow that to happen often. They should have enough to keep

the Broncos in check. I thought Lawrence guy Dietrich wise last week did a particularly good job in being able to contain the run. I think you'll see a little more of them this week and maybe more bodies dedicated, like you said, less lighter fronts and a little bit more to help keep the Patriots defense able to withstand a more potent Denver running attack than they have in the past right now. Buddy, it is always a blast when you come back home. Your wisdom and counsel is the perfect primer for this upcoming Monday evening showdown in Foxborough. But this one has its share of questions at the quarterback position, and we've danced around it long enough. In just a moment, folks, we're going to hit it because Mark Schofield will lend his insight on whether facing Brett Rippin or Drew Locke would be more beneficial for the New England Patriots.

Not quite as easy as it sounds, folks. And, of course, we'll talk New England single callers to bring it all home. All this and at least one more Toto reference when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, my good friend and predecessor Mark Schofield joins me here today on Locked On Patriots. And Mark, Brett Rippin, the former practice squatter, took over for backup Jeff Driscoll for the Denver Broncos two weeks ago. Made some plays against the Jets in the win, but he also threw three interceptions and he nearly cost the team the game. Denver undoubtedly

is going to be looking for Drew Locke to go in this one. I know their fan base will, most of the media will, and I'm sure if you probably held Vic Fangio's feet to the fire, he'd rather have Drew in this one as well. We talked a little bit about this in the previous segment the pats secondary usually feasts on situations like this and i don't think it would be surprising to see them still cause some confusion leading to maybe a turnover or maybe even a pick or so for that patriot secondary but they are without stefan gilmore and that will demonstrate that will be demonstrated on the field if in fact stefan can't go in this i will say that folks we demonstrated on the field. If, in fact, Stephon can't go in this, I will say that, folks. We're making the assumption that he probably won't be able to, but theoretically, at the time this podcast is being recorded,

it's still possible that we may see him on the field. I don't know how, but we may still see him. Playing devil's advocate, my friend, and by that I mean playing Denver's offense, how would you look to attack this Patriots defense as both Drew Locke and as Brett Rippon? I think in both cases, Michael, if you're this offensive staff for the Denver Broncos, you have to find ways to get that first read open. And that's your typical, you know, it sounds great on paper, but it's much harder to execute,

particularly against the new England Patriots, but you have to find a way to make sure that you get that first read available to the quarterback so they can make a quick informed and correct decision. And, you know, part of that stems off the previous discussion. You know, if you're the Denver Broncos and you're looking at this game and if you're somebody, you know, people like us on the outside,

looking in at this game, you're thinking, Oh, Denver's going to want to run the football, right? Whether it's Locke, whether it's Rippon, you want to establish the run, you know, take things out of their hands in terms of the Patriotsaction shot plays to Jerry Judy off of some rub concepts, off of some switch vertical type concepts where you might be able to get Jonathan Jones isolated against Jerry Judy in what might be a bit of a difficult matchup for him, not over the middle where you've got those robbers coming into play, but deep down the field along the boundaries where if you're Locke, if you're Ripon, whoever it is, those are somewhat low- throws because, you know, you might miss it out of bounds or you might overthrow it, but odds are it's not going to get intercepted.

And perhaps you hit on a big one or give Jerry Judy a chance to make a play downfield like he did for that first touchdown against the Jets on Thursday night. And so I think you want to do the quarterback friendly things that we often talk about when we think about developing young quarterbacks. You use play action. You use a lot of motion pre-snap to give the quarterback, whether it's Locke or Rippon, you know,

an advantageous look at the defense and hopefully get them to tip their hands a bit. And I think the other thing that you want to do is, you know, you, again, want to get your quarterback at a bit of a rhythm. I think you saw that on Thursday night with Rippon, but you've seen it as well with Locke. If they start to make a mistake, as sometimes young quarterbacks do, they get into that quicksand mode where they're fighting against it.

You saw it particularly with Rippon. He threw two really bad interceptions in the middle of that game where it looked like he was going to throw that game away. So you give him some first reads, some easier reads, some design throws, some screens, some quick out routes, things like that, that can get either one of these guys into the flow of the game. Take some of those nerves off because, you know, this will be a, you know, a Monday night primetime game against Bill Belichick and the New England

Patriots at Foxborough, at Gillette Stadium. That's an interesting environment for a young quarterback. So you have to do some things to give them some opportunities to get into the flow of the game, you know, ease their nerves a bit and, you know, perhaps go in and steal one of these games. Yeah. And I think you make a very, very interesting point. So many points, in fact, well said, and I'm not going to try to, you know, ruin them by elaborating

on them. But bottom line, I think the injury to Drew Locke or the inexperience with Brett Rippon could lead to some difficulty. The struggling offensive line, that could definitely be a factor in here as well and could lead to some turnovers for the Patriots defense. So best case scenario for the Pats defense, that would be it being able to feast on either a banged up Drew Locke or an inexperienced Brett Rippon and be able to contain them and allow the Patriots offense time and the wherewithal to put points on the board. That leads me quite nicely into my final question for you, my friend today. And the Patriots have quarterback questions of their own.

Everyone in Pats nation is waiting to hear good news on Cam Newton and whether he's returned the necessary negative test to get the nod this weekend if he doesn't uh the fan base might just break the record for antacid sales here in New England not folks I'm kidding the Patriots should have opportunities in the passing game against a Denver secondary that has struggled, regardless of who's taking snaps. A.J. Boye remains on IR for the Broncos with a shoulder injury. Michael Ojemudia and Bryce Callahan are likely to be the starters in this, although Callahan's name keeps popping up on the injury report. Kareem Jackson and Justin Simmons at the safety position.

They've shown some promise, but this group ultimately ranks 21st in pass defense. They've allowed 256 yards per game, and opponents have thrown seven touchdowns, while the Broncos have just one interception through four weeks on the opposite side of that. Mark, if in fact Cam can't go in this one, because we know Cam Newton is a dual threat that's going to be able to beat you with his legs, with his arm. He can to whatever denver is going to throw at him but if he can't go in this in your opinion based on denver's defense are they better off going with

jared stidham or brian hoyer to get the nod and what do you think we can expect to see at the quarterback position for the pats this week as a whole yeah i mean i think with the assumption being that cam newton can't go i think regardless of who gets the start you're going to see at the quarterback position for the Pats this week as a whole? Yeah, I mean, I think with the assumption being that Cam Newton can't go, I think regardless of who gets the start, you're going to see a lot of the run game. We saw that, obviously, last Monday night against the Kansas City Chiefs when it was Brian Hoyer who got the start. They tried to establish the run a little bit, then use some play action stuff off of that. I think whether it's Hoyer or Stidham,

you're going to see that be the initial part of the game plan. You know, 10 of the first descriptive 15 might be run in place as a result, probably with some screens or, you know, some design shot plays off of play action, you know, being the other five. If it were me, if I'm Josh McDaniels, if I'm Bill Belichick, you've had a full week here. You know, this isn't like last week. And part of the reason that this team brought Brian Hoyer in after moving on from Tom Brady with that situation and not drafting a quarterback was to have somebody with the knowledge of the playbook and the ability to sort of be that emergency-type quarterback, which became even more critical as COVID-19 began

to become more of an issue as we faced the start of the season. And that's exactly what happened this past week. You get a Saturday morning, I'm out there doing some yard work, and my phone just explodes in my pocket. It's because Cam Newton tested positive, and now you've got a game to play. In that case, it was like 24 hours you were supposed to be in Kansas City. And so this was the Brian Hoyer type situation. No practice time, no reps, nothing, just a Zoom meeting,

and let's go kick off a game. Now you've had a full week. And so I think you approach this game as a chance to start Jared Stidham. That would be my approach because he is a more athletic quarterback. I think he's got a better arm. You know, we saw that even though he missed some of those throws downfield, you know, he had to pick six, which went through Edelman's hands. He under threw a route that could have been a touchdown.

He had an interception that got called back versus, you know, because of defensive pass interference. That could have been a touchdown if there wasn't the DPI. He did have the nice fade routes into Kale Harry for a touchdown. You know, this was a 13-10 game. You let a touchdown drive when you were down 13-3. So, I think you've had a full week to get him ready. I think his athleticism might be able to create a little bit outside of the

pocket, more so than Brian Hoyer, particularly going up against a band up secondary. There might be an opportunity for some scramble type plays where your secondary breaks down late into the down. I do think Justin Simmons is a safety to worry about. I think he's a very talented player. But if it were me, it's a Jared Stenum week. You know, Brian Hoyer is a perfect quarterback for those kind of emergency type moments.

But if you've got a week to prep a guy, I think you take advantage of that and you see what Jared Stenum can do having a full chance to get up to speed and ready to go and to start an NFL game. Perfectly said. And I couldn't agree more. Look, I said last week that I believe that Hoyer was the smarter choice for the Patriots. I still stand by that, even though his performance on the field was lackluster. I mean, I'm not going to sit there and sugarcoat it.

I also think it's fair to point out that the Patriots had almost no lead time to practice for a backup being able to take those snaps. They practiced all week long, assuming Cam Newton was going to be the starter and then all of a sudden practice time is already in the books and now you have to go to your backup i understand that's hoyer's job but it is difficult to be able to do that step in bright lights big city feel against the defending super bowl champions and be able to do it i think it could have been even worse if they had started jared knowing that this would have been his first official start as a member of the New England Patriots. Very difficult position to put him in. I thought once he did go in, I thought he did two things that Hoyer didn't do. I thought he

gave the team a spark offensively. I think you saw them play with a little bit more enthusiasm, maybe a little bit more energy, and he also challenged the coverage down the field. And I think those are two things that with the lead time, like you just said, allow the New England Patriots to give him the nod if, in fact, Cam Newton can't go in this one. We're all hoping the best for Cam. And who knows? It's 2020, bud. We might see Cam Newton on the field Monday evening. But I thought exactly we just might.

And apparently, like I said before, there's still a chance that Gilmore may suit up. I don't know how that happens. But again, folks, 2020, anything and everything is possible, sometimes in a good way, most of the time in a way that just makes you shake your head. But Mark, what can I say? The one thing that has been a bright spot of 2020 is me being able to share the microphone with you once again here on Locked On Patriots. Folks, Mark Schofield is not only one of the best guys you'll meet in any walk of life. I say that without hesitation. He is an amazing writer and analyst for platforms such as Inside the Pylon, Big Blue View, Bleeding Green Nation, Pat's Pulpit.

I mentioned USA Today's Touchdown Wire, the great work that he does for that publication. His podcast, The Scosho, always appointment listening for Patriots fans. Buddy, thank you so much for lending your wisdom, counsel, and excellence to Locked On Patriots today. Before I let you go, please let our listeners know where they can find you and what they can look forward to in the upcoming days and weeks from the great pen of mark scofield well thank you so much buddy it's always a blast to catch up with you mike like i said before the shows and then during the shows themselves um you pretty much hit everything on

the head the best way to follow along with the work is on the bird app like we like to call it twitter at mark scofield in terms of the stuff you can look for from me lots of video breakdowns i've been doing a ton of those this year on Twitter, breaking down quarterback play and offensive schemes and two-minute bites. I'm doing a program with the Scouting Academy. Dan Hammond, we're going to be releasing, you know, one video like that each Thursday to get you ready for the Thursday night game. And then over at USA Today, Touchdown Wire,

I do a lot of five observation pieces. The minute the game ends or shortly thereafter on primetime national game ends, you know, I'll hit, you know, send on a piece like that. I just did one of the last few minutes after that game last night ended between the Bucs and the Bears. You probably expect one from Sunday night football this week, as well as this Patriots game on Monday night. So you can look for that stuff as well. But like you said,

the easiest way to follow along, on the Bird app at Mark Schofield. And thank you again, my friend. Like I said, you've set an amazing table here for me to be able to enjoy. I can never thank you enough for your hospitality, your mentorship, and your friendship, most importantly. That Toto poster is forever affixed to that wall. There is no way it's coming down.

We lost a rock and roll icon this week in Eddie Van Halen, and that was certainly, I know, a tough one. For guys our age, I had the very good fortune of being able to see Eddie play live and hearing him play Eruption live. It was just amazing. But, you know, the Toto poster right here is kind of like the unofficial mascot of Locked On Patriots. And I, for one, love it.

And I bless the reins in your honor every day, my friend. Stay safe. Stay well. We look forward to having you back. And thanks again for everything, my friend. Always, my friend. Always a blast. Take care, my buddy.

Thanks, bud. And so, Patriots fans, it is time to put a lid on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. And normally, we'd be sending you into the weekend, getting you ready for Sunday's matchup between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots. However, as a reminder, that matchup will take place on Monday evening, October 12th, 5 p.m. Eastern, 3 p.m. Mountain Time at the friendly confines of Gillette Stadium in Foxborough,

Massachusetts. And Monday here on the pod, we'll be bringing you all the information you need to get you ready for kickoff at 5 p.m. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, make sure to download Locked on Patriots wherever you get your podcasts, whether it be Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, whatever you do, make sure that you're staying locked into Locked On Patriots. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate.

I thank my friend Mark Schofield for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until Monday, Patriots Nation, stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone.