Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Mondays are for Murph and Minicamp: Cam’s Back, Gilmore’s Not for Patriots on Day One — 6/14/2021

Episode Date: June 14, 2021

The New England Patriots began their final phase of their offseason workout program, as they opened mandatory minicamp on Monday in Foxboro, Massachusetts. However, they did so without cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who is reportedly forgoing the three-day camp in hopes of securing a new deal. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy. The duo discuss Gilmore’s contract, the return of Cam Newton and Murph favorite minicamp storylines.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxborough faithful. You are now locked in to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Monday, June 14th, 2021, and it is day one of mandatory minicamp 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. Lockdown Patriots is presented today by RockAuto.com. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.

Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation, and thank you for kicking off your week of Patriots coverage right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. In addition, I also cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. As a reminder, Locked On Patriots 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

very much appreciated. So share that feedback. Send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there doing some Monday meandering through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as

well at L-O underscore Patriots. Folks, it's all been voluntary up in Foxborough up until this point, but today it becomes mandatory, as in day one of mandatory minicamp at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Your 2021 New England Patriots will be reporting for three days of workouts before taking a little hiatus and reporting back to Gillette in late July for the official beginning of training camp. And this time of year is always exciting for Patriots fans. Because it's mandatory minicamp, most of the players, I'll get back to that in a minute, are required to report, which means that we likely get our first look at a lot of new faces, and some returning familiar ones. Whether it be rookies like Mac Jones, Christian Barmore, Ronnie Perkins,

Ramondre Stevenson, or new faces via free agency like Jonu Smith, Hunter Henry, Nelson Aguilar, Kendrick Bourne, or familiar returning faces that we did not see on the field last year due to opt-outs like Brandon Bolden and Dante Hightower. The Pats are indeed back in town, but not so fast. Not everyone is back in town. Because as the Patriots were preparing to open three-day minicamp amidst some pretty inclement weather in Foxborough, we all found out that one of their most prolific defensive players was not going to be walking through the doors of Gillette Stadium on Monday.

In fact, it's looking highly likely that he's not going to be walking through those doors on Tuesday or Wednesday either. A great deal of speculation on whether this man would attend or not attend training camp, and on Monday morning we found out that cornerback Stephon Gilmore would not be present for Monday's practice. This was first reported by Jim McBride of the Boston Globe. As the morning wore on, more reports started to trickle out. NFL Network's Mike Garofalo reported that Gilmore was likely to sit out the entirety of minicamp. Moments later, Jeff Howe of The Athletic reporting that Gilmore's absence was indeed not related

to any type of travel difficulties due to the weather. I'll get back to that one in just a moment. But as players began to take the practice fields, it was confirmed that Gilmore was not among them. And just a little after 1 p.m. on Monday, Karen Garigian of the Boston Herald reporting that Gilmore's absence was indeed related to his contract. Now, as concerning as this is for all of us here in Patriots Nation, one thing it shouldn't be is surprising. After all, Gilmore had already missed the voluntary portions of the Patriots offseason workout program. We all know that he's entering the final year of a five-year, $65 million contract,

which he signed in 2017. This year, he's scheduled to earn a base salary of about $7 million in 2021, which with incentives could get as high as $7.3 or $7.5 million. If that seems like a pretty low figure for someone of Gilmore's caliber, you're absolutely right. It is far below market value for someone with Gilmore's prowess. But before the Bill Belichick is cheap crowd gets up on their soapbox, there is a reason for it. Last offseason, the Patriots and Gilmore agreed to a contract restructure that would move $4.5 million of Gilmore's salary in 2021 to 2020. Don't forget,

Stephon was coming off of being just named the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year, and the Patriots thought that was the most amenable way to give Gilmore a much-deserved pay bump. But if we're being honest, let's call it what it is. It was a deferment. And now, here we are. Gilmore's set to earn a salary considerably less than that of his peers at the position, and apparently Stephon is not happy about it. Who can blame him? But there's another side to that coin, in that the Patriots do have 52 other players on the roster that they have to pay as well.

As constituted right now, Gilmore is set to count for more than $16 million against the Patriots' 2021 salary cap. So, for as motivated as Stephon Gilmore is to get a contract restructure done, you have to think that the Patriots are eager to do so as well. The question is, will the two sides be able to find a happy medium? Stephon wants to be compensated more in line to what his peers are making, whether it be just cornerbacks in general, or cornerbacks on the north side of 30 years of age,

which right now, Stephon Gilmore is. If Gilmore is amenable to the latter rather than the former, I think the two sides can come to an agreement, and probably will do so. But if he's more in line with cornerbacks in general, considering that Jalen Ramsey of the Los Angeles Rams has an approximate annual worth of about $20 million, that may be a little more difficult. Ultimately, Stefan is using his platform, which is holding out of Minicamp, in order to try to accelerate negotiations. And if he is indeed holding out, as Karen reported, because of his contract, that's an unexcused absence, meaning that if Stefan does not show up at all for the next three days, he'll be paying about

$93,000 in fines. Not exactly pennies in the pocket, folks, but for the type of return on investment that Stephon Gilmore is hoping to net, he'll probably look at that as a necessary evil. And most importantly, one he's willing to endure. So, as I like to say here on Locked On Patriots, keep a sharp eye on the Gilmore situation. I will continue to monitor it both for Locked On Patriots and for SI Patriot Maven, and stay

locked into both units for the very latest on the Stephon Gilmore and Patriots contract negotiations. But Stephon Gilmore was not the only prominent Patriot in the news. This time, a Patriot that people did not expect to see on the practice fields made it to the practice fields. And I'm talking about quarterback Cam Newton. When Bill Belichick met with the media first thing on Monday morning, he advised that Cam was ready to go, much to the surprise of the media on the call and most of the fan base. After all, last time we saw Cam Newton take a practice field

was on June 4th when he injured his hand during practice. At that time, a lot of us were speculating that Cam would be out for a significant portion of time, but he was back on the practice fields on Monday. It wasn't exactly smooth sailing for Cam. There were some accuracy issues, but it was definitely good to see him back out on the field. That's a positive for the Patriots, no matter how you slice it. Of course, Mac Jones, Jarrett Stidham, and Brian Hoyer were all available on the field for the New England Patriots. And by consensus, it looks like Mac Jones won the day,

looking dialed in, according to ESPN's Mike Reese. field for the New England Patriots. And by consensus, it looks like Mac Jones won the day, looking dialed in according to ESPN's Mike Reese, and of course, accuracy, decisiveness, standing out despite the challenging weather conditions. Don't sleep on Stidham because he had the throw of the day according to Mike Giardi of NFL Network. He hit Nelson Aguilar in the hands on a deep shot down the sideline. All in all, on a day where most of us were only expecting three out of four quarterbacks to be on the field, the fact that all four suited up and gave meaningful reps is a great sign for the New England Patriots. And Cam wasn't the only one making a return to the field on Monday. Several Patriots players making their offseason debut on Monday, including wide receiver Nelson Aguilar, running back Brandon Bolden, kicker Nick Folk,

defensive tackle Laurence Guy, running back Sonny Michel, kicker Nick Folk, defensive tackle Lauren Skye, running back Sonny Michel, wide receiver Devin Smith, tight end Janu Smith, running back James White, and offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn. As for the players that were absent from Monday's practice, linebacker Rashard Berry, defensive tackle Byron Cowart, linebacker Therese Hall, linebacker Chase Winovich, and of course, cornerback Stephon Gilmore. And all week long, we'll continue to break down minicamp here on Locked On Patriots, but today, it's time for a little Monster Wisdom and Counsel, because even though it's

minicamp day, it's still hashtag Locked On Murph Monday, and that means a visit from the green guru of wisdom and counsel, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy. And we'll be talking about Gilmore's holdout. Cam's return to the field, and we'll also pick Murph's brain on what he'll have his sharp eye on when it comes to minicamp storylines. Folks, an action-packed agenda today, so sit tight, settle in, as Murph and I offer our thoughts on a whirlwind day one of Patriots 2020 minicamp when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

Locked On listeners, we've all heard the phrase often imitated but never duplicated. It's a part of the sports fans lexicon, and that's because only the best athletes and sports teams can provide you with the best possible moments. And in that vein, the only ones who could provide the best healthy, low-calorie, and delicious treats to satisfy all of your snacking needs are the ones who provided the best in the first place. That's right, folks, I'm talking about Built Bar, because no one can do it like they do it.

Built Bars are available in a multitude of delicious flavors, 100% real chocolate, soft, easy to chew, and they're not only low calorie and low sugar, but also high protein and high fiber. Bilt Bar has no crazy additives, half the calories of its most popular competitors, and get this, seven times fewer carbs, seven times fewer grams of sugar, and more protein.

So don't delay, do it today. Prepare your taste buds for a while and make Built Bar your go-to protein bar right now. Go to BuiltBar.com and use the promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order. That's promo code LOCKED15 for 15%

off your next order at BuiltBar.com Patriots fans, as Thin Lizzy would say, the boys are back in town. The Patriots have hit the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium, the beginning of mandatory three-day mini-camp starting today on Monday, June 14th. And of course, all eyes are on the absence of Stephon Gilmore. But there are a lot of sharp eyes that are are on the absence of Stephon Gilmore. But there are a lot of sharp eyes that are also on the presence of quarterback Cam Newton. What does it all mean?

And what are some of the favorite storylines heading into mandatory mini camp? Well, these are a lot of monster questions, folks. Luckily for us, we've got monster answers for you in the form of the green wisdom and counsel we know and love so much that's right folks it is that time again he is here he is ready to roll your favorite in mind my benefactor in this business the only guest on this podcast with his very own branded hashtag the count of murphy fisto himself the legendary thomas murphy is back for his weekly appearance here on locked on On Patriots.

Thank you for coming to me in friendship and for joining me today. Don Murph. Michael, it would not be the same. My life would not be the same if we weren't sitting here on a Monday discussing the New England Patriots. It's really difficult

because there's never anything to talk about in this town ever. Oh, no. Are you kidding me? It's always dull because there's never anything to talk about in this town ever. Oh, no, are you kidding me? It's always dull. There's never any news stories, nothing intriguing. Players just take the field, ho-hum, and that's pretty much it. That's it, you know. You know, I could barely even get that out with a straight face anymore.

It really is amazing. But you know what? As manic as Mondays can be sometimes, and this was a manic Monday, folks, Murph and I make Mondays fun. It is hashtag locked on Murph Monday. A better place to be than right here talking ball with you as the Patriots get set to open mandatory mini camp. And they are taking the practice fields in Gillette for this three-day mandatory mini camp.

But conspicuous by his absence is Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore so I figured we'd start there but it is the news of the day and shortly after Bill Belichick addressed the media on Monday morning Mike Giardi of the NFL Network asked him a pointed question about Stephon Gilmore's attendance and Bill I don't want to say danced around the subject because he didn't he answered the subject because he didn't. He answered the question, but he didn't mention Gilmore specifically. Went out of his way a couple of times during this press conference to say that they had some difficulty with weather. There were some issues. Inclement weather had caused some travel issues. So they were kind of working their

way through everything was the gist of what Bill had to say. And shortly thereafter, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe, who we both know and respect a great deal, one of the best writers on this beat, reported that Stefan would in fact not be showing up on Monday for practice. And then all of a sudden it was like the floodgates opened up. A lot of the fan base started speculating, oh, definitely holding out there's no question about it um but there was still some question as to whether or not this was weather related mike garofalo of the nfl network followed up jim's report by saying that gilmore not only wouldn't be there on monday but there was also a chance and a very good one that he would be sitting out Tuesday and Wednesday as well. That's yet to be confirmed as of the time we're recording this podcast, but it's looking

likely. And Jeff Howe of The Athletic, again, someone we know and respect a tremendous amount, great amount of trust in his information, said that Gilmore's absence is in fact not weather related. So Murph, here we are Stefan Gilmore holding out apparently are you surprised by this move because when you look at the way Gilmore's contract is structured when you look at the allowances that the Patriots and Gilmore agreed to last year moving the 4.5 million dollars of his salary to this year uh the fact that Gilmore is essentially being paid below market value for a base salary, he can earn up to, I believe, $7.5 million with incentives this year, but that's far

below market value for a player of his caliber. Should this really be a surprise to Patriots Nation that Stephon Gilmore has not attended, or at least appears not to be attending, mandatory minic camp this year. No, no, it shouldn't be a surprise. We've been talking about this for months now that this was going to happen, that,

that they had better hammer out something new because Stefan Gilmore wasn't showing up for minimum wage. And quite frankly, in, in, in the NFL, his contract is basically minimum wage for a cornerback of his stature. I'm just waiting right now to hear that his house has been put back on the market.

No, this was going to happen, people. You were either going to have to give Stephon Gilmore a bump in salary for this year to get him back up to where he believes that he should be paid or get him an extension that's going to keep him here in Foxborough for the rest of his career. And that's what I hope that this is doing. Whether it's a wake-up call to Bill or not, this is what it is. And they need to get something done quickly because as we talked about in the not too distant past and in the distant past, that this team runs much better with a locked down corner. And he is the only one on the roster right now. I'm sorry, JC Jackson. Once

again, no disrespect. Yeah, and I would agree with you on this. And look, we've talked about this several times leading up to today's inevitable, I guess the best way to put it, inevitable news that either Gilmore would be reporting or not reporting. And I know a lot of people are saying, oh, well, he's going to take a financial hit for doing this if he is unexcused in terms of his absence. Well, Gilmore is looking at a total fine of approximately about $93,000. $93,085, I believe, is the exact terminology. That's in the ashtray of his car.

Yeah, you have an eloquent way of putting it, my friend. Thank you. I guess in my infinite wisdom, I was going to try to say that is more than worth the investment to try to get a contract that is worth what he's worth. In other words, commensurate to his caliber, I think is the way I put it in my piece for us. I made him this morning, but same sentiment, really, when it comes to Stephon Gilmore. He's going to take that hit because ultimately he's going to want to improve upon the annual salary that he's supposed to make in 2021. Now, look, the Patriots and he have a definite agreement to come to. They have a happy medium to reach here. Does Gilmore want to be

paid at the top of the cornerback market, meaning about $20 million annual, which is what Jalen Ramsey is making? Or does he want to be paid at the top of the market for a 30-plus-year-old cornerback? And right now, the top of that heap is Darius Slay of the Philadelphia Eagles, making about $16.7 million. I want to thank the Pats cat for that one. Great piece as a tidbit. I always want to credit Miguel whenever I can for that.

So thank you, Miguel, for that. But, I mean, this is how the game is played. I mean, Gilmore is seeking an updated contract. You know, he might be displeased with the pace of the negotiation that the Patriots have been putting out there. Staying away from mandatory minicamp is often a first leverage point of sorts. So before everyone says this relationship is totally beyond repair, I caution you step back off the Tobin pokes. It's not quite that bad yet. Patriots and Gilmore still have some time to work something out. Inevitably, I think they will, because I don't believe the Patriots are going

to get fair value for Stefan if they place him on the open market for a trade value. That's not going to happen. So the Patriots, it really would be to try to get something worked out here. And second of all, like you said, there's not really anyone in the pipeline that can do what Stefan Gilmore is able to do. And in this system with a corner that is so well-versed in being able to play here, you know, we can get the job done. It's almost, you know almost a synergy that really needs to come to fruition when it comes to these two sides. So will Stephon still show up to mandatory minicamp? It's possible. I don't believe that will be the case, but right now a lot of sharp eyes are

on the practice fields at Gillette Stadium. We already knew there was going to be a lot of discussion around Stephon Gilmore's situation, and things just got a whole lot more interesting in Foxborough this morning. So ultimately, I do think these two sides will end up coming together. But like you said, I mean, this is very much removed from the reigning defensive player of the year in 2019. Stefan Gilmore knows, you know, knows at this point that he is making far below market value for players of his caliber. So if this is his play to try to get a chance to do it, it'll be interesting

to see how these two sides now come together. But a line in the sand has apparently been drawn. I'm not going to say the gauntlet's been thrown down yet, but there's definite hints that a showdown is coming, and it'll be interesting to see how that all plays out. Just a personal note, I have no inside info on this or anything.

I think it is an extension that he wants. I don't think it's a look for a bump in this year's salary. At his age, at this point in time in his career, he's looking to end his career in one certain place. And quite frankly, I don't think he wants to go out on the field and take a chance at the bumped up rate for one year in sustaining a major injury right now. And he will be looking for an extension. Absolutely. Murph, that was such a good point. I'm so glad that you made that about injury. He's coming off of a torn quad surgery. So this is not a player that has not experienced any type of severe injury or anything of that nature. He knows he's on the wrong side of 30.

And for lack of a better term, folks, not that Murph and I are on the wrong side of 32, I assure you much more so than Stefan is. And, you know, we feel the bumps and the bruises, but for someone that is an all pro level cornerback like Stefan Gilmore, you have to look at the future and the future sometimes does include a higher risk of injury when you get older. We know that from personal experience, don't we? But in any case, you know, best of luck. Yeah, I know as an Epsom salt yeah exactly so good stuff uh good luck to the patriots good luck to stephan on these negotiations and hopefully everybody comes to a happy medium and we're able to move on and stephan uh you know continues to be an anchor on the uh the patriots

defensive backfield for at least another couple of years to come. Switching gears just for a second, my friend, the other big news that Bill Belichick dropped in his Monday morning press conference was that quarterback Cam Newton, who a lot of us had thought would be sidelined for the entirety of minicamp, is actually back on the field on Monday. And Bill Belichick confirmed that he did indeed practice on Friday. Friday's session was, of course, close to the media, folks. So most of us in the media found out Monday morning that Cam had indeed practiced on Friday. And it's still a little bit too early. Details have not come in yet

as to how he looked on the field. But just seeing Cam back out there has to instill Patriots Nation with a little bit of confidence, probably a little bit of relief, and it's also going to make things, I think, very interesting throughout this mandatory minicamp. Now that you're going to have all four quarterbacks taking reps, getting time, who gets the time with the first unit? Is Cam kind of out there just to be out there simply because he doesn't want to give ground to Jarrett Stidham or

to Mac Jones or is he out there because he's ready to go and he's ready to show that he can play through this this is not a serious problem and that he's ready to rock so Murph when you heard about Cam Newton's return to practice what was the first thing that went through your head and what should we expect from Cam over the course of the next three days well the first thing that went through my head was well we weren't talking about open heart surgery here, were we? It was talked about as a minor injury. The press around here did not want to go with that. They were talking it up that this could be, you know, a six or an eight-week rehab thing. And also, no, I don't think Cam wants to give more reps with the ones to Jared Stenum.

I don't think he wants to give more reps to Mac Jones. I think he wants to be out there. But I don't think Bill will put him out there unless he can actually contribute and he isn't holding this offense back from growing. Yeah, completely agreed. And look, there's no question about it. When you're an NFL quarterback, especially one that has a young, highly touted rookie or young player, it's kind of nipping at your heels a little bit, kind of giving you a little bit of a push. Your team spent valuable draft capital to bring this guy in.

Obviously, there's going to be some concern on behalf of the incumbent. Take a look at what's happening in Green Bay right now, folks, and you'll see that. I mean, as much as Aaron Rodgers may want to put the narrative out there that this is all about his problems with the front office and things of that nature, the drafting of Jordan Love definitely put a burr under his saddle. There's no question about it. So with regard regard to Cam Newton he's looking at Mac Jones he's looking at some of the coverage that he gets in the media from people like me people like Murph all over the other Patriots landscape and he's also looking at now people are saying that Jarrett Stidham has

come in he looks motivated he looks ready to try to compete for this job and that this could end up being a more interesting competition than we had all seen if cam remains absent from the field especially when he knows he could give it a go it only hurts him in the long run and cam is as competitive as anyone we noticed that last year maybe there were struggles on the field no one's going to deny that but when it comes to heart and it comes to integrity and desire to get the job done cam definitely is at the top of the list of quarterbacks in the league this guy wants to win he wants to be um you know the starting quarterback of this team and i think his presence out there on the field shows that it shows that he can tough through some injuries it shows that he's capable of

rebounding and that it's not a fragile situation for him but it also shows his competitive nature as well and the fact that he's betting on himself situation for him, but it also shows his competitive nature as well and the fact that he's betting on himself. He signed that contract in the offseason, which was eerily similar to the one he signed the previous year because he is betting on himself. And I love the argument that people come back, well, that's all he was going to get anyway.

Not likely. There were teams out there that gave questionable contracts to quarterbacks that are lesser than what Cam Newton brings to the table, even when he's struggling. So I don't want to hear that too much. I think that Cam probably knew that this was the best environment for him, and he knew he could bet on himself. So it'll be interesting to see how he looks, especially into Tuesday and Wednesday. I think Monday may be a light day for him, but who knows? I might be wrong on that.

Who knows? Yep, exactly. Once in a while we're wrong. We don't know. Once in a while we're wrong. Once in a while. It doesn't happen often, but, you know, things. I heard some things.

I heard a few things. But in any case, my friend, Buddy, you lend your wisdom and counsel here on Locked On Patriots because you are a wise and considerate young man. And that wisdom, that consideration that we so desperately needed this morning, you're providing it. And I can't be more grateful to you

for that, Don Murph. But there is still more wisdom and counsel that's needed here in New England, especially when it comes to those other minicamp storylines. Folks, hear my good friend's thoughts on what might be catching his sharp eye this week when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, when it comes

to repairing or maintaining your vehicle, why would you spend 30%, 50%, even 100% more for the exact same auto parts at a chain store or a new car dealership? It's still possible to take pride in your ride and even save a little in the process. Visit my good friends at rockauto.com. Rockauto.com is a family business serving auto parts customers online for 20 years. Go to rockauto.com to shop for auto and body parts from hundreds of manufacturers. They have everything from engine control modules and brake parts to tail lamps, motor oil, even new carpet.

Whether it's for your classic or your daily driver, get everything you need in a few easy clicks, and they're delivered directly to your door. The RockAuto.com catalog is unique and remarkably easy to navigate. Quickly see all the parts available for your vehicle, and then choose the brands, the specifications, and here's the best part, folks, the prices you prefer. RockAuto.com's prices are always reliably low, and they're the same for professionals and do-it-yourselfers just like you and me. Why spend up to twice as much for the same parts? Go to RockAuto.com right now and see all the parts available for your car or truck.

Make sure to put Locked On in their How Did You Hear About Us box so they know we sent you. Amazing selection, reliablyiably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Rockauto.com. Locked on listeners, get all the latest news, odds, and info for all of your sporting needs, including Major League Baseball, the NBA, NHL, all of your UFC MMA action, and of course the NFL, with the only place that has UFC MMA action, and of course the NFL, with the only place that has you covered and the only place we trust.

BetOnline. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all of your sports action. Before the start of your next favorite sporting event, head over to BetOnline on your laptop or mobile device and check out all the greatest sporting news, sign-up bonuses, and contest information. You can track all the action at BetOnline. Head over to the website at BetOnline.ag and sign up today to receive your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit when you use the promo code LOCKEDON. Don't sit on the sidelines anymore.

This is your chance to get into the action. Head over to their website or use your mobile device to sign up today and receive your 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit when you use the promo code LOCKEDON. Bet online. You're online sportsbook experts. Pats fans, the legendary Thomas Murphy joins me here on the pod today. It is hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. And Murph, now that the Patriots have opened minicamp,

we talked a little bit about Stephon Gilmore, talked a little bit about Cam Newton, but this is really a chance for us all to get a first look at the type of product that the Patriots may be putting out in 2021. Now, it is very early to make roster predictions, folks. I caution you out there, don't put too much stock into those just yet. It's a fun exercise. You're going to see a lot of people doing it.

But you, myself, Steve Balistrieri, we've talked about offline, online several times throughout the past few years. We really don't know much about who's ready to go and who's not until the pads come on. So until that happens, not really a good idea to start making speculations other than just, you know, for a food for, for thought or fodder for talk shows. That being said, in your infinite wisdom and counsel, what are some of the storylines that you'll be following this week,

whether it be players, whether it be positional group things, coaching styles, what's going to catch the sharp eye, the sharp green eye of my good friend Murph this week, whether it be players, whether it be positional group things, coaching styles, what's going to catch the sharp eye, the sharp green eye of my good friend Murph this week? Well, I mean, there's so much to look at. There's so much you want to see and so many things. You've got to, at this point in time, you have to see the forest for the trees. What a big, I don't want to call it stories, but one point of interest that I'm going to have this year in going into this portion of training camp is what's going on with one Chase Winovich,

how he's going to fit into this system this year after bringing in, you know, the coming back of Donta Hightower, bringing back Kyle Vannoy, how it's going to work with Josh Uche in his second year in the league. What is going to happen with Chase Winovich? Is he strictly going to be an end now? How that's going to work out with Henry Anderson being brought in, Lawrence Guy still here, Godchow in the middle. That is something I find very intriguing.

What happened last year, we saw his snaps go down last year. I don't think that Bill was really happy with the way he progressed in season two. I thought just, this is just my own personal thoughts that, that he was slipping into a, a freelance type of situation a lot of the times when he was on the field and you saw it in how often Bill put him on the field. So I'm going to be looking quite closely at how Chase Winovich is used. Very good point. And I think that a lot of Patriots fans are going to be looking at that. And look, you mentioned the level of competition now that Chase is going to have to live up to because there are a lot of players on this roster that are capable of getting after the

quarterback, that are capable of playing with a very high motor, which is probably the largest praise that Chase Winovich has gotten since he's been drafted from the University of Michigan. He's got a nonstop motor. This kid just keeps going. We're hearing that a lot about Ronnie Perkins. We hear that a lot about other guys. And even Monty Adams has been kind of like lurking below the surface and someone that the Patriots have signed that could end up playing that defensive role and whatnot and helping the Patriots to be able to improve their pass rush. Raekwon McMillan is another player, I think, out there that a lot of people have forgotten that the

Patriots have signed. Could he make a little bit of noise? And of course, the returning Dietrich Wise Jr., who, as you know, Murph holds a very special place in my heart. Cut my journalistic teeth covering the Patriots, doing a profile on Detrick when he was a rookie, getting a chance to speak with him and seeing how far he's come. This really is something that I think Patriots fans will enjoy. Hearing Detrick this offseason and getting a chance to hear what he had to say and now getting a chance to hopefully be able to see what he can do on the field, I think will open up a lot of eyes.

But that is a very, very strong storyline to be watching, especially when it does come to the defensive and linebacker position. Dante Hightower coming back. How is that going to help all of the players on this roster? Bill was very effusive in his praise for Dante this morning, speaking to the media, stating that, you know, it was great to see Hightower back. You know, smart player, brings a lot of experience

and leadership to the team. Did say that he worked in very quickly, right in very quickly with the first unit after first missing the other couple of OTA practices. So seeing Hightower back on the field and hearing that praise from Bill Belichick lets you know that Hightower's motivated, and it's great to see him back as well. Something that we reported weeks ago, though, while everybody else was wondering

whether or not Dante was going to make a return or not, or walk away from the game altogether after a year. I just want to throw it out there that, yeah, you heard it here months ago that he was going to be back. Absolutely. And you know what? For lack of a better term, for better, for worse, my friend, when Mrs. Hightower says he's going to be back on the field, yeah, I kind of would be willing to go with it. Get out of my house. Go to work. Get out of my house. Making a mess. Get out of here. Great defensive storyline, and I think the front seven is going to be such an intriguing matchup to watch through camp and even through training camp.

Flipping it over for a second, Bud, before I let you go today, let's flip it over to the offensive side of the ball. There you go. Other than the quarterback position, which I know everybody is watching, and we're going to get all those 11 on 11 drill statistics and, you know, everything of that nature. And look, I'm not downplaying that. That's a big part of what the public wants to see. It's a big part of covering this team. And I'm all for it. I'm going to be doing it. Everyone is. But aside from the quarterback position, what offensive storylines are you looking forward to when it comes to what the Patriots might bring to the table in 2021? And what can we learn from these three days coming up in Foxborough when it comes to the Patriots offense? We're going to be able to learn a lot more than we have in years past. I'll give you that right off the bat.

There are a lot of new faces here. There are a lot of new faces that are on expiring contracts and guys that are on cheap contracts. And Bill is always looking to next year and the year after when putting together a team. The one room, the one grouping that I'm going to be looking at specifically is the running backs room and how things are going to shake out there. Brandon Bolden is the only lock right now to be on this roster.

On day one, out of the running backs room, I say that a little bit tongue-in-cheek. People, you know I can't resist. But the way things shake out with Sonny Michel, what's going to happen here? Is Bill going to use him and squeeze the absolute last bit of football that he can out of his first four years in the league? Or is Sony going to be moved on from early in camp? Is he going to make this team? Could he be traded? We know it was all a huge story when they didn't pick up that fifth year option. But when he was drafted, guys like myself, guys like Steve Ballesteri,

who will probably be on the show tomorrow or later during the week, we both predicted that when Sony was drafted, that it was probably a one contract thing for him here. We were just surprised that the fifth year option wasn't picked up. It's very telling, and I want to see what's going to happen with Stevenson, with James White, and of course, Sony. Damian Harris is right now the number one, but we also know that Harris has his injury issues too. Absolutely, and that, I think, is a storyline that a lot of people are going to be watching,

myself included. I wrote about this this morning a little bit as a camp primer when it came to Sonny Michel and being one of the questions that I had on offense. Look, since the time that they drafted him in 2018, Sonny Michel has had a pretty clearly defined role in the Patriots' offense. He's that early-, short yardage back. Not really a weapon on passing situations, although he did do that a little bit in Georgia.

And when Sony has been asked to do so, he's been lukewarm. He has done well. He's been lukewarm. There have been a couple of drops and whatnot, but he's capable of doing it. I've seen him do it in film, especially at Georgia. Our good friend Andrew Carraway has told me a lot about what Sony was capable of doing it. I've seen him do it in film, especially at Georgia. Our good friend Andrew Carraway has told me a lot about what Sony was capable of doing, catching the ball out of the backfield.

So maybe we will see his role change a little bit this year, especially with the emergence of Damian Harris, the addition of Ramondre Stevenson. You mentioned James White, Brandon Bolden. There's a crowded running back depth chart when it comes to the New England Patriots this year. And because of that, I think finding Sonny Michel's place in it is going to be a very intriguing storyline. So I agree with you on that. I'm also going to steal a page from Claire Cooper's book a little bit. Sorry, Classy Claire, but I'm looking forward to seeing some of the lineups, some of the matchups that we might see when it comes to that 12-man personnel, those two tight end sets.

Jonu Smith is back on the field. He is reported for mandatory minicamp. Hunter Henry is here. This is going to be a lot of fun for me to watch, especially knowing the prowess of Hunter Henry and seeing, again, how far he's come from being a rookie when I covered him in Los Angeles. This is something that I think he has a chance to really come in here alongside Jono and really form such a solid one-two combination.

The Patriots only ran 3% of their offensive plays last year with two or more tight ends. That's almost blasphemous when it comes to a Bill Belichick, Josh McDaniels offense. Two tight end sets are such a staple up here, and they run them so well. That was the lowest in the NFL. The Buffalo Bills were the next closest at 12%. So, you know, when you think about what they're able to do

and how they're going to be able to employ those multiple tight end packages this year, that's going to be something I'm looking forward to. How much of that are we going to see this week? Jury's still out on that. But at least getting the chance to finally see the Patriots put these lineups in place and what this might look like with both Hunter and John who on the field at the same time, I'm very much looking forward to that. So me too. Murph, what can I say? You'll lend your wisdom and counsel here like no other.

That is why you are familia here on Locked On Patriots. As the Patriots open mandatory mini camp, you've kicked this off and you've given us all a lot to look for and a lot to think about. I thank you for joining me today, my friend. And folks, you should already be following this man. But for any of our new listeners,

please follow my good friend, the count of Murphy Fisto himself on Twitter at TeamErf207. Folks, the content that this man is putting out on E2G Sports is always point, click, learn, listen, enrichment material. Whether it's voice to microphone or pen to paper, Murph's work is always top notch. Always be sure to check it out. You'll find it on my timeline. You'll definitely find it all over his. And never miss an opportunity to miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with my good friend Murph, our great mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and, of course, how can we forget the Countess of Clas herself, Miss Claire Clasie Claire Cooper.

Bud, thank you so much again, my good man. Honored and humbled, as always, by your presence. Oh, thank you, my friend. Always great to be here. Yeah, I just got out of the studio with the classy Claire herself, and of course, Steve. Doug Kye had stopped by this week, and it was great to talk to Doug. And of course, you can catch me every Friday, live now, on ETG Sports, as I bring you Baseball and Bloody Marys, every Friday night at 10 p.m.

Absolutely. Is there a better way to spend a Friday night, folks, than Baseball and Bloody Marys? If there is, I don't know. I can't think of one. I'm not even going to try to think of one because that's the Friday night plan. Murph, Baseball, and Bloody Marys. Perfect way to end the show today. Bud, we look forward to doing this all again next week when Minicamp is in the books and we'll still have lots to talk about.

Ah, super. In any case, Bud, until then, please continue to stay safe and stay well. And thanks for joining me here today. You too, buddy. I'll see you next Monday. And so, Patriots fans, it might be one down and two to go for mandatory minicamp in 2021, but there is oh so much more to come when it comes to coverage for your New England Patriots this week.

And even the Locked On Patriots has you covered for all the news notes and analysis you need from Foxborough. Get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski updates you on the latest news in every major sport with the help of our local experts. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And make sure you do not miss a single second of the action from Patriots 2021 mini camp

by following, downloading, and subscribing to the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as Spotify, the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy 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 continuing to make Locked On Patriots

a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until next time, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.