Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Monster Wisdom and Counsel: New England Patriots 2020 Outlook - 9/8/2020

Episode Date: September 8, 2020

This Sunday, the New England Patriots will take the field to open the 2020 NFL Regular Season against the Miami Dolphins at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. It will be a New(ton) Era in New England, and expectations are always high. However, is it realistic to expect this team contend for a conference title, or even a division title? Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the Patriots 2020 roster and how they stack up against their primary competition. The duo close the show by taking a first glance ahead at Sunday’s opener against the Fins.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.ManscapedGo to Manscaped.com and use code LOCKED to get 20% Off and Free Shipping. Manscaped is #1 in men’s below the belt grooming and offers precision-engineered tools for your family jewels.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.cbdMdRight now you can try the amazing duo of CBD Freeze and CBD Recover topicals and everything else cbdMd has to offer. They’re offering all our listeners 25% OFF your next order at cbdmd.comwhen you use the promo code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout.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! 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. It is Tuesday, September 8th, 2020, and you are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Today's episode is brought to you 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.

Patriots Nation, we are less than six days away from the NFL season opener. The divisional rival Dolphins take their talents from South Beach to our beloved Foxborough to take on your New England Patriots. And here today on the pod, we'll begin to discuss that matchup and so much more. My name is Mike DeBate, your host 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, your team every day means your questions, comments, and feedback always welcomed, 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 making that Twitterverse an offer it can't refuse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Patriots fans, the holiday weekend might be in the books, but the real story of your 2020 New England Patriots is just beginning. The roster is set, with the exception of a couple of moves here and there, and I'll get into those in just a moment, but it's certainly no stretch of the imagination to say that this team is slowly beginning to take shape.

And now that we have, at very least, a visual structure of your 2020 New England Patriots, we can start to piece together what this of your 2020 New England Patriots, we can start to piece together what this team may look like on the field, how they stack up against the competition, both in the division and in the conference. And lastly, and maybe most important this week, do the Patriots have revenge on the mind with the Finns coming to town? Well, these are all great questions, and to answer them, we might need a little monster wisdom and counsel.

Specifically, Montefisto monster wisdom and counsel. That's right, folks. Our main green man, Thomas Murphy, is back for his weekly spot here on Locked On Patriots. And Murph will offer his thoughts on what surprised him most about the roster cuts over the weekend, what the foundation of this 2020 New England Patriots team says about the potential finished product. And of course, we all know that Murph has the monster keys to winning each and every week. Not going to ask Murph to reveal his secrets just yet.

However, in the interest of all of you out there, I will solicitate the occasional opinion or two on the Miami Dolphins and this game coming up for the Patriots. So folks, an action-packed agenda on today's pod. Sit back, settle in, and prepare for the melodious tones of Murph here on today's episode of the Lockdown Patriots Podcast. But before I welcome in my good friend, the Green King of Sting himself, you heard me allude earlier to a couple of moves that the Patriots made on Monday.

Seemingly minor moves, but in my opinion, these have the potential to be significant. That's because they involve the injured reserve designation, and folks, as of yesterday at 4 p.m., anyone that had been on the Patriots' 53-man roster, then placed on IR, after 4 p.m. of course, would be eligible to return during the season. And based on the way the Patriots stocked their practice squad and made their roster cuts over the weekend, we knew a move or two like this was coming. And shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday, on Monday, ESPN's Field Yates reported that defensive tackle Bo Allen was being placed on injured reserve. This really shouldn't be a surprise to any of you. Allen had pretty much been sidelined throughout the entirety of training camp. In fact, he never participated in a single practice that was open to media observation. And this was disappointing

because there were supposed to be a lot of eyes on Allen. Don't forget that he was supposed to come in here and take over the nose tackle role that was vacated by Danny Shelton in the offseason. With Allen seeing little to none of the field, Byron Cowart stepped up nicely, really established himself as an improved run stuffer, as well as being a pretty adept pass rusher. While Allen is sidelined, look for Cowart to step in and take those snaps alongside

Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler. If you're wondering when Allen might be back, according to the league's IR guidelines for 2020, the earliest he'll be eligible to return is after three weeks. Now, when a player goes on IR, it opens up a roster spot. And sure as you knew they would, the Patriots filled it. But not at the position you might be thinking. Shortly after news broke that Allen would be going on injured reserve, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the Patriots were promoting rookie defender Cashme inside linebacker

Malawia. And that's right, folks, I'm flipping the script on this one a little bit. Cashme inside just seems to fit him a little bit better. After all, he's an inside linebacker, not an outside linebacker. Cashme inside. Come on, work with me, people. But all kidding aside, Cash definitely deserves a spot on this team. In my 53-man roster breakdown yesterday here on the pod, I expressed my surprise that the Patriots cut Malawiah to begin with. I thought he had a very good training camp, showed a great deal of speed, short area movement skills that make him effective when moving laterally as an off-the-ball linebacker, and potentially someone that could come in and fill the void left behind by a Landon Roberts.

When Cash was waived, I was worried that someone might swoop in and pick him up. I was very happy to see that he cleared waivers, and of course, the Patriots snatched him up on the practice squad fairly quickly. Smart move by the Pats. Also, it helps me to make some lame dad jokes, as you just heard me do. But in all honesty, folks, Cash is the furthest thing from a punchline. I really like the energy this kid brings to the field. There will be a little bit of a learning curve as he gets up to speed in the Patriots' defense.

He's a rookie, folks. You have to expect that. But I think he has the potential to be an invaluable help, especially to Juwan Bentley, who is also playing inside linebacker. And his presence will help to cultivate the culture of youth that the Patriots are building on this defense, with guys like Josh Uche and Anthony Jennings playing prominent roles in the linebacking and pass rush aspects of the defense. But the moves weren't over there yet, folks.

The Patriots saw my cash me inside and raised us all a little Dion. That's right, another surprise cut over the weekend was running back J.J. Taylor. And as much as I would love to take credit for the Little Deion nickname, that credit goes directly to Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears, who in a recent statement to the media said that Taylor's playing style reminded him a lot of former Patriot Deion Lewis. And during my early days with full press coverage Patriots, I tried to provide Deion Lewis with the nickname The Fire because each and every week he just seemed to bring the heat. Didn't quite work out, and of course we know Deion moved on to Tennessee and now is in the Meadowlands. Now, Taylor is here in Foxborough, and I think he has the chance to be every bit as effective

as Lewis was here, maybe even more. There's just a shiftiness and a tenacity about the way J.J. Taylor plays that lets you know he's not going to give up. He's got the ability to be a threat both from scrimmage as well as in the return game. Did a pretty good job of wearing both of those hats when he played for the Arizona Wildcats in college. At this point, I would expect to see more of the same when the Patriots put Taylor on the field. But Taylor's addition to the field means that someone else needs to be subtracted from it, and that someone was fellow running back Damian Harris. Last week, several New England media outlets, including right here on Locked On Patriots, reported that Harris had missed several training camp practices due to a hand injury.

Recently, we found out that Harris had in fact undergone finger surgery. As a result, he was also placed on injured reserve, but because he had a spot on the 53-man roster as of 4 p.m. yesterday, he, like Bo Allen, will be eligible to return after three weeks. So Harris and Allen are temporarily out. As for Taylor and Cash, that sounds like a late 80s action movie, doesn't it, folks? You might need to call up Sylvester Stallone and Kurt Russell, get their opinion on this.

But I digress. J.J. Taylor and Cash Malawiah are temporarily in, and they hope to be in it for more than just the short term. But what does all of this mean for the Patriots on the field? Well, momentarily, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, will join me here on the hot seat, where we will discuss these roster moves, some of the other surprise roster moves,

including why housing two kickers on the practice squad is not something that should be keeping any Patriots fan up at night. And last but certainly not least, we're on to Miami, and Murph will provide his preliminary thoughts on the Pats' matchup with the Finns coming up on Sunday. And speaking of Sunday, it's almost impossible to believe that the summer of 2020 is nearly a thing of the past. It's time for some fall football in Foxborough, and even though that Foxborough football won't include fans in the

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Make sure to put Locked On in their How Did You Hear About Us box so they know we sent you. Amazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. rockauto.com Patriots fans, this Sunday, your New England Patriots will take the field to open the 2020 NFL regular season. And as I've said before, it will be a Newton era here in New England Patriots will take the field to open the 2020 NFL regular season. And as I've said before, it will be a Newton era here in New England. I'm sorry, folks, I just can't help myself. But it's Foxborough.

Expectations are always high. But how realistic is it to expect this team to contend for a conference title, or even a division title for that matter? Well, folks, my guest today has some wisdom and counsel to lend on this subject. In fact, you might call it some green wisdom and counsel. Oh yeah, folks, that's right. It's that time again. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, is back for his weekly appearance here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you for coming to me in friendship and for joining me today, Don Murph. Always a pleasure, bud. Always a pleasure, man.

Let's get into it. Let's make some sauce for the men. Absolutely. Let's make some sauce for the men. I love it. A little bit of sugar, and that's my trick. And that's my trick. Murph, before the Patriots can take the field to start up what will be a unique season coming up in 2020,

they had to make some roster moves to set their 53-man team. And even though moves will continue to be made, they did just that over the weekend. And yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, I broke down my thoughts on the Patriots roster, some of my surprises, some of my insight, but we need a little green wisdom on this subject. Before we get into your overall interpretation of this roster, what were some of the weekend's moves, both the inclusions and the omissions, that prominently caught your eye? Well, let's start in the case of Thomas, put on the practice squad. I really liked the tape that this guy put out in college. I thought he was somebody that was going to be able to come in here and do something.

J.J. Taylor was let go, but he's been brought back. I'm quite happy about that. He was signed off the practice squad. But Miles Bryant, I thought, had a really good camp. And I was a little surprised. Even with the depth that was here, it's a little bit different this year with the way they're working the practice squad and how you're able to do some different things with that. And I'm sure we're going to talk about that in a little bit. But yeah, those were my super surprises. What I wasn't surprised

about, which everybody else was, was the fact that they cut both kickers and everybody was up in arms. And what are you going to do? We got no kickers here. Um, I knew that I knew both of them would be back. Um, I do not have a problem with, uh, with the, the struggles that Rojas had in a run a mucker had in, in camp. Um, as, as we've, you know, talked about at nauseam, you know, anybody who's talked to me, um, it, they're all getting on on bill for drafting thisuseum, you know, anybody who's talked to me. They're all getting on Bill for drafting this kid.

You know, remember, folks, Venetieri did not have a standout rookie season. Gostkowski did not have standout rookie seasons. Everybody's talking about, you know, the Georgia kid who wasn't a draft pick, wasn't used on, and he's picking for the Colts right now. You can get into all that, but I think Rojas is going to end up being here and being here for a long, long time. He's just got some kinks to work out. We don't even know really what kind of injury he was dealing with,

and I do think he was dealing with an injury. I agree. And look, the bottom line is folks the patriots utilizing the practice squad right now to house both kickers it's another tool promote one of them exactly you can promote one of them for the game you can only do that a couple of times so eventually one of these guys will have to be signed to the 53 man roster but it gives justin norwaser a little bit of time to come into his own. And in the medium, they do have a guy like Nick Folk that will be able to handle the kicking duties and handle them quite nicely, especially because right now we're looking

at some pretty decent weather here in Foxborough, at least for the next week or so. And that will help, I'm sure, with what the Patriots want to do this weekend. I mentioned Thomas yesterday, and I think a lot of Patriots fans were disappointed, like yourself, that they did not at least sign him to the practice squad. I said yesterday, tells me either one of two things. Something's going on off the field, whether it's injury-related, whether there are thoughts about his camp possibly knowing that they could hook on or he could hook on with a 53-man roster somewhere in the NFL or it tells me that there might maybe be something underlying

that the Patriots see in this kid or they didn't see in this kid because he didn't have a whole lot of practice time that led them to move in a different direction but from what I'm seeing he hasn't been signed anywhere yet. So for those of you that are still hoping to see Jeff Thomas in a Patriots uniform, I wouldn't say it's a great chance, but there still is a chance. So we live in hope. But with that being said, as you look over now this roster as a whole,

taking under account all three phases, offense, defense, special teams, what is your overall impression of the 2020 New England Patriots roster? And feel free to throw your thoughts on the practice squad in there as well, bud. My thoughts are that this is going to be a very diverse defense. There are a lot of guys on that side of the ball that are going to play a myriad of different roles. We could be looking at base nickels here. There's just so much that Bill is going to be able to do on this side of the ball to, for lack of a better

term, confuse, befuddle, and boogeyman up different schemes for different weeks. We all know that Bill is famous for taking away another team's strength on defense, and he is perfectly set up for that with this group of guys. Absolutely. And, you know, it's a young defense, and I think a lot of people may have a little bit of an eyebrow raised. Yes, they have lost some significant pieces. There's no question about it. But the learning curve on a lot of these young players, I think,

is going to be higher than a lot of people expect. Anthony Jennings, Joshua Uche, Kyle Duggar, these guys are going to contribute this year. Are they going to come into their own and be all pros this year? Probably not. But you will see flashes. And the guys that do have that even one, two years of experience in the system that can help them out will provide that type of mentorship that I think these guys are going to need on the field to gel into a nice defense. I'm sorry, go ahead. No, one more point. You know, I was just talking with Steve Balistrieri, my good friend and your good friend, and we were talking that, you know, as per usual, Bill uses the first month of the season as an extended training camp,

and you're not going to – and you're really going to see that come to fruition this season. It was a great point by him. Matt Chatham also made the point when he was on our show. And I think that's something that you folks are all going to have to expect this year in an even bigger way than you have in the past. It looks like they're trying to work out kinks. They're trying to do this.

As Mike said, this is a very young defense, and Bill is going to put them into motion and through the motions the first three, four weeks of this year. Yeah, absolutely. And I'm glad that you mentioned that. Matt Chatham was my guest here on Locked on Patriots last Friday, and he mentioned the emergence of some of these players, particularly Chase Winovich, who he expects to be a pretty big sack machine for the Patriots this year. And I agree with that. Had a lot of complimentary things to say about John Simon and the leadership that he can provide as an edge defender. And I think that's going to be the bread and butter of this team again this year. So keep a sharp eye on the defense, folks. That will, again, I think, be the strength of this team really quickly.

But always have to talk a little low line when you're here. And I hope I'm not putting you on the defense folks uh that will again i think be the strength of this team really quickly but uh always have to talk a little low line when you're here and i hope i'm not putting you on the spot no no were you surprised that the patriots carried 10 offensive linemen on their active roster no i really wasn't that was probably the least surprising thing you know everybody else was was up in arms or what are we doing carrying 10? Bill was not going to get caught with his pants down again the way he did last year. The right side of this line is a little, you know, I don't want to say iffy, but there are questions there. And who's going to play it at right tackle? We're not seeing, you know, the prototypical swing guy this year.

He's just not on this roster. And so they mitigated that with numbers. Okay. They like what they see in Froholt for whatever reason. We don't know because we weren't there this year. It was, no, I'm not surprised about it at all. There was difficulties last year with injuries, with guys going down. There's a significant amount of turnover that could happen next year and the year after. So no, Bill is always thinking not just about next week or the next play. He's also thinking down the line into next season and the season after that and how he's going to fill those holes. And he has the opportunity this year to stack this offensive line,

make sure that those problems that we saw last year don't repeat and get a good look at some young talent. There are young guys here that need to learn. And, you know, quite frankly, we don't have Dante Skarnecchia to coach these guys up week to week every year. It's going to take some more time than what it has in the past for these guys to come in here and contribute in the way that we've seen over the past, what with Dante, it's 30 years. That has been an amazing run for Dante Skarniecki as the offensive line coach here in New England.

And look, bottom line, folks, I've seen a lot of question marks lately, especially the last couple of days. You mentioned it. Everybody was up in arms about the Patriots keeping 10 offensive linemen. There's a reason for that, folks. It's not so much that they don't trust the talent that they have on this roster while it does need to develop. There is a lot of talent at the offensive line position, a lot of great young players that need to come into their own. You mentioned Yelda. I think Yelda is going to, uh, you know, come into his own as that Ted Karras,

every type of, um, every type of option on the field, he can come in and plug and play into those, uh, those roles. And I think for all can do a nice job with that. You mentioned guys like Justin Heron, you mentioned people like Michael on Wayne, a young rookie draft picks that are coming in that have a lot of potential that would have definitely been scarfed up if the Patriots left them exposed or tried to, uh, you know, sneak them onto the practice squad. I think Bill saw that. He knew that and said he has to have these guys in camp. So thank you for your wisdom and counsel on that.

I was a little surprised at the number, but when I looked at the talent on this roster, that surprise went away fairly quickly because I think that they did a smart thing. Yeah, they're guys that you just can't turn your back on and guys that were going to be scooped up by other AFC East freaking teams that are struggling and looking for an offensive lineman. And it never hurts when you have the Patriots playbook in your head. Absolutely. And Murph, for better or for worse, this team is set. But as the hoodie loves to say, it's time to do your job.

And on Sunday, the Patriots begin that 16-game quest in the hopes of making the postseason. But will this be the most difficult journey to that goal that we've seen in a very long time? Murph and I answer that question when the Locked on Patriots podcast continues. Fans, Thomas Murphy is here today for his weekly appearance on Locked on Patriots podcast continues. Fans, Thomas Murphy is here today for his weekly appearance on Locked on Patriots. A hashtag Locked on Murph Tuesday, if you will, here on the pod, buddy. But the Patriots have set their roster. And give or take some moves to be made, this is the team Bill's chosen. I didn't ask why he didn't carry a kicker.

Because it had nothing to do with business. All right, sorry, folks. No, no, no, no, don't apologize, man. They're all loving it. he didn't carry a kicker because it had nothing to do with business all right sorry folks i actually well actually no no no don't apologize man they're all loving it but it did have something to do with the business but i digress we already covered that a little bit murph in the previous segment you gave your thoughts on this team's roster but a roster is only valuable as the wins they deliver on the field and for the first time in recent, the prognostications on this team are pretty wide open. Some believe this team is a foregone contender. Others believe they might be a pretender.

So in your infinite wisdom, Don Murph, how do these Patriots stack up when it comes to their primary competition in the NFL this year, primarily in the division and in the conference? In the division, I still believe that they're going to be able to do some serious damage. I just, I don't believe in Buffalo. I don't believe in their quarterback. It's the same thing with the Jets. And it's so unproven down there in Miami. I think that this team still has a very good opportunity to end up taking the division. You call me crazy, but, you know, to just go to the other side, I could also see this team going 8-8. This is a terrible – you could actually win this division at 8-8, folks.

That's just the way it's set up this year. This is the schedule that the Patriots are facing this year. While they face a division winner schedule so often, I mean, every single year, and they keep on winning and keep on winning. This is what people don't want to give the Patriots credit for when they talk about the schedule. But every year, year in and year out, they face a division winner schedule, and that's why you get the overturn in other divisions that you don't see here. The team is just that good. And with Bill Belichick standing on the sidelines, I just have to believe that they're still going to come out on top in this division. What other teams are going to see this year is a complete unknown.

That works into Bill's favor. With having Cam Newton under center, it opens up an entirely new jar of applesauce for everybody else to have to deal with. When you pour that applesauce for, for everybody else to, you know, have to deal with. When you, when you pour that applesauce out onto a plate, you're, you're really not sure what's going to happen. Is it going to stay right there? Or is it, is it mixing in with your, with your pork chops? We don't know. We don't know. Don't ask me how I just came up with that analogy. But you, you just don't know. And that is going to significantly help every aspect of this offense. There are question marks. Still, what's going to happen at the

tight end position? It is a very young room. Is there somebody there that is going to be able to do the blocking that we did not see from last year? Are we going to see Akob Johnson out there lined up as a tight end and blocking and setting things up for the run game? What is Cam's role really going to be? Are they worried about his shoulder and protecting that? Or are they just going to go all out and say, you know, this is, this is, you know, we're going to dance with the one that, that brung us. He's got to play with all of his tools to be, to be successful.

One of the, one of the things that I'm most interested in is seeing how he's used and, and whether or not he's going to be using his legs in a set situation, in play calling, and not just when things break down, I'm going to go and get the six yards that I need and run for it. What are Asi Asi and Dalton Keene going to bring to this offense. All these things are adding up to what could be a very good year if these guys can make the first step in their rookie season. I'm expecting a very old-school 70s um menage mixed in with what we're seeing a lot of other uh teams do around the

league over the past couple of years now that we have a quarterback that can do that we have to admit that you know um the the running backs are probably the most talented group on offense um it's it's hard to say i mean it's hard to admit but it's true i think james white is going to end up having a fantastic year i think sony is going to have a much better season now that he has a true fullback if that fullback stays healthy for the the entire season it's going to be a lot of fun to see and i can't wait till sunday it will be. And speaking of Sunday, that leads me quite nicely into my last question for you today, bud. And last is first as in first team up. It's the Miami Dolphins and old friend Brian Flores leads his fins into Gillette Stadium. And Murph, we all remember what happened the last

time he did that. Ryan Fitzpatrick, who's incidentally the fin starter on Sunday, folks, tossing that five yard touchdown pass to Mike Gusecki with 24 seconds remaining. A stunning 27-24 victory. Week 17 of the 2019 season. That was then, buddy, and this is now. And there are a lot of expats down in Miami. Kyle Vannoy, Ted Karras, Landon Roberts, Eric Rowe, Brian Flores himself. They have something to prove without any question.

A young team that's on the cusp of something big. But New England is out for revenge in their own right. But what are your early thoughts on this season opener? And don't laugh at this question, especially when you take under account all that's happened to this team in the offseason. Murph, is this a must win for the Patriots coming up on Sunday? No, it's not a must-win, and we're going to have to talk about that a little bit. Whatever happens on Sunday is not going to be indicative of the rest of this season.

These guys have had no real hitting going on. There have been no preseason games. We're really not sure how things, how people are going to react once they get punched in the, in the face. And so, no, I don't think it's a much, a must win, but I think the Patriots are going to win this game 34 to 12. I think, I see, I see a lot of, of play action happening on Sunday. Here's a little peek into my keys. I see a lot of play action, more than we saw last year, because they are going to be able to do it.

They have the tools to be able to do it this year. I think James White is going to have a fantastic game. He's going to be there as that outlet for Cam at the end. And, yeah, it is a little bit of a revenge game. They came in here and didn't do what they were supposed to do, which is get on the bus at halftime. Last year, famously, you know, why am I, Stefan Gilmore had like the worst game of his Patriots life in one of the most important games that they played last season. And I don't think you're going to see that again this week.

No. Agreed. Agreed on all counts. And look, I think you're absolutely right on the money about the must-win. Anyone that can, and I say can, folks, see the forest from the trees, knows that Sunday is not a must-win for the Patriots. It's the first game of the season a loss would not be catastrophic um not tipping my hand too much folks but I sort of agree with Murph I think my prediction is going to be a little closer but

I also see the Patriots coming out on top here but bottom line a loss would set the frenzy into proportions that you know and you and I both know would be coming you know oh there we go opening the Tom Brady era with a loss uh Cam Newton is this you're going to see those types of storylines if the Patriots do in fact not come out uh victorious on Sunday but again keep in mind folks that this is a marathon it not a sprint. There is a lot of things that can go on throughout the season. That being said, I do expect the Patriots to come out on top. Nothing counts until Thanksgiving, folks. Absolutely.

Absolutely. And, folks, in the coming days here on Locked On, Patriots will get into a little bit more on my thoughts as to why that will be the case. But, Murph, you always lend your wisdom and counsel like no other. And you always provide great insight, especially when it comes to Stefan Gilmore, who did have a rough game last year. I don't expect that a repeat performance. Stefan is motivated, and I think he proves it this weekend.

I thank you so much for joining me today, buddy. You always are family here at Locked On Patriots. Folks, again, follow this man, the Count of Murphy Fisto, my good friend Thomas Murphy, on Twitter at TeamMurph207. Do not miss Murph's Monster Keys. They are always point,

click, and learn material this week, every week in the NFL. Of course, those keys are always proudly found on DieHardBostonSportsFans.com and never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with Of course, those keys are always proudly found on diehardbostonsportsfans.com. And never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with Murph and our great mutual friend, Steve Balistrieri. My friend, thank you again. Honored and humbled, as always, by your presence.

No, no, no. Always my pleasure to be here, Mike. I'm here whenever you need me, you know, because nobody else needs me. Well, we always need you here on Locked On Patriots. There's no question about it. I appreciate it. And just on the way out, man, this will make Mike feel good. You know, I'm predicting 80 yards and two touchdowns for Gunners as Luski on Sunday.

Nice. Murph just predicted that the Patriots are going to make that man a gunner and an effective gunner. He's not going to be surrounded by – all right, it's a family show going to be surrounded by, oh, all right, it's a family show. I'm not going to finish that. Yeah, it's a family show. But gunner will be a gunner on Sunday, and I like it. I like it a lot.

And you know what? When you join me next week here on the pod, hopefully we'll be talking about how right Murph was in that assessment. All kidding aside, bud, thank you so much. Stay safe, stay well. Oh, you'll get credit here. Don't worry. We will give you the credit.

You were right about Sanu. I think you're going to be right about the kickers. And I think you're going to be right about your prediction on Sunday as well. But you know what, folks? We will have Murph back here next week to prognosticate on the upcoming week, which is going to be Seattle coming up, bud. It's going to be another big game. But we will talk about the Finns as well when Murph joins us here for his weekly spot right

here on Locked on Murph slash Locked on Patriots. Stay safe. Stay well, buddy. Have a great week. Enjoy the game on Sunday, and we look forward to talking ball with you again next week. You too, my friend. Thank you. And so, Patriots fans, we move that much closer to Sunday's matchup with the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m. in Foxborough, Massachusetts. And throughout the week here on Locked on Patriots, we will be focused on the Finns. Special guests, expert analysis, and of course, don't miss this week's Dolphins-Patriots crossover episode with yours truly and the host of Locked on Dolphins, Kyle Krebs.

We'll have lots to talk about here on Locked On Patriots this week, so to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, follow us on Spotify, subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, download Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure you're remaining locked in to Locked On Patriots. Once again, I'm 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 making this podcast a part of your daily New England Patriots coverage. Stay safe, stay well, always continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.