Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Motivated: Can the New England Patriots Avoid a Super Bowl Hangover?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Some teams take a step back after a deep playoff run, but I do not think the Pats will fall victim to a Super Bowl hangover. This is Lockdown Patriots. You are Locked-on Patriots. Your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked-on Podcast Network, your team every day. It's happening. I am your host, Nick Cattels.

Starting point is 00:00:28 Today's episode is brought to by Fandul. The biggest stage in world soccer is here. Let there be goals on Fandul. visit fandul.com to get started now. On today's episode, a surprise candidate for the 53-man roster revealed himself during mandatory minicamp. In the second segment, one of the fastest rising coaches on the staff finds himself on an intriguing pro football focus list. But first, hangovers. We all hate them. It is incredibly difficult to make back-to-back Super Bowl trips in the NFL. It is just such a difficult task.

Starting point is 00:01:05 Even more difficult, obviously, is to win back-to-back Super Bowls, but just getting there. Getting there is a monumental challenge for any football team. Your schedule the next year is going to be tougher. We see that with the Patriots. As you look at this year's schedule and you compare it to 2025, this year's schedule is much tougher. Can you be healthy enough to make a run? Now we know the Patriots had some very good fortune when it came to health last year. year for the most part. Yes, you lost Milton Williams for a stretch. You lost Robert Spillane for a stretch.

Starting point is 00:01:41 You lost Jared Wilson. You lost Will Campbell. But overall, the amount of games that you lost due to injury, especially talking about critical players to the operation, you were pretty fortunate with how 2025 unfolded. Will you again be healthy in 2026? And it's just a battle of attrition. The Patriots played a lot of football last year. Now they have to come back, shortened rest, and get back on the field, travel as much as I'm going to travel this year with this schedule. It is going to be an absolute battle of attrition for the Patriots. And the question needs to be asked, will the Patriots be victims of a Super Bowl hangover? Now, first, I would say this.

Starting point is 00:02:29 I would bet against a Super Bowl trip in 2026. I'm not telling you the Patriots have no chance to get to the Super Bowl, but I would bet against it just because of the odds. The odds of getting back a second straight year pretty slim. So I would bet against the Patriots making that deep run for a second straight season. But I do not think, as I said in the open, I do not think the Patriots will fall victim to a Super Bowl hangover. I just don't see it from this team.

Starting point is 00:03:00 Let's start with the head coach. you look at Mike Vrable. Do you think he's a head coach that will allow a Super Bowl hangover? Do you think he's just going to sit back and kick up his feet? I mean, Mike Vrable's coaching style to me makes it very, very difficult to envision this team completely falling on its face. And when we talk about a Super Bowl hangover, that's what it is, right? You wake up, you feel like crap, pounding headache, going to sleep on the couch, don't want to be bothered. That's what a hangover is.

Starting point is 00:03:30 I don't see the Patriots playing like that in 2006. I don't see a Mike Vrable coach team playing like that. Mike Vrable knows how to get his guys motivated. We saw that all last year. How many times did you think, well, maybe they'll take a step back this week. And they simply did not allow it to happen because that's not what Mike Vrable does.

Starting point is 00:03:54 He understands the connection. He understands what makes his guys tick. And he is capable. more than capable of keeping them motivated week after week after week after week. You don't think he's going to talk about last year's run and how people really crapped all over this team and their schedule and all the only reason why they got to the Super Bowl is because of that easy schedule. The only reason why they ran through the playoffs is because this guy was hurt, that guy

Starting point is 00:04:22 was heard. That's the only reason. I guarantee you, Mike Vrable uses some of that as ammo. this team will be motivated. This team will be focused. We saw last year, again, no matter what the challenge was, primetime games in Buffalo, primetime game in Baltimore,

Starting point is 00:04:42 there were games on last year's schedule that you would look at and say, oh, well, you know, they're going to have a little bit of a letdown here. And they just didn't allow that to happen. They stayed focused, and I think they will stay focused again this season. they also, I think, have a level of humility which will help them.

Starting point is 00:05:02 They know they got smoked in the Super Bowl. And that will humble you because no matter what, no matter how great of a run it was, inevitably you got to the final game and you got outclassed for most of that game. But the week-to-week mentality that Mike Vrable deploys as a head coach and it seeps through the rest of his coaching staff, that week-to-week mentality is critical to make another run. We saw it with Bill Belichick. And I know Bill Belichick would catch a lot of flack

Starting point is 00:05:36 from the national media about how he handled media and how he seemingly was never happy, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But his focus on the week-to-week tasks allowed the team to continue to win games, make Super Bowl runs, never happy, never, never content, always looking for more. But it's not just the coaching staff. You need the right mindset as a football team to make another deep run. And Mike Vrable during mandatory minicamp,

Starting point is 00:06:08 one of the comments that he made to the media that stood out to me was he told the media that there, quote, hasn't been much complacency, unquote, from the team. And that's huge. There hasn't been much complacency. They understand they lost the last game last year. They want to get back there. They're not fat and happy.

Starting point is 00:06:30 So there hasn't been much complacency. That's the first step to making another run. And all the talk we had, when Mike Vrable first came in last year, right, all the talk that we had going back to January of 2025 about culture and Mike Vrable building a culture and why culture matters. This is why culture matters. It's not just to climb out of the doldrums and say, well, we're actually alive. We are a borderline revelation this year.

Starting point is 00:07:03 It's not just to crawl out of that pit you were in from 23 and 24. It is also to sustain a certain level of play. To build that culture, sustain that culture, and even in some cases, build a pond. that culture. And so last year was just the beginning. It was planting the seeds of the culture that Mike Vrable wants. And they brought in guys that we saw, right? We see them. We see guys like Milton Williams, Drake May, Will Campbell. We see the work ethic. If you work your tail off, it's very difficult to take anything for granted. You keep working at it. We talked about Will Campbell in this off season and what he's doing working on his technique, putting weight and muscle

Starting point is 00:07:57 on his frame. Drake May working on the mental aspect of this scheme and being ready at the line of scrimmage. Milton Williams, I mean, that dude was just born and raised a worker. He works his butt off. So when you build that culture, you have the work ethic, you have the leadership, and you have a group of men who are not going to allow the others to feel content with their accomplishment any given week unless it's the final week, final game of the NFL season. But really all of that that I've just talked about, it absolutely matters. But what matters most is talent. And I think this football team's talented.

Starting point is 00:08:44 If they stay healthy, would you be surprised that the Patriots finished in the top 10 in the NFL both sides of the football. You might even sprinkle special teams in there. This team has the makings to be complete. They can be a top 10 defense. They can be a top 10 offense. You could argue they could be top five both sides of the football if everything goes right. And how many teams in the league can truly say that? How many teams of the 32 can sit there and say we are confident that we could finish this season in the top 10, both defensively and offensively. There are not many teams that can say that.

Starting point is 00:09:23 The Patriots are one of them. So do I think they'll make another run to the Super Bowl? I find it unlikely. I would not bet my house on it just because of the odds. But do I think they will suffer from a Super Bowl hangover? Of course, health notwithstanding. Can't predict that. I do not see this team falling victim to a hangover.

Starting point is 00:09:44 I just don't see it. Coming up, pro football focus released their list of prospective head coaches, and one person on the Pat staff landed on that list. This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, now the number one sports podcast network, your team every day. The biggest stage in world soccer is here, and every match feels like it has the potential for a memorable moment. One goal can completely change the energy of a game, shift momentum,

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Starting point is 00:11:26 Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. Don't forget if you're watching us on YouTube, click that thumbs up, give us a like, throw a comment in as well. Are you worried about a Super Bowl hangover? Want to know your answer? And do not forget to subscribe. And we'll continue to give you three episodes every week until about the middle of July. Then we come back five days a week getting you ready for camp.

Starting point is 00:11:49 You know, one of the best aspects of the offseason is the fact that this Patriots team kept pretty much everybody on the coaching staff. Robert Coogler was the only full-time coach that left the team, and he was one of three offensive line coaches from last year. So you were able to keep everybody intact. And that's why this staff is loaded. And when you look at this staff, there are multiple guys. that you could say he could be a head coach in 2027. He could be a head coach maybe in 2028. But there are a number of guys that you could make that argument.

Starting point is 00:12:31 In Pro Football Focus, with that in mind, released a list of their top 15 head coaching candidates. In Pro Football Focus actually had Zach Core on their list. Here's what they wrote. Zach Core deserves a specific shoutout for navigating a different first year in New England with a plum. From week two and on, New England placed third in EPA per play and seventh and average yards per play allowed. Not only did Core help integrate new faces like Milton Williams, Carlton Davis, the third, and Robert Spillane, but he also cultivated

Starting point is 00:13:09 unknown standouts such as Jalen Hawkins, Kyrie's Tonga, and Craig Woodson. Corps' defense was especially suffocating in the postseason, permitting only three touchdowns on 49 drives. That's crazy, right? Three touchdowns on 49 drives. Courtesy of a staggering 50.3% pressure rate in a 43.5% blitz rate. We talked about that on yesterday's episode,

Starting point is 00:13:38 marrying pass rush and coverage and the aggressiveness, etc. Back to PFF. If New England can sustain that kind of, dominant defense in 2026 with some new faces, then the 38-year-old Corp might be poised for A to leap. Let's just start with Zach Corr. He deserves his flowers. You go back to just two years ago.

Starting point is 00:14:04 In 2024, Zach Corr was a defensive assistant with the New York Giants. Just two years ago. Now you fast forward, he's not only the defense. play caller of the Patriots who went to the Super Bowl last year, he helped immensely getting to that Super Bowl because of his play calling. Zach Kor joined this team to be the linebackers coach. That's what he was supposed to be. And I'll admit it, look, hand up.

Starting point is 00:14:35 Yeah, I was concerned when Terrell Williams went down. And we found out Zach Corr was going to be the defensive play caller. He had never done it. And so think about that. Think about the situation Zack Kor was thrown into. A defensive assistant two years ago with the Giants is now responsible for calling the plays defensively for the Patriots. And as you continue to grow throughout the season, and as you continue to play more challenging and more challenging and more challenging games, and as you continue to play more important games, Zach Kor actually got better.

Starting point is 00:15:13 which speaks volumes regarding his football intelligence, the work he puts in, all that stuff. I mean, he went from defensive assistant to linebackers coach to play caller in the Super Bowl. And he just improved exponentially throughout 2025. There's no reason to believe that he will not continue to improve, right? There's just no reason to believe he won't get better in 2026. He's just starting his career as a play caller.

Starting point is 00:15:48 Playcallers tend to get better as they learn more. And I am incredibly excited to see Zach Corr with a full off season. Think about that. He's got the full off season to conjure up what he can do. Full off season of watching film, understanding his players on a deeper level, on and off the field, looking at the weaknesses from 2025, self-scouting, figuring out how they can improve in certain metrics.

Starting point is 00:16:20 He's actually going to be a defensive coordinator who is fully prepared and ready for the job this year. He's not thrown into the deep end like a two-year-old splashing around in the in-ground pool, trying to figure out what's happening. why did dad just throw me in the pool? So I am very, very excited to Zat KOR, have that full off season with this roster, have a full camp with this roster, you know, the improvement at edge that I think they made,

Starting point is 00:16:53 the improvement on the back end that I think they made going from Jalen Hawkins to Kevin Byard. I'm excited. A couple of other notes, though, from this list. it'll be interesting to see if Terrell Williams would feel good enough to replace Zach Corr, if Zach Corr did indeed leave. Would that be the plan? Would Terrell Williams just go right back to being defensive coordinator?

Starting point is 00:17:20 Would one year, you know, kind of in this new role, this assistant head coach role slash like defensive, you know, senior defensive advisor, whatever his title is? Would one year be enough? could he come back in 2027 and take back his job if Zach Corr was hired as a head coach elsewhere? If not, what do you do? Any of these younger guys on the staff ready to take over? I mean, you got to believe in the program, right? You got to believe in Mike Vrable.

Starting point is 00:17:49 You got to believe in the ability to find a young coach and get the most out of that young coach and develop that young coach to being ready as a coordinator one day. But it just makes you think if Zach Corr is. out next year because he does such a great job and he gets hired as a head coach. Does Terrell Williams come back? Do you promote somebody from within? Do you go outside the program? You know, it's an interesting thing how all that will go now.

Starting point is 00:18:21 Might be getting a little too far ahead of ourselves, but, you know, of course, another name would be Shane Bowen, who is on the staff. He was the Giants defensive coordinator. When Zach Corr was a defensive assistant, obviously Shane Bowen close with Mike Vrable. So that might be the move you make. But this is the type of stuff you've got to think about if you're Mike Vrable with your staff as you continue to win games and do a great job. If you continue to do that, eventually going to lose people. And I trust Mike Vrable through and through to have a plan.

Starting point is 00:18:59 Another note about this, Josh McDaniels did not make the list. Now, pro football focus did say they could have chosen. a few people from the Patriots, which again tells you how loaded this staff is. But Josh McDaniel's not on the list of 15. And you think of the huge climb that he has to make from there. Failed both times as a head coach in the NFL. So I think you have some really good stability at offensive coordinator.

Starting point is 00:19:26 I mean, if you have another great year and Drake makes becomes an even better quarterback, and the team has a certain level of success, say they don't get to the Super Bowl, but they get to the postseason, and they make a pretty good run. I mean, if Josh McDaniels isn't looked at as somebody to be that next head coach of an organization, if that happens this year going into next offseason,

Starting point is 00:19:52 he's probably going to be stuck for quite a while. And I think that's what's going to happen. Another name Thomas Brown is not on the list, which is fascinating to me. because Thomas Brown, everywhere he goes, people sing his praises. But he did not make the list. I actually think that Thomas Brown is the coach that is most likely to be poached because he can be poached and given the offensive coordinator title from another team

Starting point is 00:20:21 slash assistant head coach if they want to do that. So I think Thomas Brown is the one that I'm keeping my eye on. I have a feeling that Zach Corr is still probably a couple of years away. Josh McDaniels again, I think he's going to end up being stuck. Not a bad place to be stuck, of course, but I feel like he's probably going to be stuck. Thomas Brown is still the name I look at. The search for interior offensive line depth could keep a recent draft pick in town for 2026. It's coming up next.

Starting point is 00:20:50 This is Lockdown Patriots, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe. You know, Camp is just about three weeks away. and we've got our eye on the 53 man roster. We're like that gift that's all over the place with the WMBA player, you know, pointing. You've seen that thing if you're on social media. That's us looking at this 53 man heading into the camp season, right? What's going to happen?

Starting point is 00:21:25 What's going to happen? What's going to happen? That's us. And that includes guys who might surprise us by making the cut. And when looking at the interior offensive line, there could be an opportunity for Kaden Wallace. Thanks for checking out the Lockdown Podcast Network, of course, the number one sports podcast network. There are three players left right now on the roster from the 2024 draft. You all know, Drake May, but don't forget Marcellus Dial, who blew his ACL out last year.

Starting point is 00:21:55 He was actually having a pretty good camp. It looked like he could be the backup slot corner last year before his knee went out. So Marcellus Dial is still hanging around in Caden Wallace. and Caden Wallace might have a legitimate shot at the 53-man roster. Evan Lazar recently on Patriots.com wrote, after an early push for guard Andrew Rupcich, who has also played some center this spring, Kaden Wallace has gotten more run at right guard behind Michael Wenow. Rupcich and Wallace are early favorites to build out the interior offensive line deck.

Starting point is 00:22:31 Now, of course, you've got Ben Brown as well, but as we've talked about, you know, Ben Brown, center slash guard could end up being just your backup center and you could bank on Andrew Rupcich in Caden Wallace. So this is interesting because it's a pretty wild path for Caden Wallace, right? I mean, you think about it. Going back to draft weekend in 2024 when Caden Wallace was drafted, he played right tackle at Penn State. And everybody was wondering, is he going to be right tackle for the Patriots? Is that the plan?

Starting point is 00:23:02 they need a left tackle. And, you know, we were all told by Elliot Wolf and others, no, we believe that Cana Wallace can transition to left tackle. Of course, that never really came to fruition. He was a right tackle at Penn State. That left tackle transition failed. And so the Patriots last year, and I don't know if this was a Doug Marone decision,

Starting point is 00:23:24 a Rable decision. I have no idea, but the Patriots decided to move Wallace to guard. So he went from right tackle. at Penn State to failed left tackle in New England to eventually offensive guard. And it's kind of a crazy ride, right? But if Cato Wallace can actually do the job, that is a significant piece of information that we have for this upcoming year.

Starting point is 00:23:52 Because if Cato Wallace, and not only just this upcoming year, but if you extend the view out, I mean, think about it. Michael Wen, who's in the last year of his contract, I don't think the Patriots are going to pay Michael Wenu next off season. I think they are going to move on. So if you have that in the back of your mind, that you're going to eventually move on from Michael Wenu, if Caden Wallace could be the in-house replacement for Michael Wenu, then, man, that makes it so much easier for you to put this offensive line together in

Starting point is 00:24:25 2027. And you could say, well, yeah, Caden Wallace, he moved around, right, tackle, left, tackle, guard, but now he's had two full years of developing at guard and looking at it and saying, hey, look, two years of development is more than enough. And we believe in this guy. And if that does happen, he's only going to cost you $1.6 million. If you could have your starting right guard making $1.6 million, then guess what? You can spend a whole lot of money elsewhere. That helps you with the Drake May extension. If you don't sign Christian Gonzalez to an extension over the next couple of months.

Starting point is 00:25:05 That extra money that you save on your offensive line because Caden Wallace develops as your right guard, that helps you sign Christian Gonzalez to his extension. Not to mention, it would be nice to have more than one draft pick from the 2024 class actually work out for you. That would be fantastic if it wasn't Drake May and then just bust. But the thing about the Patriots offensive line that I really like is they are building a young, versatile offensive line. And it certainly feels like they want to be ready just in case the worst case scenario plays out. Like if Will Campbell doesn't work out at left tackle, if he ends up playing below average this year, some weeks he's a turnstile, they've got to move on.

Starting point is 00:25:51 Well, you can slide Will Campbell into guard, right? Elijah Vera Tucker, who right now is your starting left guard, he's played all over the line outside of center at the NFL level. So you can move Elijah Vera Tucker to right guard. If Caden Wallace is good enough to take over for Michael Wenu, and you've got to move Will Campbell from left tackle to a guard position, you move him to left guard, you could arguably slide Elijah Verit Tucker to one of the tackle positions.

Starting point is 00:26:23 You could slide him to right tackle, and he would probably do at least an average, if not slightly above average job. Then what would you do at left tackle? What then you have Caleb Lomu, right? You've got Caleb Lomu who is cross-training all over the place. He's playing right tackle primarily, but he's also gotten some snaps on the left side. He's gotten some snaps at guard. Even Jared Wilson. I mean, Jared Wilson, who is your starting left guard last year, has slid back to his natural position of center.

Starting point is 00:26:52 but that doesn't mean in case something crazy happens and you absolutely need to move somebody that you couldn't slide Ben Brown in at center and slide Jared Wilson to guard if you wanted to. Now, I still think you'd likely move Ben Brown to guard, but the point still stands. A young, versatile offensive line. And Caden Wallace, just because he's now playing guard, that doesn't necessarily rule him out to play some right tackle in a pinch if it's break glass in case of an emergency. Oh, and by the way, you've got two developmental tackles as well that we haven't even talked about in Demetrius Crownover and Marcus Brian. So when you look at this offensive line, I just, I love the idea of the youth, the versatility.

Starting point is 00:27:40 Now, of course, Morgan Moses is 35, but pretty much everybody else. I mean, even Elijah Verrett Tucker, he's not an old dude in football terms. So I like the pieces. And if Caden Wallace can prove himself to be worthy of sticking on the 53-man roster, then that again goes right in line with the young, versatile, offensive linemen that this team wants. Not too shabby if you look back a couple of years ago what this offensive line looked like. All right, that wraps up this edition of Lockdown Patriots. Reach out to me on Twitter at Nick C. Radio.

Starting point is 00:28:15 Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel. Give us that thumbs up and subscribe. And thank you for making Lockdown Patriots your first listen today. For your second listen, check out Lockdown NFL scouting. As training camps get closer and moves are being made, hosts Kyle Crabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this offseason. You can find Lockdown NFL scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Have a great weekend, and we will see you next time.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Motivated: Can the New England Patriots Avoid a Super Bowl Hangover?

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