Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Much Ado About Nothing - DeflateGate Debunked, Pats at the Pro Bowl and More — 2/7/21

Episode Date: February 8, 2022

The New England Patriots just can’t seem to stay out of the headlines. DeflateGate is back in the collective consciousness of NFL fandom, and the league has some explaining to do. Fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy joins host Mike D’Abate to discuss the latest news on DeflateGate, Patriots Performances at the Pro Bowl and an to take an early look at the 2022 NFL Draft.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.GetUpsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get 25 cents per gallon or more cash back on your first tank.  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 about to be locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. My name is Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. I am also your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Today is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday with E2GSports.com's own of a legendary Thomas Murphy.

Tremendous show lined up for you today talking Deflategate fallout. That's right, folks. It's 2022. We're still talking Deflategate. Thanks to a forthcoming book by Pro Football Network's Mike Florio that blows the whistle on what we knew all along. The NFL has some explaining to do on this one, and Murph and I will give you our thoughts on the newest information regarding Deflategate,

as well as Matt Jones getting gritty with it on the gridiron, along with some solid performances by Matt Judon, JC Jackson, Matthew Slater, Patriots quartet well represented at the 2020 Pro Bowl. We'll also delve into the Senior Bowl, which players stood out, and which players also might end up being on the Patriots' radar with the draft season about to begin. A ton to get to today.

Thank you for making Locked On Patriots your first listen each and every day. And once again, today's episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by GetUpside. Just download the free GetUpside app and use the promo code TOUCHDOWN to get $0.25 per gallon or more cash back on your first tank. It is hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday here on the pod, and without further ado, let's get you locked in to Locked On Patriots. Locked On listeners, it is the new year. So you know what that means. That's right, New Year's resolutions.

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And there's so many flavors to choose from. Coconut almond, peanut butter brownie, raspberry, cookies and cream, mint brownie, so many flavors to choose from. Coconut Almond, Peanut Butter Brownie, Raspberry, Cookies and Cream, Mint Brownie, so many more. In fact, Built Bar is always coming out with new limited time flavors. So check out Built.com often to see what's new. Go to Built.com, use the promo code and get 15% off your order. Use the promo code LOCKED15 for 15% off at Bilt.com. Foxborough faithful, Mondays are always a treat here on Locked on Patriots. And there's a great reason for that.

Because the wisdom, the wit, the counsel, everything rolled all into one. From my great green friend joins us here on the pod today. And we've got an extra special treat for you because we get to talk about a subject that is, I would love to say near and dear to our heart, but really it's just like a thorn in our side. You know that my guests today and myself are big fans of the Godfather. Well, guess what? Today, this committee owes an apology. We're not talking about the panel that sat before Michael Corleone. No, we're talking about one National Football League.

What are the chances that the Patriots and Tom Brady get that apology? I would probably say slim to none, but we're going to beat that drum today because here to talk to Flategate, New England Patriots, draft, so much more is our great green friend. He is here. He is ready to roll. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the only guest on this pod, past, present, or future with his very own branded hashtag, the counter 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. Thank you for joining me today, Don Murph. That's right, Senator. This committee owes an apology, a huge apology, apology that we've been waiting for for a very long time. Because quite frankly, everything that came out yesterday that everybody is losing their minds about, if you read past a single headline, you knew this was the score. You really did.

You knew this was the score. 100%. I've written on many occasion and said on many occasion that Judge Berman eviscerated the NFL and and their opinions of what happened here. And what Florio just said the other day yesterday in release for his newley since midway through this investigation from from almost basically the week after. All you had to do was look into it a little bit longer and you realize that the NFL knew they screwed up and then tried to create evidence that that fit the the crime that Tom Brady was accused of. Absolutely, 100%. And I would love to say this is news to everybody in New England, but quite honestly, Murph, I mean, you and I both know this is not news to anybody in New England. Maybe it is to others elsewhere in the country or whatever,

or for the people that really wanted to believe this. I've constantly said that Deflateg gate was the biggest drinking the sand moment in professional sports history, because the people that wanted to believe so badly that Tom Brady was a cheater, that the Patriots cheated their way to wins, that there was no way they could possibly win as much without being dastardly and underhanded and cheating their way to victory. Yeah. This, this is not a good day for them because they're going to be beating their drum. They're still going to be up there whining and crying. But you and I both know that this is exactly what we believed it to be all along. A sham investigation.

One thing that did raise my eyebrow, and I had my suspicions about this all along. I think we all did. But until it actually comes to print and comes to fruition and you start to see some evidence that backs it um I wrote about this a little bit uh for Sports Illustrated last night and what equates to I think really damning evidence against the league and this is not a really a good two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl for the National Football League and we've been begging for it we've been begging for it we've asked and asked and asked.

Go ahead, Mike. I'm sorry. No, no, no, no. You're absolutely – no, I completely agree with you. And I thought that was a dynamite drop-in. But, you know, to me, the repression of the findings that took place under the direction of the NFL, specifically under the direction of their general counsel, Jeff Pasch,

allegedly – and I will say that. I'll give the benefit of the doubt. But, you know, allegedly, and I will say that I'll give the benefit of the doubt, but, you know, let's face it. I mean, it's out there. It's in print. Florio did his homework on this. Yep. According to his sources. Exactly. And expunging subsequently collected PSI data, Florio's words, not mine, which showed a direct correlation between temperature and air pressure. The measurements made at halftime of the Colts Patriots game were not out of line with what they should have been. So anyone running around Ryan Grigson or whoever is responsible for all this saying you guys are in big trouble or

was the, you know, really, I mean, come on, this was a witch hunt from the beginning. It just, what's disheartening to all of this is that millions of dollars were spent here. The Patriots were fined $1 million. They lost the first and a fourth round draft pick. Tom Brady suspended four games. A tarnish on his legacy. Really, I think ammunition for anybody that didn't like him. They can always throw the flake gate up there and think that they're making an argument.

But that's really the travesty here is that the Patriots had to be dragged through this. And this is the bottom line. The fact that they made such a big deal about this. They said they were going to investigate and do random testing throughout the next year. And then nobody saw those results. And every time, every time I've seen anything from the commissioner's office, I've my first question is, what about the results? What about the results of Deflategate the next year? What about the results? The baselines? Let me let me see it. Let me. And he had nothing. They had nothing to say. They had nothing to say.

All they came out with was, well, that will convolute things more and raise more questions and yada, yada, yada, blah, blah, blah. And no, you got caught lying. Everybody knows it. We know it here in New England. Now I hope a few, some people around the country realize that the Patriots don't need to cheat to beat you with Tom Brady. It was never, Tom Brady never needed to deflate balls. It was ridiculous. I can't wait to see what the talking heads this afternoon between two and six who we won't mention here. Felger mess have to say about all of this. Yeah, I mean, well, you know what they're going to say Murph. I mean, we both know what they're going to say. We all know what they're going to say. We all know what they're going to say. They're going to find a way to try to spin this back in the direction and point the nozzle of the ammunition back at

Tom Brady, Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft, New England Patriots, whatever they can to deflect the tension away from the league and put it on the Patriots is exactly what's going to happen. And look, the people that want, again, the people that want to drink the sand here and they want to believe that this was canon law. That's exactly what they're going to do. But we all know that science essentially proved this to be wrong right from the beginning. Whatever Bill Nye tells you, folks, please don't listen to that. But regardless of what exactly. I mean, come on. I mean, let's Bill Nye, the house painter guy. Yep. And the well-known Seahawks fan, by the way, you know, Patriots

beating the Super Bowl. I'm just I'm just I'm throwing that out there. But in any case, bottom line, you know, this to me is just it's just it's a combination of everything we've known. But seeing it on page and just having it dredged up again, especially at a time where the NFL is preparing for the Super Bowl. There's a lot going on. It really does, you know, just it makes you chuckle, but it also makes you angry. And there's a part of me that was angry reading all this last night, even though it's been a good amount of time. And even though we've had the opportunity to get over deflate gate and most Patriots fans will say, oh, this wasn't a surprise. It doesn't surprise me either way. There's still a little bit of anger in me when it comes to this whole ordeal because it

was unnecessary and it dragged a franchise through the mud for something they didn't do anything to you know to bring on you know I mean you can make all the arguments you want about spy gate and we have and you know the the ridiculousness of that and how it was there was a violation of a rule that the patriots paid the price for exactly and that was and that was it but when it comes to this and you start to see that this was all really just happenstance when it came to difficulties from the pressure from the atmosphere and this is detailed in florio's uh work uh i uh you know kept several uh quotes from florio's piece in my piece for sports illustrated last night you can go ahead and check that out it'll give you all of the uh the bottom line but again this is a bad look for the

nfl it's a terrible look for troy vincent i mean leaking the 11 out of 12 stories to chris mortensen essentially hanging him out to dry and then you look at the fact that when the 11 out of 12 news became debunked and it was debunked fairly quickly when that started to come out, all of a sudden Troy pushes out the story about, oh, well, Brady destroyed his cell phone. It was damage control at the highest level. It was controlling the narrative and really fueling into the fact that, well, this story is going to come out about 11 out of 12. Wasn't correct. That's not correct here because the ideal gas law debunks that, but Brady destroyed his cell phone. So focus on that.

Brady got rid of that. Brady got rid of that phone when he was told that it wasn't needed. Exactly. He held it for up to 24 hours before his, his hearing in front of Goodell and was told that it wasn't going to be needed. And then he got rid of his phone. All right. I don't want to hear about anything about handing over phones. It's garbage. Every phone that was handed over, there were leaks to the press that were, how can we say, calculated and taken out of context.

And it was god-awful. It was god-awful. I don't want to hear about the phone anymore. Yeah, I don't think anybody wants to hear about the phone anymore. And again, this is all stuff that if you're a Patriots fan listening to this right now, you're sitting there saying, yep, this is just, we know all this. And yes, we do. You're absolutely right. I'm not arguing with you on that. And then neither is Murph, but at the same time, it just, it really does make you, and it, I hate to say it, that not,

there's not a correlation. Now, please don't misconstrue what I'm saying here, folks. There is not a correlation between the two events events but this type of a mark against the league a more egregious mark against the league the allegations of racism discrimination in hiring processes that's a much more serious matter right than deflate gate and neither Murph or I will ever uh you know argue that point but um the NFL offices up in Park Avenue as Ricky Ricardo would say they got some explaining to do uh they, really have some serious inward looking to do and find out what the real issue is at hand up there in those corporate offices. Because there's a lot of stuff going on up there that shouldn't be. And it's ruining a lot of people's ability to really enjoy the game, which is still the king of entertainment when it comes to sports right now.

But marks like this against an entity will eventually catch up with you. Even the NFL is not above the law. Damn straight. Sorry about that. Absolutely. Well, folks, hopefully the New England Patriots now will get a little more exoneration as opposed to the way that the NFL besmirched their reputation, especially Tom Brady in the wake of his retirement. We both know that people that still want to hate Tom are going to hate him anyway. People that still want to hate the Patriots, they're going to hate them anyway. But if you have an open mind on the subject,

if you happen to be listening to the New England Patriots, you know, information and you listen to lockdown Patriots, either hate listener just to get an idea of what the franchise England Patriots, you know, information, and you listen to Lockdown Patriots, either hate listen or just to get an idea of what the franchise is all about. Have an open mind when it comes to this stuff. Read, you know, some of the information that's out there, and I guarantee you, you'll come to the same conclusion that New Englanders have known right all along. Well, Murph, this is present day Lockdown Patriots, and we do have a lot of present day material to cover when it comes to the Patriots.

And yesterday, on Sunday, there was NFL football on. Well, sort of. Sort of. The Pro Bowl continues to be the pariah of NFL fandom, media members. It's just, I mean, if you want an example of NFL football, folks, this is not it. It's a spectacle, and that's basically all it is. But there were some fun moments on the field, and one of the fun moments, one of the most fun moments, came at the, I don't want to say came at the expense, but it came because of the Patriots rookie quarterback, Mac Jones.

One out of ten, Murph, I want you to rate Mac Jones' gritty dance going into the – How did he look to you? Yeah, that was a solid six. I'll give it a solid six. You know, I don't think anybody on the field had more fun than Mac Jones yesterday. He was laughing it up. He was showing his personality. This is great for Patriots fans to see

because Mac almost looked like he was programmed a little bit this year to really, you know, immerse himself into the Patriot way. And, oh, you've got to act a certain way. He worked overtime. He worked overtime at doing the Patriot way. Yeah, he really and truly did. He did. And to see him get out there, look, bottom line, you're not going to win any style points or any talent contests or anything like that, you know, without giving yourself a little flair. And he was actually pretty good in the skills competition over the weekend as well.

You know, I think he overall, I think he had a pretty decent weekend. You know, are you going to look at him and say, oh, well, the play that he had on the field inspires confidence in me for 2022. No, Mac already did that in the 2021 season. But this was a good experience for Mac, because I think what it did was it gave him a chance to be around some of the best players in the game. Proved to everyone that he deserves to be in that conversation. Right. And that regardless of what fans in Western New York will tell you, Mac had a very good season and he was chosen for a reason to be up there. Yes. Was he chosen because certain players either declined the invitation or were preparing for the Super Bowl or, you know, Mack proved that he absolutely deserved to be on the field with these guys. And I was glad for one to see him get in there.

Me too. I had a blast watching this. I have to admit, this is the first time that I have watched the NFL Pro Bowl weekend shenanigans in quite some time, probably since Robert Lee Edwards tragically blew up his knee in that beach game um back in oh god what was it 98 or something yeah 98 99 something like that and um it was it was fun i was there to watch mac i was there to see how mac did and and i was just glad to see him out there having fun yeah and it was it was good to uh how mac did and and i was just glad to see him out there having fun

yeah and it was it was good to uh to see that and look he looked pretty good throwing that fade to a slot receiver named hunter renfro uh unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season i'm just saying i'm just saying just saying you know belichick looks at these things and you know he had the clipboard out i don't think he's making notes on his tablet not a big social media guy bill i don't think bill wants to go anywhere near electronic devices bill's bill's ipad is like mine it's yellow and has stripes it has has lines on it that's that's my ipad absolutely exactly and uh but uh bill was taking notes and you know who knows i mean i don't want to start that speculation train you know this early but it definitely showed that Mac can hold his own with some solid receiving talent and I

think he had some on the team this year a lot more you know help there is needed we'll get into that in just a moment folks but it was good to see Mac out there and I was really you know glad to see him be able to have some fun this offseason and it's also proving that you talked a lot about his off season workout regimen, uh, trying to eliminate ice cream. Uh, Murph and I have not mastered that yet. So it's a good thing that Mac is not listening to Murph and I for a diet advice. Uh, definitely. He will not want to listen to either one of us on that, but bottom line,

uh, you know, I think it, uh, it really, uh, it's, it's good for, uh, for him to be able to get out there and i thought he held his own against some very formidable competition he did but mac mac wasn't the only patriot out there this weekend murph uh matt judon uh led actually led the team in total tackles with six um getting out there playing out of position um for those of you that don't know and a lot of people i did get a couple of DMs, believe it or not, during the Pro Bowl. Some of you guys were watching this yesterday about Matt Judon asking why he wasn't blitzing or why he wasn't getting into nickel or dime packages. Look, bottom line, folks, it's the Pro Bowl.

You're not going to see that anyway. But there actually is a Pro Bowl regulation that requires teams to only play a 4-3 defense. Look, nobody wants to get hurt in these games, and they do everything they can to protect the players. So if you saw Matt Judon lining up in areas that you usually don't see him line up in the Patriots realm on the field, it's because he was playing most of the day off the ball. Miles Garrett, Max Crosby, they were the edge rushers.

Crosby ended up winning the MVP. Hometown guy, I definitely don't have a problem with that. He looked like he was having a blast yesterday as well. JC Jackson snagging an interception, getting off the tip in the end zone, intended for a rough or seedy land. That was a pretty good moment. And Matt Slater getting a chance to get out there and align in the defensive backfield. And not a lot of people realize that he did play some fill in

during his Patriots career in the defensive backfield. He's listed as a wide receiver. We very, very seldom see him align as a wide out, but he does have some experience back there. And there's a lot of speculation, Mur about matthew slater and his future in a patriots uniform uh this will be a sad day for patriots nation when it does come but mike reese of espn reported over the weekend that there might be some optimism that matthew just may need a little nudge uh and that may be enough to get him back in a Patriots uniform. If, in fact, Matthew Slater does get that nudge, it looks like he would only be willing to come back to the Patriots, but maybe not.

You never know. Your thoughts on Matthew Slater and his future on a football field. What's your gut reaction tell you about him? My gut reaction is that Matthew wants to get on with the next part of his life um I think that nudge is is is um maybe more than a little maybe maybe uh you know a shove um he he had a good time this year the year before was a bit uh trying at the the end of this year there was I think he takes it as a sense of pride that the Patriots special teams unit was a bit maligned this season.

And he may come back because of that to finish on a high note, not wanting to go out like that, wanting to do a little more in the playoffs. But no, I think my gut tells me that Matthew Slater has more likely than not to go with the flow of the day, decided that he's set for the next portion of his life. Yeah, I mean, and a lot of people would probably agree with you on that. I know a lot of people out there are probably mad that I have that opinion. It's just an opinion. I don't think you're alone on that opinion.

I really and truly don't. I're alone on that opinion i really and truly don't i think a lot of patriots fans are looking at matthew and they're looking at the career that he's had and everything he's accomplished uh you look at the challenges that uh the the current nfl faces with covid i mean let's face it folks it's not going away it's still going to be a part of the nfl fan of the nfl fan of the nfl, excuse me, in 2022, to the extent of which players might have to be tested and things of that nature. I think that will lessen. I don't think it will be as prominent as it has been for the past couple of years, but it's still going to be a factor.

You have to wonder how much longer Matthew will want to do this at 36 years of age. He's been named as an AFC Pro Bowl special teamer in 10 out of the last 11 seasons of course a lot of those seasons he didn't have to play in this game because the patriots were getting ready to play in the big game but matthew's been to the puppet show and seen the strings and i think when he looks at his career as a whole family is so important to him i had the great fortune a couple of years ago being able to sit down and talk to Matthew one-on-one and you will not find a more dedicated family man, a more level-headed thinker. And I think really a more, you know, a selfless individual that you'll ever find. Absolutely. I got to throw that in, a devoted man of faith. And I believe this is his next step in the, I don't want to say reincarnate, in Matthew Slater's life is to devote the rest of his life to his ministry and to preaching the word of God.

I'm not trying to get preachy here, people, but this is just a beautiful man who has a very strong faith and i do believe that that's that's the direction that matthew is set to go in i do as well and uh you know i mean we look at that i'm still holding out a little bit of optimism maybe a little slightly maybe slightly more than murph has right now about him being able to uh to be nudged in the right direction i think a lot of it is going to depend on conversations that he may have in terms of the Patriots' off-season goals and what they're looking to accomplish and how the next season is going to look. I think if Matthew feels it's worth his while, then you may see him suit up again.

But I think if he had to make a decision today, I think he probably would walk away. I think he probably would call it a career and walk away at sunset. Exactly. And he doesn't ne wrong more in my life. Ye Patriots right now will g He's earned enough goodw i and enough respect from e through one patriot place

in a lot of ways that wil that he needs to make an important decision for himself and his family first and foremost Murph it's always great to talk Pats with you it's always great to talk Patriots past we even talked a little Deflategate believe it or not considering it's considering it's Monday February 7th 2022 we're still talking about Deflategate hopefully we can try to put that behind the collective consciousness of the New England Patriots fandom. But it's out with the old and on with the new, maybe in New England. The Senior Bowl is done, folks.

And what does that mean? That means the 2022 NFL draft season has now commenced. Murph and I aren't going to muse the drafts just yet, but based on the senior bowl performances, what does Murph think are the Patriots' two top priorities heading into the drafts coming up in just a couple of months? We'll tackle that subject and more when this Monday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, there might be less football that's being played right now, but BetOnline.net has way more stuff to bet

on this playoff season. From scores, totals, player performance props, to where the next fired head coach is going to land, BetOnline is the number one spot for all things NFL betting in 2022. And it's not just football. BetOnline.net's basketball, hockey, boxing, and UFC odds coverage is the best in the business. From sports right down to your favorite Vegas casino games, BetOnline is your number one online wagering destination. BetOnline, the fastest and easiest way to wager on all of your favorite sports and play your favorite games.

BetOnline, where the game starts. Patriots fans, the legendary Thomas Murphy joins me here today on hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. Murph, it's already been an interesting weekend with the Flategate News, the Pro Bowl, and the futures of certain Patriots being talked about, but one thing about the future of the New England Patriots is they do have to do some building in the draft. They do it every year, regardless of what you'll hear between two and six. Bill is a very adept drafter. They do have some work to do this year.

They will have a little bit of a challenge replacing someone like Dave Ziegler, who was very intricately involved in what the Patriots do when it comes to drafting, when it comes to strategy. But the Senior Bowl over the weekend always ushers in a new era in the Patriots, you know, preparations for the draft, not just the Pats, folks. I don't mean to make it just Patriots-centric. Everyone in the NFL looks at the Senior bowl as the unofficial kickoff to this season and several standouts on the field. A couple of which I think might look good in a Patriots uniform, but I think might be wishful thinking on the part of the Patriots to try to snag them. Murph, I'm not going to steal your thunder. I'm going to let you have the floor

right off the bat. Based on what you've seen, limited information that you've seen from the Senior Bowl, and based on what you're looking at with this roster, we've talked about offseason priorities before and what the Patriots need, but what do you think the Patriots are going to prioritize in the draft coming up? Because what the team needs most on the field may not always coincide with what the team is looking at in terms of draft needs where do they go first and foremost bud um i i hate to say it because it's not sexy and you guys uh don't really want to hear it but i believe they're going to go offensive line um early in the draft and then that, they're going to piece in as to the best

available hole fit, whether it be linebacker, slot receiver, or anything like that. Zion Johnson just jumped off the page for me this week. Everything that I heard, he moved over from tackle to play center. We know that Bill really loves versatility on the inside of the line. I would not be surprised if they did that, if they went that direction in the first round. And then there's another one, you know, this one's going to hit close to home. And Tavares Jones out of Connecticut, the defensive tackle, has just been, you know, was a mauler this week. Yeah, he absolutely was.

I mean, there were definitely great performances along the lines. And I got to say it, Murph, I'm leaning in that direction with you. I think they realize that championships are won in the trenches. And I know a lot of people have pie-in-the-sky hopes about a wideout being brought in, that typical number one, take the top off the defense wide receiver. I'm not so sure the Patriots are going to prioritize that either in the draft or free agency. I'm sorry, LJ. I know our buddy is clamoring for that.

I really wish I could tell you that that will be an ultimate priority. Bill may prove me wrong. He may go that direction but right now I'm looking at the line and I'm looking at specifically the tackle position because I do believe like our good friend Evan Lazar floated around a couple of weeks ago that Isaiah Wynn could possibly be on the block. I know the Patriots will take a cap hit there but at some point in time, you have to wonder whether or not that is going to be the ideal fit. Maybe Trent Brown is coaxed into coming back. He seems to love playing in New England for Bill Belichick. I think he's at his happiest here. So I think that move can be facilitated, but with Isaiah, there's just,

there's just, there's injury questions there too. It's more than just a bit. Really, it's a depth issue. We saw it late in the season on both sides of the ball. What happened during the wonderful little winning streak that they put together where everybody in Patriots Nation was talking about AFC championship games and in some cases Super Bowls, they were healthy. The team was healthy on both sides of the line the linebacking core was healthy and um but down the stretch they weren't and we saw what happened because the depth wasn't there and I really do I I think Bill's going to end up going to try to get deeper at those two positions and then try to fill out with some of

the guys that we're talking about now don't get't get me wrong. If, if, uh, Medici is there in the second round, I think Bill will take him, John Medici, uh, out of, you know, he's a fantastic receiver. I want him, uh, he can play inside. He can play outside. I love the guy six foot tall. He gets separation. He gets the yak that I love so much and oh we could go on for an hour here so i'll just stop off there but no it's it's winning games in the trenches that the patriots lost games in the trenches this year especially down the stretch when everybody says that they were spitting up all over themselves it was a lack of depth and i think bill is gonna is is definitely going to look to fix that right now.

They need to get younger on both sides of the trenches. And I think that's what we're going to do. Absolutely. And I agree with you. And look, one of my early draft crushes on this cycle right now in terms of offensive line, Bernhard Raymond, to me is just is one of the one of the guys that just completely jumps off the page now I think he had himself a very good senior bowl and I think because of that you're probably looking at a high-end first round draft

pick tackles of this type with his type of size the guy's massive uh you know and I mean really just a tremendous wingspan I really really like this liked this kid an awful lot. And he had some wins, some lose, some performances during the past protection drills in the week leading up to the senior bowl. But what I thought he did is I thought he showed improvement each day from the footage that I saw wasn't on the ground and mobile, but several, you know, colleagues of mine were sent me video, sent me film. I did have a chance to try to check out as much as I could in the moment, as much as I could. And I thought he showed improvement each and every day, primarily in run protection.

This kid, I think, really showed that he can be a factor and be someone that's good in run protection. But protecting the blind side is where this kid can really shine. His strength combined. He's got great footwork to quickly get out of his stance. And I like that about him, especially with what the Patriots love to do in terms of keeping their

quarterbacks, either mobile or immobile to based based upon their needs. This could end up making him a pretty high first round draft choice, but I love him, you know, in terms of what he could bring to the table, again, the size,

the athleticism and just remarkable that just a few years ago, this kid wasn't even on the radar of playing football at all. Really just a great story. This could be a good fit, but I think Patriots fans are probably a little pie in the sky right now, and they're probably rolling their eyes saying, no, unless Bill trades up, he's not going to follow them at number 21, and you're probably right about that. But I really like the way this kid is coming up and making his name. Yeah. One guy on the offensive line I want to bring up who did not have a great week,

but he's somebody that I could see Bill taking a shot at, is the Washington State kid, Abram Lucas. He's just a massive human being who really needs to learn to grow into his body. He's got arms and a fantastic punch. You know, he's 6'6", 322. He's still got room to grow into that 6'6 frame. That's somebody to keep an eye out for maybe in round three. I don't think he's going to go before then.

I wouldn't give up a pit before that yeah i like lucas i'm glad you mentioned him because this kid has got the football iq that i think everybody talks about uh it's listed as a bullet point now on a lot of draft evaluation sites in terms of how people look this kid does a great job of picking up the blitzers off the edge if you can do that you can succeed but he's a pure tackle he's not going to kick inside he's not going to be one of those guys that can plug in plays not a teddy caris or even a michael wainu that can play tackle or guard depending on your knees he's a predominant tackle right he's best on the right side but i think he's got enough swing where they could use him on the left if they really wanted to uh but that's this is a lack of a better term you got

me tongue-tied Murph no all kidding aside folks not really uh Lucas I think is someone that could really uh you know look nice in a Patriots uniform and he's at that level I know he didn't have a great uh you know week uh in Mobile but he's at that level right now the Patriots could pick him up possibly on the mid-rounds and be able to really mold him into someone that, that could be a force on this offensive line. So, you know, it's really hard for kids that, that size to have perfect technique, you know, and, and if you could just teach them up and coach them up, I agree.

I'm sorry for stepping on your mic. No, you didn't step on me at all. I mean, we just, we love talking about offensive line and we love talking about the lines and whatnot. But there are guys that you mentioned, Mechie, there are guys that are at the skill position players on both sides of the ball. I'm not just talking about in terms of running backs,

you know, tight ends, receiving tight ends, wide receivers. The secondary is also like the defensive skill, you know, position in terms of, you know, what people would know would like linebacker as well. If the Patriots were to go in this direction in the draft, could be early rounds, could be late rounds, but it's obvious that these are all potential positions of need for the New England Patriots. What do you prioritize among those positions for the Pats and where might you see them looking? I'd like to see Bill get back to, you know, the prototypical 6'3", 250, you know, linebacker that

is going to stuff the run. Darren Beavers has been talked about a lot. I really like his game. Again, I'm going to UConn here. People don't hate me for it. Brian Eshma out of Oklahoma. We went to Oklahoma last year for a draft. Bill could go back this year. He's the best tackler in this class. Always makes plays on the ball. He's a powerful linebacker that plays bigger than a six-foot frame. I know I just said something, but this kid really plays

a lot bigger. And Chad Mooma of Wyoming, he's six foot two, 241. You can add 10 pounds to him quite easily. He's a physical guy who loves to play downhill. And I think that the Patriots could go there. Absolutely. Mooma especially really, I think, improved his draft stock. This is one of those guys that if you were watching the Senior Bowl over the weekend, you're looking at this kid and saying, wow, he's all over the field. Please, by all means, and I tweeted this out on Saturday, and I'll tweet it out again as the days go on. There is a video out there of Mooma chasing down, you know, you know, the chasing down Malik Willis, you know, you know, really FT Beard put this video out and again, give him a follow as well. Some of the greatest, you know, audio visual content that you'll see when it comes to to NFL, you know,

information and especially when it comes to prospects in the draft. But chasing down Malik Willis, that was a really impressive run for the quarterback out of Liberty. He looked like he was ready to get in. And MoMA just did not give up. He stayed with him, drew a beat on him, and really I think showed a lot of tenaciousness, a lot of versatility. And that athleticism I think can make him a threat all over the field, the former safety,

a converted safety Patriots definitely need help there. Darian Beavers, obviously I know is someone that you mentioned out of Cincinnati drawing comparisons to, you know, the early days of Dante Hightower. He is kind of in that mode a little bit, that lumbering type of,

you know, that you know, thumping type of a linebacker, but great field awareness. And really, I think, has a great understanding of his assignments. And to me, that's one of the most important qualities that you can have for a Patriots linebacker or anybody at that position. One of the big reason why that Bill loved Anthony Jennings so much coming out of Alabama was because he plays his role as a sign. And I see a lot of that in beavers as well. So this could be an interesting draft cycle and folks Murph and I will break

that down as we start using the draft next week, the Superbowl will be in the books the next time we hit the airwaves and we'll be all over the draft. So keep a sharp eye on the lockdown Patriots account on Twitter. We'll be requesting your mock drafts so that way Murph and I can use those drafts because after all, Murph, we don't mock the draft here. We do not make fun of the draft. It's a sacred.

We hold it sacred and we don't make fun of it, but we will muse your decisions and we'll even throw in a couple of grades for good measure. Buddy, what can I say? One more name. We didn't jump into the defensive backfield but look at Jalen Petrie uh the the Baylor redshirt uh uh safety the kid can play in slot corner he's an edge rusher he's he's just fantastic and I had to get his name in there I can't help myself no please do not help yourself and I have a funny feeling that we're going to be mentioning him.

We're going to be mentioning a lot of corners. I mean, obviously, Roger McCreary is separating himself. But, you know, that's going to be a tough one to get. Yeah, the top ten. That's going to be a tough one to get. He's going to top ten. Yeah. Yeah, Bill's trading up.

Maybe he's got a shot, but I don't think Bill's trading up in this draft. But these are all guys that we're going to continue to, you know, muse and talk about all throughout this draft cycle. But, buddy, what can I say? I mean, you always lend the wisdom and the counsel the way only you can bring it. That is why you are family here on Locked on Patriots. Thank you for joining me today, Murph. And, folks, please, 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 TeamMurph207. The content that this man puts out at E2G Sports is always point, click, and learn material. A lot of football stuff coming out, but a lot of baseball stuff. There's a lot of anger in my good green friend right now when it comes to the front offices in Major League Baseball. And Murph will continue to bring that content the way only he can.

Some of the best in the business. I highly recommend it. And of course, never miss an episode of One Patriot's Place with our good friend Murph, our great mutual friend Steve Balistrieri, and the Countess of Clas herself, Miss Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. Honored and humbled, as always, by your presence, my friend. Thank you so much. No, thank you for having me, Michael. Yeah, check me out on E2G Sports.

I got a piece up on Alvin Kamara right now. Nothing good happens in Las Vegas after 5 p.m., people. Of course, tomorrow we will have a fantastic guest. Derek Havens will be joining Claire and Steve and myself on When Patriots Play. Michael, thank you so much for having me here. I'll be back every week until you lock the door. Absolutely done, Murph. We would not consider having a Locked on Murph Monday without the man right in the chair.

Thank you so much, my friend. Stay safe and well. You too, bud. Just like that, Patriots fans, one down and still a lot of Pats coverage to come here. It is Super Bowl week. And even though your New England Patriots are not playing in the big game, we will still have a ton of Super Bowl coverage to come here. If you're looking for the best big game coverage, the most comprehensive big game coverage anywhere in sports media right now.

Look no further than right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. It is super weak, brought to you by GetUpside. And there's no better place to get coverage of the big game than the Locked On NFL Podcast. Locked On Bengals, Locked On Rams, they're in L.A. all week long covering the big game. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action, download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Podcasts, primarily Locked On Patriots, wherever you get your

podcasts. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, so make sure to stay locked into Locked On Patriots. 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 tomorrow Foxborough faithful stay safe, stay well be the change that you wish to see in the world have a great day everyone