Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Much Ado About Workouts: New England Patriots 2021 Offseason Programs — 5/17/2021

Episode Date: May 17, 2021

The New England Patriots have begun the second phase of offseason workouts at Gillette Stadium, in Foxboro, Massachusetts; after having welcomed the rookie class for initial workouts over the weekend. Joining host Mike D’Abate is fan-favorite Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy, as the duo discuss the importance of such workouts, and the hype surrounding them.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.NugenixText now, and they’ll include a bottle of Nugenix Thermo, their most powerful fat incinerator ever with key ingredients to help you get back in shape, absolutely free! Text DRAFT to 2-3-1-2-3-1.WealthfrontTo get your first $5,000 managed for FREE, for life, go to wealthfront.com/LockedOnNFL 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. All of you Foxborough faithful, you are now locked into the Lockdown Patriots podcast. Today is Monday, May 17th, 2021, and it's Monday, so you know what that means. Time for a little hashtag Lockdown Murph here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. Today's episode of Locked on Patriots is brought to you by Bilt Bar.

Go to BiltBar.com and use the promo code LOCKED15 to get 15% off your next order. Welcome to the new week, Patriots fans, and thank you so much for joining me here today on the pod. 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, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed,

very much appreciated. So share that feedback, send it to the Internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there doing some Monday meddling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, it is the start of a new week. And with each passing day, we get one day closer to the start of the 2021 NFL season. A lot of new faces in Foxborough, a lot of excitement in the air,

and expectations are high. They're always high in Foxborough. That's nothing new. But the buzz around this team might be a little different than the buzz that was around the 2020 New England Patriots. After all, the Patriots had just watched the face of the franchise, the stalwart of this organization for the last two decades,

take his talents to Tampa. There was still a lot of uncertainty as to who was going to quarterback the team. A lot of the positional depth charts needed work. Oh, and of course, we were in the midst of a global pandemic without any end in sight and little to no direction as to when we would even see players take the field. This year, the global pandemic is still there, but we're weathering through it. Restrictions continue to be lifted. People are getting vaccinated, and that means a return to some sense of normalcy. And we've already seen some of that start to trickle into the National

Football League. Off-season workouts taking place with all NFL teams, including the New England Patriots. Phase two of those off-season workouts for the veterans begins today in Foxborough, and that already gives this roster a leg up on the competition, as opposed to the roster that took the field in 2020. Another big change is the rookies. They actually had a chance to take the field in Foxborough over the weekend for initial rookie workouts, and Mack Jones was on the field as well. Media unable to cover this in person, but on-field accounts do indicate

that Mack had a very good workout session, really impressed a lot of the coaching staff, and we're already seeing a good amount of the fan base out there saying, Mack looked amazing, this is it, get him out there on the field. Well, not so fast. It doesn't really work like that. I want to see Mack succeed as much as anyone, but just because he has one good workout session where you're not getting hit, your time on the field is limited,

doesn't necessarily mean that they're ready to get behind the wheel and drive the bus. There has to be some middle ground, and those of you who have listened to Locked On Patriots in the past know that one of my all-time favorite quotes comes from Aristotle, virtue lies in the middle. And it's been my experience that, at least in professional sports, the guys in the middle are usually the biggest and the strongest. Well, luckily for us here on Locked On Patriots, today's talk about virtue lying in the middle comes on hashtag Locked On Murph Monday. That's right, folks. That's

right. The Green King of Sting is here to join me today on the hot seat. And Murph and I will talk about the start of the second phase of off-season workouts for the New England Patriots. We'll talk a little bit about rookie minicamp as well, and why it's smart to take a patient approach when evaluating these types of off-season workouts. And I'm delighted that Murph is joining me here today. I know he joins me every Monday, but especially for a conversation like this, because he always blends logic and opinion in a way that, quite frankly, no one else can but him. So an action-packed agenda here on Locked On Murph Monday,

kicking off another work week here on the pod with the green master of disaster himself in the hot seat when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Patriots fans, listen up. Nugenix, the number one selling free testosterone booster at GNC, is offering a complimentary bottle to all football fans in America. To get your complimentary bottle of Nugenix Total T, text the word DRAFT, D-R-A-F-T, to 231-231. This unique man-boosting formula is powered by Testofen, which helps boost free testosterone and total testosterone levels and increase energy and lean muscle mass. Plus, text right now and they'll include a bottle of Nugenics Thermo,

their most popular fat incinerator ever, with key ingredients to help you get back in shape, absolutely free. Text the word DRAFT, D-R-A-F-T, to 231-231. That's draft to 231-231. Get your edge back with Nugenics. Message and data rates may apply. Locked on listeners, investing can be complicated, but whether you're a beginner or you've been investing for years, Wealthfront makes it easy. They have the right tools for every portfolio.

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by going to Wealthfront.com slash LockedOnNFL. All you need is $500 to get started. Grow your wealth the easy way and let Wealthfront do the work for you. To get your first $5,000 managed for free for life, go to Wealthfront.com slash LockedOnNFL. That's W-E-A-L-T-H-F-R-O-N-T dot com slash LockedOnNFL to start growing your savings. Go to Wellfront.com slash LockedOnNFL and get started today. Patriots fans, rookie camps, mini camps, a lot of camps kicking off in Foxborough this weekend, last week.

But what does it really all mean? Well, that's kind of a monster question that really requires some green wisdom and counsel. Luckily for us, it's that time again. He's here. He's ready to roll. Your favorite and mine, my benefactor in this business, the only guest on this pod with his very own branded hashtag, and a little bit of interesting news to share with all of us today.

So keep a sharp ear to the conclusion of our podcast. The count of Murphy Pisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, is back here 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. Oh, always my pleasure, bud. Always my pleasure. It's not Monday without a stop in here at the Locked On Studios and a cup of coffee

with, you know, somebody who happens to be one of my best friends on the planet. Absolutely. And I feel exactly the same way. You know, that's at the cafe. Some pretty good conversation. And of course, Patriots football on a Monday. Well, that's true. That is true.

That's the other part of it. You know, we've got to get together somewhere. And not too many people are going to be hospitable. No, the Lockdown Patriot studios are always open. And as long as no one touches the total poster left behind by my good friend Mark Schofield, we pretty much have free reign here

at the studios. What can I say, buddy? We make Mondays fun. Hashtag Lockdown Murph Monday is happening. We love it. We'll continue to love it. And it'll always continue to be my favorite day of the week because of it. So, Murph, the Patriots are kicking off the second phase of voluntary workouts today in Foxborough. And it will look a little different than in years past.

Still COVID-19 regulations. I know a lot of people are saying everything's being lifted. Not quite when it comes to the NFL just yet. They're relaxed, but they're still there. It did cause the NFL to shorten it from three weeks that it usually is to one week this year. And phase one was really focused on strength and conditioning work. Voluntary. Absolutely, folks were stressing that it is voluntary. Phase two is going to offer more on-field drills, not too many restrictions, you know, that really, and this was agreed to by the collective bargaining agreement,

but there are no contact, no live tackling. Coaches are permitted to be on the field, which is really, I think, the most important aspect of what we're going to see this week. It's going to look much more like a normal practice than previous workouts this offseason. Murph, we've talked a lot here on Locked On Patriots several times about the lack of mini camps, the lack of OTA, the lack of voluntary workouts like this. I'm not going to

put words in your mouth, but I've mentioned it a lot here on the pod. And I've said that it's one of those things that has a negative effect on the pod. And I've said that it's one of those things that has a negative effect on the development of players and team building camaraderie. But this season, it appears that a little more normalcy is going to be present right from the start. Murph, do you believe that this is a sign that football across the board, not just here in Foxborough, but across the board might be a little bit tighter this year, a little bit more sound as opposed to in 2020? Yeah, I do. That's a great question. And one that the answer, the simple answer to is yes. I mean, more time on the field, more time getting to know your teammates, especially guys on the offensive line. We saw a huge surge in false starts last year in in defensive offsides, because these guys are chomping at the bit and they have not worked together.

It makes everything much easier. The more time you spend on the field with your teammates, knowing where they're going to be, how they're going to react to different situations, things that Bill Belichick and, quite frankly, every coach in the NFL puts their guys through, yeah, we're going to see a much cleaner game this year than we have in years past. And you can go look at statistics, and they may say one thing or another when it came to penalties last year.

There were a lot of referees earlier in the season who were told to swallow the whistle. And it's going to end up being a better product that we all see coming out of the gate than we did last year. Yeah, I mean, without question, more time on the field, like you said, is always good. As long as everyone stays healthy, that's the most important thing. But preparation time, practice time, camaraderie building, getting the chance for the coaches to get to know their players' tendencies, for players to get to know the coaches' tendencies. It's so important to build that type of rapport that you need to succeed, especially in a Patriots system.

And I know a lot is made of the Patriots playbook and how difficult it is to learn. And, you know, I think some of that is maybe, I don't want to say embellished, because I don't think it's embellished by the team. Some of that may be over-romanticized by the media, making this to be the most difficult. I like that, huh? Yeah, exactly. That's pretty good. Yeah, that's not bad. Thank you. I appreciate that. A little bit. A little bit. I like a little bit. Yeah, it's nice to know that us English majors and minors have a platform to be able to put their vocabulary to good use.

But in any case, I think in a lot of ways, it is a little bit maybe over-romanticized, to use the word again, by the media to build up New England as this place that's absolutely incredibly hard to understand. It's not easy, folks. No one is saying that. New England is hard work. You're going to want it bad to play here. But at the same time, if you put the work in, you show the willingness to be able to compete on the field, and you put the same time in in the classroom and in the film room as you do on the field, good things are going to happen here for you in New England.

So the time that the Patriots are going to spend on the field with their coaching staff, I think is going to be very beneficial. I think you're going to see, you know, players like Cam Newton, you know, players that played here last year that may have struggled a little bit, maybe even, dare I say, maybe even an Akil Harry or a Sonny Michelle are going to benefit greatly, you know, from being able to utilize this time if, in fact fact they do show for voluntary workouts. At the very least, the mandatory workouts is definitely something that they're going to get a lot out of. And that leads me quite nicely into my next topic here, Bud, which is rookie camp.

And that happened over the weekend up at Gillette. Several of the Patriots draftees, including first rounder Mac Jones, they were in Foxborough over the weekend. Patriots.com did a great job of showing us pictures of Mac working out with Josh McDaniels. A couple of them have even been memed already. We've seen that several times on social media. Keep in mind, it's not intense boot camp that these rookies are going through. Much like what we're seeing, there's no contact, there's no live tackling.

It's essentially just on-field mechanical drills. Time in the facility is very limited, especially with COVID-19 guidelines still in effect. But the simple fact that rookie mini camps are even taking place is like the rest of the league. It's a step toward normalcy. That event was canceled last year due to COVID-19. So the rookies already have a leg up on the competition. Murph, this is locked on, Patriots. As much as we like to say that this affects all teams, let's be real. Pats fans care about Pats players.

And last year it was widely speculated that the Patriots rookie class especially had some difficulty assimilating into the Pat system. There wasn't a lot of practice time. That camaraderie building that we talked about just simply wasn't there. Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene, it was widely speculated that those guys really suffered a detriment for not being on the field and not getting the chance to really learn the Patriots playbook. Based on the presence of these camp, of these camps,

and a much more robust off-season program, do you think pulling off of what we just talked about, it might be wise to say that more will be expected of this rookie class? More will be expected, but you won't get more out of them. How about that? And that's kind of a double-edged sword here. When I say that you're not going to get as much out of them, that's because you're not going to see as much of them. We are definitely going to go back in the time machine a little bit

to 2019 when we're saying, why aren't we seeing more of Chase Winovich? Why isn't he on the field more? What's going on here? And it's because he's sitting behind somebody and he's being put into places where he can succeed right away, right out of the gate, put into a position where he knows exactly what he needs to do on that play. You're going to see Mack Jones, Barry Moore, Perkins, Ramondre. That's going to mess with me for decades, people. Ramondre Stevenson. These guys are all going to – the expectations are going to be higher

because they have these workouts early. But honestly, folk, do not expect to see a rookie of the year coming out of this class with the exception of maybe one pick, which I think we'll get into a bit later. But what the guys did last year, you know, Duggar, Uche, especially on Weiyu, it didn't seem to hurt them very much from what we're looking at. But from a standpoint of learning this system, it was very, folks, especially on the defensive side of the ball last year, it was very dumbed down. They weren't doing all the things that they would normally do. And you are going, you are going to see more of that,

but only because the depth chart is deeper than it was last year. Yeah. Without question. I'm so glad that you made the point of guys like Duggar, guys like a way new having big time rookie seasons, a way new, especially really kind of coming out of nowhere. And really,

I wouldn't say out of nowhere because you and I touted this kid right from the time he was drafted. And I want to thank my good buddy, Isaiah Hull, host of the Locked On Wolverines podcast. Right after this head, right after Ueno had been drafted, we had talked about Cesar Ruiz being the pick, the gem of that draft. And we should have learned our lesson. We should have learned our lesson to look to the left and the right of the guys that we love when breaking down stuff for this draft.

And Isaiah said that. And with all the due respect that he gave to Cesar Ruiz, who he absolutely loved as a pick. And he didn't definitely lessen that at all. He said, I think you guys got maybe the best consolation prize in the league by getting Michael Wainu. And boy, I'll tell you, he really, really came in and changed the complexity of this offensive line. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this kid can do with one more year under his belt. But I think you make a good point when it comes to more will be expected,

but you're not going to get more out of these players. I think in a lot of ways the Patriots are sticking to the blueprint that they've used for years. I wish that blueprint would... Looking at holes that are going to come up next year and the year after and giving these guys their semi-redshirt seasons. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to step on you, but... No, you didn't. Rookie minicamp is like freshman orientation, boys and girls. These guys are coming in here

and they're learning how to do, they're learning the building. Where's trigonometry? Where's calculus? Where's the science lab? Those are the things that they're learning this week, and they get out on the field, and they give a couple of photo opportunities, and we hear about fantastic conversations that Mac Jones had. That's all fantastic, but let's pump the brakes just a tad bit. Yeah, absolutely.

And we're going to get to that brake tapping in just a moment because I do think that leads members of the fan base, maybe even the media, down a rabbit hole that may be difficult and it may be a very slippery slope to run but again uh you know i think that you make a great point about this rookie class and dare i say the patriots are running their playbook when it comes to these rookies maybe those that get up on their soapbox and start heralding all of these rookie picks as busts might take that blueprint out every now and then take a look at it and look at how the patriots cultivate their draft picks and maybe then you'll start to see that there

aren't as many busts in the belichick handbook as a lot of people would like you to believe maybe it makes for good two to six radio but it doesn't necessarily make it true folks so take a temperate approach when you look at that. And I'm on my game today. Yeah. You sure are, man. Oh, thanks, buddy. You know what? I take my cues from the master on the other end of the microphone here.

You're always on your game. So I got to elevate it a little bit to reach that big green level. And I still aspire to that every single day. But Murph, what can I say? But I mean, you lend your wisdom and counsel here on Locked On Patriots because you are a wise and considerate man. But even with the higher expectations, it's wise and considerate to not place the weight of the world on the shoulders of a rookie.

And we talked about this a little bit. We're going to elaborate about that in just a bit. The coaches get it. The players get it. Folks, Murph and I get it. But sometimes the members of the media and the fan base don't get it, the players get it, folks Murph and I get it, but sometimes the members of the media and the fan base don't get it. Also, a very special announcement from my good green friend when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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joins me here on the pod. It's hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday. Murph, as we discussed in the previous segment, rookie minicamp is a good chance for players to learn the environment, gain that kinship with their coaches, gain some camaraderie with each other, but some and we see this on social media all the time. We saw it over the weekend.

Mac is impressing the coaching staff. He has a complete understanding of the playbook already. Put him in the starting position. He has a complete understanding of the playbook already. Put him in the starting position. He's ready to go. We're ready for ring seven. We're going to win six more here in Foxborough. But you and I both know that while this class does have an advantage over last year,

and we talked a little bit about this, about more practice time on the field, there's still a long way to go for rookies to develop, especially at the quarterback position. Murph, pulling off of where we left off in segment one, I think this is a dangerous hill to be climbing, a slippery slope to be running when it comes to anointing Mac Jones as the savior of this franchise. The minute we mac joe the minute we watch cam newton have a three and out uh but you know it's coming and especially when you get reports like these that mac's taking to the playbook so quickly it's going to start and it's going to start very quickly

why is this a dangerous slope to be running and why is it wise not to canonize Mac Jones just yet, especially before he's faced any competition? It's dangerous because you're going to hurt yourself. You're going to stress yourself out. You're not going to sit back and enjoy the season whatsoever. If you're sitting there, where's Mac Jones? What's Cam doing? Did you see that?

He completely missed that wide open wide receiver to the right. It's not happening, people. Mac Jones could come in here and recite the Belichickian playbook from cover to cover. Bill is not going to throw this kid to the Lions off the bat. He believes in Cam Newton. He likes Cam Newton. Why wouldn't he? Cam has been nothing but fantastic here off the field and when talking about him.

And he completely believes that with these camps, Cam is going to have a much better season, and Mack is going to be able to do just that season behind him. So let's just take it easy when you hear of an anonymous report or a sources told me that Mac Jones had a fantastic conversation with so-and-so or who's-and-what's or whatever, and just let the kid grow. Let the kid grow. We've all seen what can happen to young quarterbacks that are just thrown into the fray here and how it can ruin them. And I don't want to see that happen. Absolutely. And no one wants to see that happening. And look, the last thing that we want to do is pour ice on the fire that is Mac Jones right now.

Everybody's excited about the kid. Everybody's happy about, well, I shouldn't say everybody, but a good majority of the fan base is happy about the pick.'s happy about well they should say everybody but a good majority of the fan base is happy about the pick they're looking to see mac jones develop do well we all want to see that and and i do have high hopes for him i think he will be a very good fit here in new england i think if you want a tale of two cities in terms of what mac jones can be in his prime what he can be uh in his optimal level take a look look at what Evan Lazar, our good friend at CLNS Media, has written about Mac Jones in the last few days. Alex Barth has done a good job of complimenting him on that as well.

Mac really has a pretty good ceiling here in Foxborough. If you want a realistic approach as to what to expect from him right out of the gate and the growing pains that he's likely to experience, take a look at what our good buddy Mark Schofield has written over at Touchdown Wire. I think these two have really captured what Matt can be, what he's going to be, and some of the pitfalls that are involved with bringing in a quarterback like Matt Jones in New England. He's not the cookie cutter Tom Brady clone that a lot of people are giving him credit for. I'll be honest with you.

I learned a lot from reading these two guys over the weekend. I strongly suggest you do as well, because they're going to give you an approach and an insight that is so valuable to really being able to enjoy what a quarterback can give you, but not put too many expectations on his shoulders. So Murph, again, the wisdom, the counsel, you always, you're commonest down here you really are our resident voice of reason this week Steve's got up his game a little bit tomorrow

but we know Steve is going to be on target as well oh yeah um last but certainly not least bud I want to give you a chance to really prognosticate and flex your big green muscles here a little bit when it comes to the Patriots rookie class because we've talked about this draft class a lot we've talked about our favorite draftees um I think there's tremendous upside on a lot of these picks Mack included but even the Patriots know that these rookies need to take some time to develop I mean Cam McGrone signed his contract over the weekend he may not even be ready to suit up with no 2022 at the earliest but even though rookies should not typically have the weight of the world placed on their shoulders we know that at least one is going to emerge this

season they're going to start to have an impact on the way the patriots do business who in your opinion is the most ready among these rookies to have a significant impact this season don murph you know folks you you can i'm not telling you to totally put it away, but if you want to bust out your Roll Pats hashtag that has been circling around the interwebs, thank you very much for it. It's Christian Barrymore. This kid is the first round pick. Put it this way, folks. If the Patriots had taken Barrymore in the first round

and Mack Jones in the second round, there would have been no qualms about it whatsoever at those spots. Barrymore is a first-round talent that slipped down to the Patriots and they couldn't pass him up trading up to go get him. I think he's going to have a significant impact. Also, the pick that I didn't like, and not for who the player was, once again, I will reiterate, I think he's a fantastic player. And when I say his name, you're going to understand

Ronnie Perkins is going to come in here and do things right away and be put into a situation right away where he's going to be able to wreak havoc on some of these young quarterbacks that are in this division. I like the man. I like the ballplayer. I just didn't like spending draft capital on a defensive end when we needed defensive backs at that point in time in the draft process. But I think Ronnie Perkins is going to do something.

I think Stevenson will get that usual red shirt year. We might see him a little bit later on, and he might get mixed in, but yeah, it's going to be that running back red shirt year for him. It's definitely happening at the top of this draft. I think all three could contribute. If something befalls Cam Newton, I think Mack can go in there and be a fine contributor, can be a game manager. He is that smart. But I think it's Barrymore and Perkins that are really going to set New England on fire this fall. Yeah, absolutely.

I'm in full agreement with you on Barmore. He may end up being one of the better picks in this draft, not just from a Patriots standpoint, but really from, I think, an NFL standpoint, at least from an AFC standpoint. Again, I'm touting a lot of great work that's been put out in the last few days. Jeff Howe of The Athletic put out a great piece today, folks,

on Christian Barmore. Go and check it out. Football intelligence, football IQ, it's been questioned, and I don't know why, over the course of the last few weeks. But Jeff really has, I think, a very good insight and a very good pipeline into the Alabama system. That's true. Yeah, true.

You do. You know why. Because the Patriots picked him. If he had gone to any other team in this division, if the Jets had snagged him or something, then it would be a completely different narrative going on right now. But the Patriots did it, and it's the easiest way to put him down without going back and actually looking at film, which a lot of these guys just don't do. Yeah. Unfortunate. And it really is unfortunate because it creates a narrative out there about a

player that really may not deserve to have that narrative attached to him. And I'm glad that you clarified that. And I'm glad that you said it. But bottom line, I do agree with you on Barmore. It'll be interesting to see what will happen with Ronnie Perkins. And also, you know, what will happen with Ramond Ray Stevenson. Locked on Sooners is about to invade Locked on Patriots this week, folks.

And we'll get a chance to know a little bit more about some of those Oklahoma Sooners and the impact that they can have this year. But I do agree. I think Perkins is primed for a good year. I think Stevenson is probably primed for a redshirt-type season, barring any injury. Injury is the great equalizer always, folks. And if there is an injury or maybe a lack of rising to the occasion

by some of these players in the Patriots' backfield, then maybe we will see a bit more Ramondre Stevenson this year. But I think that based on how the Patriots have cultivated their running backs before, I think it's probably wise to assume that he'll be redshirted this year as well but we'll see we'll see what happens and uh i get a lot of uh you know i guess the best way to say is i have a lot of expectations for the rookies this year but not lofty expectations i think they'll round into form and i think we'll see their true greatness, and really the greatness of this draft,

maybe in year two or year three of these guys' contracts. But another thing that I have a lot of lofty ambition and a lot of lofty expectations for is you, my friend. Because saying that you're family to me is an understatement. People hear that all the time. But you're not just

locked on, Familia. You're true family to me, my understatement. People hear that all the time. But you're not just locked on, Familia. You're true family to me, my friend. But I could not be more proud to say that here today on the pod, you're about to announce that your professional family has grown and is continuing to grow. So Dunmurf, the floor is yours. Don't wait until we make the move to Nevada. We want the big news right now. Have at it, my friend.

The floor is yours, and you deserve every bit of this. Thank you, buddy. Yeah, I've taken a new job over at E2GSports. That's E, the number 2G, sports.com, as their baseball czar, their baseball editor. And I'm going to be revamping that website and molding it in a way that I think the public is really going to like. We've got a lot of great things going on over there. Yes, One Patriot's Place will now be based out of there.

Claire and Steve have agreed, and they're going to come on over. It's going to be a beautiful thing. I'm really enjoying the people that I'm working with over there. There's already a great group of writers that I am going to add to over the next month or two as I'm easing my way into this job. And I'm saying that as a way when my new bosses are in my, wow, Murph, you just never stop working. Oh, my God, would you slow down and take a breath? But that's me easing into something. The gamma is going to be unleashed,

and I can't wait for you folks to see what's coming up over there at this new site. So please come check it out. Read what I'm doing. It's been really life-expanding for me. I have not written a lot of baseball over the past couple of years, and it feels really good, and I really can't stop myself. I've got a few pieces up there now that I hope you'll enjoy, and I hope you keep coming back time and time again,

because we want to be there. One-stop shop for, for all your baseball news. And of course, NFL and NHL, we have no soccer department. And that was the selling point for me. We don't talk about,

there's no communist sports over here. But other than that, the NBA is, is, is well covered. You're really going to enjoy it. And thank you, Michael, for letting me get that out there at the end. communist sports over here. But other than that, the NBA is well covered. You're really going to enjoy it. And thank you, Michael, for letting me get that out there at the end.

Oh, my pleasure. My pleasure. And folks, believe me when I tell you, anytime this man puts pen to paper and gives you information, you definitely want to point, click, learn, and enrich. That has not changed. That will only be enhanced by the great work that Murph is going to do with E2G Sports. I remain a fan of One Patriot's Place. I am always a fan of anything this man does, and I can't wait to continue to read the great

baseball coverage that he's already put out. So if you haven't had a chance to, follow my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself at TeamMurph207. All the great content that he puts out for E2G Sports is there. I encourage you to read the baseball. He'll put out content with all major sports because the man is just omniscient. He knows everything. And I've learned so much from him in this business. I call him my benefactor. And that is a tongue in cheek, but it is also very much true. You know, not, you know, not, I'm not talking about finances, folks.

I'm talking about his being a benefactor with his wisdom, his counsel, and his support of me throughout the years. I could not be happier for you with this new venture. I wish you nothing but the best. I wish you nothing but great success. I know you're going to have it anyway, but I still wish it for you because you deserve it. You're truly a brother to me.

You're truly family to me, and you will remain such. And folks, if you're wondering if this at all will disrupt or marginally provide any type of interruption to Murph's hashtag LockedOnMurphMondays here on LockedOn

Patriots, I am so proud and so honored to announce that that will not happen. Murph will continue to occupy this seat each and every Monday, and I, for one, am ecstatic about that. That's the best part of this to me, is being able to share this with you, but knowing that we can also share our great time together here on Locked on Murph Monday. So as always, buddy, honored and humbled by your presence. No, thank you, bud.

Honored and humbled to be here. Always a great way to kick off the week. And I can't wait to see you next week, and we'll get into some more stuff. Absolutely. There's always a lot to talk about here in Foxborough when it comes to the Patriots, and Murph and I will continue to bring you that each and every Monday here on Locked On, here on hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. Until then, my friend, as always, stay safe, stay well, and we'll talk ball with you again here next Monday on Locked On, here on hashtag LockedOnMurfMonday. Until then, my friend, as always, stay safe, stay well,

and we'll talk ball with you again here next Monday on Locked On Patriots. Patriots fans, we got you through your Monday with Murph's wisdom and counsel, but we are just getting started when it comes to your Patriots coverage for the week here on the pod. So to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action here on Locked On Patriots, follow the Locked On Patriots podcast on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.