Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Camp Champ: Positional Battles and Rising Stars at Patriots Training Camp - 8/12/2020

Episode Date: August 13, 2020

The New England Patriots have a number of intriguing battles brewing for potential roster spots; both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com joins host Mike D’Abate to discuss which of these battles will be the most hotly contested. The pair also prognosticate on which Patriot might emerge as the 2020 ‘Camp Champ.’ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, you are now locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. I'm going to show you how to make a beautiful and beautiful flower. I'm going to use a small flower pot. I'm going to use a small pot Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Welcome to Training Camp Thoughts Thursday here on the Lockdown Patriots Podcast, your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New

England Patriots. Patriots fans, it is Thursday, August 13th. A very happy birthday to both Devin and Jason McCourty. McCourty twins turned 33 today, and their impact on the Patriots roster is felt in so many ways. Two of the most prolific players on the field, two of the best guys you'll meet in any walk of life. Happy birthday, Jason. Happy birthday, Devin. Many, many more happy years to come. And you also might recognize today's date as what would have been the Patriots' first preseason contest, a would-be 7.30 p.m. matchup at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, as the Patriots would host Matt Patricia and the Detroit Lions.

But even though the pandemic beat the preseason this year, folks, the Patriots were still on the field in Foxborough, albeit the practice field. And that is exactly what we'll be talking about right here today on Locked On Patriots. 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 always welcomed and greatly appreciated.

Share that feedback anytime by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there keeping an eye on that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, I truly believe I'm not going out on a limb here when I say that 2020 has been anything but a normal year. But if the circumstances were normal, all of us here in Patriots Nation

would be getting ready to take our first extended look at the 2020 New England Patriots tonight. As I said to open the pod, tonight at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, the Patriots would have hosted the Detroit Lions in preseason game number one. And even though it's not quite opening day of the regular season, the first home preseason game is always one of my favorite days of the year. But as we all know, joint practices were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, and so was the entire preseason slate shortly thereafter.

But even though there's not a game, we can still talk about practice. No, folks, I'm not going to do an Allen Iverson impression. But practice is in the headlines because for the first time in the 2020 preseason, your New England Patriots took to the practice fields yesterday at Gillette Stadium with the coaching staff present. And if we're being honest, it was a pretty mundane day on the field for the hometown team, but it was still different. It was a 90-minute session. No fans were allowed in. No media was allowed in. However, the team did live stream

the first 30 minutes of the session on its website. And right from the start, you could see that the team was doing its best to maintain social distancing. At one point, Bill Belichick was seen wearing his mask, setting a good example, and the players began practice by stretching, and then the various units on offense and defense split up into positional groups, and they went through individual drills. On offense, it was mostly running drills and pass-catching drills. James White in particular stood out to me. Not only did he participate in the running drills, but also joined a pass-catching drill that featured Julian Edelman, Nikhil Harry, Mohamed Sanu, and Jacoby Myers. That's a big indication to me that James will continue to be not only the team's leading

receiving back, but also a pretty big part of their passing game this year. Another player that stood out to me, as well as a lot of my colleagues in the media, was Mohamed Sanu. And Mohamed made the news a little over a week ago for not-so-great reasons when he was placed on the physically unable to perform list to open training camp. The team did pull him off that list pretty quickly, and that led a lot of people to believe that Muhammad was fully healed and ready to begin the season.

Based on his footwork during pass-catching drills yesterday, it looks like he is ready to go. But I do think a little caution needs to be put on some of the coverage surrounding Muhammad Sanu. He looks good, no doubt about it, but he is coming off of an injury that he did have a procedure to fix in the offseason, and as a result, it may take him a little while to get back into full form. I think it might be dangerous to start highly touting him right off the bat, knowing that

he still has a little ways to go to recover. And I'll tell you what, I'll come back to that point in a little while. But it wasn't all about the offense yesterday. The defense did also work in two groups, with the front seven working together and the secondary doing the same. And keep in mind that the Patriots have three new position coaches this year that were working closely with their units. Demarcus Covington with the defensive line, Steve Belichick with the outside linebackers, and Brian Belichick with the safeties. The special teamers also worked as a collective unit. Matthew Slater, Justin Bethel, Adrian Phillips, Terrence Brooks, Cody Davis, all at the heart of that group.

And of course, the return men. This could be an interesting positional battle here, folks. Incumbent punt returner Gunnar Oschelski, as well as Damir Bird, Kyle Duggar, and even Isaiah Zuber were working with this group. So all in all, your New England Patriots were kind of easing themselves back into practice. Another session was scheduled for today on Thursday. That will be a closed-door session, so to speak. It is outside, folks, after all.

But that means that no fans or cameras will be present. And even though it's not the same as prepping for a preseason game, yeah, I know, folks, preseason games are meh, but at the heart of it, it's still football, and it would still be a lot more fun to be watching that game tonight. But the fact that the players are back on the field fills everyone with a lot of excitement. It also begins the question season. Like, which positional battle is going to be the most hotly contested? Who's underrated and overrated?

And who might emerge as that under-the-radar player that's going to turn everyone's heads, fans and media alike? A position I like to call the camp champ. Well, folks, these are good questions, And under normal circumstances, I'd be in person at Gillette Stadium covering training camp and trying to figure that out for myself, along with the help of one of my good friends. Well, since we can't be at Gillette, I figured we'd bring a little Foxborough flavor right here to Locked On Patriots today. My partner in prognostication when it comes to training camp,

Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com joins me here on the hot seat today. My partner in prognostication when it comes to training camp, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com joins me here on the hot seat today, and we'll be discussing the positional battles on which we'll be keeping our sharp eye. Which positional battles might be a little overhyped by fans and media alike. But we're not just going to stick to positions, folks. We're going to drill it down to individual players. Steve and I will discuss whether or not there's a player on the Patriots roster that's getting a bit too much hype for the competition he's going to face in camp. And last but not least, Steve and I will gaze into our Belichickian crystal ball and make our prediction of which player will be this year's Jacoby Myers, or Maurice Harris, or in years past

guys like Malcolm Butler or JC Jackson. That under-the-radar player that ends up becoming the 2020 New England Patriots training camp champ. All this and more when our weekly camp primer of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, one of my favorite parts of training camp is getting a first-hand look at the roster for the upcoming season and we all get excited for the new signings the new acquisitions and we might even have an eye on the departures and how the team's going to fill the void normally I get the chance to do so at Gillette Stadium mere feet from the practice fields but this year it's a bit different video feeds teleconfer, those are the methods that I'm using this time around. But the goal remains the same.

We all do our best to evaluate talent. And as you know, a member of the Locked On Patriots familia is usually right there with me in that hot Boxborough sun, taking a look at the potential product that the Patriots will be placing on the field. Well, back for his weekly spot to talk a little, Pat's camp is one of the best and most knowledgeable columnists that you'll find in Patriots media anywhere. You know his great work from patsfans.com, as well as being the co-host of two amazing podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and of course, One Patriots Place with our great mutual friend, Thomas Murphy. My Paisan is back for his weekly spot today.

Steve Balistrieri joins me on the hot seat. Welcome back to Lockdown Patriots, my friend. Oh, it's always a pleasure, Mike. You know, I love talking football with you, and, you know, at least we got something to talk about instead of, you know, are they or aren't they going to actually make it on the field? You know, it's it's amazing that you mentioned that it's still a question mark in a lot of people's minds. I mean, we've seen some of the difficulties that college football is having, and there are still some that um reservations about being able to fully invest

in football until you finally see bodies back on the field but the boys are back in town in foxborough my friend uh the patriots hit the practice fields and it's a good sign without any question now all right it's in helmets the coaches are on the field for the first time this season so it's somewhat exciting the pads won't be coming on until this coming Monday, but there is still a level of excitement that comes along with seeing the guys out there. So we usually get to hold these conversations in person. This is usually our time of year to pick each other's brain

and be able to evaluate some talent. But this year, again, it's a bit different. So I thought, why not share our thoughts with the great listeners here at Locked On Patriots? I thought this would be a great opportunity to do that. And Steve, the first thing we usually discuss is the positional battles to which we are most looking forward. Yesterday here on the pod, Zach Blackerby of Locked On Auburn joined me, and we discussed the battle to be the one, as in QB1, Cam Newton versus Jarrett Stidham.

And we both agreed that this one will be the most high profile. And we talked in depth about what Cam's going to bring to the table, what Jarrett can possibly do to earn a spot or maybe turn some heads in training camp. So because we covered the great quarterback debate yesterday, we'll leave that one aside for just a moment. Steve, the Pats have a number of intriguing battles brewing for roster spots this year, both on the offensive side of the ball and the defensive side of the ball. As you look at this roster, my friend, which of these is one

that you are looking forward to most? two of the biggest positional battles that I'm looking forward to seeing now is obviously running back because they brought in Lamar Miller, which tells me that Sonny Michel isn't quite going to be ready for training camp when the pads come on, maybe not even for the regular season, but you know what? The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is that linebacker now, because you know, we have a youth movement underway. I mean,

Juwan Bentley is now the grizzled old veteran at 24, having the most time with the team and, you know, with the loss of Jamie Collins, Kyle Vano, which we talked about, and now Donta Hightower with the opt-out, there's going to be an enforced youth movement, I should say. I did my Joe Pesci youths there. Youths. Yeah, the youths.

I think that one's going to be really intriguing to keep an eye on. Yeah, I agree with you. I think that that is going to be an interesting one as well. Look, bottom line, the Patriots have been decimated, I think most decimated at the linebacker position when you look at the talent that they've lost, not just because of Dante Hightower's opting out within the last few weeks, but also the loss of guys like Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Landon Roberts.

That's going to be very tough for them to come back from. And it almost makes you wonder, and we've had this discussion here on Locked On Patriots, about whether the Patriots might be looking at a little bit of a different look for their defense this year. Maybe they return more to a 4-3 set rather than a 3-4 because they don't have the bodies and the athletic linebackers that they had last year to make that 4-3 defense one of the best in the league. I think that is definitely an area that a lot of people will be looking at. One area that intrigues me in particular is the defensive backfield.

And I know a lot of people are going to look at this and they're going to say, all right, well, it's there. That's really, I think their strongest position when it comes to the Patriots on the defense, it's going to be their secondary. Obviously the cornerback position is going to be huge, but the safety position to me is intriguing because that third safety spot that originally was thought to be in the mix for guys like Adrian Phillips, Kyle Duggar, maybe even somebody like Michael Jackson Sr. now who's coming in, who does project as a cornerback on the depth chart, but he's been mentioned as a possibility of being a hybrid safety or someone in that regard. Murph and I talked a little bit

about that when he came on the show on Tuesday. But to me, I think it's going to be interesting to see who's going to be able to step up and take on that Patrick Chung role. We've talked about this here before. I've given you my impression that I believe Adrian Phillips will be the guy. But with Jackson in the fold, all of a sudden now it gives them a little bit of a different option. Who's going to be the third guy in the backfield? Do they have enough confidence in a rookie like Kyle Duggar to be able to come in, learn that system right away, and be that type of third safety that Deron Harmon was, the type of safety that never really leaves the field? Does that mean now that Devin McCourty is going to be sharing the side

with Adrian Phillips? How is that going to work? This is going to be an interesting battle to me. So I've definitely got my sharp eye out on that. I don't necessarily think that the players that are entrenched in this battle are vying for a roster spot itself. I think the safety position has a great deal of talent. I think the majority of those guys are going to be on this roster.

Even Terrence Brooks, who I didn't really give a whole lot of love to earlier before Patrick Chung had opted out, but I think he'll be there as well. I think this opens the door for him. So I don't think the guys are necessarily battling for a roster spot, but I also believe that they're going to be battling for a position within that depth chart, and that could get very intriguing. Like I said, I have a pre-derogation to Phillips, but we'll see. We'll see if I was right. I'm going to flip the script a little bit, Steve. Not so much the same spirit, but opposite logic here for the next question.

Sometimes positional battles can be made into more of a story just based on hype alone. All of us in the media can be guilty of that from time to time. I may be guilty of overhyping Adrian Phillips. I've been accused of that the last couple of weeks. I don't believe so, but we'll see. We'll see what happens on the field. But the Patriots do have some decisions to make on the offense and on the defense. But I think there are a couple of areas that are being billed as bitter positional fights. Position battles and camp battles that I think the result is going to be relatively self-explanatory. Steve, do you see an area of this roster that fans and media alike are pushing a lot of concern about, but at the end of the day, it really is pretty cut and dry who we'll be seeing take the field in these areas?

I really think, you know, that's a good question. I really think that, you know, when we're looking at wide receiver, I think people are putting – I mean, because there's so many bodies there. But I'm looking at this roster, and I really don't see a whole lot of movement on this except maybe the bottom one or two spots. I really don't. I mean, I'm looking at this roster and I see Edelman, Harry, Sanu.

I think those guys are locked. I don't see anybody displacing them. I don't see those guys going anywhere unless, of course, the invariable injury comes up. They list, you know, Matthew Slater as a wide receiver. I think that's pretty much a name only. So you're looking at one or two spots. I think Jacoby Myers is a near lock for this.

So you're really looking at maybe one spot. And I think a lot of people are putting a lot more stock into their being wide open competition than there really is i would agree with you on the wide receiver position i think a lot of people are looking at what the receivers have to bring to the table the the bodies that they have the um, the talent that's available on this wide receiver core, which I've said many times here on the pod, my friend, I believe this is a much more talented wide receiver core than people are giving it credit for.

We'll see what happens on the field, but I think they do have the ability to make some plays this year and be a better collective group than they were last year. I think this type of skill set fits well with the type of quarterback they're going to have this year, whether it be Cam Newton or Jarrett Stidham. Zach and I kind of tipped our hand yesterday by saying that we believe this is Cam's job to lose and that he will eventually be named the week one starter. But the Patriots are touting the argument that this will be an open quarterback competition. And it sounds like Jared is ready to compete.

So I think it'll be interesting, but I like what you said on the receivers. To me, I think the true battle for the receiver spot might be one of those last roster spots on the depth chart. Guys like maybe Jeff Thomas or even a Will Hastings is a possibility. They're going to Rochelle ski. I think these guys are going to be nipping at the heels of some of the the roster locks like an edelman like a um a sanu um like a nikhil harry i think jacoby myers is

someone that is probably entrenched i think even demir bird might be doing enough to get a spot on this team because of his blazing speed and his ability to uh to work with um with cam newton they've worked together in the past. I think the compositional battle that's being overhyped a little bit, especially within the past few days, is getting a lot of press, and I don't really believe it needs to. And that's at the running back position. Look, obviously they brought in a guy like Lamar Miller,

who has a pretty good pedigree. He's got a very good resume, and I believe he's going to help in this role. I don't think that he is going to come in here to be the team's de facto running back one and unseat Sonny Michel. Now, I know there are certain people that host afternoon radio shows that would love to see Sonny Michel jettisoned from this team that absolutely think that he's terrible. And I'll use clean language here, folks, because it's a family show and I want to maintain that. But we all know who I'm talking about.

First of all, that's not true about Sonny Michel. Yes, the explosiveness that he showed, the elusiveness that he showed in college just simply hasn't translated to the pro level the way we had hoped. But we saw signs of his ability to be able to be a feature back in this offense in the Super Bowl run that the Patriots made in 2018 I believe that Sony last year benefited or didn't benefit I believe he benefited that year from great offensive line blocking and great and solid play calling two things he didn't benefit from last year and look there is improvements that Sony needs to make.

I don't think there's any question about that. I'd be lying if I said he doesn't need to be better, but I think a lot of the vitriol that's thrown at him is a little unfair. I think that he had a pretty porous offensive line last year, someone that didn't give him the blocking that he needed. Once they shored up the offensive line, I think it messed with his confidence a little bit, and he was not hitting the holes as hard as he needed to so Lamar Miller coming in definitely

helps to ease the loss of Brandon Bolden because now I think you're looking at guys like Damian Harris Rex Burkhead Lamar Miller obviously James White being the best third down back in the NFL in my estimation I think he's right there in the mix. It wouldn't even surprise me to see J.J. Taylor turn a few heads. But ultimately, I don't think that Lamar Miller is here to be running back one and unseat Sonny Michel. I could be wrong on that. If I am, I will take my lumps. But at the end of the day, I think when Sonny's healthy, he's still the best option for this team to be that every day early down back. Steve, that's a good, you know, that's a great point, my friend, because, you know, when I looked at the signing with Miller, I just took it to mean that Sony might not be ready to go.

And he was insurance policy is exactly like you were saying because you go back just a couple of years ago right and they had to because of injuries and whatnot you know they had to move quarter dell patterson or from wide receiver to running back and i think they wanted to head that off just in case this year yeah i think so. And that's a good point. And that is a valid argument, in my opinion, about maybe Sony not being ready to go when the season begins. I think that's very much on the table. And having a guy like Lamar Miller is definitely a feather in the cap of the New England Patriots to have an experience running back that can handle that running load and not have to put it all on the shoulders of Damian Harris, who was a red shirt last year, didn't see hardly any action within the regular season.

And that's a lot to put on the shoulders of a guy that's coming in, trying to earn his spot on the roster as well, and also having to work in the offense with a new quarterback under center, even if it does end up being Cam. And his experience, his savvy in the league will help him with a leg up on the competition. He's still learning a new offense. So there's still maybe growing pains there as well. So we'll see. We'll see what happens, my friend. It's always interesting. And, you know, the bottom line is, buddy, the Patriots business is building a roster for 2020. And now that they're back on the field, that's exactly what they're doing. But what does it mean

for some of these individual players? Well, in just a moment, Steve Balistrieri and I will continue to discuss the hype surrounding individual players. Who might be getting a bit of superfluous press? And who might emerge as the 2020 camp champ? What do we mean by that? Find out when the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fan Steve Balistrieri joins me here today on Lockdown Patriots. And Steve, each and every year we see players get

a certain amount of hype, whether it be a highly touted rookie or an exciting veteran acquisition. Sometimes these players live up to the hype. Sometimes they don't. So I want to start on the players that might be receiving some extra coverage. Now, I'm not saying that these guys are overrated, folks. I'm not turning this into a bullseye session. But there are players on this roster that might be getting a bit more hype than their impact on the roster might warrant. Steve, when you look at the Patriots collectively, offense, defense, wherever you see on the roster, do they have a guy on this roster that fits that description and why or why not? Well, I mean, I think between now and, you know, September that every time Cam wipes his

nose, you know, it's going to be front page news. And, you know, because he is a former MVP, and I'm not saying he's not deserving of all the attention he's getting. But, I mean, you know, at times I think we can overanalyze. And we've seen the media do that. You know, they used to analyze Tom Brady's body language, and everyone became, you know, an instant, you know, expert on deciphering body language. And, you know, everything Cam does now is under a microscope. And, you know, so far, I think he's saying all the right things. He's doing the right things. And even some of the

players are kind of buying into the hype. I saw yesterday where, you know, some of the – even some of the veteran players were, you know, were talking about his presence on the field. And, you know, they only had, you know, helmets on and they were out on the field. And, you know, they were talking about his dynamic on the field. I think we're kind of reading a little too much into it at this point. Yeah, I would probably agree with you. I think that the attention that Cam is going to get,

and listen, Cam Newton is arguably the highest profile player on this team. And I say that in deference to Julian Edelman, who is one of the longest tenured stars that the Patriots have, with the exception of guys like Matthew Slater, Devin McCourty, matters of that. But Cam is the guy that everybody's going to be watching. He's the new quarterback. He is supplanting, and Zach and I talked about this yesterday, a legend that held that position for 20 years in Tom Brady. So there's going to be a curiosity as to what the Patriots offense is going to look like under Cam and how those things are going to shake out. I agree with you. Cam is definitely saying all the right things.

He looks solid on the field. He looks healthy, looks like a guy that has a lot of high energy, looks very motivated to play here. And I think that could be a recipe for success for the New England Patriots this year. So I agree with you in a lot of respects. I think that there is a heightened hype level that's surrounding Cam Newton right now, and maybe it will be warranted. Maybe it'll be a little bit higher because of the position that he plays. And I think a lot of that is going in. I think a lot of people

are placing some maybe additional press on a guy like Mohamed Sanu than maybe they should. And that's not to say that I don't think Sanu is going to be effective or that he's going to be a good fit in the team this year. I truly believe that he will. But I think a lot of people are looking to him right now as bouncing back from a very difficult injury with a high ankle sprain, coming in and essentially helping to be an anchor or a rock for this wide receiver core. I worry about that a little bit because Muhammad is coming back from an injury that could slow you or hamper you a little bit. All indications are that he's healthy and ready to go. And, you know, the fact that he was put on PUP and then he came off of it very quickly

speaks to the fact that he is pretty healthy. But I think a lot of people are going to be looking for explosiveness from him right off the bat. I think they're going to be looking to see the Muhammad Sunu of old right off the bat. And if he doesn't quite live up to that in terms of the camp expectations that are put on him, I think it could cause some negative media attention. And I think that would be a detriment to his development. I hope that that's not the case. So I think in terms of extra coverage, not so much that he's not worth the coverage, but I think the extra coverage that Muhammad might get during the first few weeks of training camp, especially as we put the pads on, we start to see these guys work out in game

shape. I think a little bit of that could be a problem, and I just hope it doesn't work to his detriment. Lastly, my friend, I'm going to flip the script on you now, and I'm going to talk about guys that may get the lion's share of the media coverage this year, but they might end up deserving it. And we've seen players become the hot story of training camp for a while now. In 2018, J.C. Jackson was that guy. Last year, it was a combination of guys like Maurice Harris and Jacoby Myers. We can all go all the way back to the early part of the last decade and tight end Zach Sudfeld.

Everybody remember that name? He was a guy that received a lot of hype about being, tight end that could set the world on fire. And obviously that never worked out. So when you look at these players, players that I like to call quote unquote, the camp champ and a player that's on this roster right now that could emerge from having a very solid training camp really turns the heads, opens the eyes of a lot of media and fans alike, and possibly even earns his way onto the roster with a 53-man roster spot. Putting you on the spot right now, my friend, do you see anybody on this roster that has the ability to be this year's 2020 camp champ? Well, you know, if we're going to go like in the terms of camp champ like Malcolm Butler rather than Zach Sudfeld, I think I'll go with a guy like Jeff Thomas.

I think, you know, Thomas, you look at the tape of this guy and he's just electric with the ball in his hands. And that's something the Patriots have, you know, they have a need for guys with that kind of speed. And I know a lot of people have been on the Damien Byrd gravy train with that. And yeah, he's another guy. But with the speed that he has,

it hasn't really translated yet. So I'm not going to go overboard with possibilities for him even though he played with Newton. But I look at a guy like Thomas, and he's had some discipline problems off the field. And everything we've heard up to this point has been very positive. I think, you know, you look at a guy like him,

or maybe a J.J. Taylor, you know, where the Patriots need some speed on this offense. I think he's a guy that can fit that bill. He's a guy that they can move around and create some matchups. And I think he's going to be electric with the ball in his hand. Yeah, I agree with you. I really and truly do. I think Taylor is under the radar right now.

Not a lot of people are talking about him. He's getting sporadic mentions about being explosive some guy that can really do things with the ball in his hands but not a lot of the fan base is talking about him i think he may end up getting that look but ultimately my friend and you know for lack of a better term a lot of us are like-minded i do agree with you on jeff thomas i think he has the ability to be a solid camp champ this year. Look, you mentioned Amir Bird, and I know he's getting a lot of hype about his speed. He does deserve it, and I think it's familiar to at least be in a position where he

can obtain a roster spot. Maybe in the final analysis, he might not do enough, but I think he will. I think he'll have a pretty good camp. But I look at him as being that X option with Nikhil Harry and maybe Damir Bird coming in and being that type of X option with him alongside Julian Edelman and Mohamed Sanu. If you're looking at a pure guy that's coming in to play the slot, someone that has the ability to maybe put pressure on a Jacoby Myers or Gunnar Ryszewski, I think Thomas really is the most viable challenger. He's a raw player. He had some discipline issues in college. Those are a red flag. I'm going to be very curious to see how the Patriots handle him early on, what they're able to do to keep him engaged and to keep him as a viable member of this

franchise mentally. But his natural talent gives him a high upside. He can be a receiver. He can be a return man. I think there's a lot of versatility. And I think that's one of the reasons why Bill Belichick was so enamored with bringing him in. He has to show consistency on the field.

He needs to show consistency in the meeting room. I think that's a big concern with Jeff Thomas, but if he's able to prove that he's quote unquote locked in nice little pun there, and he's able to move forward and be a part, a productive member of this organization, then to me, he has the most upside. So I agree with you. He's my choice for camp champ as well. I think a lot of people are highly touting him, but this is one kid that provided he's motivated and provided he doesn't have any type of behavioral issues, he can leave those in the past. Again, I believe this is a kid that can live up to the hype and I believe he will live up to the hype. So you know what, my friend, we're coming dangerously close to the point where we're going to be able to either put these theories into action or say, hey, you know what, maybe we overrated or underrated some of the players on this roster. But that's part of the fun of doing this. And we always look forward to it. And I, for one, can't wait to start to see these guys take the field.

Steve, I thank you for joining me today. Again, it's a little bittersweet that we can't have these discussions in person together and evaluate the players on the field, but who knows, maybe before all is said and done, we will get out there one of these days into Gillette and be able to see this team on the field. But until then, my friend, please let our friends, our listeners know where they can find you, your great work, and what you have coming up on the horizon from the great pen of Steve Balistrieri. The floor is yours, my friend. Oh, thank you.

And you can find me on Twitter, at SteveB7SFG. I write for TatsFans.com, as you mentioned earlier. And the two podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, which we just did a live video the other day with Mark Schofield from inside the pylon, Pat's pulpit. He does some great work. We did one of those. And, of course, the green man and I will be getting back in the studio shortly,

Thomas Murphy on One Patriot Place. And, yeah, you know, looking at this coming weekend, I'm already putting together some notes for Sunday football column for Pats fans about, you know, early impressions on what we're seeing and the limited view that we are able to see up to this point. And, you know, we're going to be talking about some of the young players. I think, you know, there is definitely a youth movement afoot. So that's what we're looking at.

Absolutely. And we'll continue to look at it. And, folks, again, Steve's Sunday column, Murph calls it the Sunday paper. I completely agree and concur. One of the best reads that you'll find anywhere out there in Patriots media. It's always a great way for me to begin my Sunday. So definitely check that out. As you should check out all of the great work, whether it be written or audio, on behalf of this man.

And a special plug for One Patriots Place, hosted by you and Murph. Two solid members of the Locked On Patriots familia, my friend. As always, thank you for joining me. Always honored and humbled to have you here. Stay safe, stay well, and we look forward to talking to you again next week and talking more Pat's Training Camp. And so, folks, it is almost time to

tie a bow on the week that was here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, but not just yet. Our time for this weekly camp primer hasn't run out and neither have the topics. So to be sure that you do not miss tomorrow's episode or any episode of Locked On Patriots, be sure to subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, follow us on Spotify,

download Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget, you can always listen to us right on your very own smart device. Just ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. podcasts. And don't forget, you can always listen to us right on your very own smart device. Just ask it to play the latest episode of Locked On Patriots. Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my friend Steve Balistrieri for his time, his insight, and his weekly appearance here on the pod today. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked into Locked On Patriots. Stay safe, stay well, continue to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.