Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots 2024 NFL Schedule: Pats vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Good Show??

Starting point is 00:00:00 London is calling for the New England Patriots, and it may be exactly what this young team needs most. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. 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. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also and hopefully your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

Starting point is 00:00:43 but we are also free and available on all platforms. So make sure to smash that subscribe button, download and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots

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Starting point is 00:01:31 And Patriots fans, those of you viewing on YouTube can see that, unfortunately, a personal issue has me away from the Locked On studios today, but fear not. Tomorrow, on Thursday, we'll be back in the Locked On studios breaking down the 2024 Patriots schedule. That's right. Your New England Patriots, along with all the 31 other teams, will all get the blueprint for their respective season fates at 8.15 p.m. on Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:01:51 And of course, joining us to break down all of the ins and outs of the Patriots schedule is our good green friend, the legend himself, Thomas Murphy, will be joining me.

Starting point is 00:02:00 So make sure, folks, to check that out. And the Pat schedule is going to be exciting this year it's always interesting new england making some intriguing road trips this year out to arizona to play the cardinals off to the windy city to play a team that starts with a c ends in a null and has a hicag in the middle that's right folks the bears are up on the schedule for the patriots in 2024 a trip out out west to San Francisco to play

Starting point is 00:02:26 the defending NFC champs, San Francisco 49ers, and of course, the Patriots are again on to Cincinnati to take on Joe Burrow and the Bengals. But the Pats also have some intriguing home matchups as well. Coming to Gillette Stadium this year, the Houston Texans, the Los Angeles Chargers, and the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks, and of course, you can always bet on the AFC East Trilogy coming to town. Of course, us going to their places as well, the New York Jets, the Buffalo Bills, and the Miami Dolphins. But one team that I did not mention that the Patriots will be taking on, they will be taking them on as the road team. It won't be in Florida, and it won't be in Massachusetts. That's right.

Starting point is 00:03:08 Your New England Patriots once again participating in the NFL's international games in 2024. That's as confirmed by an NFL communication sent out early Wednesday morning that they will indeed face the Jacksonville Jaguars at London's Wembley Stadium on Sunday, October 20th for a week seven matchup. Now for the Patriots, this upcoming game in London marks their second visit to Europe in as many seasons. We all remember what happened last year. We don't

Starting point is 00:03:37 have to relive it, but it's important to remember it. New England suffering a 10 to 6 loss to the Indianapolis Colts at Deutsche Bank Park in Frankfurt, Germany. But it's their first visit to the UK since 2012. And the Patriots certainly put on a show for our British brethren, defeating the then St. Louis Rams 45-7 at Wembley Stadium. Rob Gronkowski, a monster game, over 140 receiving yards. Tom Brady was Tom Brady. I know, folks, the glory days.

Starting point is 00:04:04 But you know what? They might be here again. Let's be optimistic. Now, for Jacksonville, this has the potential to be a big game as well. They're going to play back-to-back games in the UK. They have also been confirmed for a week six matchup with those Bears at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on October 13th. So you might get Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams going head-on head that would be a great matchup and when I know we'd all be intrigued to see as the Jaguars continue their pseudo love affair with London this will be both their 12th and their 13th regular season games in London I know if the league decides that they want to expand it's hard to imagine a team

Starting point is 00:04:42 other than the Jacksonville Jaguars getting the nod to wear London on their jersey but I digress that still looks like it's a little ways away this is going to be an interesting international opponent for New England they're led by one of the league's most exciting quarterbacks in Trevor Lawrence and I think if we're all being honest who wouldn't love to see Drake may go head-to-head with Trevor Lawrence this season, but I'll add another added wrinkle, and the Jaguars carry a little bit of intrigue, that slight possibility that we might see an old friend take the field. Don't forget, the Patriots traded former starter Mack Jones to the Jacksonville Jaguars earlier this offseason, so there is a slight chance we might see Mac on the field and folks don't misconstrue

Starting point is 00:05:27 I say slight because there is a less than one percent chance that Mac Jones is going to get the start over Trevor Lawrence as always health is the great equalizer and I think if health is the great equalizer there's probably less than a four percent chance that he sees any playing time at all in this game but there's always a chance. So keep that one in the back of your mind. But putting last year's debacle aside, the Patriots have performed very well beyond the American borders. If you're going total, New England has played four games on international soil.

Starting point is 00:05:59 This will be their fifth. And along with their 2023 loss to the Colts and their 2012 victory over the Rams the Patriots also won their previous matchup in London back in 09 that was a 35 to 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers they also defeated the then Oakland Raiders 33 to 8 in Estadio Azteca in Mexico during 2017 and because the Patriots have been very good in international play, their international footprint is continuing to grow. In 2021, the Patriots were awarded Germany as an official home market through the International Home Marketing Area Initiative, which has allowed the Patriots, and really any NFL team that has adopted this initiative, to grow its fan base

Starting point is 00:06:40 abroad and develop additional opportunities for marketing, fan engagement, business development. For all the griping that we want to do about the front offices in the NFL and Park Avenue in New York, and believe me folks, they deserve some of it, there are remarkable things that are done in that organization and the International Home Marketing Area Initiative and the NFL's partnership with it is definitely one of them. Patriots, since they adopted Germany in 2021, have also been awarded Austria, Switzerland, and just this March, they added Brazil in South America. So this continues to put the Patriots on the international map.

Starting point is 00:07:17 And bottom line, I know you're all thinking, what does this all mean for the Patriots, especially going back to the UK, back to Europe for the second time in as many seasons? Some of you may feel good. Some of you may in as many seasons. Some of you may feel good, some of you may feel bad about it, some of you may feel indifferent about it. You know, it's just another game. But I'm here to tell you that this is a very good thing for the New England Patriots. And in just a moment, I'm going to break down the reasons why. I'm also going to play a little devil's advocate and tell you why it could be problematic. But for the most part, I think you're going to feel good about the Patriots' trip to London.

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Starting point is 00:09:57 Last-minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots as we get ready for the Patriots schedule release taking place at 8.15 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, May 15th. And don't forget a full schedule breakdown

Starting point is 00:10:18 will be had for you here on Thursday on Locked On Patriots, so make sure to stay locked in and download, subscribe and follow wherever you get your podcasts. We're not going to want to miss a single second of the action. But as we all know, the Patriots' schedule this year has some intriguing matchups, but the most intriguing matchup, I believe, on this schedule is their trip to London, which we now know will take place on October 20th.

Starting point is 00:10:42 That's a Sunday. It's week seven of the NFL season. And I know some of you have strong feelings about the international games. Some of you enjoy them. Some of you don't necessarily like having to wake up early on a Sunday morning and watch your team.

Starting point is 00:10:54 Not a true home game, not a true away game. I know there are a lot of different feelings on the subject, but I can tell you they are definitely a good thing all the way around. It's clearly a good thing for the league around. It's clearly a good thing for the league, but this is a very good thing for the Patriots. It always is, but especially this group of Patriots. Don't forget, since Bill Belichick walked through the doors of one Patriots place for the last time as the main man in charge of the Patriots, and Gerard Mayo walked in,

Starting point is 00:11:21 we've been hearing the term new era. It's Gerard's team now. It's Elliot Wolfe's team now. This is a different group of Patriots, a brand new young quarterback, a lot of new players, a lot of new faces. You need something to bring it all together. And a game like this, that the Patriots are about to play in October against the Jaguars in London, could be exactly what the Patriots need most. And as the great Don would say, I'm going to give you my reasons. Folks, it allows the Patriots, young players especially, to get some international exposure. This is a young team, and unless we're all very wrong about the Patriots' prospects, they're not going to be contending for a league title anytime soon.

Starting point is 00:12:02 The chance to showcase their talent on an international stage is going to bring out the showman in this group. And I'm here to tell you firsthand, that is not a bad thing. If anything, I think this team needs that a little bit. You want to see these guys build some swagger, build some confidence, and provided they toe the line between being confident and overly brazen, don't want to go to that extreme but this team especially the rookies can really begin to flex some of their star power and that's where you're going to see what this team has when it comes to potential star power you think jayvon baker isn't going to be super pumped for this game this is a kid that's already telling people to get their

Starting point is 00:12:40 popcorn ready just wait for the weeks the days even the hours leading up to this one. He's going to be telling all the London faithful across the pond to get those mega pints of ale going, so that way he can showcase what he and Drake May are capable of doing. Give them the opportunity to shine. That gets you pumped up as a fan. I know it does for me. I know it does for you.

Starting point is 00:13:02 Well, it's not all sunshine and rainbows as the great rocky balboa once said with great viewership and these games usually do well in the ratings comes great responsibility and even though you can talk it you gotta prove on the field that you can walk it and these aren't just my sentiments folks we heard geron mayo say something similar during rookie minican specifically about javon and saying that he likes the swagger that he brings to the table, but now that he's hitting the field, he's got to back it up. He's got to prove it. And that's where the unpredictability for a trip like this can come in, because it really

Starting point is 00:13:36 is hard to establish exactly what this trip is going to mean for this group of Patriots. On one hand, you've got a very young team under a first-year head coach playing in a world-renowned venue like Wembley Stadium, and it really is. This is a historically legendary sports venue, but you also have an invigorated international fan base that could have a big-time positive effect on the team. I know the Jacksonville Jaguars are the designated home team, but there are a lot of Patriots fans out in the UK, with our very own Countess of Clas, Claire Cooper, residing at the top of that list. Yeah, you think the Patriots players are excited about this? Claire is over the moon about this game, folks. And I know a lot of our UK fans out there as well. Chris the Jedi

Starting point is 00:14:22 Master, John in Belfast, just to name a few. Definitely love our UK fans out there as well. Chris the Jedi Master, John and Belfast, just to name a few. Definitely love our UK brethren out there, but I digress. If you're looking at the flip side of this, it can be an arduous travel schedule. We know about the time change, and players are creatures of habit. They're creatures of routine, and that routine that the Patriots are trying to build, starting in training camp, going into the preseason, then into the regular season, which at this point you'll be seven weeks into, that's all of September and a decent chunk of October. Players, the coaches are going to be used to that. They've been building up to this.

Starting point is 00:14:56 And it could be challenging for a young squad, especially one that's trying to find any kind of foothold that they can find to afford some sort of identity. This is where the value of veteran leadership comes in, and I know that coaches like Gerard Mayo and Dante Hightower and Matthew Slater, they're all going to play big roles in that. Those are three of the best on-field

Starting point is 00:15:18 leaders I've ever covered, and some of the best I've seen on a football field anywhere. Don't forget, all three of those players, they were on that 2012 team that I talked about earlier that routed the Rams in London. They know what it's like. They've been there before. They're going to impart their share and their words of wisdom. There's no question about it. But to me, this is really the chance of some of the Patriots captains to help bring everyone together. This is where we're going to see whether or not that leadership

Starting point is 00:15:45 that the Patriots have been saying they've lacked the last couple of years is back in the room. This type of trip can galvanize a new team trying to find a new identity. I personally believe it will. And to me, that's the greatest value in playing in Europe, in South America, really anywhere across the globe. When the Pats played overseas before, whether it be London or whether it be Mexico, you always heard guys like Rob Gronkowski, Devin McCourty, Julian Edelman, even Brandon Merriweather with the London trip way back in 2012 talk about the leadership skills of guys like Tom Brady, like Gerard Mayo, the type of teammates they had in the locker room that brought

Starting point is 00:16:25 everybody together. It was the players who formed the bonds. They showed it on the field, and it helped build another dynasty team. The coaches were important, no question about it, but it was the players on the field and in that locker room that developed the relationships necessary to not only win, but win at the highest level the NFL has to offer and I'm not trying to put that kind of pressure on this group of Patriots we don't know what their ceiling is yet this is a very young team but again a trip like this where you fly together you eat together you experience the history of the country in this case London as team, not a whole lot of time for sightseeing, but they do get some opportunity to see the country a little bit. That builds a bond. And

Starting point is 00:17:10 some of you listening to this right now may be nodding along. You played youth sports or you played high school or college sports and you traveled with a team. And I'm sure you all have memories of a specific trip that you took, whether it was a bus trip just up the street, or whether it was an overnight trip. Whatever it happens to be, those moments stay with you, and it doesn't magically disappear when you become a pro. That's a huge part of building camaraderie with your professional teammates. These are the times that forge the bonds and build the teams that end up going on to win and win at a high level. And it's a great time for guys on this roster like Jacoby Brissett, Hunter Henry, Kendrick Bourne,

Starting point is 00:17:51 David Andrews, Matthew Judon, all the guys that are praised for being outstanding locker room guys. And again, that's not naming everyone, but those are the guys you hear regularly. This is their chance to step forward and set the example for guys like Drake May, like Jalen Polk, like Javon Baker. Give that wisdom and counsel to the new rookie class and help them not only to be complementary players to the veterans that are in the locker room right now, but for them to be the future stars, the future veterans that impart that wisdom and counsel. Hand it down from generation to generation

Starting point is 00:18:25 and that Patriot way will never leave. Maybe it'll be called different things. Maybe there will be different slogans, different signs up in Gillette Stadium, but that type of character is never going to go away as long as the Crafts own the team. I firmly believe that bringing that all together on the field and in the locker room, that's what it's all about i'll quote rocky again that's how winning is done we're talking about long-term winning don't get me wrong you go to london to win you don't go to lose the pats want to win this game there's no question about it but i wouldn't judge the game's importance on the win loss in this situation how i would judge it is seeing how they play on the field, their effort level, their intensity. One of the things that was so disappointing about that game in Germany last

Starting point is 00:19:12 year for the Patriots is it didn't look like the heart and soul of everyone on that roster was on that field, and it showed. It absolutely was evident, and it was palpable, and it was something that was very unnerving to Patriots fans because you're not used to seeing a Pats team that's not all on the same page. This is the 2024 Patriots' chance to do just that. This is Gerard Mayo's chance to put his stamp on the team, and for the team to show him, we're behind you, Gerard. This is our identity now. This is the new Patriots, and we're ready to take a step forward together. And it's not going to stop there. You're going to have to keep your sharp eye on the Patriots when they get back to the States and watch the same types of things on the field. Are they a more cohesive team? Are they starting to gel a little bit? That's when you're going to

Starting point is 00:19:58 really know the value of this game, and that's when you may also see what this team is made of. Once again, it may take a little time before these Patriots contend for any type of title, whether it's a division, conference, or a Super Bowl title, but if the heart and soul is there early, you know you've got something to build on. But what I don't believe you will see this year is that divide that we saw between the players on the field and the coaching staff. I believe these two entities are going to be working together, and I believe they will move forward.

Starting point is 00:20:27 Will it take a while? Absolutely. But the payoff is there, and that's something that the Patriots are going to have to work on each and every game of this 2024 schedule. And the way the cookie crumbles could determine an awful lot about how the Patriots are able to finish. Could this team be better than the 4-13 record that they turned in in 2023? Well, on our next episode here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to take a look into that Girardi and crystal ball,

Starting point is 00:20:53 that Wolfian crystal ball, and we're going to bring some Murphy and wisdom and counsel in to do it. That's right. Our good friend Thomas Murphy joins us tomorrow for a breakdown of all of the highs and lows of the New England Patriots 2024 schedule that is once again being released on Wednesday at 8 15 p.m on the NFL Network. In the meantime folks I thank you very much for joining me here today especially to all of you

Starting point is 00:21:18 everydayers for your loyalty to Locked On Patriots. It means so much to me to be able to forge relationships with each and every one of our listeners here. And folks, all I can tell you is the best is yet to come. Stay locked in. You will not be disappointed by the product we are about to start putting out. And in that regard, make sure to download, subscribe

Starting point is 00:21:38 to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to make sure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. Once again, I'm your host, Mike DeBate, and I remind you all to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots 2024 NFL Schedule: Pats vs. Jacksonville Jaguars in London, Good Show??

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