Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots and Bill Belichick: Rift or Business as Usual? — Free Agent Friday

Episode Date: April 1, 2023

New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has typically been reluctant when it comes to self-promotion — especially when using prior accomplishments as a measuring stick for future prosperity. However, his recently mentioning of the “last 25 years” has brought about rumors that he and the team may not be on the same page. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss Belichick, his legacy and relationship with Robert Kraft. They also offer their thoughts on which position is still to be addressed in free agency. Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport 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 “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG(CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat(CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Is there trouble in paradise for the New England Patriots? Nah, more like business as usual. 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. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Please be sure to subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts

to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at M-BATENFL. While you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

Today's episode brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash locked on today to get started. That's fans. Thank you for joining me here today to close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots. Remember, we are a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team

every day. And Patriots fans, the prowess of your team, specifically its head coach Bill Belichick, requires no embellishment. Eventual enshrinement in a Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, that's been decided long ago. He navigated a two-plus decade run of success, said it before and say it again here on Locked On Patriots, the likes of which will probably never be seen again.

But Bill has always been the type of coach, the type of GM, the type of public persona that has just been reluctant, reticent, whatever type of word you want to use. He has not been willing to indulge in self-promotion, especially when you're using prior accomplishments as a measuring stick for his or his team's future prosperity. It happened in the past. It stays in the past. Well, Bill has generally relied on that impressive resume to speak for himself. It seemed a little uncharacteristic for the Patriots head coach to invoke past success when he was recently asked why Patriots fans should be optimistic heading into the 2023

NFL season. And that's what we're going to discuss here today on Locked On Patriots. Not only were Bill Belichick's comments scrutinized very heavily by members of the media, but it also seems to have created a firestorm about whether or not Bill may even be coaching for his job in 2023. And in just a moment, our good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy of E2G Sportsg sports gonna hop right in here gonna give us his take on bill belichick trust me folks you are not gonna want to miss

what murph has to say and if bill is indeed moving forward like we kind of believe he is what's gonna happen now to the new england patriots team how is he going to continue to build this roster there's still free agents out there and it's still free agent friday so we're going to come at you in a little bit letting you know what our opinion is on which position the patriots may choose to fill free agent wise but bill right now and did invoke past or at least it seemed that he invoked past success when he spoke with representatives and spoke with the media during the AFC coaches breakfast from the annual league meeting in Phoenix back on Monday morning. When the question was asked to him why Patriots fans should feel optimistic about this coming year, Bill very

matter-of-factly said the last 25 years. And as you can imagine, most fans, most media members, they didn't take too well to it now i'm not going to chastise anyone for their own opinion here it's a subjective topic so everyone can form their own opinion as to exactly what bill said whether they were good with it or not but i think at least again this is my opinion that i think it's just another example of the patriots doing business as usual and as the great don would say I'm gonna give you my reasons and here are those few if any have ever enjoyed Bill Belichick's level of success while at the Patriots Helm six Super Bowl championships along with becoming a three-time AP coach of

the year award recipient those are just some of the accolades which Belichick has collected during his time on the sidelines so a very impressive resume to draw from but if we're talking harsh reality you've got to talk about the opposite side of that the Patriots were once again on the outside looking in when it comes to the AFC playoff picture in 2022 they finished the season at eight and nine three of their final four games they lost and for the second consecutive year that was indeed the case and the Patriots continued their struggles at a time of the season where they were typically unbeatable I mean I remember the Patriots back in years past in the winter that's when they would amp up this team really really stepped it up at that point and they've been reticent and difficult had their difficulties in doing so but since their victory in Super Bowl 53 to close out the 2018 season, New England has

failed to qualify for the playoffs twice. As a matter of fact, for the two seasons in which they did make the playoffs, they were quickly ousted in the wildcard round. So one of those with Tom Brady, one of those without. Not exactly the best of times for the franchise. I get it, and I understand the angst that a lot of you are feeling out there. Now, ordinarily, Bill Belichick would not look at the past failures or the past successes as an indicator of what was going to happen in the coming season. And he would want to place that firmly in the past. He's done it several times, put it in the rear view mirror. I think that's why it was so surprising to you, to me, to everyone out there to hear him issue what a lot of people were calling a not so subtle humblebrag. And this is

not a guy that typically does it. But again, in reality, if you look at what Bill Belichick had to say, his comments were nothing of the sort. Here's how Bill Belichick followed up that last 25 years comment that seems to be getting him some negative press. Quote, I think we've been pretty competitive every year that I've been here with the Patriots. That's our overall plan. I expect it to continue that way. I think the team's been managed pretty well for the last 20 or however many years. So I think we'll continue to manage it in a way that we've been competitive over the last 20 years, and I expect will continue to be competitive. Folks, that's not arrogance. I know people are trying to portray it as arrogance.

That's just simply stating a fact. Bill Belichick wasn't done yet. He did have a little bit more to say in this subject, because it continued to fester over the course of the last couple of days. And on Wednesday, when he was visibly present at LSU's Pro Day workout, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe asked him a follow-up and Bill Belichick was very much to the point and very pointed in his response. We're not resting on our past laurels, Bill said. That's not the message to the team or the fans. We have never operated that way and we aren't now. Now, some are still going to choose to misinterpret this message but

again Bill is correct in his assessment here. I know the wins have been less plentiful since the departure of Tom Brady prior to the 2020 season but New England has also fielded a competitive team for every season of Bill Belichick's tenure. That's say for a 5-11 finish in 2000 and his first year on the Patriots bench. Bill has been pretty good since then. That's the type of cachet he's built up. That's why people roll their eyes when former Patriots players, and I want to give a little tip of the cap to Dan Kelly, who submitted a great mock draft here earlier this week,

did a little research and figured out 605 different players have played for Bill Belichick at various points in his career. It's really just impossible to think that all 605 are going to have glowing things to say about the guy, but the vast majority have been very complimentary about playing for Bill Belichick because the track record speaks for itself. One or two disgruntled, bitter expats that love to squawk are not going to speak for the hundreds that have played under Bill and thrived under Bill. And again, folks, there have been a lot of them. So you look at the track record and it does kind of stand in to line.

Now, don't forget, Belichick is not only the longest tenured head coach in the NFL, but he's also the second oldest head coach. He's just days away from turning 71. But right now he still trails Pete Carroll, who head coach. He's just days away from turning 71, but right now he still trails Pete Carroll, who is 71. He'll be 72 in September, but he also is chasing history right now, and that's important to Bill Belichick. This guy never stopped being a student of the game, and in October, we all remember when he moved past Chicago Bears head coach and pro football Hall of Famer George Alice, sole possession of second place among all NFL coaches. Now, he continues to pursue that elusive 347 total wins held by fellow Hall of Famer Don Shula. Belichick's

also tied with Shula for the first place among all-time NFL head coaches, having led the Patriots to 19 playoff appearances. You know Bill Belichick would love to hold both of those records on his own, and I think that definitely motivates him. But the pursuit of Shula's record is not the only thing in Bill Belichick's sights, folks. Belichick remains cognizant of his need to guide the Pats back to their winning ways, and he knows he has to do it soon. That's a goal he continues to share with team owner Robert Kraft. We've also heard a lot that there might be a rift brewing between the two or they're not seeing eye to eye. I don't see it. And I'll be very honest with you. I don't see that the two are not seeing eye to eye. Robert Kraft and Bill

Belichick shared very similar sentiments out there. Did Robert maybe point the finger at Bill a little bit more than we thought he was going to? Yeah, I'll give you that. I'll give you that. But at the same time, you also have to take a look at what Robert said and how and the context in which he said it. Robert has always been very, very forthcoming when it comes to letting the public know, letting the media know that football operations are in the hands of Bill Belichick but at the same time he also wields the power behind the scenes to be able to step in and give his opinion on the matter as well and we saw that earlier this year with the hiring of Bill O'Brien but at the same time you also have to remember

that Kraft is very cognizant of the fact, much like Belichick is, of his own legacy, that Kraft's legacy is much tied to what Bill Belichick has to say. And Bill is someone that can definitely enhance that legacy. And Kraft clearly still believes in him. As a matter of fact, he said as such earlier this week, he spoke on Monday afternoon to reporters as well at the owners meetings. And really was an eye-opener where Kraft said quote I still believe in Bill I think Bill is exceptional at what he does and I've given him the freedom to make choices and do things that need to be done his football intellect and his knowledge is unparalleled from what I've seen just when you talk to him the small things

analytically that he looks at Robert continued on and even invoked the name of Don Shula, where he says, I'd love to see Bill break Don Shula's record. But in the end, this is a business. You either execute and win or you don't. That's where we're at. I think we're in a transition phase. And that to me speaks volumes, especially the term transition phase that Robert Kraft is using. I think it's very important to remember that this type of endorsement or this type of notice that the owner is putting on Bill Belichick is going to be very, very interesting in the coming days and weeks. I think it shows that these two guys are very much in sync, very much together, and they both realize that winning needs to happen and it needs to

happen in short order. And I think in a lot of ways it shows a confidence in his coach a sense of urgency to deliver that marked improvement but Bill Belichick remains confident in his approach too and he should be it's worked very well for the last 25 years he wasn't wrong when he said that folks time can be an ally as just as well as it can be a deterrent and I think that that's something that Bill Belich ally just as well as it can be a deterrent. And I think that that's something that Bill Belichick realizes as well. Feel the sense of urgency, but don't in a way that's going to cause you to act rashly. And he did make that point very clear when he did say, we haven't snapped the ball yet.

It's March. Working on April for now, one month at a time. Yeah, taking it one day at a time, that's the Bill Belichick we know. And that's the Bill Belichick that I think you're going to get on the sidelines in 2023. But what does it all mean for the Patriots moving forward? Well, that's what our good friend Murph is going to pop in here in a moment and join us to regale with his wisdom and counsel when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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while you're there that's built builtmarchmadness.com. You can vote every day in March. So hop in and support your pick. Don't delay. Do it today. Builtmarchmadness.com. Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Locked On Patriots,

closing the week in style as we open the week in style once again. Of course, don't forget, Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day, and your voice is always heard, you great Locked On Patriots listeners. That's right. The Green King of Sting is back for another go-round this week. The legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. Talking the topic of the day, probably the topic of the weekend for the New England Patriots. Murph, open the show today by talking a little bit about Bill Belichick.

A lot of Patriots Nation, a little uneasy when it comes to the legendary 70-year-old head coach. Some are saying that maybe his throwing his last 25 years worth of a resume is a little uncharacteristic to be honest a couple of patriots called him out on it earlier this week uh we've been hearing that maybe there's a rift between he and belichick that between excuse me he and robert craft that belichick actually may even be coaching for his job this year in 2023 i always say virtualize in the middle of my friend but you see things us mere mortals don't say one thing you can say about murph folks he is not shy about lending his opinion what is your take on the bill belichick situation murph because you

covered him a lot longer than i have when you look at this situation what should your gut tell you first off and second of all just your initial reaction to all of the hoopla surrounding it this week. I think that's exactly what it is. It's hoopla. It's blood in the water. Somebody call Quinn because the sharks are everywhere. Come down here and chum some of this for me for a little while. Oh, my God.

This is insanity, dude. You know, one off-the-cuff freaking remark, and they start bringing up anything that they... These guys forget nothing, folks. They keep little notebooks, and they write down anything that they can jump on later on. And quite frankly, it has been the last 25 years that the Patriots have been able to write a ship time and again. How many times do I have to go over this?

This man lost four Hall of Fame players and 70% of his coaching staff in a three-year period. All right. It takes a few years. It takes some time to rebuild what you take a look around. Tom Brady was not coming back here in the Cam Newton season and doing anything because there was nothing there to work with. All right.

Bill has had to clear out cap space, rework this, uh, this, this team into, um, something functional he's done. So on the defensive side, now let's give them a season or so to get things right on the offensive side. Some pieces have been brought in and have worked. Some pieces have been eliminated. And new pieces are being brought in this year. All right, so let's just stop with the feeding frenzy on Bill Belichick. He is not coaching for his job.

All right, now I do not believe for one second that he doesn't think about surpassing Don Shula, but he would like to do that as soon as, as, as humanly possible. Okay. He would like to do that as soon as humanly possible. And that means within the next season and a half.

So we're talking 10 or 12 wins, 10 or 11 wins this year. Hopefully that's going to be really difficult with the schedule that the Patriots have. If you guys want to peruse that for five minutes, I'm not going to break it all down now and waste Mike's time. But it's a really difficult schedule this year. So it might take it into halfway through the next year. But, yeah, he wants to shut down Don Shula's steakhouse.

And I don't blame him. And the only reason he wants to do that is because of the way Don's insecure little ass, who hadn't won a Super Bowl since 1970-what? 1970-what? All right? Has been nothing but a mouthy old man sitting there on his back porch because nobody wants him on the front porch. They send him out back with Bartles and James and try to figure something out,

try to stay relevant. All right? Just forget it. He's not coaching for his job. This is not a big deal. He and Kraft are not loggerheads coming together. That's not the thing that's happening. All right.

What happened was Bill talked to a group of reporters in the morning and RKK talked to a group of reporters or two, you know, got sidetracked and was asked a few questions that he didn't know Bill's answers to. And there's no friction between the two. There isn't. These guys have worked together for a very long time and worked together really well.

Now, did Kraft kind of put it in Bill's, the ball in Bill's court as to whether or not they might be bringing in Lamar Jackson? Sure, because the final say is Bill's and as to whether or not they might be bringing in Lamar Jackson? Sure, because the final say is Bill's, and that's it. The way it's been for 25 years. The final say on football operations is Bill's, and believe me, he's done pretty damn well.

So, yeah, right on the money in most of the circumstances. I'm not going to touch a shoe list. I'm sorry. I got a little green there. I sorry. I got a little green there. I did. I got a little green. We love the green, man. That's why we bring them on each and every week here to close the week in style.

And that was definitely stylish, folks. Ric Flair would be proud of that. Style and profile, my friend. But when you look at the logistics of what this team now is facing in 2023 and beyond, I think you articulated it perfectly. The cupboard has been essentially there. Now, some people will say that's Bill's fault. I don't necessarily think that it is 100% Bill's fault. I think some of the talent that they brought in here was excellent in theory. Sometimes these moves pan out. Sometimes they don't. Nelson Aguilar was a great fit for what the New England Patriots needed at the time. A speedster that could get open over the top, be able to be a deep threat and stretch the field.

Unfortunately, the drops came along with that. And that's one of the reasons why Nelson was. The drops came along with that and the deterioration of this offensive line. Exactly. Everybody kept screaming, weapons, weapons, weapons. Bill went out, brought in weapons. Hey, guess what you're you're not able to pay those offensive linemen 16 million dollars a year and 17 million dollars a year

all those questions that were asked over the past eight to ten years all right nobody on god's green earth you me my butchie or tom brady was going to do anything behind that line last year. You talk about skittish feet. What do you want? You've got 6'6", 285-pound edge guys screaming off of both sides at you. You get a little edgy. You get the happy feet. So let's wait to see what Bill's done with this offensive line,

what he's going to continue to do with it in over the next couple of months yeah see to me that's the essence of all this right here you can take all of the aggregated data that you can find from the last three seasons um eight and nine finish uh you know the first time bill belichick uh team you know failed to make the playoffs in two out of three years, 25 and 26 since Tom Brady walked out the door. You can always gravitate toward that and say, Belichick's losing his age. Here are the statistical proof that we've got to show that.

But to me, I think the essence of what they're doing right now is going to be where this all essentially comes out, where we land on the bill belichick argument in terms of whether he is struggling to rebound from the loss of tom brady or whether it's simply a situation like you've said where it just takes some time i really like the additions that the patriots have made this year and i think the only reason why people are skittish about their chances this year is because they're looking at the other teams in the division on paper and saying how are you going to compete with aaron rogers in new york how are you going to compete with still the bills running it back with josh allen and stefan diggs and we've

had difficulties there bills are still an elite team they're at they've been regressing i'm not buying this i'm not no the bills are coming back i'm not buying this. I'm not, no, the bills are coming back. I'm not buying into Miami and we'll see what Mr. Rogers does in his new neighborhood when he gets there. All right. Because it could, it could be, it could be a, a, a block party and it also could be a bonfire. Okay. We all know what this man can do to a team, to a locker room. So let's just pump the brakes here, people. All right? It's been a hell of a long time since Aaron Rodgers has done a damn thing with some really good talent around him.

Well, and that's the whole thing in a nutshell when it comes to the Jets and Aaron Rodgers as well, is he will have the supporting cast, got a lot of his guys going in zero excuses for aaron rogers going into new york with the season they had last year everyone said all they are is a quarterback away from being a division contender now all of a sudden they've got that so let's see what they can do with it i do agree with you on the bills i still think the bills are very stacked from top to bottom but i agree with you that there is a plateau on this team and I think they're reaching it. And I think

in that regard, you need to see how they're going to come out this season and really start to defend what they've claimed to be theirs and that's the division title. I'm really really curious to see how this defense looks without Leslie Frazier on the sidelines. I think he's been a huge

part of the reason why they've been so prolific on the defensive side of the ball. That's something I'm looking to see. And how does Ken Dorsey rebound from season two? We saw some difficulties in that offense this year that you didn't see under Brian Dayball. So coaching to me is going to be the essence of what Buffalo brings to the table. And then Miami.

Can Mike McDaniel build on the culture that he's built the last year or so? And with the addition of Jalen Ramsey, does that change things on the defensive side of the ball? To me, these are all question marks. And I think because of that. The inmates run the asylum in Miami. Okay. He already had one super malcontent. Now he's got another one on the other side of the ball.

Let's wait and see how this entire scientific experiment ends up shaking out. Because right now, he's mixing acids and bases. And that's never good. That's never good people. That's, that's when things blow up. And, you know, just, just to bring it back. These other franchises like the Bills are now realizing what the Patriots have gone through for the past 18 years, 20 years, you know, with the drain on their coaching staff. I don't just mean, you know, the cap catching up to them and you had good, you, you had the drain to the coaching staff.

You lost day ball. Now you're losing your defensive guy. Hold on before we, we crown these people. Just hold on because I still think that this Patriots team could be fighting for second place in this division because people keep forgetting that all these teams have to play each other too. Right. Absolutely.

And the Patriots do have a good track record when it comes to playing internally within their division. I know the last couple of years have been difficult and Miami has always been a difficulty for the New England Patriots. It just is. Even then the tom brady going down there yep yeah it's just it's a matter of trying to right the ship and be able to do what you need to do and uh i think in a lot of ways i think because of the moves that we've seen within the division it might be overshadowing the moves that the patriots have made to write their ship as well and bringing in bill o'brien bringing in adrian clem uh guys like that even will law and coming in shoring up the offensive coaching staff on that

side of the ball is really where the patriots needed some difficult some help with the difficulties i think that we got it and you're also talking about returning a very stout defense a defense that nearly carried the patriots for playoff berth last year for all the stuff that the pats are getting right now people forget that this team was within an eyelash of making the playoffs in 2022 improvements were needed and they were made folks but will more improvements be on the way we know the draft is coming up in just a little over actually a little less than a month right now yeah will the patriots remain in a stagnant state heading into the draft? Or are they still in the hunt for a marquee, or I should say an impactful free agent out

there on the market? Murph and I are going to talk about how he does, and we're going to talk about that in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel Sportsbook. The tournament is red hot. Murph is all set to go. The New England Patriots have actually lent the Huskies the use of their plane to arrive

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Patriots fans, thank you once again for closing out the week in style here on Locked On Patriots. And what better style could we possibly have hoped to bring in today than the style of the Green King of Sting, the monster master of disaster, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. Murph, we got a little green in the previous segment talking about Bill Belichick, talking about what he's going to be doing, the moves that have been made, and whether or not Belichick is on the hot seat. We both are in agreement that he's not on the hot seat, but we are both in agreement that there were improvements that need to be made to this team. And I think at least, I'm not going to step on your toes yet, my friend, I think they've done a great job, or at least a good job, of addressing some of those moving forward. But there are still improvements to be made.

And you and I both look at this roster from top to bottom, the positional groupings. We know that there are certain positions Bill Belichick has never been shy about addressing in the draft. Cornerback is a position that he's consistently thrown darts at. Some have landed, some haven't. He's been active in drafting running backs, and they've kind of had a revolving door.

He's even had a very good track record in drafting quarterbacks. Yeah, that's right, folks. Look that up. The quarterbacks that have come through this room have had a pretty good career under Bill Belichick. But one thing that we know is that Belichick always has positions where he loves his veterans. Right. And there are still some veteran free agents out there on the market. When you look at the list from top to bottom, knowing Bill Belichick's tendencies, where do you see the Patriots going for free agent help?

Because after all, it's still free agent Friday here on Lockdown Patriots. You didn't think we forgot, folks. Take us home, my friend. What are your thoughts on the Patriots free agent plans for the coming weeks heading into the draft? Looking at the depth chart right now and where I think this team needs help is stopping the run, getting after the quarterback. And where they're thinnest at this point in time, I think, is at linebacker. All right. Bill likes his veteran linebackers.

He likes to bring them in on short-term deal, see how they work out here. And I think that's where he's going to focus it on. And I've got a man in mind who you cannot debate as an impact guy, and that's Miles Jack. Absolutely. I was shocked that he's still out there. I don't know if he's pricing himself out of contention everywhere, but this is a guy that brings the lumber to every single game. And, you know, let's go out and make this happen. Absolutely. I mean, there's no question about it. Jack is someone that is an explosive playmaker. I mean, we've seen it. All the Miles Jack down jokes aside, folks, let's put those aside.

Take a look at the player himself. This is a guy that really does fit well within the type of scheme that Bill Belichick likes to run here in New England. He's got the veteran presence, but he also has that youth and that explosiveness that's going to allow him, I think, to thrive here. So this is an interesting point as well. I really, really like the suggestion. Murph, I know you and I have talked off screen. We've talked offline about potentially some of these additions. We're both in agreement, by the way, that a linebacker is a probable addition for the Patriots, at least through free agency. Leonard Floyd might look nice in a Patriots uniform as well. I know you had some thoughts on him, and I don't want to step on your toes, my friend.

I want to give you an opportunity to shine here and illuminate us on why this could be a good signing as well. Yeah, no, I think Leonard Floyd could come in here and again remain an impact player. He's somebody that has the experience and the ability to slip into this linebacker almost without creating any waves. He's somebody that I've never heard a bad thing said about by any of his teammates. He's somebody that fans will come to embrace really, really well. And he's somebody that does kind of well in coverage, doesn't he? Yeah, very, very well in coverage.

Look, the stats are definitely there. 29 sacks over the course of the last three years. You're talking about someone that has the veteran savvy to get after the quarterback but still again the mobility to make an impact where the patriots needed and i know they've got guys that they've brought back i was very happy to see uh you know them uh you know make moves and and bring you know people back into the fold and and see what uh you know mac wilson was one of those guys that i really was glad to see come back because i still think there's more in the tank that we didn't see in 2022 but you know the patriots are not afraid to stack the deck at that position and even with guys like rayquan mcmillan coming

back and having that versatility in the middle part of your defense you always want the opportunity to uh to move forward there murph there's always a possibility that the patriots look to the veteran availability of wide receivers running backs offensive tackles i mean you name it the patriots are not afraid to dip their toe in there and i know uh fans right now especially are dancing around with the thought of them bringing in a top-flight receiver via the draft because all of the news that we're hearing on the trade front seems to be negative. If you're on the offensive staff or you're an offensive scout for the Patriots, I should say, what are you leaning into Bill Belichick on and saying, draft class a little thin here. You're better off going free agent in this regard is there an area on offense that you think the Patriots would be better off suited going a free agent route

uh as we head toward the draft in another few weeks um yeah it's it's still going to be um I don't want to say it's thin but I don't want them to end up after the draft then if it doesn't break the way that they want to right now and And there are still some tackles out there that could come in here and help. Taylor LeJuan is still out there. Isaiah Wynn is still out there. Could you find the sarcasm in that one? Could you find the sarcasm? I guess nobody has a bag big enough to talk to him. There are still some good depth pieces that you could

put into this Patriots system, a swing tackle here or there. Donovan Smith is still out there from Tampa Bay. He's a guy with some serious street cred in this town and across the league. I wouldn't mind seeing that either. So if they decided to go and bring in another offensive tackle, I'd be happy. I'm not sure what is out there on the center market right now. Not sure what they would do after the draft last year at center and what they do, but they definitely could use some depth at that position. Chris Hubbard's still out there. He's getting a little up there.

Jason Peters, the ageless wonder. Maybe we could get Jason Peters to come back in at the age of 41 and set a couple of records as the oldest starting offensive lineman in the history of the NFL. Yeah. One thing age is, I think a fluid subject when it comes to offensive line. And we saw Andrew Whitworth almost come out of retirement and join the Cincinnati Bengals this year to try to make their stretch run.

So, you know, anything and everything is possible, but I am glad you mentioned the offensive line, because one thing I think a lot of Patriots fans forget, even us in the media, we get wrapped up in the shiny new toys that are available in the early part of the draft.

And I do think they will indulge into those folks. That's still been our assessment. I think Murph agrees with me. But the Patriots have a lot of young talent that's budding on this offensive line. What they don't have are savvy veterans that can come in and be able to make the type of moves that the Patriots may need. Yes, there are bodies available. I think Riley Reif is going to be competing for a starting position.

So you're looking at guys now that can come in and add a little wisdom and counsel. They've got youngsters that can come in to do that. They've got Andrew Stuber, who we did not see last year, who we expect to see this year. Chasen Hines, hardly knew you in 2022. A lot to like there from LSU. I expect him to have a bigger role coming into 2023 this year. So the Patriots have invested young capital in this. Yanni Cajeste actually tendered, which I was very surprised at.

But it makes sense because there is still a youth to him, and there is still an ability that I don't think we've yet to see. So when you do that, it leads me to believe that they will be looking for free agent help. They looked to Marcus Cannon for that area last year. Who knows? Maybe Marcus comes back on a fire. It's still a possibility. If he still decides he wants to play.

We want to spend the summer in Texas. Come on. Okay. So we're adding Texas to Buffalo, Miami, New York, all of the places that were suspended today. No, all kidding aside, folks. This is all due to the Red Sox yesterday, okay? The only way that I got calmed down is when Mike started talking about UConn. Do you know how much money I've won on UConn in the past three weeks? Do you have any idea,

people? My wife got new rugs this week. Folks, yeah, we hope you've used our good friends over at FanDuel for that. That's always great. I did. Yep, absolutely. We love our partnership with our good friends at FanDuel over

here at Lockdown Patriots. But all kidding aside, yeah, we do. We calm the green man down when we talk about UConn. I could have gotten a little bit more steam. I really could have got under his skin. But I'm not going to do that because we are supporting the Big East this weekend. But, folks, we thank you for all of your support here on Lockdown Patriots and for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

But what can I say? You open the week in style. You close the week in style. Folks, be sure to get your mock drafts in because Murph and I are back at it Monday morning. We're definitely looking forward to it. We know there's a certain site out there that puts some of your mock drafts behind a wall,

but send them in wherever you make them. We've even had a few that are completely homemade. We'll know if you're a pro. Absolutely. If you're sending them from that one site that we're talking about, we know that you're a pro because you're booming up to freaking do it, to bring it to us, and we'll get those suckers on air if we can. We'll pick the best ones out of it.

Just before I go, check out everything that I'm doing over there. Just follow the Bird app, and that'll take you to it. Um, just before I go, uh, you know, check out everything that I'm doing over there at, at, uh, you just follow the bird app and that'll take it. Absolutely. Folks. It is sock season. There is not a better follow in the nation than to do that. Murph is going to be a, you think he's honest here, folks. He is going to be brutally honest when it comes to the Boston Red Sox.

But, uh, um, what can we say? My friend got a new piece an honor, always a privilege. Fantastic. Got a new piece up over there at E2G. The Red Sox Nation caught between a rock and a hard place. Go check it out right now. Absolutely, folks. Please do that.

Make it a weekend read and make it a daily part of your Red Sox coverage, but make us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and hopefully your first listen. Folks, if you've made us your first listen each and every day this week or just today, please make your second listen. Our good friends over at Locked On NFL Scouting with the draft dudes, folks, my good friends, my colleagues, Joe Marino, Kyle Krabs, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins. Yeah, they're not going to be happy with what Murph had to say, but you're definitely going to want to follow them

because they are the best in the business at guiding you through the ups, downs, tops, and bottoms of being able to form a franchise in this league. So, folks, check them out wherever you get your podcasts. And, of course, download, subscribe to, follow Locked On Patriots wherever you listen to podcasts, especially on YouTube. Once again, on behalf of the legendary green man himself, the counter Murphy Fisto, Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports. I'm Mike debate. Continue to stay safe and stay well.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great weekend, everyone. And we'll see you back here on mock draft Mondayraft Monday, right here on Locked on Patriots. Thanks for the lift to Texas, Mr. Kraft.