Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Camp Mailbag: Drake Maye, Joe Milton and QB “Takes,” RB Depth, Roster Underdogs

Episode Date: August 3, 2024

With only a handful of training camp practices remaining until their preseason opener, the New England Patriots are keeping a close eye on the progress being made by their quarterbacks; even if some of the “takes” surrounding them are exaggerated. Host Mike D’Abate is joined by Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss Drake Maye, Jacoby Brissett, the Pats running back group and potential roster underdogs on this mailbag episode. #nfl #patriots Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-... And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply. eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list! 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)

Much like the demise of Mark Twain, the New England Patriots quarterback situation has been greatly exaggerated. Stick around, you're about to be locked into 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 Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and, of course, your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network,

your team every day, but we are also free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button and download and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Athlon Sports. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. While you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots, social media style that is, please be sure to follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots. And of course, Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make every moment more.

As the playoffs become a distant memory, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up all customers with a boost or a bonus daily. That's right. There's something for everyone, every day, all summer long. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. And Pats fans, day eight of New England Patriots practice wrapping up. Training camps starting to dwindle down as the dark days of summer lead to the first preseason game in less than one week.

And of course, with all of the drama surrounding the New England Patriots both on and off the field, it's always a lot of fun to hear what's on your mind. We want to know what you're thinking out there, Patriots Nation. And in true fashion, you have let us know. The mailbag is chock full. Newman made his deliveries. It is amazing that Newman was able to find another driver for another truck.

That's how many we needed to get this mailbag done. And, of course, mailbags of this size of this magnitude right can only be navigated and can only be interpreted with the wisdom and the counsel of our good friend the legend himself the count of murphy fisto thomas murphy thank you for coming to me in friendship and helping me with these oh so heavy-heavy mailbags done, Murph. Oh, happy to be here, man. Let's share the gamma and, you know, more hands, less work. Absolutely. Got to love that. And, of course, you know, with mailbags of this size,

you knew Newman would deliver them, but you know he's not going to help you carry them in, especially when there's a little rain in the forecast on a Friday afternoon. We all know Newman doesn't work in the rain. That's all right. Murph is here to deliver, and he is going to. And, Murph, we have three amazing questions from three of our very favorite everydayers. Kind of like an everyday all-star episode today, I think, of Locked On Patriots.

So without further ado, let's dive right into the mailbag. And Murph, I teased this to open the show today. I think you'll back me up on this. There's a lot being made of the Patriots quarterback situation right now. Who's out playing who? Who's struggling? There's so much going around right now that it really is tough to read it or absorb it with a straight face. So our good friend Ted in Chicopee, Mass.

Wants a little green wisdom and counsel. And we're going to give him that green wisdom and counsel, Murph, on your behalf. Absolutely. We love Ted. Ted is one of the greats and ted would like to know murph on a scale of one to ten how much overreaction is being made of the patriots quarterback situation this one goes to 11 ted you know this one goes to 11 there are people out there saying that the Patriots already regret drafting Drake May. There are people out there saying that Joe Milton has a chance to start on this team.

Joe Milton has this much of a chance to be on this roster when it's all said and done. This much. A little bit. Got a little bit of a chance. Okay. He's thrown the ball a long way. And he's done bad clubs. And yeah.

Everybody's nuts. I told you. I told everybody. Do not expect Drake May to come in here and light up the world. He is going to have very good days in camp. He is also going to have very bad days in camp. He is also going to have very bad days in camp. You know why? Because he's a rookie who has not played a lot of football in his life.

You know, we went over this a couple of weeks ago. He lost time in high school due to COVID. He lost time in college coming out early. He's only played, God, I can't even think of how many games he played in college right now. You know, it's less than 50 games. Okay. Give this kid some time. I told you all at the beginning, Jacoby Brissett was going to start this season. Okay. And he was probably going to start, you know, the first nine games. I would like to go further. I would like him to not suit up until the Colts game the week before the buy. This way, let him get his feet wet and then have an entire week to

say, wow, what the hell just happened? And how am I not going to do those things again? And the people that are out there saying, get them in there. You can't, you can't get better unless you're playing football. That's fine. When you're running the JV squad in high school down at Foxborough high. All right. Or, or the varsity for that matter, not here. Okay. This kid is not ready for prime time. He came out of an offense. He, he, he ran, he ran the, um, the, the ran the air raid for Christ's sakes. Do you know how foreign this is to him? It's like plopping me down in the middle of Beijing and asking me to have a conversation with

the guys sitting next to me on the right and the left. I don't know what they're talking about. I'm just going to sit there and nod my head and try to figure it out. Let this kid figure it out. But no, the overreaction is and try to figure it out. Let this kid figure it out. But no, the overreaction is off the charts, man. This amplifier goes to 11.

Yeah, I can't argue with anything that you just said. I mean, I do believe it is up to an 11. And look, when the Patriots hit the field on Friday, I think we were all looking for a little dose of reality. And I'll be very honest with you. I think the Patriots provided that, especially at the quarterback position, because I think what happened and the performances that you saw were much needed. First of all, Jacoby Brissett, 16 of 26 overall on the day is what most of my colleagues in the media had him graded at.

Drake, 10 of 14. Drake had a much better day. He was out there. He was out there with the first team. He spent some time out there with the first team today. And this is the first time that we've seen that, you know, in all honesty. And that's going to make you look better than working with the second team. But also, don't overhype this, okay?

It was a good day. We're glad. Now he needs to stack these and stack them. Exactly. All right? That hasn't happened yet. He had a good day. We're glad. Now he needs to stack these and stack them. Exactly. All right. That hasn't happened yet. He had a decent day yesterday. He had a good day today.

Let's see what happens the next pad of practice. But no matter what, running behind or lining up behind this group is not something you want your rookie to do. This offensive line, the way it is right now. I'm Vitarian Lowe. I'm sure we're still going to talk about the O-line a little bit today, and I don't want to definitely stomp on that too much because I know you're going to have your thoughts on the combinations and permutations we've seen out there on the field this week.

But, again, that dose of reality needed to be provided by the quarterbacks today, and, again, I think they delivered. Jacoby Brissett, especially in 11-on-11s. You 11. you look at jacoby 12 of 21 two pretty bad drops out there today i think that those totals would have been a little bit better but he looks sharp i think he's developing some really good chemistry especially with pop douglas he had a nice touchdown ever not open oh my god he is going to be a problem for opposing defenses this year folks if the Patriots wide receivers are going to make any noise to Mario Douglas is going to be the foghorn of that group he is really going to absolutely leap off the page and this kid is

for real and he looked at today regular season ready form in my opinion uh love what I see from Pop Douglas and he's going to continue to bring you that and it's nice to see jacoby using him because you can see this stuff happening in a game setting drake may like you said a better day today pretty good day yesterday better day today but we need to see him stack this 10 to 14 overall he went 7 of 9 and 11 on 11s yeah two scrambles what i liked out of him today and yesterday was the fact that the ball came out on time. Okay. This, you know, it's a West Coast offense.

This is a timing-based offense. And he looked really good getting that ball out quick and hitting guys in stride where he was supposed to be. You know, guys were NFL open. And he threw the ball there and he got it there. That doesn't mean that that's going to happen week one. That doesn't mean that's going to happen week one. That doesn't mean that's going to happen next Thursday. He's right.

He's right on that, folks. Definitely keep a sharp eye on that, because you will get a good dose of Drake May, in my opinion, in that game, and you'll get a chance to see what he's capable of doing. Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, I thought, had a good quote, maybe the May quote of the day when he said, he's still living within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage. And I think that is accurate, but had a good seven on seven red zone period. He had two touchdowns progress, folks, baby steps, continue to move forward, stack these practices one on top of the other. And you'll start to see that prowess. This kid

is not a bust. There is no regret in the Patriots war room about drafting this kid. Like Murph said, give him some time. He will round into form, and he's got the ability to do it. Joe Milton today, I think a lot of people took a look at the show that's been put on the last couple of days. 0-for-1, including a drop, and he would be sacked by the defense. 0-for-1. Not necessarily.

That's how many snaps he's getting. Yeah, exactly. You know, I mean, not to take anything for granted. I've been impressed by the arm strength that I've seen with Joe Milton. He is an impressive athlete, folks. And I do believe he will carve out a niche on this team as a third stringer right now. That is where he's looking to make this team unless the Patriots carry him on the practice squad and they only carry two quarterbacks. Or if the veteran Bailey Zappi, which a lot of people forget is still a

member of this team or conveniently want to forget and he has looked good so the patriots brass including alex van pelt most definitely really have some work to do they've really got to go back and take a look you're going to see him gerard mayo tc mccartney these guys are going to go into a room and they're going to take a look at what these guys can do and they're going to feel the best team they possibly can out there on the field. But in the meantime, temperance and patience are really the virtues that everyone should be exuding right now. This is going to be a marathon, not a sprint. The Patriots are not in it to go to New Orleans this year as much as I would love to go down to

New Orleans to cover a Super Bowl murph. I don't think it's going to happen. The Patriots are not in it to go to New Orleans this year as much as I would love to go down to New Orleans to cover a Super Bowl murph. I don't think it's going to happen. The Patriots realize what they are, and they need to take small steps to get there. That's what you're seeing out there right now. But overall, I thought a pretty good day for the quarterbacks. Silence the critics. Silence the critics is right. As you said earlier, baby steps.

Callahan put it perfectly, still living within 10 yards. Yeah, I did. I really like the way Andrew put that and I have to give him credit for it because he was the one that said it. It's true. That's exactly what you're seeing from Drake right now. I think we're going to continue to see that. That is fine. Not that there's anything wrong with that. That's this offense, guys. No, not that there's anything wrong with that. But that is.

You folks that are everydayers, you folks that follow me, that read the keys every week, I love Yak. Okay? And if you're going to live within 10 yards of my – there are wide receivers on this team that are going to be able to get you that yak. Definitely. And, uh, you know, we're seeing one perform well out there on the field and, uh, Demario Douglas, who else could provide that yards after the catcher, that explosive ability. I got a funny feeling. We're going to get into that in the third segment here, folks, so stick around. You're not going to want to miss our camp dark horses, our camp underdogs

that might be clawing their way onto this roster. But Murph, in the next segment, we're going to be talking about the running backs. And we're going to be talking about whether or not the top two on the staff right now are going to be enough to sustain the Patriots running game. Alex Van Pelt loves an offense predicated on the run. Ramondre Stevenson looks fantastic in this offense so far. Antonio Gibson starting to come into form after missing the first few practices, but are the Patriots situated beyond that, and what can they do to help raise the prowess?

We're going to answer that question from a very special every day or in just a moment, but not before we give a tip of the cap and a nod to the gods. And a big thank you to Ted and Chica P. Mass for a great question to kick us off today here on Patriots Training Camp Mailbag Day. We're going to be back with the running backs in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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We're opening up the training camp mailbag and wading through the sacks and sacks of mail that we've received. And of course, if we're going through heavy mailbags, big, robust mailbags, copious amounts of Patriots mail, the only man that can help us do it with wisdom, counsel, and a little flair all his own is my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, a legendary Thomas Murphy, joining me here today. Murph, we've talked a little bit about the hype surrounding the Patriots quarterback

position or lack thereof or maybe some of the um interesting takes interesting is the proper word to use there I'll use interesting interesting takes regarding the Patriots quarterback situation and whether or not there's a lot of overreaction going on in Foxborough. However, one thing we know about Alex Van Pelt and the offense the Patriots will run is it needs to be predicated on establishing a strong running game right out of the gate. And that's exactly what the Patriots appear to be doing. In this type of offense, we're seeing a lot of outside zone. Ramondre Stevenson, probably the perfect running back to be able to run this type of offense. And Antonio Gibson looks like he will be

a solid fit here as well. But a lot of Patriots fans are wondering, do the Patriots have enough in that backfield to sustain an Alex Van Pelt offense? Well, one of our everydayers, another everydayer all-star here on Lockdown Patriots.

LJ1. And he did. He did. He did. He picked out this one out of the rest of them. So I give him a lot of credit on that. LJ submits a lot of questions. But he did pick his favorite.

And we did honor the man by doing that today because he is truly one of the best. And I don't just mean that in terms of every dayers. He's just one of the best. He really is a great guy. LJ wants to know, folks, do you think and I'm talking to you, Murph, that New England is set? Are you talking to me?

Me who? Me. Yeah, how you doing? For those of you everydayers that hung in with us through that back and forth, and a special bonus for anyone that can tell us where that actually came from, Murph, LJ, at show one on x on twitter whatever you want to call it my good friend here calls it zitter

do you think new england is set at running back besides the top two you know i that's a good question i thought that this was a um i thought that this was a, um, I thought that this, this Patriots backfield is about as thin as they are everywhere else, except for the defensive backs in the, um, on this team. Uh, Harris has done pretty well, you know, he's been repping with the third, the third string, uh, the third team, uh, yeah, third string, third team, however you want to do it. And he's somebody that I've always liked. I've always enjoyed. He's had a difficult time getting reps in his first two years, but he's looked good in this camp. After that, it's a little sketchy. It's a little sketchy. You know, like I said, Harris had a couple of big runs once the pads came on and guys started blocking.

But the competition here is really going to shake out once the preseason games. You know, we've got you, Michael Hasty. After that, they've got a bunch of undrafted free agents. And they're still, you know, searching the waiver wire and looking for somebody else to come in there and do that. It gives me pause that the Patriots did not address this position in the draft somewhere. There was a guy out of New Hampshire that I really thought would have fit in really well here that Mike knows and loves. And, um, and so we're still looking for the James White type of third down back. That's going to come in here and, and do those James White type things. Now in the past that,

that he can, um, catch the ball out of the backfield and run up between the tackles, can he stretch that defensive line and find holes behind this new blocking scheme? That's what gives me, you know, pause and wonder. But no, I would have been happy if they had brought back everybody from last year. That didn't happen. And we all know that Romandre, no matter how fantastic he looks, is just one hit away from, you know, not being, and that's for any running back. I'm not talking about him being injury prone because he's not. You know, it's never deep enough at the running back position for me. So, no, I don't, LJ, I don't think that they're deep enough here. I think that there's a good chance that when roster cuts start happening

around the league that the Patriots will pounce. That's a good point, and I do believe they will pounce too because I think the Patriots would like to add some veteran depth to this group, especially knowing that the running game is so important to how they run this offense and any struggles they may incur at the quarterback position can help to be mitigated by a strong running game and a really complete core of running backs around them. I'm glad that you mentioned Gibson because Gibson is showing an ability to receive and catch the ball out of the backfield. Don't forget, during the time that he wore a Washington Commander's uniform, folks, caught 172 passes, 1,283 yards,

seven touchdowns. Guy can get it done in a game setting. So I'd love to see what he can do when the lights are on and when the New England Patriots need to feature him in that role. I think he will be good. Stevenson is already looking like an old pro in this offense. He's looking like he's run it already. And it really goes back to his days at Oklahoma. Yeah. Strong type of running game played very similar. Um, those styles really, I think are helping him to assimilate

into the Alex Van Pelt offense. And he's taking to it like a duck to water. Harris is someone else that I really enjoyed watching this training camp because of his physical ability, but not just the physical style with which he runs. He's ripping off some nice runs, get you a couple of yards and really in the red zone, become that, that weapon. This kid is proving he can do it all over the field.

I love the growth that I'm seeing in Kevin Harris. Right. And as much as I was paying to see Pierre strong traded away from here, because I thought he would be a solid contributor in this offense. You starting to see what the patriots brass saw in kevin harris to keep him around and know that he could be your solid third option he's finding those holes behind this offensive line and and this blocking scheme and that's exactly what it is it's it's being able to make a decision and take that cut. And it's not necessarily this is where the hole is going to be.

Go get to it and get through it here. You've got to follow your offensive lineman. You've got to be able to cut back and find the hole that they open up in each play. And it's it's so this offense is so predicated onicated on what the running backs are going to do. This passing game is so predicated on that, that I really can't stress it enough. But also, I just, I think that this running back group is one injury away from being in big trouble. That's really the whole point in looking at getting the running back group deeper and trying to add depth. It's not because the talent on the team is deficient in any way. There may be teams out there that are fielding a better front three, but this New England Patriots running back core is definitely good enough to hang with any of them talent-wise.

It's beyond that. If one of these guys goes down, they're all of a sudden very thin at this position. Who comes in? Who has the ability to make tacklers miss in short-yarded situations? You need to be that type of running back to succeed under Alex Van Pelt. Is it a savvy veteran out there? Probably going to have to be. I don't think they're necessarily going to look for undrafteds or guys that are released.

Maybe they will, practice squad guys, to have a little bit of depth there. But all of a sudden, I think the New England Patriots realize that they may need a veteran to come in and help shore this group up a little bit. Very astute observation, Murph. Yeah, I agree. I think he agrees, folks. That's it. Dynamite drop-in, Monty.

Bottom line, folks, this New England Patriots offense is going to have a different look it's not going to be easy to look at at times but i think each time you see these guys play you're going to see growth you're going to see development and that's what really i think is the measuring stick for this new england patriots training camp and their preseason how much growth are these guys exhibiting each and every day? Are they getting better each practice? Are they getting better each preseason game? Leading into this regular season, how are the Patriots going to take the lessons they

learn on the field and apply them to make sure it adds up to wins in the win column? Well, these are all questions that are going to take a while to answer. But the one thing that always does come out of training camp Murph are emerging stars we'd like to call them dark horses underdogs guys that aren't supposed to make this roster but make a convincing case during training camp for the Patriots to keep them around in just a moment Murph and I are going to reveal our candidates for camp underdog or Camp Dark Horse, and what it means for their potential performance on the field throughout the 2024 season. This and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast

wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Listen up, Locked On listeners. I know you love sports. I love sports. As a matter of fact, I love them so much that I never want them to stop. But with the playoffs now firmly

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And again, folks, Joe and Kyle put on a phenomenal show. Yeah. One's a dolphins guy. One's a bills guy. They take their perpetual shots at the new England Patriots, but you know what?

We beat them 10 ways to Sunday for a England Patriots, but you know what? We beat them 10 ways to Sunday for a couple of decades, so you know what? They can get in a couple of digs while they can, but get them in while you can, guys, because it's not going to be like that for long. Bottom line, we always appreciate all of our colleagues here on the Locked On Podcast Network, but it's always

a treat when Mailbag Day rolls around and Murph joins us here in his very own embroidered director's chair to help lend his wisdom and counsel. Murph, you've already done that when it comes to the Patriots quarterback position and of course when it comes to the Patriots running backs. We may stay in the offensive mode or we may switch over to defense. I don't want to steal your thunder just yet my friend but we have one more question here on the mailbag from another one of our all-star everydayers out there our good friend ava from rhode island and ava always asks

poignant questions and questions that make you go hmm just like arsenio hall used to like to do on his old show we're dating ourselves murph i hate to say it but we are if you remember arsenio folks drop us a little note in the comments section below and tell us some of your favorite dog pound names. We'd love to hear those. But bottom line, Ava wants to know, Murph, based on their performance so far, who has emerged as a dark horse candidate to make the roster this season? Well, I could go in a lot of directions here, folks.

I really could. You could? I could. But I'm going to stick with the direction that I told you all three weeks ago was going to happen. And that dark horse that is going to make this squad is the Slim Reaper, Tyquan Thornton. Tyquan Thornton has looked amazing. People at the beginning of camp were saying that the only reason that he might make this team is because, you know, Kendrick Bourne is out. And, you know, Juju Smith-Schuster is Juju Smith-Schuster and old.

You know, he is moving his way up the depth chart, becoming a very reliable target for whoever happens to be under center. He's pulling down some fine catches and they haven't even really unleashed him yet. They haven't. He hasn't played his game yet. Now, his game is getting down the field and getting wide open, getting behind the defense and scoring touchdowns. That's what he did in college. That's what Bill Belichick and I expected him to do here, you know, in his first two seasons. But injury didn't let that happen. All right.

And I have forever said that I am not going to hold against any player their body betraying them or they actually getting injured. This kid isn't in the tub with a strain this or a strain that. He's dealt with serious injuries in his first two seasons. And I think that this offense right now is tailor-made for him, and he is going to come out gangbusters. I'm not saying he's going to lead this team in receptions or yards or touchdowns, but people are going to sit forward in their chairs, put down the recliner, and sit on the edge of that seat many, many times this year when Taequann Thornton is on the field. Great point.

Taequann's looked great so far. There's no denying it. Whether you're his biggest fan or whether you're lukewarm on him or whether you're his biggest detractor, I think everyone would have to honestly admit that Taekwon has come out and been one of the pleasant surprises for the Patriots in this training camp. He's hitting his marks. He's doing what he needs to do, showcasing that top-level speed. And like Murph says, they haven't really unleashed him completely yet. When you see that top speed going on all cylinders and it stretches the field the way

Taekwon can, this could be a very exciting player to watch. I like the fact that he's added a little bit of bulk, not an overwhelming amount. It still allows him to move. It still allows him to be the type of slim reaper, like you said. So it gives him the opportunity to showcase his speed and his talent. And I think you make a very compelling case for that. I do agree that he is carving a way onto this roster. And my candidate, my dark horse candidate, Ava, for the New England Patriots this season is also a receiver. This may raise a couple of eyebrows, and I know it probably will

from some of the fan base, but this man I think has had himself a very nice training camp so far. And that is second year receiver kashon booty booty has had an interesting off season there's no question about it there's been a lot of upheaval uh legal troubles that he can now put behind him and he looks like he's playing that way on the field look he doesn't have the same type of breakaway top-notch speed that taekwon thornton has but kishan booty is very quick he absolutely has the ability to accelerate so this kid has that element in his game and i

think that's going to help him maybe emerge over even guys like jalen rager who's another speedy receiver yeah uh maybe a little bit more than the legs of a guy like juju smith schuster who's a savvy veteran but he looks old you know the pads he got old and that's why up until that point you started to see juju make some catches it hasn't looked so good folks i'm not sure how that's going to play out um he's been great to deal with great to speak with during camp uh definitely wish him all the best he's got a tremendously positive attitude but you know I think it's going to be an uphill battle but booty to me has shown so much and the one thing that

I've rediscovered in this kid during this training camp Murph watching him and something I had kind of forgotten about during his time at LSU this kid's a phenomenal route runner yeah he really is a great he puts that foot down and makes that cut exactly where he's supposed to so clean yeah and believe me this offensive coordinator digs that yeah he absolutely does alex van pelt loves that this kid has the ability to break from his route on a dime and i've seen him do it a couple of times so far he can maneuver his body even flip his body on occasion effortlessly and that is such an important part of being a great route runner folks not only knowing where you need to be but carving a little

deception into your game and being able to use your body to juke your defender really kind of put a little something extra on that route and also be able to deceive your defender into thinking you're going one way when you're actually going the other when you can get in the opposite direction and still get those short hands together and i've seen a lot more from him in terms of prowess at the catch point is something also that i've noticed that he's bringing to his game a little bit more this year um he is he's adjusting to some of these difficult passes that are thrown his way didn't see that a whole lot last year not because the Patriots coaching staff did so much different with him last year as opposed to this year I just think he's feeling a little more confident I think he's feeling a little more like an NFL receiver

and it's showing and another thing that I also would love to see this kid do more of and you watch his college tape block this kid is a good blocker when you get him and give him the ability he can lock out his opponent he's got length to do it he's got the strength to do it quick feet and in that regard he can be very effective he can be and that's one of the things that bill belichick loved about this kid before uh he brought him in good point is the fact that bill Bill loves a wide receiver that can block. And who doesn't? Honestly, who doesn't? But, yeah, this kid is – remember, folks, he was supposed to be the next one,

as my partner here, this guy here, had said on many occasions. He was supposed to be the next guy out of LSU. And things kind of went a little south on him injury-wise while he was down there in the bayou and um he he's good he's feeling healthy uh he's playing like a man with a lot of weight off his shoulders and we can all understand why that is uh is happening too uh there's you know all any legal trouble that he had is is in the rearview mirror now. He's concentrating on football, and he does. He looks good out there. Not great, but then again, who looks great this early in camp? Once again, let's give a young guy a chance to stack good reps

on top of each other, stack good days on top of each other, and then at the end of it all, we'll make a determination of whether or not he should be on this team. Yeah, I agree with you. I mean, there's progressions that happen each and every day. The pads just came on earlier this week. Folks give it time,

give these guys a chance to round into form. There's still a lot that can happen between now and the end of the preseason that allow you to look at this club and say, well, okay, yeah, maybe this guy is roster worthy. Maybe he's not. But I think Taequann Thornton and Keyshawn Booty have made tremendous cases for themselves. And it's going to make the Patriots decision very difficult, NERF, especially moving into

the latter part of this preparation season. I was asked when I was up there on Monday if I'd be interested in snapping for the third team. Absolutely, folks. Absolutely. First mulleted over. He had another guy on the line with some white walls, but he's still considering it right now. I believe he had to call his good friend Lou Brown, who was in a similar situation when he wanted to coach the Indians. It's tough decisions, folks. But you know what? It's always a lot of fun when we open up the mailbag here on Locked On Patriots,

especially when it's a training camp mailbag, Murph. We've had a blast today. Again, a tip of the cap to Ava from Rhode Island for a great question. Thank you to LJ. Thank you to Ted. An all-star edition of Locked On Patriots here when it comes to everydayers asking questions. All of you always overwhelm Murph and I with your knowledge, your insight and with your support of Locked On Patriots and we could not thank you enough for choosing us to be a part of your daily Patriots coverage there are so many options in

this market so many great options in this market for you to choose us and to help be a part of that coverage each and every day is truly an honor and we definitely don't take it lightly and we appreciate it just like I appreciate the kind of murphy fisto here taking time out twice a week three times a week whenever i need him for the handoff he's always there that's not by happenstance folks that's by design one of the great guys and i'm truly truly honored by his presence so in that vein don murph before i you go, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, share some anecdotes, or possibly absorb some of your wisdom and counsel from what's marinating in Murph's kitchen between now and Monday when you rejoin us here. You can always check me out on Zitter at TeamMurph207. Ask me anything you want right

there. I'll get back to you. I do. I don't ignore anything. It's truly an honor to be here every week, a couple times a week sometimes. I really love it. Thank you, Michael, for letting me have it. Other than that, I'm not doing anything. It's playoff season. My ball team is out there, and they're kicking ass and taking names. We're two games away from the championship,

and so hopefully we'll take that gold home. Absolutely, folks. And make sure to support Team Butchie and, of course, support Team Locked On Patriots because we are continuing to bring you boots on the ground coverage in the waiting days of training camp. It's almost time for preseason

game number one, Mark. Can you believe that? Meaningful football almost upon us. You gotta love it. It's the best time of the year because everything is all in front of us. We here on Locked On Patriots are very happy to bring you the best coverage we possibly can here on the network.

So in that vein, on behalf of my good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate reminding you all to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have'm Mike DeBate, reminding 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 next time on Locked on Patriots. Go Pats.