Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Coaching Staff Search: Josh McDaniels or Other OC Options? Defense Decisions

Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots have begun their search for a new offensive coordinator. Is it still Josh McDaniels or Bust? 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 Locked On Patriots

Starting point is 00:00:32 a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Hopefully your first listen each and every day. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country. Reach out to me. 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, follow our X account at LO underscore Patriots.

Starting point is 00:00:55 And you can find me where the skies are blue over on Blue Sky at MDABATENFL.BSKY.SOCIAL. And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL and use the code, all lowercase, locked on NFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. Pats fans, we are approaching the one week mark since Mike Vrabel was officially selected as the 16th head coach in Patriots history and the quest to compile his coaching staff is already underway. One candidate for offensive coordinator has been interviewed, another has been requested, and several incumbent coaches will be moving on in 2025. That's what we're going to be discussing today here on the pod. While all signs still seem to be pointing to Josh McDaniels as the,

Starting point is 00:01:45 how shall we say, back to the future offensive coordinator for your New England Patriots, there are other names out there that the Pats should at least be considering. And joining me to discuss those names is a fan favorite here on the pod. My Patriots Pison, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com, going to pop into Lockdown Patriots in just a moment. So stick around, folks. You are not going to want to miss a single second of Steve's wisdom, counsel, and insight. But we're also going to be discussing the Patriots' potential defensive coordinator candidates.

Starting point is 00:02:15 And last but certainly not least, we're going to reveal our thoughts on what Mike Vrabel's first order of business should be in Foxborough once his coaching staff is set. So settle in, Pats fans, an all-inclusive coaching search show is on tap for you today. And again, Steve will be joining me here in just a moment. But the Patriots had a busy Friday evening. As a matter of fact, just after Steve and I had discussed our topics for today's show, details surrounding the Patriots coaching search started to pop up all over social media. As the great Frank Drebin would have said, like bubbles in a case of club soda, Pats Nation. And it actually started off with a front office bombshell.

Starting point is 00:02:52 Just moments after confirming that team executive Robin Glazer, after 18 seasons with the New England Patriots, would indeed be resigning. And of course, we all remember earlier this week on Wednesday, Barstool Sports' Kirk Minahan was the first to report this espn's mike reese confirmed it on friday robin will no longer be a member of the front office for the new england patriots but the news didn't stop there folks mike reese among the best in the business for good reason was the first to report that several new england patriots coaches especially a lot of those on the offensive side of the ball, would not be returning in 2025.

Starting point is 00:03:28 Tight ends coach Bob McNell, running backs coach Taylor Embry, wide receivers coach Tyler Hughes, and his assistant wide receivers coach Taquan Underwood, and of course coaching assistant Keith Jones would be among the Patriots coaches moving on in 2025. Not a lot of these came as a big surprise. I was a little surprised by McNell. I thought the Patriots might give on in 2025. Not a lot of these came as a big surprise. I was a little surprised by Bicknell. I thought the Patriots might give him an extra look because of the work

Starting point is 00:03:49 he did with Hunter Henry and with Austin Hooper and the behind-the-scenes work that he did with Jaheim Bell, but Bob will be moving on to other opportunities, as will his four colleagues. So it's looking more and more likely that Mike Vrabel is going to be instituting a brand new world in Foxborough in 2025 and beyond. In fact, as early as Tuesday, Mike's first official day on the job, Patriots conducted their first interview with Chicago Bears assistant coach Thomas Brown. Now, you might remember Brown's name from last year when he interviewed for the Patriots OC position under Gerard Mayo. And Brown's name has been circulating the NFL as a potential OC candidate for several teams. He joined the Bears staff as a passing game coordinator. He was then

Starting point is 00:04:30 elevated to offensive coordinator and even interim head coach after the Bears chose to part ways with Matt Eberfluss. Brown's resume coaching offense has been pretty impressive. He spent time as the offensive coordinator in Carolina under Frank Reich, and he also spent time on Sean McVay's staff with the Los Angeles Rams. So Brown officially becomes the first to interview for a spot on Mike Rabel's staff on the offensive side of the ball. From those that I speak to close to the organization, I can tell you that he is not being overlooked in this process, nor should he be. He is a more than capable coach, and he could make an interesting hire, so I would keep his name in mind over the course of the next couple of days. the news was not done yet because the patriots have requested

Starting point is 00:05:09 to interview former nfl quarterback marcus brady who's currently with the los angeles chargers brady joined the chargers as a passing game coordinator in 2024 and did some pretty good things for justin herbert and the bolts offensive, at least in the regular season, folks. The Chargers ranked 11th in net yards per pass attempt and 12th in EPA per drop back. And before arriving in Los Angeles, Brady also coached in Indianapolis and in Philadelphia. So it's safe to say that there is never a dull moment in Foxborough. And something interesting to keep in mind also when it comes to this coaching search, if you notice the names that I read off earlier and also the names that I've discussed in terms of coaches who are either been requested for an interview or have already come in for an interview,

Starting point is 00:05:53 conspicuous by its absence is Alex Van Pelt. Yeah, that's right. Alex Van Pelt is still under contract with your New England Patriots. He hasn't been let go. That could mean he's willing to stay on in another role. i'll soon have more information on that subject as it develops but i would keep an eye on that if i were you maybe even a sharp eye folks over the course of the next couple of days something else to monitor when it comes to both thomas brown and marcus brady both of these coaches have ties to frank reich who like josh mcdaniels is considered one of the top offensive minds in the NFL and has been for the past couple of decades. That's something worth monitoring. Are the Patriots looking to move into more of a Reich-style offense? Could Reich even be

Starting point is 00:06:35 on their radar? I know at least some of you out there are wondering that, but I know mostly all of you out there in Patriots Nation continue to wonder if this OC search being conducted by Mike Rabel and the Patriots brass is simply just a formality on the road to hiring Josh McDaniels. The blunt truth of the matter is that the only ones who know the answer to that question are at the highest level of the powers that be in Foxborough. Anyone else giving you information right now, purely speculating, Patriots are keeping this one very close to the vest but in my humble opinion i will say that it should not be an open and closed search there are a number of other candidates out there that not only deserve serious looks but they deserve serious consideration and you know who happens to agree with me on that subject my patriots paisan steve balistrieri and in just a moment my good buddy columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com,

Starting point is 00:07:26 as well as being the co-host of the Patriots 4th & 2 podcast, is going to lend his reasonable takes on Josh McDaniels, the Patriots' search for a defensive coordinator, and Mike Vrabel's first order of business as coach of the New England Patriots with a complete coaching staff around him. All this and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Locked On listeners, it's playoff time.

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Starting point is 00:09:15 Pats fans, after a whirlwind busy week in Foxborough, here to help me break it all down is the only man with a level head, the reason we need to provide all of the information we need when it comes to these topics, my good friend, my Patriots Pison, columnist extraordinaire at patsfans.com, the co-host of Patriots 4th and 2, Steve Balistrieri. Thanks for joining me here today, bud. Welcome back to the pod. Hey, always a pleasure, my friend.

Starting point is 00:09:41 And, yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how this coaching staff shakes out. I think most of Patriots Nation is looking at this position right now and saying, it's Josh McDaniel's job to lose. It makes so much sense, Steve. This would be his third stint with the Patriots, 18 years with the franchise, all encompassing. So it's not like he's going to be wondering what he's getting himself into here in New England. He knows the area. He knows the team. He knows the ownership. Most of the players will be different, but there

Starting point is 00:10:15 are a couple of holdovers in this locker room that were coached by Josh when he was last here in 2021. Bottom line, his familiarity with Mike Vrabel, even though they've never coached together, they still did cross paths as player and coach when both were here in the early days of the dynasty, could end up being the deciding factor. That being said, there are still some names out there that continue to be bandied about. And there is a handful of Patriots fans out there that believe that maybe the Pats would be doing themselves a better service by getting a younger, more innovative mind into this position as offensive coordinator that maybe Josh's days in the Earhart-Perkins system have kind of passed him by.

Starting point is 00:10:56 I want to get your level-headed, reasonable approach first, Don Balistrieri. So when you look at this job right now, do you this is josh mcdaniels or bust are there candidates the patriots should be giving serious consideration to i think that's a great question mike right because you know everyone has already penciled him in there basically you know because it makes so much sense for the right to to do that. I mean, so I think that would be still the predominant way that they will probably go with this. But there's a lot of guys to pick from, and I'll tell you what, as much as people don't want to hear it,

Starting point is 00:11:41 I think the guy that's the current offensive coordinator could still be in for a job here. You know, I look at Alex Van Pelt, right? And you look at the job he did with Drake May and Joe Milton, considering what was surrounding them, you know, with the offense. The only really two guys they could depend on in the passing game were your two tight ends.

Starting point is 00:12:12 And I thought that, you know, the way he was able to coach, you know, your two quarterbacks was, I thought he did a great job with that. So, you know, Mike Frable would have to decide, Hey, are we going to stick with the system that Drake has already been working in, in his rookie season, or do we have to go and change something else? And, you know, that's something that he'll have to come up with a decision with um you know um he's still he's still not the greatest play caller and play designer so he's still working on that but i would not run that

Starting point is 00:12:57 out of the realm of possibility i think that's a great point steve in terms of alex staying with the team i'm in full agreement with you i do believe that there is a role here for him if he wants to stay on and continue to be a part of this coaching staff. I think he did a masterful job with Drake May and with Joe Milton. motion, decision making. These are all things that were knocks on both quarterbacks coming in, and you've already seen such growth in both players from being collegiate quarterbacks to the quarterbacks they are now in the pros. So that has to do an awful lot with quarterback coaching. You want to give TC McCartney some credit for that as well, but I think Alex has really been the quarterback whisperer for these two guys, and I think he's done a phenomenal job. Now, the question of whether or not he's going to be the offensive coordinator, I think is a little bit more murky. And the reason why I say that is something that you touched on, the play calling. A lot of people will look at this and say the Patriots were way too conservative.

Starting point is 00:13:59 They needed to be a little bit more innovative in that area. If I'm being fair and playing devil's advocate, I don't know if all of that can be placed on Alex Van Pelt's shoulders. We saw in the latter part of the season, Steve, this team tried to get a little exotic with their calls, maybe go a little bit against the grain. It was met with terrible results because the Patriots didn't have the personnel to execute it. And if you don't have the personnel to execute it,

Starting point is 00:14:23 I don't care what play caller you have trying to dial things up, it's not going to make a difference. So in that regard, maybe you give Alex Van Pelt a little bit more leeway on that subject because of the lack of talent he had on the offensive side of the ball. But at the same time, I also look at someone like a Josh McDaniels, who's so well-versed at being able to call various types of offenses. I think saying that he's locked into that Earhart-Perkins system, that he ran so well with Tom Brady as his quarterback. Then you sprinkle in guys like Hoyer and Garoppolo. Kind of put it in.

Starting point is 00:14:59 Even Mac Jones. Kind of put those in there. You can kind of insert whoever you want, but Josh's offense worked very well here in new england but even he was absolutely jacoby brissett these are all things that are being discussed right now but that to me is always why the discussion lands on josh mcdaniels and i think that's why patriots fans and analysts such as ourselves are trying to look at every angle and make sure the Patriots are covering every base, but all roads seem to lead back to Josh. I will say this, there is another Josh out there that's kind of garnering some attention right now, and I don't necessarily

Starting point is 00:15:37 know if this might be an OC fit, but a gentleman who recently interviewed for the Jets head coaching position down in East Rutherford, and that's Josh McCown. Josh definitely has a young, innovative mind, clearly a ton of experience when it comes to playing the quarterback position, 16-year playing career from 2002 to 2019, so Josh has seen it all, done it all on the football field. He's never worked with Mike Drable, but you look at the job that he's done this year in Minnesota with Sam Donald especially, really resurrecting his career from the doldrums.

Starting point is 00:16:13 And I don't think I'm being poetic when I say that. I think that's being accurate. He really did bring Sam back from the abyss that had been his time with the New York Jets and the Carolina Panthers. But bottom line, this guy is someone that can get the job done, and he does have experience working with Drake May. And I think this is something that a lot of fans need to realize.

Starting point is 00:16:34 When the two were at Myers Park High School, Josh was an assistant. Drake was obviously a player. He got Drake to throw for 3,500 yards yards 50 touchdowns as a junior when they work together i understand it's high school but that kind of synergy never really leaves you and if they can develop that type of chemistry one more time i think josh mccown may uh be worth a look uh what say you on this you got a level head on this talk me off the ledge or tell me that i'm on the right track here but no uh he was the next guy guy I was going to mention because for that very fact, when Drake was in high school, Josh worked with him,

Starting point is 00:17:13 and now he's seeing the fruits of his labors blossom in the NFL. I don't think May is anywhere close to scratching the tip of his potential. But I think working with a guy like Josh McCown, and you mentioned that, look what he did with Sam Darnold. Sam Darnold, I mean, his confidence was shot, I mean, with the Jets. And they shipped him off to Carolina, and then he went somewhere else and ended up with the Vikings this year. J.J. McCarthy gets hurt. And, you know, Josh McCown and Kevin O'Connell,

Starting point is 00:17:57 look at the job they did with this guy. And they resurrected his career. He's going to get a payday this year, whether it's with the Vikings or somebody else. And I think a lot of that has to go to his career. He's going to get a payday this year, whether it's with the Vikings or somebody else. And I think a lot of that has to go to his coaches. I wouldn't be against a move like a guy like Josh McCown. Now, he interviewed for a head coaching job. But if for some reason he doesn't get it, I wouldn't be against that if they want to move in a different direction

Starting point is 00:18:28 than maybe with Josh McDaniels. And the big knock on McDaniels' offense is the one thing that, you know, it's so complex, you know. With Josh McCown, you see what he did in Minnesota. I wouldn't be against that one little bit. Yeah, absolutely. And if the Patriots do decide that they want a more modern approach to their offense, Josh, I think, would be an excellent fit.

Starting point is 00:18:57 But getting back to the original Josh, Josh McDaniels, that is. Josh is a student of the game. And I can confirm a lot of the rumors that we've been hearing about Josh working with college coaches and visiting college campuses, doing a lot of pro scouting, looking at the modernization of an offense that he coached so well here in New England, but didn't need a little bit of a modern touch. And I think Josh recognizes that. I think coming in here, he realizes what Drake May's strengths would be, where he would have to coach him,

Starting point is 00:19:27 and where he would need a little additional help. So if Josh is going to be the guy, I think the Patriots have made a solid decision there. Another guy to keep an eye on, I would think, would be Nick Calley, former Patriots tight end coach. He's now the passing game coordinator with the Rams. And, you know, as you said on the show here last week with me, tight end coaches make great offensive coordinators.

Starting point is 00:19:54 And that's where you see a lot of these guys start, you know, because they have to be involved in everything. And I think, you know, looking at Cali, I mean, I know the Rams are very happy with him. But at the same time, you know, he's only the passing game coordinator, not the offensive coordinator there. You know, could he be enticed to come back? Who knows?

Starting point is 00:20:23 It's definitely possible. And look, there's something to be made about Nick Cali and whether or not he'd be willing to come back who knows it's definitely possible and look there's uh something to be made about nick haley and whether or not he'd be willing to come back here to new england as offensive coordinator last year reportedly the patriots were ready to offer him the job and he chose to stay in los angeles because of the fit that he had there in la and i think their future and i think you would argue that he probably made the right decision for himself to remain in Los Angeles. They still remain in the playoffs making a deep run. He would definitely command, I think, maybe a little bit more green.

Starting point is 00:20:53 And I think command a little bit more say in the matter over how he's going to run his offense. Keep in mind, folks, Nick Haley doesn't have a ton of experience in play calling. That would be a little bit of on-the-job training for him. But Steve's absolutely right. When you coach tight ends, it forces you to be an expert on every aspect of the game. We've heard Dante Skarniecki say that before, that he has so much respect for tight ends coaches because they have to know the quarterbacks. They have to know the running backs.

Starting point is 00:21:22 They have to be able to coach offensive line a little bit as well for tight ends that line up in the jumbo package and oh yeah you have to know your position very well uh also so all names that we should be keeping a sharp eye on folks don't sleep on any of them but steve you and i both know it's not all about the offense it may get the headlines but defense is what wins championships. And this Patriots defense needs as much help as possible. Some of the tea leaves being read out of Foxborough right now say that it doesn't look likely that Demarcus Covington will be retaining his job. If that is indeed the case, who might the Patriots turn to as a potential defensive coordinator?

Starting point is 00:21:59 Steve Balistrieri and I are going to talk about some names you may know, and maybe a couple you don't, when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. This is a message from our sponsor, Intuit TurboTax. Taxes was waiting and wondering and worrying if you were going to get any money back, and then waiting, wondering, and worrying if you were going to get any money back, and then waiting, wondering and worrying some more. Now, taxes is matching with a TurboTax expert who can do your taxes as soon as today. An expert who gives your taxes their undivided attention as they work on your return,

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Starting point is 00:23:10 in iOS mobile app see guaranteed details at TurboTax.com slash guarantees Patriots fans thank you once again for joining us here today on locked on Patriots making us a part of your daily Patriots coverage. Joining me today for our discussion on the Patriots offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator search is my good friend and Patriots bison, columnist extraordinaire at patsfans.com,

Starting point is 00:23:39 and the co-host of Patriots 4th and 2, Steve Balistrieri. Steve, we talked about the offensive coaching staff in the first segment, but I think we all know that the defense needs its share of help. And New England right now may be in more need of help on the defensive side of the ball when it comes to the coaching staff, even than the offense. Who should we have our eye on in your estimation when it comes to defensive coordinator?

Starting point is 00:24:03 Yeah, and first, going back to Demarcus Covington, I thought that he was a really, really good defensive line coach. And I just think that without the experience around him defensively, having Bill there, having Steve Belichick there, you know, I think it was too much for him. I do think he could become a good defensive coordinator, but I don't think he's coming back. I mean, he's already interviewed for the Bengals defensive coordinator position. So that kind of tells me he's not coming back. But in regards to the Patriots,

Starting point is 00:24:46 I know Vrabel's first choice would be Shane Bowen. And he's an interesting guy right now with the situation. He still has a year contract left with the Giants. But, you know, the owner of the Giants said he was not happy with the defense. So would that allow, you know, him an out to come back, you know, with Rabel to New England? I think that would be an interesting choice. You know, he likes one-gap penetrators, so we wouldn't see a lot of that two-gapping stuff. You know, he likes to mix and match his coverages.

Starting point is 00:25:39 So I think he would probably be the number one choice. The second one, I think, would be Jim Schwartz. You know, Brable just worked with the Browns, and Schwartz is the defensive coordinator. Someone with a great history with Bill Belichick, a lot of mutual respect between those two gentlemen. Yeah, I mean, there's no question about it. He's got a very aggressive defensive scheme. I've always liked that about Jim Schwartz and the

Starting point is 00:26:09 job that he does coordinating defenses. He always makes sure that that front four is ready for anything. And that's something that the New England Patriots did not have last year. That front four got beaten more times than it should have. Maybe you can make the argument that the personnel wasn't there with Christian Barmore being out. I certainly understand that. But there were times where they did have the personnel to be able to meet their opponent and still didn't do it. That's on coaching as far as I'm concerned.

Starting point is 00:26:36 So that needs to be priority one. Schwartz would come in and you know that he would have that front four ready for anything. Loves to throw in the stunts, loves to throw in the twists. So I like that. I actually think that's a good name to be on the lookout for Patriots fans. Keep an eye on Jim Schwartz. I agree with you on Bowen.

Starting point is 00:26:54 I think that ideally, I think Mike Drable would love to have him come over with the philosophy, the experience that he has, the synergy these two have together from working together. experience that he has the synergy these two have together from working together um in speaking to those close to the Giants organization this week and trying to do my recon both on Shane Bowen and also um on Ryan Cowden who's going to be coming in uh to work with the front office with the Patriots both with Giants guys obviously Ryan is pretty much a foregone conclusion coming in uh Shane I'm being told is off limits uh that the Giants are not willing to budge and let him out of his contract. So that may be a name to take off the list, folks.

Starting point is 00:27:33 But I caution you, we hear these things all the time. It doesn't make it set in stone until the Patriots make another hire. I'm not willing to cross Shane Bowen off the list. Those one-gap penetrators that he loves to call would be fun to watch here in New England. Loves to mix and match his own coverage as well, so these could be names to watch. Another name that I think Patriots fans should be familiar with, and anyone who watched Locked On Patriots on Thursday knows that our good friend, our mutual friend Thomas Murphy and I gushed

Starting point is 00:28:05 poetically for quite a while over Bobby King, the linebackers coach with the Philadelphia Eagles. Again, experience when it comes to working with Mike Rabel. And I think a smash mouth style that a lot of Patriots fans would love to see back in that defense. What Schwartz would do for that front four, I think Bobby would come in and do in droves for the linebacker crew, which needed a lot of help this year. What are your thoughts on Bobby King? Yeah, I think that's a great call.

Starting point is 00:28:35 You know, and again, you know, he worked with Vrabel and the Titans for a couple of years. And this year he's been working with the Eagles. And, you know, you watch the Eagles defense and you love the way the linebackers play, right? He played – didn't he play for a few years under Bill O'Brien down in Houston? Right. So, yeah, that's where they first met, you know, with Vrabel. And so, you know, those are the kind of, you know,

Starting point is 00:29:11 relationships that kind of carry over. And I think he would be a really, really interesting guy, right, for your defensive coordinator. I'm not sure that they'd be wanting to do that with him just yet, but, you know, he could be in line for some kind of position with the Patriots, you know, working on the defense. I think he'd be more of a, you know, a specialist kind of guy, like a positional guy right now but hey

Starting point is 00:29:47 never say never that's a good point there is no defensive coordinator experience on his resume there's an extensive list of accomplishments that he's made i ran down a few yesterday about how he was able to revamp the run defense and help give the linebackers the ability to really amp up that run defense in Tennessee but also you know working with guys that had experience getting after the quarterback both with Houston and with Tennessee so there's a lot right there to bite on to when it comes to the Patriots defensive coordinator position but Steve you mentioned the Cincinnati Bengals before and DeMarcus Covington interviewing for their open position. Lou Anarumo is out there right now.

Starting point is 00:30:29 I know he's a hot name, one of the better defensive coordinators for a number of years. Down year in 2024 ultimately cost him his job, but his ability to coach that Tampa 2 style is intriguing. Should the Patriots be giving him a look at all? And if so, do you think he could be a fit here for the Pats? Oh, I think so. I mean, you know, they had their issues this year with their defense in Cincinnati, but you look at the job? You know, his defenses attack from different spots on the field. You know, they're versatile. He, like Bill Belichick, he likes versatile players that he can move around.

Starting point is 00:31:19 Right. And, you know, I think he would be a great name to have here. I don't know, you know, if him and Vrabel have any kind of history or, you know, if they have some kind of personality clash. But, you know, just looking at it from a schematic thing, I think, point of view, I should say, you know, I think he'd be a great name to bring on. At the very least, you think he's someone that they're at least looking at. And then when you look at the fit, when you look at what his preferences would be, what type of role he's looking for, what type of salary he's looking for,

Starting point is 00:31:55 and then you find out if it's a fit, then all of a sudden I think you start to move. And I think that's what a lot of Patriots fans need to realize right now. A lot of people are saying, oh, they're being very slow when it comes to this defensive coordinator search, this offensive coordinator search. There's no reason to rush this right now, folks. I know a lot of you out there felt that the head coaching search was rushed, but now the guy is in place. Mike Vrabel is the man right now in New England, so you got to be very careful about the team he's going to put around him because so much of the success that the Patriots will either enjoy or not enjoy in 2025 and beyond, I do believe is going to be on these decisions that are being made right now, the coaches around him and the personnel around him to be able to build this team

Starting point is 00:32:39 back into respectability. Steve, once these staffs are put in place, then it's incumbent upon the head coach, upon the player personnel office, whoever may happen to be in there, on the assistant coaches, to put some of what they've been talking about all week long into practice. You can pretty much point to anywhere in the Patriots organization right now and say, that needs an upgrade, that needs some help. But what should the first order of business be well i leave that to you my friend if you are making the decisions at one patriot's place you're mike vrabel's consigliere so to speak this week what are you telling him what are you whispering in that ear and saying this should be your first order of business don vrabel first i tell him hey you to look at the big picture, right?

Starting point is 00:33:29 And, no, I think, you know, I think he alluded to that a little bit in his press conference when he said, we have to surround Drake May with, you know, players that are going to, you know, help him elevate his game. I'm paraphrasing there. But, you know, when he said that, I thought, okay, he's talking about a left tackle. And I think that's it.

Starting point is 00:33:57 Before they get to the draft, I think they need to bring in a guy that can play left tackle. And, you know, they have the money to spend, you know, and they have the money to overspend. Because I think if they're going for a premier kind of guy, and everyone keeps saying Ronnie Staley, which I don't think is going to happen. The only way it would happen is if they throw an absurd amount of

Starting point is 00:34:25 money at Ronnie Staley, but I think he's going to stay in Baltimore. Stranger things have happened, right? It's true. When you look at what the Patriots' needs are, you can look at Drake May and you can say, okay, well, you know what? He's got the skill to be able to mitigate a less than stellar offensive line line but at the very least you need adequate play on the offensive line and we didn't have that this year in New England I'm sorry to say it I know everyone on that line gave their best effort and I'm not faulting any one player individually uh but there was some collectively bad offensive line play last year that's got to be corrected and what you do with that is you utilize all of the

Starting point is 00:35:05 tools at your disposal to get the right players in here to play for your system and to protect your quarterback the way he loves to play football in the style that he loves to play football. And in that vein, folks, my good friend, Steve Balistrieri will be here every step of the way with us breaking it all down as the Patriots continue to build their roster and build their way back to 2025. But in the meantime, my friend, I thank you so much for joining me here today and for lending your wisdom, counsel, and reason the way only you can. Please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you're getting marinated in La Cucina Bellastrieri. Until next week when we welcome you back. Yes. Thank you, as always.

Starting point is 00:35:48 I always love our football talks here. You can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I also write for PatsFans.com. Bottom line, folks, anytime Steve puts pen to paper, voice to microphone, it's appointment reading and listening. I say that every week. I mean it every week. His Sunday column, one of the best reads you'll find anywhere in football coverage, whether it be NFL, college

Starting point is 00:36:08 football, this guy has got it all. And we appreciate you coming and lending that wisdom, that counsel, that reason here on Locked On Patriots each and every week, sometimes twice a week. Can't get enough of you, my friend, and we're going to continue to have you back as often as we can. In that vein, folks, we also want to thank all of you

Starting point is 00:36:24 for taking time out of your schedule all week long and joining us here on Locked On Patriots. Exciting stuff still to come next week, so stay locked into Locked On Patriots. And of course, breaking news happens, we'll bring it to you right here on the pod. So on behalf of my good friend Steve

Starting point is 00:36:40 Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding all of you to stay safe, to stay well, to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again Monday on Locked on Patriots.

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