Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: David Andrews RELEASED, Next Man Up Roster Challenges, Meet the NEW PATS

Episode Date: March 14, 2025

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Starting point is 00:00:00 For the New England Patriots, the last 24 hours have proven that every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. 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 Foxboro faithful and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host Mike Debate, I cover your New England Patriots for the Locked On Podcast Network, so reach out to me, let me know what's on your mind
Starting point is 00:00:43 on X at MABATEENFL. While you're out there showing some love to lockdown Patriots social media style, follow our X account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And you can find me where the skies are blue over on blue sky at mdabateenfl.dsky.social. Pats fans, it has been an interesting week so far for the New England Patriots. A lot of new blood coming into Foxboro. Anticipation for this upcoming 2025 season is at an all-time high. But with the arrival of new blood, comes the inevitable out with the old. And for Patriots purists, it will be a difficult season knowing that New England is heading into 2025
Starting point is 00:01:26 without the services of cornerback Jonathan Jones, defensive end Dietrich Wise Jr. and news breaking on Thursday morning that center David Andrews, eight-time captain and one of the icons of the New England Patriots second half of the Pat's dynasty will no longer be in a Patriots uniform. Here today on Locked On Patriots, we're gonna talk a little bit about the impact of David Andrews on this franchise. We're also gonna talk about the new Patriots that were introduced today at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Milton Williams,
Starting point is 00:01:56 Rob Spillane, Carlton Davis, and offensive tackle Morgan Moses all meeting the media today, holding up their jerseys, new numbers, a lot of hope and anticipation in the air. What does it mean for the New England Patriots moving forward? And speaking of moving forward, last and certainly not least, we are going to talk about where the Patriots head from here from an offensive line perspective. David Andrews departure leaves a gaping hole in the middle of this offensive line. How will the Patriots fill it? Well, if we're talking big round men up front, you know there is no other source we'd go to but our resident expert. As far as I'm concerned, the Patriots expert on this subject, my good friend, the count of Murphy-Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy. Thank you for joining me today
Starting point is 00:02:40 in friendship, especially on a day like today, Don Murph. Oh, you're welcome, bud. You're welcome. Happy to be here. Hope to help the ball club. You know, you know my motto. Absolutely. And, you know, Murph, today I think we need your wisdom, your counsel, your insight more than ever because it's a sad day for Patriots Nation. Without any question.
Starting point is 00:03:00 What David Andrews did during his time here in New England was provide stability, provide leadership, and he always provided solid effort every time he took the field. Whenever David Andrews put on a set of shoulder pads, you knew you were getting 110% of his effort each and every time out. Not only was he giving you effort, though, he was giving you a very high level of play when he was on the field. He played his position as well as anyone could have asked him to play this position. Oh, yeah. First off, Murph, I know this is a position you've played.
Starting point is 00:03:32 It's a position that is very near and dear to your heart. And I know the regard with which you hold David. What was your reaction to the news today, and I guess your feelings on David Andrews' impact and his legacy in a Patriots uniform? I found it shocking that David Andrews' impact and his legacy in a Patriots uniform. I found it shocking that David Andrews was shown the door in the way that he was. If you want to call it doing him a solid, giving him a chance to catch on with somebody else, I find that counterproductive.
Starting point is 00:04:05 I really do. Opening up another hole in this offensive line. There's nobody that's gonna step in and play the way David Andrews does. So the only thing I can think of is that, his shoulder is that bad that he won't be making it back. And I find that even hard to believe. I think he's going to catch on somewhere else and go and play some good football. You probably have the quote in front of you that Vrebo laid out
Starting point is 00:04:36 as to the reasons as to why this was, and health was a big part of that. David Andrews, you know, and health was a big part of that. But David Andrews, while he missed most of last season, he started 16 games in 2023, 14 games in 2024, 17 games in 2022, and 17 games in 2021. This is a man that gives you a thousand snaps a year, you know, when he's healthy, when he's playing those 17 games, at least 800 snaps a year. And it's, I find it a bit confusing the team that is this week on the offensive line not to give David the opportunity to keep his job. Usually you don't, you
Starting point is 00:05:23 know, the old saying goes, you don't lose your job to injury. And but it seems like he, David might have, you know, lost his entire job due to injury, especially at, what is it, six million dollars a year, and that was less money than he was offered to go to other places the last time David Andrews was a free agent and came back here on a very team-friendly deal. Very well said and again the selflessness of David Andrews continues to be a common theme today. You're hearing that so often with people that are looking back and that are
Starting point is 00:05:59 reminiscing about the time that David spent here in New England. I'm always going to remember David as the steady man in the middle. And I mean that in a few ways. You mentioned his durability, started 131 games for this franchise, save four last season and having to miss with season-ending shoulder surgery, and of course the year he missed
Starting point is 00:06:18 with blood clots in his lungs. This was a guy that was always reliable and you could always count on him taking the ball. He was someone that played his position very well, knowing exactly where he needed to be and where everyone else on the field needed to be. He was such a dictator of the way things went along that offensive line. This is not someone that you're going to easily replace on the field. Folks, we are going to talk a little bit later on in the show today about where the Patriots might go to try to replace some of what David provided for you. I don't say Phil David shoes because I don't think anyone out there is step in and try to do that is one of the gentlemen we're going to be talking about today and whether or not he's up for the challenge or whether or not the Pats are going to go in a different direction.
Starting point is 00:07:09 Yeah, we're going to talk a little Ben Brown. We're going to talk a little Colt Strange. So stick around folks. You're not going to want to miss that discussion. But someone of David Andrews stature, I think, deserves his time to be honored here on Lockdown Patriots for everything that he's done. And obviously a two-time Super Bowl champion. He was the Ron Burton Award winner. He was a pillar in the community for 10 years here in New England
Starting point is 00:07:31 providing exemplary work when it came to local charities. But if I'm being honest, if I had a strong level of respect heading into my time covering the Patriots here when it came to covering David Andrews, I think I found a newfound respect for him a couple of years ago, when it was Bill Belichick's final season here in New England in 2023. It was the Pats' first 4-in-13 finish in a long time. Every single time the Patriots had a disappointing loss on the field, and I was in a few of those media rooms, stepping up to the podium would be David Andrews. And he did it without fanfare. He didn't make it all about himself. This was not a, an opportunity for him to be self-serving. And he threw no one under the bus. He didn't blame his coaches. He didn't blame his teammates. He simply gave a positive message and
Starting point is 00:08:19 said, Look, we're in a bad spot right now. We've got great guys in this coaching room. We've got great guys on this field. We'll find a way to play through it and fight through it. And sometimes this was a firing squad, I like to put it, that was waiting for him to get to the podium. And he was always the first line of defense for that team, set the tone, calmed the room down. And it allowed, I think, a lot of other players to feel a lot more comfortable
Starting point is 00:08:43 in speaking to people in that fashion. So I'm always going to have a tremendous amount of respect for David for that. And because of that, Patriots are losing an awful lot when it comes to leadership. To me, I think this is the biggest void of losing someone like David Andrews, the on-field leadership, the locker room leadership. You're simply not going to replicate that. locker room leadership, you're simply not going to replicate that. No, you're not. And it showed last year in another, you know, four and four win season, you know, it was, it was, it was a very different mood, very different tone with David, not in that locker room with David, unable to take that podium. You know,
Starting point is 00:09:23 the, as you said, the, the, the exodus of team captains continues, and I've really got to question it. Yeah, I do have to question it as well, because a couple of other very high-character players that we've known for years, Murph, that are staples here in Wigland, will also be joining David in taking their football journey elsewhere. Now, in all fairness, we're not sure if David Scholder, like you said, is in such bad shape that it will preclude him from being able to continue his career elsewhere. David Andrews may in fact be riding off into the sunset. We simply don't know that yet. But two such gentlemen that are
Starting point is 00:10:00 moving on to, how shall we say, greener pastures in the nation's capital. Jonathan Jones signing a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders. Dietrich Weiss signing a one-year deal with the Washington Commanders. It's nice to see these guys continue their football journey together. But another pair of locker room leaders, these are high-quality players. They're higher-quality human beings. I'll tell you, they're losing 3 of the greatest I've ever had the pleasure of covering in my years covering the NFL. Yeah without a doubt just three quality individuals. You can maybe understand it with the way that the Patriots are looking to move scheme wise as to you know some of the moves that have been made and I'll add'll add Devon Gottschauer to that.
Starting point is 00:10:46 Another high quality guy that's been moved out because of system. And he rightfully asked to be moved out because it just wasn't going to work with him in this system. And he just is not that one gap type of player. Right. But no, there's been a lot of subtraction to the maturity and the football IQ of this team right now
Starting point is 00:11:14 with these four departures and a couple of others that happened last year during the season. And I don't want to say I'm looking forward to what the changes are, but I'm definitely intrigued to figure out, you know, the direction that this team is going at these positions. Absolutely. And to quell some of the uneasiness that some of you may have out there, maybe some of you don't, but there may be some of you every dayers of Lockdown Patriots that are a little concerned by some of these exits that you're seeing. Few high quality players,
Starting point is 00:11:49 a few high quality human beings were introduced at the podium in Foxboro on Thursday. So all may not be lost in that regard, but from a personal standpoint, Murph, I know how much you're gonna miss David. I know I'm gonna miss him tremendously. Jonathan is another completely professional guy. I tweeted out yesterday that Jonathan really defined
Starting point is 00:12:08 the word professional football player. He accepted his role, he knew what the role was going to be. He did it without fanfare, and he did it to the best of his ability. You can't ask for anything more. And changed it on the fly. Absolutely, he did it. You know, whatever he was asked to do,
Starting point is 00:12:21 wherever he was asked to go play, he went and did it, and did it, you know, gave 100%. And that counts for something. Oh, it does. It absolutely does. And again, the Patriots are going to miss that kind of leadership, both on the field and in the locker room. And from a personal standpoint, Dietrich Weiss continuing his career elsewhere is definitely tough for me. Every day has heard me tell the story before here about Dietrich was the first one-on-one that I got here on the Patriots beat. Obviously wanted to try to put my stamp
Starting point is 00:12:54 on, ask for a one-on-one and Dietrich was a rookie at the time. He was coming in from Arkansas and we had the opportunity to talk and speak a little bit to one another. I had forgot to ask Stacey James, who is the program director for Patriots Communications, whether or not I was allowed to record my interview with him. So because I wasn't sure and I didn't want to be the new guy that went back asking all these kind of questions, I took notes manually, so I don't have a photo or audio of that. But it was funny. Dietrich talked a lot about playing with Trey Flowers and his time at Arkansas and his pride of being a Patriot. The following year in 2018, I had another one-on-one with Dietrich, and he
Starting point is 00:13:34 remembered the previous year and said, that's okay. You know, I was a rookie, I was nervous, and we both had kind of rookie jitters coming in. So I always remembered that and I always kind of held that in high regard when I watched the type of player he'd become and also the type of high quality character man that he became here in New England. Washington is getting one of the greats. I tip my cap to Jonathan, I tip my cap to Dietrich and I tip my cap to David Andrews. I wish them all the best in their future endeavors, whatever they may be, three of the best human beings you'll ever meet on a football field or in any walk of life as far as I'm concerned. No, without a doubt, man. That's a great story and I'll never get tired of hearing it. I'll never get tired of hearing it. Thank you. Maybe our everydayers will indulge me again, but
Starting point is 00:14:19 for those of you joining us for the first time or for those occasional listeners, thought I would throw that in just to show you what kind of high quality guys were here in New England. But Murph, again, the departure of high quality leads to the influx in high quality. And I do believe that four such players that they signed in the last 24 to 48 hours are on their way into New England to help change the culture here, maybe for the better. 48 hours are on their way into New England to help change the culture here, maybe for the better. On Thursday, the public got an opportunity to meet new defensive tackle, Milton Williams, new offensive tackle, Morgan Moses, new cornerback, Carlton Davis III, and new linebacker Rob Spillane. A lot of interesting tidbits to be gleaned from those meetings. Murph and I are going to talk about our excitement level for the new Patriots who are about to walk through the door here in Foxboro 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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Starting point is 00:16:36 Less than 24 hours ago, Murph, we found out that longtime Patriots mainstays, Jonathan Jones, Dietrich Wise Jr. would be headed just a little south down 95 and they're going to be joining the Washington commanders in a great situation they've got going there. A budding team that's on the cusp of maybe being one of the NFC powerhouses. A great move for both of those gentlemen. Yeah, great move for the commanders too. Absolutely, definitely. And of course the news that David Andrews would no longer be a Patriot, eight-time captain and a longtime center of this team moving on potentially to retirement, maybe onto another stop.
Starting point is 00:17:12 We're not quite sure just yet. But Thursday also offered us the opportunity to meet some of the new Patriots that have been signed recently. And Murph, for such paths, join the media. Join team owner Robert Kraft and the front office, Elliot Wolf, Matt Groh, Ryan Cowden, and of course, head coach Mike Vrabel,
Starting point is 00:17:30 all there to introduce new defensive tackle Milton Williams, new offensive tackle Morgan Moses, linebacker Robert Spillane, and at cornerback, Carlton Davis III. In the previous segment, we talked a lot about high character, high quality human beings. You heard a lot of great things coming out of the mouths of the new Patriots coming in. So it does give you a little bit of optimism here,
Starting point is 00:17:53 moving forward, that the Patriots are filling this locker room with guys that are ready to come in, with high work ethic, never-say-die attitude, and maybe be molded into the image of their new head coach Mike Raible. When you take a look at the new guys coming in Murph, and I know you've had an opportunity to review what was said in Foxboro, who impressed you most and what stood out to you on this dawn of a new era? The fact that the guys acknowledge it's not over. You know, day one doesn't make it over and that they understand that there are still holes to fill duh um but they're gonna um they're they're not um they're not giving up on the ship like it was
Starting point is 00:18:35 it seemed to to happen last year you know when when those guys just didn't uh end up coming here they the the guys that they wanted um spurned them to go to maybe greener pastures and that didn't know it's just the fact that this is just step one alright that that uh things uh are the nfl offseason is a revolution and revolutions keep of all keep rolling that's why they call them revolutions are things keep moving and uh and this isn't the end of the show. You know, the the guys that were introduced today are just the the first part. Um more guys are gonna become available. Um trades have happened, signings have happened. They're seeing
Starting point is 00:19:16 uh other teams are seeing um who they can or who they need to cast off and the Patriots could still be there to swoop in on those guys, whether it be offensive line or wide receiver through these guys being released all the way up through camp and what's going to happen in the draft. Absolutely, very, very well said. And again, I think what a lot of us are going to take away from this new media meet when it comes to the 4 players that were introduced, we're talking about high-quality guys that are capable of leading by example, that have experience leading in the locker room, 2 of which I think really stand out when it comes to the offense and the defense. Morgan
Starting point is 00:20:00 Moses on the offensive line, Rob Spillane on the linebacker crew. These are guys that have been described as teammates that other teammates love to have. Spillane is the type of guy that's always ready to go, he's always ready to motivate his teammates, whether it be in a captainship type role, because he has held that role in Las Vegas before, or whether it be just with his play on the field. And Mike Raible had that quality in the Patriots locker room when he played linebacker here. It wasn't always the vocal leadership. A lot of times it was just the way
Starting point is 00:20:31 he played the game that inspired his teammates. I can see a lot of Rob Spillane in that fashion. Now, again, and I've said this previously here on Lockdown Patriots, I'm not comparing the two players when it comes to their abilities on the field. Mike Vrabel has a red jacket hanging in his closet for good reason. He deserves it. He is a Hall of Famer when it came to the way he played here. I'm not saying that's going to be Rob Spillane someday. Maybe it will be, but I'm not saying it's in there yet. But it's that type of motivational style that I think is going to endear him to his teammates. And Morgan Moses, you love hearing him come in and say,
Starting point is 00:21:06 You don't need a PR team when you've got Mike Vrabel as your head coach. That was a big reason why he wanted to come here. So you know Moses is going to be a, it was, and you know Moses is going to be a Vrabel guy. He's going to set the tone right off the bat. I think he's gonna be great for that young offensive line that's gonna need some motivation and need some veteran leadership. We'll get back to that in just a moment. But I want to get into the excitement on the field, because I think that the Patriots have two young, exciting players that are ready to make their mark at their own individual positions. Talking about Carlton Davis III at the cornerback position, Milton Williams definitely at the defensive tackle position. How impressed were you by what you heard from these young men today? Yeah, very impressed. I thought it was fantastic the way that they
Starting point is 00:21:56 stepped up and didn't shrink away from their moment. And it is their moment. a lot of people out there spouting off that, you know, these guys were overpays. Well, I'm sorry, there is no overpay in the NFL anymore. There really isn't. It's the cost of doing business. Whether it's the cost of doing business, getting somebody in here. You know, as I've said before, there are two types of ballplayers on the planet. You know, those that have won and are now looking to get a bag and those that have made a lot of money and are now looking to get a title. What I got from these two today is I was wrong. Okay, there are guys out there looking to get paid and are looking forward to to again
Starting point is 00:22:45 win another title and to build it somewhere else to set their flag and to and to possibly create set their mark on a different franchise. Absolutely. Heard that from Milton Williams today and I'm glad that you mentioned that. He even tweeted it out after the press conference was finished He is not ashamed to admit that he is coming up freshly coming off of a championship win No, he is a Super Bowl champion. Yeah, he wants people to know that and you know, some people may look at that and go That's a little arrogant But again, I'm gonna take a page out of the commander Mike Metcalf book from top gun
Starting point is 00:23:21 Okay, and I'm gonna say I like that in a pilot I like that in a defensive tackle. Because I think what it does is it motivates the players around him to say, hey, you know what? I've been there before. I've been to the top of the mountain. I know what it takes to get the job done. It's been a long time since anyone in this Patriots locker
Starting point is 00:23:38 room has been to that level with this team. So you need guys that are in there that have that ring, that are able to show it off a little and Give that type of wisdom and counsel to say yeah, you know what? That's how we did it in Philly But we're gonna do it even better here I think that's a good thing moving forward and Milton Williams sounds like he's ready to play I know Mike Grable is ready to play him and they have to play 48% of the snaps Yeah, very matter-of-factly says I hope you want to play more than you played in Philadelphia,
Starting point is 00:24:06 meaning that he's going to get more than 50%. 47.8 was a career high last year in terms of defensive snaps for the team that he played, but also feeds into this narrative where you have certain traits, certain aspects of players that are headed out the door. You want to make sure you're replicating that. And I think in a lot of ways, the toughness that was shown by Dietrich Weiss, the leadership, the on-field leadership, and not only be duplicated, but maybe even eclipsed by what Milton Williams is going to give you. That leadership quality that you want is in Rob Spillane, and he's going to be able to give you that. And I'll also give you the football IQ, because I heard you make that argument earlier, and that's a valid one, especially with a guy like Jonathan Jones moving on. John was one of the more savvy and one of the more intelligent corners I've ever covered in terms of what's going on in the field. Nothing went on on that field, folks, without Jonathan Jones
Starting point is 00:25:00 knowing it. And it's because he was such a student of what his fellow teammates were able to do. He studied guys like Stefan Gilmour. You know, he studied guys like Christian Gonzalez. He knew their capabilities. I was so happy when I heard Carlton Davis come in and give a scouting report on Christian Gonzalez and his abilities and say that he followed him from his days at Oregon. That really made me happy because this is something that old-school Patriots used to do all the time. Come in with a working knowledge of what their teammates' capabilities were so they knew the best way to work in tandem with them. That tells me that Carlton is going to come into this season ready to work with Christian, ready to support what he does well. These guys are going to fight every rep during practice and say,
Starting point is 00:25:46 I want to cover the number one guy. I want to be the guy covering the number one guy. And that's the attitude that you have. Kind of like having a third baseman that you want to move to DH and he doesn't want to do that. Yep, absolutely. And it happens. It happens all the time in any professional sport. But once again, and I'm going to use Carlton Davis's words here, iron sharpening iron. And I think that's what is going to help move this team forward and give this New England Patriots team maybe a much needed new identity heading into 2025. Murph, it's the era of good feelings in Foxboro right now when it comes to the new guys being introduced. Carlton Davis is going to be wearing number 7. Rob Spillane wearing number 14.
Starting point is 00:26:30 Morgan Moses wearing number 76. And of course Milton Williams wearing number 97. Got to make sure everybody knows their jersey numbers folks. Very important here in New England. But one thing we want to know is who's going to be patrolling the interior of that offensive line folks We've got the offensive line guru. We've got the expert opinion that you all need in patriots nation here right now And i'm going to put them on the hot seat in just a moment when this episode of the locked on patriots podcast wraps up Right here on the locked on On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Locked On listeners, March Madness is here and FanDuel is giving you the chance to get in on the action like never before. Right now, new customers can get $200 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins.
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Starting point is 00:28:03 I kind of wanted to soften that a little bit. I got hellos and goodbyes up there For those of you Beatles fans out there, you know one says goodbye the other says hello And I think in a lot of ways that really sums up March 13th in Patriots nation The departures of longtime captains longtime mainstays like Jonathan Jones, Dietrich Wise Jr., and of course David Andrews leads to the welcoming of Milton Williams and Carlton Davis, Morgan Moses and Rob Spillane. A lot of mixed feelings right now in Foxboro, but I think the one thing everyone can unite around is that this offensive line that already had its question marks and its holes, Murph, now has a giant one in the middle of that line. This is a position you've played before. It's a position you know, and I say this with every bit of sincerity, I'm always
Starting point is 00:28:53 going to stop and I'm always going to listen to you when it comes to this position. As far as I'm concerned, you're the EF Hutton of football centers. I just say it. I just really massively aged myself, but if anybody got that, I'd love you to put a comment in the section below and say, yeah, I got that. Just put EF Hutton down there. Exactly. If you got it, I appreciate that. If you know it, you know it. But this Patriots team obviously has its questions at left tackle. We still don't know what, who's going to be manning that left tackle position as a starter. Will the Patriots be drafting that young man to come in and be the blindside
Starting point is 00:29:33 protector of Drake Ney for many years to come? Are there still options on the free agent market that they may consider? Are they going to consider someone internally? Yeah, that's kind of bare there, but are they going to look at someone? I think it's a little more evenly balanced when it comes to the center position, because I do think the Patriots have a couple of players on this roster that could challenge for that, or do you look elsewhere as well? You look at what the Patriots have on roster right now to replace David Andrews.
Starting point is 00:30:05 Ben Brown is a guy that came in last year, did a somewhat decent job and then started putting snaps on the ground. Hopefully with a year under his belt, he's going to be able to straighten out a little bit. He could be an option. Jake Andrews is someone that the Patriots have had in their arsenal for the last couple of years. Injury has prevented him from seeing the field and from really coming into his
Starting point is 00:30:26 own. Colestrange, I think, is interesting because he's played there before, but he is a more natural left guard. On the free agent market right now, you're not looking at a whole lot of options that the Patriots have. So Murph, in your infinite wisdom, when you look at the center position, whether it be through the draft, whether it be in-house, or whether it be through free agency, how do you think the Patriots are going to go about filling the void left by David Andrews? Probably right now they're looking at what they have in-house. I think they liked what they saw out of Ben Brown last year. They didn't love it, but they liked it. There was stuff there to work with. Of course, I've been a big proponent of Dr. Strange. I said when during this last year during these troubled times that you know
Starting point is 00:31:14 when Dr. Strange comes back, Cole Strange comes back, he can snap. He can get it off. You know that that might be you know counterproductive to the depth that we want at left guard. But no, I really think that there's a couple of guys left on the free agent market that are a little younger and might be able to come in here and do something. And I do mean a little younger, you know. Dan Feeney is out there from Minnesota. You know, Dan Finney is out there from Minnesota. You know, Andre James is out there. He's 27 years old.
Starting point is 00:31:50 He's got ties to Josh McDaniels. Maybe Josh really enjoyed his time with Mr. James. Right now, there's not a ton, but there's help out there. And like Mike Vable said, you never know what's going to happen. You really never know where anybody's going to go from now until the end. It used to be a lot easier because there wasn't the cap increases every year that allow you to keep this depth. increases every year that allow you to keep this depth. And that's another reason why I think Andrew's, you know, being let go at $6 million a year is more about, you know, his future health with that shoulder than anything else. It's definitely not a talent thing. And then there's the draft. All right. You know, Jared Wilson is probably my favorite center in this draft, even though he's a big guy,
Starting point is 00:32:48 it's 6'3", 310 pounds out of Georgia. Johan Meehan of USC is another guy that could be had in say the third round, maybe the fourth round. I haven't gotten too deep into the center position simply because I wasn't thinking it. And then of course there's Drew Kendall, all right, BC's center for the last four years and a four-year, a two-year captain on that team. So you know there are a myriad of different scenarios that could happen between now and April when the draft comes around and, you
Starting point is 00:33:26 know, of course, June when camp opens up. Let's slow roll this, okay? All these questions don't have to be answered today, even though that's why you asked me to come here. Absolutely. And you know what? Sometimes the type of answer that we're looking for is exactly what you just gave us. Be patient. Look at it prudently.
Starting point is 00:33:48 Understand that there are a lot of options out there and a lot of ways that the Patriots can go and they will end up figuring this out. For no other reason, Murph, they have to figure it out. I mean, they need a starting center when the season kicks off, but there are options that they can go for. New England Patriots have serious work to do in the middle and the left side of that offensive line, and we look for them to continue to address those matters in the coming days and weeks leading into next month's draft. But in the meantime, my friend, I want to thank you for lending your wisdom, your counsel, and on the dime when it comes to being able to provide the analysis that you provided
Starting point is 00:34:25 today when it comes to who the Patriots may be looking at in the future, I always appreciate you being there for the handoff. The moment that I heard the news about Andrews this morning, there was no one else that I wanted to share the microphone with other than you today. So once again, thank you for all that you provide to lockdown Patriots each and every time you're here. Before I let you go, Bud, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you've got cooking in Murph's kitchen over the weekend. Yeah, I got a nice little piece on the Red Sox
Starting point is 00:34:52 infield coming out this weekend. Don't miss that over there at diehardbostonsportsfans.com. And of course, you can follow me on zitter at teamurph207S and where the skies are blue at TeamMurph207. Leave that last S off for savings. Absolutely, folks. And anytime Murph puts pen to paper, voice to microphone, or any type of his wisdom and counsel to the social media universe, definitely check it out. You'll be informed and entertained and you cannot ask for anything more. Speaking of which, make sure to tune in to tomorrow's episode
Starting point is 00:35:25 here on Locked On Patriots to get to know a little bit more about your new defensive tackle, the highest paid patriot in organization history. Learn it from the man that covered him for the last few years, Louis D'Biazzi, my colleague here on Locked On Podcast Network, host of the Locked On Eagles podcast. Join me here on Lockeddown Patriots to give you all some wisdom and counsel when it comes to Milton Williams. And of course, we'll continue to follow each and every story, including the story on Cooper Cup, right up to the minute. And we'll keep you updated right here on Lockdown Patriots.
Starting point is 00:35:58 But in the meantime, I want to thank my good friend Thomas Murphy for his insight and his appearance today. But most of all, I want to thank all of you, each and every one of you, every dayers, all of you occasional listeners, and anyone joining us today for the first time for making us a part of your Patriots coverage today. On behalf of Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike Debate, reminding all of you to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow
Starting point is 00:36:25 on a lot on Patriots.

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