Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Davon Godchaux Extension, Matthew Judon Contract Drama, Training Camp

Episode Date: August 1, 2024

The New England Patriots have secured the services of one of the top run-stuffing defensive tackles in the NFL. The Pats and veteran lineman Davon Godchaux reached agreement on a two-year extension worth up to $21 million that includes $16.5 million guaranteed. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com to discuss Godchaux’s extension, the latest contract drama regarding Matthew Judon and the pair’s training camp impressions, thus far. #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)

A day off from practice, but the Patriots have secured the services of one of the top run-stuffing defensive tackles in the NFL. 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 a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and also hopefully 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're getting your podcasts to ensure you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate.

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And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code locked on nfl for 20 off your first purchase terms apply and pats fans the patriots and veteran linebacker devon godshaw reaching an agreement on a two-year extension worth up to 21 million dollars that includes 16 and a5 million guaranteed. That is the very latest coming down Wednesday afternoon,

courtesy of ESPN's Adam Schefter. The Patriots' man in the middle finally gets his guaranteed money. And here today to break it all down is the wisdom, the counsel, and the reason we need whenever matters of this type take place in New England, our good friend, my Patriots' Paisan, columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com, as well as being the co-host of one amazing podcast that you should not be missing anytime these gentlemen hit the airwaves. Of course, I'm talking about Patriots 4th and 2 alongside the great Derek Aydens.

He is Steve Balistrieri. Steve, welcome back to Locked On, Patriots. Always an honor to welcome you, bud, especially when we got some really good breaking news to talk about. And it's really good news for a change the past couple of days, right? Yeah. But yeah, I think that was a great move for the Patriots. They simply do not have a guy that's built and can do the things Godchow can, especially after the bad news of Christian Barmore, you know,

suffering blood clots. You know, they need their man in the middle to, you know, continue to ball out there for them. And I've been in Godchow's corner since Bill Belichick brought him on. And you can see on the field, maybe not in the stat sheet, what this guy brings to the table. But it was, well, it actually shows up on the statute. The Patriots were number one in the NFL in yards per carry against, you know, with the defense. And he was a huge part of that. He ate up the double teams. He allowed the linebackers to clean up and they were fantastic last year against the run. They need him around, and it looks like he's going to be around for the next couple of years.

And I thought he got a pretty good deal. You know, at the end of the day, I thought it was a pretty good deal. It might not have been as much as he was looking for, but you have to find that happy medium, right? Absolutely. And I think it attests to the point that Devon likes playing here. And he said that right from the beginning. And you mentioned his value on the field.

And Steve, I don't think that can be mentioned or exaggerated. Everything that everyone is saying about Devon Godchow and what he does for the New England Patriots defense, I think it's well-deserved. And I don't think it's an exaggeration of any type. Look, last year's stats for this guy, very impressive. 56 combined tackles, 25 of those were solo, folks. One quarterback hit, four pressures, one forced fumble. But again, what he's doing is not showing up on the stat sheet each and every Sunday, each and every game day.

It's like you said, eating up the double team, allowing the linebackers to get into their lanes, stuffing the run and being a part of one of the best run defenses in the league last year. Devon Godshaw was a big part of that, folks. So having him in the fold for the foreseeable future is an important part of what the Pats want to do defensively. And of course, you mentioned the loss of Christian Barmore. It definitely factors in

there's no question about it um a scary situation unfolding the last couple of days uh we're getting more and more uplifting information uh from christian but again there's still not a situation where he's been cleared or out of the woods or anything of that nature we know he's home we know he's in good spirits uh he's been sending out some social media messages that seem to be encouraging fans to continue to pour their support into Christian Barmore. And we certainly continue to wish him the very best, folks. Any latest on him, we will bring you right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. But I really admired the way Devin went about this. He spoke to the media last week, said that he was looking for a new deal, that it was difficult to play without any guaranteed money, but that he was

going to do his job and do it to the best of his abilities. He still continued to participate in practice, even did some contact drills on Monday and on Tuesday. And again, I want to give credit where credit is due. Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, I thought, outlined this in a very good tweet. I don't want to take credit for how this is laid out because Andrew did some great work here. He says, quote, his agent showed up to practice Monday. Extension comes Wednesday on an almost identical terms to his last extension in 2022 by average annual value and guarantees. But it lowers the guarantees, but it still allows him to play with guaranteed money this season and andrew's point is that since the defensive tackle market has boomed

godshaw's new deal is outside the top 30 for highest paid interior defensive linemen by total guarantees so i think it feeds into your point steve that maybe it's not necessarily the big time deal he was looking for but but I think it satisfied his requirements. I think it satisfied his wants and it allows him to remain in New England where he's obviously happy. Well, I'm sure Barmore's illness put a little bit of a, you know, a can of gas on the fire, I guess you could say, you know, because they wanted to get it done as soon as possible.

But, you know, as much as Drew Rosenhaus gets a lot of attention for being a tough negotiator, he's always come to agreements with the Patriots. The players he represents, I think, you know, have always found the deal that they were looking for. Not saying every in every instance, but a majority of the time. And I think that, you know, he got some good advice from Rosenhaus because Rosenhaus told him, I'm sure, you know, be a good soldier, go out there, you know, grab your lunch pail and your helmet and go out there and do what you do best. And everything's going to fall into place. And I think, you know, you hit the nail on the head there. I think it was a really smart decision on his part.

You know, he was showing them, hey, I want to be here. And, you know, he said he was looking for some respect. And I think they gave that to him. Again, was it the amount he was looking for? I'm sure it wasn't. But I'm sure that was more than the Patriots were initially offering, too. Oh, yeah, I think so. Yeah.

And I think that's one of those situations that plays out where i think it's a win for both teams you know both sides excuse me and uh you know he he uh he got some security he's got some guaranteed money now 16 million guaranteed there's nothing to sneeze at you know especially at this point in his career but you know his whole attitude and the way he uh projected his uh his side reminded me of another nose tackle that played for the Patriots you know and I know everyone knows who that guy was i'm not saying they're the same player but you know he was a guy that didn't show up on the stat sheet right you know he didn't have great stats but you know you couldn't beat vince will fork and i remember when you know he was

coming up uh for new contracts he kind of handled stuff in very much the same way so i i like that and i i think it you know to your point i think it was a great move by god job one thing that struck me about all of this steve was the cohesion the actual ease with which this seemed to get done now Now, Devin's contract, obviously, there was a little bit of question as to whether or not he was going to be a full participant in practice or sit out on the sidelines, maybe hold in a little bit. There was a limited amount that he was able to do or that he was willing to do on the field. But Devin was there for the most part and really kind of kept this very quiet. And I think the

Patriots front office and Drew Rosenhaus' agent did so as well. It hasn't necessarily been the case for the other Patriots defender that's been seeking a contract extension. And I say this with no disparaging to Matthew Judon because I think he deserves every penny he's looking for. Of course, folks, I wish I could, but I don't get to make that decision. The Patriots front office gets to, and there's some mixed signals being sent from the front office right now, or are there? Steve and I are going to delve into the latest on Matthew Judon and potentially what it means for his future in New England. Does the Godshaw extension now put a fire under the Patriots or act as a catalyst for the Pats to get a deal done with Judon? Or is it only a move in the opposite direction?

All of this and more with our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri, when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Listen up, Locked On listeners. Your beloved boys fromoston have a homestand coming up at fenway you want tickets but you're not quite sure how to go about getting them well you're in luck because game time is an authorized ticket marketplace of major league baseball which makes getting tickets faster easier and prices on the game time app actually go down the closer you get to the first pitch. With killer last-minute deals, all-in prices, and views from your seat, and of course their lowest price guarantee,

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for 20 off your first purchase terms apply so again create an account and redeem the code locked on nfl that's l-o-c-k-e-d-o-n nfl for 20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. It may be a day off of the field for the Patriots in training camp practices, but plenty of news coming out of Foxborough. Joining me here today to break it all down is my resident voice of reason, my Patriots bison, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com.

Steve, we talked about the extension now to Devon Godchow. He becomes the 12th Patriots player to sign either an extension or a new deal this offseason to keep a homegrown talent or at least a rostered talent from last season in the Foxborough fold. Well, we all know the gentleman that's looking to be lucky 13 in that regard and that is matthew judon linebacker extraordinaire arguably the face of the franchise a lot of questions about whether or not a deal is going to get done uh folks for those of you viewing on youtube you can see on the placard on the side of

the screen i've got judon deal or no deal. No, I'm not trying to channel my inner Howie Mandel here. I'm simply putting out that this is the next deal, obviously, that's coming up. I mean, if any doubt existed about Judon or Godshaw, and Steve, you actually called this last week when you said you believe Godshaw would get his extension before Judon, it came to fruition. Before we get into the logistics of what's going on with Matthew, do you think that the Godshaw extension could act as a catalyst to get things done with Matthew, or do you think this could pull both sides even further in the opposite direction? That's a great one. I'm going to err on the glass half full size.

I think they're going to get something done, you know, because they're working to build a team. They're in that rebuilding phase, and they don't want this situation, you know, being a distraction, right? I mean, he's arguably the best player on the defense. He's easily the leader of the defense, I think. But I just have a feeling they're going to get it done. I think they're digging in their heels a little bit.

Judon's comments that they claimed that they offered him a contract and he was saying, that's a lie. So that was pretty straight cut, you know? But, you know, you can't let this guy walk away, especially in a rebuilding year,

you know, you're going to be leaning on your defense. And he's been the guy. I mean, you look at when he was healthy and Josh Uche was healthy two seasons ago. You know, he had a fantastic year. Uche had, what, 11 and a half sacks. Last year, Judon, you know, gets hurt. He misses the final, what, 13 games. And, you know, Uche's sack numbers dwindled to barely anything.

And, you know, the sack totals on the Patriots overall were way, way, you know, way, way down. So, I mean, you really need this. Now, that being said, I thought the defense played pretty darn good last year, missing him and Christian Gonzalez. But there's no way that you can say we can live without Judon. Not yet. Keon White is showing signs of being that guy, but he's not there yet. Uche is more of a third-down specialist.

So I think you need to pay Judon, lean on your defense this year, and have your leaders lead. I mean, it's still going to be a tough year for them, but I think they need to get this done. Yeah. I mean, conventional wisdom will tell you that the team is going to be better with its best player in the lineup than without it, even if they played pretty well without him. So when you hear the argument about, yeah, well, this team did pretty well last year without Matthew Judon.

Yeah, they did. They did pretty well without Christian Gonzalez. It doesn't mean they don't want to welcome these guys back into the fold. Steve, we've talked a lot about it, whether it be Murph here on the pod or, you know, you and I have talked about it, several guests here on Locked On Patriots, on how Matthew Judon is not just a pass rush specialist statistically and always brings the level of stats that you need for a star player on defense, but the job he does as a facilitator. Someone like a Christian Barmore is always better with a guy like Matthew Judon in the lineup because Judon's presence, especially if he lines up close to that guy, is going to make opposing offensive lines and opposing blockers think twice before double teaming Matthew or double teaming Christian because each of those guys can be devastating when they're left one-on-one. Even with Christian out of the lineup, I still look for Matthew to do that,

line up close to that tackle that's going to be taking his place, and then allow the guessing game to begin. And if they guess wrong, it's really going to hurt the opposing team because even if they do decide every single time to double-team Matthew, that's eventually going to leave a player that may not be as well known, but could be if he gets the proper ability to get after the quarterback and those numbers start to climb. So always interesting to think about. He definitely had a huge impact on Joshua Uche, no question about it. Go back two years ago, Joshua's best season as a pro, a lot of that was due to Matthew Judon being alongside of him. So

I agree. And I think that on the field, it due to Matthew Judon being alongside of him. So I agree, and I think that on the field, it needs to get done, and it should get done. The thing that gives me pause about whether or not it will get done is the type of back and forth you saw between Matthew and Diana Rossini of The Athletic earlier today. Now, Matthew did not respond directly to Diana. He was responding to a fan that had quote tweeted Diana's original tweet, which said, quote, Matthew Judon was absent from yesterday's practice, meaning Tuesday, folks, because he seeks a revised contract. Since then, the Patriots have made an offer per source. This could help move things in the right direction. Well, the fan tweeted out, yippee, please accept.

And then he added Mandem, which is Matthew Judon's Twitter handle. And obviously Matthew comes back and says, no, they haven't. But it makes me look bad again. Don't believe the lies. Now, Steve, this only feeds into the type of acrimony we saw on the field earlier this week when Matthew and Gerard Mayo at first, and then Elliott Wolfe and Matt Groh had heated conversations with Matthew. He leaves the field twice before leaving the field for good and doesn't come back.

On Tuesday's practice, he's not in the facility or anywhere near Gillette Stadium at all. I guess my question to you, Steve, is we heard all along that Matthew was not going to be a distraction. He said it himself. He signed this contract. He's going to honor it. He'll be there. He's not going to leave money on the table. Obviously, the situation with Christian Barmore has become a difficult situation for the Patriots. That puts a lot of extra pressure on star members of that front seven, like Matthew Judon but we also saw emotion take center stage for the first time on the field when you look at this do you think that this is a strategic change in Matthew's approach or do you think this is just emotion maybe getting the best

out of him and maybe leading to a misunderstanding we're hoping both sides can come together but what was your take on everything that's happened this week in terms of the back and forth? Yeah, I think he was frustrated. You know, he's seeing all of his teammates get paid. And as we said, the vast majority of them are on the defense, right? Right. And we just said that he's probably the best player on defense. So, I mean, that has to be frustrating.

I know it's not that he's jealous of the money that his teammates are getting. I don't think it's that. I just think he feels like he's due, and he feels like the team is letting him down. But the one thing we haven't heard out of him, which still gives me some hope, he hasn't asked to be traded. Right. Now, that could come if they don't come to some kind of agreement soon. But, you know, we haven't heard that, you know, he's requested to be traded. So you have to wonder, you know, if there's still a chance of getting something done.

And like I said, I think they will because I think they realized that they need him this year. Not that they're competing for a playoff spot, but you're looking to build. You know, you kind of hit rock bottom last year at 4-13. They have a very tough schedule this year. So you're looking to take that first step into building a contender again. And I think this guy will play a huge role in that. So, you know, I'm just looking at it from maybe rose colored glasses perspective here but i think you you can't let that fester any longer get it done give him what he wants

or it come to some middle road like they did with god, where he's going to be happy enough. I think he's made it clear he wants to stay. But yeah, I think this situation in the past was always kind of done behind closed doors. You know, this is the first time we've seen this out in the open. Now, 2019 was close to this, not the same because as you and i both remembered tom brady was not a happy camper in training camp that year no he was not himself you know usually he was very accommodating although he he always chose his words carefully, and that was something he had done his whole career.

But he was almost surly, that training camp. You remember that? Oh, yeah, absolutely, very much so. And that's the closest we've come to anything like this, what we saw this week. I'm so glad that you mentioned that, because when Murph joined me here on the pod yesterday, I said, I can't recall ever seeing anything like that out on the field. It just kind of struck me as being odd that the executive vice president of player personnel,

and of course the director of player personnel out on the field, you know, having an animated discussion with one of the players and the players storming off and, you know, some difficulty back and forth with the coach. But at the same time, it's also interesting to remember that, you know, some players handle these things a little bit differently, but you take to a more public stage when you need to make an impact. And bottom line, regardless of what, whether it was Matthew's intention or not, whether it was emotion, just getting the best of him in the moment, or whether it was a calculated effort to push the envelope a little bit, it made an impact. Now, what kind of impact it's going to make, we'll find out in the coming days. Obviously, I mean, it looks like there's still a ways to go. Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal, a mutual friend of ours that says the

two sides are still very far apart with regard to negotiation. And Diana following up her report from earlier on Wednesday saying Matthew was offered a few revised contracts from New England before training camp. They have yet to agree on a rework deal. So, folks, take that for what it's worth. In my opinion, I would love to see this get done for Matthew Judon. I do think he deserves every penny that he's asking for, and we'll see if the New England Patriots agree and what they're going to do to get this done. Steve, you know we're in a league that no one is irreplaceable if the price is not correct. So, yeah, I think the Patriots and Judon are coming to a situation where they're going to have some interesting decisions to make on both sides here. But training camp has been more than just Matthew Judon's contract,

unfortunately Christian Barmore's illness, and a lot of the extensions that have been thrown around all offseason. A lot of players are making impacts on the field, some positive, some negative. Steve and I are going to talk about who has made a camp impression so far through the first full week of camp when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of 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,

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There's something for everyone, every day, all summer long. So head over to Fanduel.com and start making the most out of your summer. That's Fanduel.com. Fanduel, official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, and hopefully you keep making Locked On Patriots your first listen each and every day, especially as we take you inside Patriots training camp.

Boots on the ground coverage continuing here on the Locked On Podcast Network throughout the network here at Locked On Patriots. We are proud and glad to be a part of it. And do yourself a favor, folks. If you've made Locked On Patriots your first listen today, make your second listen our good friends over at Locked On NFL. Brought to you by the experts you can only find here on the Locked On Podcast Network.

So make sure to download, subscribe, and follow Locked On NFL wherever you get your podcasts. And Steve, a couple of my good friends, the host of Locked On NFL, Luke Braun, host of the Locked On Vikings podcast, one half of the hosting panel for Locked On Eagles, Gino Camilleri, talking a little bit on Tuesday about the Patriots imploding or Patriots training camp and season being on fire before it began. And, of course, they talked a little bit about Christian Barmore, Matthew Judon, and some of the struggles of Drake May.

Steve, I always go back to my favorite Mark Twain quote when he says, reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. And I think you're seeing a lot of that when it comes to the New England Patriots. I think a lot of fan bases throughout the NFL are pretty glad to see the Patriots where they are, struggling to be more than just a cellar-dwelling team. But at the same time, even if your prognosis for the season isn't great, there are certain elements that you see as early as training camp to lead you to believe that this team could actually surprise people at times and maybe even be better than most people are giving them credit for throughout the first few days of camp especially the first

two padded practice days which let's face it Steve is really where you start to get the true evaluations of what this team is going to look like what have been your thoughts your impressions of the camp performers so far who's standing, and do you have any concerns at this point? Well, I'll start with the concerns. I think the offensive line is still a concern. They seem to be starting to settle on a group, a five-man group. I'm not going to say the starters yet, but they seem to be settling on a five-man group right now that they're going to say the starters yet, but they seem to be settling, you know,

on a five-man group right now that they're going to continue to work with. And that's a good thing. You know, the protection is still iffy, you know, but at times it's been better going against this defense who, you know, that's the one thing I wrote about this on Sunday. And, you know, we've heard such terrible, you know, reports about how the offense looks. And I need to, you know, I wrote this out and I felt like I needed to remind people, you know, first of all, the defense is considered possibly a top 10, maybe even a top five defense this year. Okay.

The defense has been together. I mean, basically, we have the same players that they ran with last year, and they're getting two huge pieces of the puzzle back. The coaches are basically the same. Of course, they're missing Bill Belichick, the greatest defensive line ever. But, you know, the guys who worked right under him are still here. So the defense really is just picking up where they left off last year. The offense, on the other hand, is completely new.

They have a bunch of new players. They have a whole new offensive coaching staff in place and a new offensive coordinator. They're trying to learn a whole new system with a new language, you know, with their offensive coordinator and with a lot of new players coming in. Obviously, the defense is going to be far ahead at this early stage of the game, as it should be. And, you know, the defense is usually this far ahead, you know,

this early in camp anyway. Even in the Tom Brady years, we saw that. So that's not a surprise, nor is it a shock like, oh, my God, you know, the defense is playing much better. So I don't get that part because this we all knew this was coming. You know, the offensive line is still a question mark in my mind, as I said. But, you know, with their top two receivers from last year still out, Kendrick Bourne and Demario Douglas, this has been a great opportunity for the young guys to show what they can do. And I'm here to tell you, I mean, watching Polk and Baker and, you know, and, you know,

Keishon Butte. I mean, these guys are making plays every day. They're not consistently, you know, roasting coverage, but they're making plays. And that's a good positive sign to me. And even though fans don't want to hear it, Tyquan Thornton is having a pretty good camp right now. Very good point. You know, he's been able to stay healthy, which is the thing, right?

I think he missed one day in the spring, you know, that last day. But, you know, through camp so far, he's staying healthy. They've revised his route tree a little bit, and he's making plays every day. And he still has that burning speed, which will play into AVP's offense. So, you know, are they going to be contending for a Super Bowl or even a playoff spot? I doubt it. But they're going to be better than they were last year.

And even if they're just a little bit better on offense, they're going to be a team people hate to play against. I'm in full agreement with you. I mean, I always try to be a little more on the optimistic side, and I always try to look at the class as half-full, sometimes to my own detriment. Sometimes I'm called out for it here on the airwaves of Locked On Patriots, but I always try to look for the good in this team and what this team is capable of doing. And Steve, what I see is seedlings of a team that doesn't have it yet, but does have the ability to get there.

And I think that's what Patriots fans need to remember. You're going to have to go through some growing pains along the way. That doesn't just mean Drake May at the quarterback position. We've heard a lot of descriptions about his play over the course of the last few days. Murph and I talked about it a little bit yesterday I think it's really unfair to start calling this kid horrendous or the ghost of Mac Jones simply because he's a different person with a different timetable and a different skill set

and I believe and here's the key folks a different ceiling and when you have a higher ceiling than your predecessor you're automatically going to take a little bit longer to get there and after two padded practices just because he doesn't look like a multi-year all pro does not mean that the Patriots wasted this pick.

I keep seeing that an awful lot. I think you need to put things in perspective. I agree with you on the receivers. I really like what I see from Taequann Thornton. I like what I see from Kayshaun Booty. I think he's come in with a newfound desire to play at a high level. I really like what I'm seeing on Javon Baker. He, to me, has been my most positive camp impression

because this is a kid that said, get your popcorn ready on the day he was drafted. And he's coming in and he's delivering. Now, he's making plays out there. He's showing a lot of potential. I believe that he's showing enough to this Patriots brain trust to allow them to see that this kid could be a real factor on the outside when it comes to receivers. So I really like what I'm seeing from him. And, you know, KJ Osborne for one earlier this week said that

Javon reminds him a little bit of George Pickens. Now, I mean, I think that's a little a bit of a stretch right now. But, boy, I'll tell you, if he can round into a player like that, the Patriots may have gotten themselves a gem in the later rounds. Yes, sir. I mean, I saw that, and I was like, wow. I didn't expect him to go there. But, you know, I mean, that's what he's saying, and that's what he sees.

And wouldn't that be a nice addition, right? Getting a guy with that kind of skill set. But, you know, the proof's in the pudding. We see this, you know, they show the highlights every day of these guys making plays. And, you know, I think Polk is becoming, he's becoming one of those go-to guys. And that's great that these guys are getting the opportunity right now because your quote-unquote starters are still injured. And when they come back, it'll only be better. You'll be able to spread the wealth around.

And I like what i'm seeing out of these young guys and you and i talked offline about drake may and you know the same people that all spring kept telling fans you're gonna have to be patient he probably won't start this year at least the first half of the season. You know, he's a project. They're ready to throw him out already after two padded practices. And it just astounds me, especially one guy who both of us greatly respect, to say, you know, the ghost of Mac Jones.

I mean, come on. The kid's been in too bad of practices and and yet you know again they're they're cherry picking but i see him making great throws on the highlight reel every day granted he struggled and he's supposed to he's supposed to. He's a rookie. Right. I mean, you know, but, you know, I'm also watching him deliver. And he has a skill set, you know, where he can put the ball anywhere he wants. And, you know, he's making some really good throws out there. And, you know, it's all going to come. It's going to take time. And I just don't get the blatant negativity that's coming out. But we're used to that because

we saw it for 20 years. For as much success as you have in the NFL, there's always going to be negativity surrounding it. And right now, let's face it. I mean, I'm being objective here and I'm trying to be honest rather than just put a positive spin for the sake of doing that the patriots have more negatives than they do positives right now this is a team that is a 4 and 13 team and maybe they won't be much better than a 4 and 13 team this year but i do believe this team may run a little more cohesively because of the coaching staff they have in place because of the player buy-in to what these guys are going to do and the talent level that they've drafted around. There are going to be moments, folks, where Drake May does look like an all-world quarterback,

and people are going to wonder why he's not in there. And then a couple of plays later, you may see why he's not in there. So you know what? There are elements of training camp that will allow you to see players emerge. Again, I mentioned Javon Baker earlier. He's someone that is standing out to me. You know, on the defensive side of the ball, watching Brendan Schooler align and getting some work with the defense

and watching that, you know, come to fruition, watching Christian Gonzalez out there, back healthy, looking good, gives you a lot to look forward to when it comes to this Patriots team. Even if the struggles may outweigh the successes this year, there are still elements of this team that should make you feel good moving into the foreseeable future. So, folks, what are your camp impressions? What have you been hearing?

What have you been keeping your sharp eye on? Who have you been impressed by? Who do you want to see more from in the coming days and weeks? Well, the Patriots are going to return to the practice field at 11 a.m. on Thursday morning, so we will continue to bring you boots-on-the-ground coverage here on Locked on Patriots. And it's a safe bet that my good friend and my Patriots paisan

and our resident voice of reason is going to be along for several of those rides as we get you ready for next Thursday, Steve, and preseason game one. Wow, how did we get here? Got to love it. Football is back in Fox Thursday, Steve, and preseason game one. Wow. How did we get here? Gotta love it. Football is back in Foxborough, folks, and we, for one, cannot wait to bring you all of the action right here on Lockdown Patriots. But in the meantime, I always want to give a tip of the cap and much-deserved accolades

to my good friend here for joining me on the airwaves. Steve, what can I say? You always bring a level of wisdom, counsel, and reason that we desperately need here on Locked On Patriots. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you've got cooking in La Cochina, Belastrari until we catch you here on the pod next week, buddy. Well, we're doing a little catchatory this weekend but on that side uh you can follow me on twitter at steve b7 sfg i write for patsfans.com as you said and thank you for the plug of our broadcast with uh derek havens and i and occasionally russ goldman pops in um

you know we need to get you on there because we're going to be talking about camp battles and especially the offensive line. But there's some interesting stuff going on with the defensive backfield as well. I think some of these guys are showing out really well. So it's going to be interesting who they try to keep there. That's what we'll be looking at. Absolutely. It would be my honor and privilege to join you guys on the microphone.

And again, folks, we always have Steve join us here each and every week on Locked On Patriots. Always one of our favorite guest shots of the week. But I think a full-on Patriots 4th and 2 invasion of Locked On Patriots. Always one of our favorite guest shots of the week, but I think a full-on Patriots fourth and two invasion of Locked On Patriots could be in the mix. So definitely keep a sharp eye out for that, folks. As the season draws nearer, you are not going to want to miss a single second

of the action. And I know each and every week when Steve joins me here on the microphone, it's always appointment listening and appointment viewing and you want to make sure that you're absorbing his wisdom, his counsel, and his level-headed reason as oh yeah if you get derrick and i both on here derrick will be so excited you and i won't get in a word edge life we need derrick's wisdom and counsel as well here steve so you know what i'm definitely looking forward to it so folks keep a sharp eye out we're going to try to work that out sooner rather than later

but bottom line, we always thank each and every one of you, especially all of you everydayers, all of you Locked On Loyalists that make us a part of your everyday Patriots coverage, and also join us on the journey inside training camp. Our never-ending appreciation

to you. We always, always appreciate your support, and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts from all of us here at Locked On Patriots. In the meantime, on behalf of my good friend Steve Balistrieri, my Patriots Paisan, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding all of you to stay safe, and to stay

well, and to be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked On Patriots.