Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: DeVante Parker Contract, Who is WR1 without DeAndre Hopkins? O-Line Priorities

Episode Date: July 4, 2023

While the New England Patriots and DeVante Parker signing a contract extension is likely to keep him in Foxboro for the foreseeable future, the deal is heavy on incentives. Will that be enough motivation to make Parker WR1 in 2023? Host Mike D’Abate gives his thoughts on the latest contract details before welcoming Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to open the Locked On Patriots Mailbag. The duo discuss Parker, DeAndre Hopkins and the personnel priorities along the offensive line.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport 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.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG(CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat(CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Devontae Parker's contract extension with the New England Patriots is about both performance and trust. It also has the chance to be a bargain for both sides. 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. Welcome to the pod.

We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. So subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Today's episode brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs.

LinkedIn Jobs help you to find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, and they help you do it faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash LockedOnNFL. That's LinkedIn.com slash LockedOnNFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Patriots fans, thank you for joining me here today on the pod. Hope you had an amazing weekend. A lot of you are extending your weekend into the holiday.

And if you're spending any of that here with us on Locked on Patriots, my unending gratitude to you. I'm honored and humbled by all of your support, especially all of you everydayers out there. You all are the ones that make Locked On Patriots possible. And folks, today is Mailbag Monday here on the pod. That means the monster, master of disaster, Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports is going to be popping in here in just a moment to make this a hashtag Locked On Murph Monday.

We're going to discuss wide receivers, offensive line, two of Murph's favorite subjects. Who is the number one wide receiver on this team if DeAndre Hopkins decides to sign elsewhere? And does it even matter if the Patriots don't prioritize the O-line? All of this and more great stuff from a pair of valued everydayers who submitted great questions. So stick around folks

you will not want to miss this but first as the collective eyes of Patriots fandom awaits word on the playing future and destination of DeAndre Hopkins that's veteran Devante Parker is apparently ready to take his own future into his own hands. Reportedly agreeing to a three-year contract extension with the club last week, additional details are now beginning to emerge regarding the structure of his deal. It's going to keep Tavante in New England through the 2025 season, and based on what this deal looks like, I don't see him going anywhere prior to the end of it. Patriots clearly making a commitment, and Parker is making a commitment to himself. His new pact with the Patriots, heavily incentive-laden,

allowing him to earn up to the $33 million maximum through playing time and performance-based milestones. And a Monday afternoon report from Henry McKenna of Fox Sports sheds some new light on the manner in which Devontae may maximize his earnings in the coming season. And again, this report coming directly from Henry, the contract includes a $4.6 million signing bonus, a $14 million in total guarantees with reachable incentives for receptions, yards, playing time, and all pro honors. Now the deal also includes workout bonuses. The contract has fully guaranteed salaries for 2023 at $1.22 million and 2024

at $3.3 million. So with the per game bonuses, Devante could end up making just over $11 million in new money in 2023 before game performance incentives kick in. On his previous deal, he was set to make $6.3 million in 2023. So, in short, what Devontae's deal looks like for the Patriots is what is known in NFL circles as a pay-as-he-produces deal. ESPN's Mike Reese put it very eloquently over the weekend, and that's exactly what this deal appears to be. The incentive tiers based on receptions, yards, playing time percentage, and again, all pro honors.

Now, even though additional details have to be made available in order to determine the Patriots' cap savings, that's according to our good friend the Pats cap himself the wizard of Benz on or I should say the pharaoh of Foxborough finance that's gaining an awful lot of traction folks I like it that's what we're going to continue to call Miguel here but Miguel Benz on is the best in the business and he does know that there are some details that need to be released before we can calculate the exact cap before we can calculate the exact cap savings it's not expected to be as much as people think so what this deal

indicates to me is that the New England Patriots are serious about wanting to keep Devante Parker here and Devante is very serious about wanting to stay here. They're putting an awful lot of faith in him. He's putting an awful lot of faith in himself. And a lot of people may question this because, after all, he's coming off of a season in which he's statistically underwhelmed. 31 catches, 539 yards, three touchdowns. Concussion kept him out of four games last year that he suffered in week 13 and he only played 13 games in 2022 but what we're seeing from Devontae Parker at least in the limited sample size

from the practices that the media was able to observe he's emerging as the top receiver in this group not just by performance but also by leadership taking an active role in letting his teammates know where they need to be and also helping to set an example by the effort that he's putting out there. This is a big move for Devontae Parker. It shows a dial-in. It shows a commitment to New England. And therefore, New England's going to show a commitment to him.

That's how Bill Belichick operates. If you go all in on us, we'll go all in on you if we believe in you and we believe in the prowess and the ability that you bring to the table. I think that's what you're going to see here with the New England Patriots and Devontae Parker. He may be in line for a significant increase in targets as a result of this as well. You know he's going to want to hit those incentives. And the synergy he already has with Mac Jones is going to make that a little bit easier, folks. He can go ahead and

work and coexist with fellow receivers like Kendrick Bourne, Tyquan Thornton, Juju Smith-Schuster. You're going to see Mike Secchi align in the slot a lot. I think that's going to be a factor here as well. If the Patriots add DeAndre Hopkins that's going to give the Patriots two wide receivers sizable wide receivers that can align on the line of scrimmage and can both play the X role last week here on the pod I believed that Devante was a little bit more suited for the Z role rather than the X I'm summing my stance on that a little bit the more films I look at it I think they can be interchangeable but I think these guys can coexist on the field, and if that's going to be the case, the Patriots are in good shape offensively,

definitely giving Mac Jones a sufficient amount of weapons with which to work this season. So the deal is low risk for New England, no question about it, but it is truly a high reward for both sides. Whether the team still adds DeAndre Hopkins or another wide receiver out there on the market, still a matter of conjecture. That still could happen, but one thing that I think is abundantly clear here is that the Patriots have solidified Parker's future in Foxborough for the foreseeable future, and it's also coming at a reasonable cost.

You can't ask for a more Patriot-like deal than the one that these two sides have come together on, and I think it's going to lead to big things on the field. So congratulations to Devontae Parker, congrats to the Pats, and we'll see what it brings in the future, whether it's DeAndre Hopkins alongside it or whether the Patriots are riding with Devontae as their sole X receiver. Going to be fun times in New England coming up. Pats fans, the Count of Murphy, Fisto, is about to bring his own version of holiday fireworks here as Murph helps dive into the mailbag here on Locked On Patriots in just

a moment. We're going to talk Pats wideouts, offensive line, and Foxborough priorities. So stay locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Pats fans, these days, every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you

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to talk to they help you do it faster and they help you do it for free so post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on nfl that's linkedin.com slash locked on nfl to post your job for free terms and conditions applyots fans, thank you once again for spending part of your day, part of your abbreviated holiday weekend here on Locked on Patriots. It is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. It is hashtag

Mailbag Monday, and it's the day before the 4th of July. Folks, all kinds of stuff going on. We know it's a busy week for everyone, and if you're taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Locked On Patriots, we are forever grateful. And I say we because, as you know,

it's time to open the mailbag, and Mondays were created for this man anyway here on Locked On Patriots. My good friend, that kind of Murphy, Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy joins me here today. Thank you for coming to me on this holiday weekend on murph happy birthday america always glad to be here michael no it doesn't matter what

day it is what time of day it is i'm here when you ask absolutely and we're always happy to have you and uh gotta tell you murph you know it could have been an opportunity you know i always call you the monster master of disaster the dancing destroy destroyer, the green king of sting, the Count of Murphy Fisto. Maybe a little Apollo Creed outfit would have been good today. But we digress, folks. We're going to continue and we're going to press on with what we've got because we've got some fireworks of our own to make, folks. It's time to open up the mailbag, Murph. We love it here on Mondays and it's always fun.

And we've got two great questions for you today. And Murph, we're going to start off with sort of the news of the day, but not sort of the news of the day. Since the last time we had a chance to share the microphone together, the Patriots have extended Devante Parker three years, approximately 33 million, although a lot of those numbers. Yeah, absolutely. Fantastic. Absolutely.ve balistrieri joined me here on friday we talked a little bit about the on-field logistics pat's cap joined me on thursday we talked all the financials and it has a lot of people wondering whether or not the patriots see devante parker as a major part of this offense this year maybe Maybe even, dare I say, Murph, wide receiver one.

The Patriots still remain in on DeAndre Hopkins. All the reports out there over the weekend say the Patriots may actually even be the frontrunners to sign DeAndre, but you know as well as I, Bud, that these reports are only skin deep. Nobody knows what's really going to happen until it happens on the dotted line. So in that regard, Donald from Narragansett, Rhode Island. I got to wonder if Donald is somewhere honoring the man by crushing the can. Folks, if you don't know what we're talking about, just Google Jaws.

You'll know exactly what we mean. Those of you in the know, all of you everydayers know what we're talking about. But Donald is from my home state. So Donald, thank you for submitting the question by email, no less, to the Locked On Patriots email box. Yes, folks, if you go on Twitter, you'll see the link for the email. You can always submit questions that way as well. And Donald wants to know, if the Patriots fail to sign DeAndre Hopkins,

who will be the wide receiver one this season? Well, Murph, we just talked about Devontae Parker. We've talked about about as you like to call him the slim reaper in Taekwon Thornton we've talked about Kendrick Bourne Juju Smith Schuster so many people out there in your estimation if the Patriots do not bring DeAndre in who is going to be the number one receiver on this team whether it be in targets or whether it just be in stature? Hunter Henry. Hunter Henry is going to come out with the most targets and most receptions this year. That's just the way it's going to be.

These guys are going to drag ass all over the field, and Hunter Henry is going to be pulling it all down and scoring the most touchdowns this season. There you go. There's a curveball for you right there. Um, no, it's going to depend on come down to a lot of health. All right. We're, you know, we're, we've gotten into the way back machine here, people. And, um, the open receiver is going to be Mac Jones's favorite receiver this year.

And, and I believe that Hunter Henry is going to end up being open more than anybody else on this team. As I said, it's going to come down to health and well-being. Devonta Parker has not been the healthiest individual on the planet. We're hoping. We're knocking wood. Yep, I got a wood desk right here in front of me. And so we're knocking on that. Juju Smith-Schuster still has has uh has knee issues

that that you know we've all talked about ad nauseum before you know right when he got uh he got drafted and we're all hoping that he stays healthy but i think hunter henry you know again knock on that wood is going to be the healthiest guy in the room all year long everybody else has injury questions i think think Hunter Henry and Mike Kosicki are the two guys that, um, that, uh, will probably be on the field more than anyone else in these packages that we're going to see run out there. So yeah, I, I think, you know, Claire is going to be a very happy individual this year. There's going to be a lot of stuff run through these tight ends. I was just going to say, if you hear that giant squeal, folks, when Murph had mentioned

that Hunter Henry was going to be the leading receiver on this team, yeah, that came from West Midlands in the UK. Claire is definitely happy to hear that. And I have to say, but I do, I agree with you. I think the tight ends right now are going to be the most targeted position on the field. I think you're going to see a pretty good competition between Hunter Henry and Mike Gusecki to see who emerges as Mac Jones' favorite target. I do agree with you. I think it's going to be more Hunter than it will be Gusecki purely on the fact that these two have such a rapport with each other and there's a history there. And I think that shines through. But Kosicki's going to be someone that I think is going to see a lot of reps

in the slot as well. He may be your ultimate receiver this year. He might be wide receiver one. That's a very good possibility. That is. That's a fantastic possibility. I just think that the chemistry that back already has with Hunter is really going to push things up.

And, you know, after that, there's, you know, you've really got to sit back and wonder, you know, who is going to be that next man up, that guy that Matt goes looking for. And after Hunter Henry, I think it's going to end up being Kendrick Bourne. Yeah. I think in a lot of ways, Bourne is very poised to have a big season, maybe even a breakout season. I think I remember saying that on someone's airwaves last week, if I'm not mistaken, but one guy that I think is being maybe a little bit overlooked because we haven't seen him on the field yet. And I think he's poised for a big impact on this team, is Juju Schuster. Okay.

I love the way this guy fits into the type of offense that Bill O'Brien loves to run, that Mac Jones was very adept at running when he was in Alabama. Yep. This kid is someone that can be led under the defense. He can find his way and his seam and his ability to get yards after the catch. I know you love your yak, Murph.

I think this kid is the guy that's going to be able to do it. 141 yards above expectation last season. That was fifth highest in the league. We always talk about the negatives, Murph. Unfortunately, when it comes to the Patriots and yak last season, a statistic we've shared several times on these airwaves, the England Patriots, 33 yards as a team after the catch in 2022. So I think in terms of the amount of receptions that you're going to see,

I think Juju may be at the top of the list, even above Devante, above Kendrick, and above Taekwon. Because I think they're going to be used more in the specialized X or Z receiver roles. I think you're going to see Juju come out as really a slot machine for this team. When Gusecki is not aligning in that role, I think it's going to be Juju. And I think you're going to see a lot of him this year. Yeah, I can see your point. It's hard to argue it. I'll just, I'll stick with what I'm going with. I think in a lot of ways, the lines are going to be blurred this year with receiving tight ends and wide receivers i think pass catcher is really more appropriate for the way this team is structured

and that's really the way bill o'brien loves to operate so i count that i think donald will agree with you as well if he's having a gantz hi neighbor and before we take our leave of this subject murph though i have a question for you that i'd like to go to you in that Devante Parker's extension clearly shows that the Patriots have faith in his ability they want to keep him around for a little while thanks to our good friend Mike Reese over the weekend we saw a few details start to emerge about this contract not a lot of guaranteed money uh not an overly loaded contract a lot of people are questioning why why someone with a questionable injury history like Devontae has would sign a deal like this,

but it does make sense in a lot of regards. Do you think that this type of a contract indicates that the Patriots are looking to make him more a part of this offense this year, or do you think this is purely just keeping a guy in the room that they feel they need to hold on to? No, no, no. I think he's going to be a bigger part of the offense this year and going forward.

Right now, I believe that he's the only receiver that's under contract after 2024. It's somebody. And to give him a deal like this and to show that, you know, yes, we believe in you, but yes, you've got to, got to be on the field. You've got to go out there and prove it. Um, just tells me that, that they, they will be using him, utilizing him more often. Uh, we, we mentioned, uh, you know, just a minute ago, the yak that he's able to get after, you know, what he's able to do with the ball after the catch, after he high points, give him a little space and see what goes on. Yeah, this is somebody that Bill O'Brien came in, started rewatching a lot of film of and said, yeah, this is a guy that I can use.

This is a guy that's going to do more than move the chains for me. This is a guy that's going to catch those balls running along the back end of the end zone. Yeah, they've got big plans. He's definitely in the mix. Yeah, I agree with you. Steve Balistrieri brought up a very interesting point on Friday, and he and Derek Havens on his podcast, Patriots 4th and 2,

were talking about this last week in terms of the difficulty that New England had in scoring in the red zone last year and they did they were one of the worst red zone teams in the league last year now all of a sudden if you're adding guys like Mike Gusecki and possibly even DeAndre Hopkins but then you also make Devante Parker a bigger part of the red zone now all of a sudden you go from having virtually no weapons in that area to three potent contested catch machines and don't really make boys don't forget he can go up there and high point and that he's a tall drink of water i don't know slim reaper for nothing yeah uh he's a tall drink of water. He can go up there. So that's four. It's going to be much more diverse this year.

This grouping has the potential to really confuse and confuddle any defense that's coming at it. Yeah, without question. And it's going to be a lot of fun to watch these guys on the field and see what the Patriots can do under Bill O'Brien. Is that going to translate to an all-world offense? Well, folks, I think virtue lies in the middle. I don't think it's going to be a blockbuster, but I also think it's going to be vastly improved from what we saw last year. And if those two meet in the middle, it could make for a very interesting team for other opposing defenses to defend this year. I think they're going to have

a lot of options and a lot to keep an eye on with the New England Patriots. So, Donald, once again, we thank you for your question today. A happy 4th to you and yours. And we thank you, as always, all of you, for submitting some of the great questions that you submitted here to Locked On Patriots before the mailbag. But, Murph, we are not done yet

because it wouldn't be 4th of July weekend unless we made some fireworks with our good friend LJ. He is back. He is in the house. And we are going to discuss one of his main questions about those big round men that you like to talk about all the time, Murph. A little more offensive line talk and what the priorities should be for the New England Patriots prior to the start of the season. We'll talk about all that and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Pats fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots

a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And thank you for spending time with us here on your 4th of July weekend. Special shout out to all of you everydayers out there. We appreciate you and thank you for sending in great questions for hashtag mailbag Monday. Murph and I are going to dive back into that mailbag in just a moment, but quick programming

note here on Locked On Patriots. We will be off tomorrow in observance of the 4th of July holiday, but we will be back here on Wednesday talking about potential MVPs for the New England Patriots. Offense, defense, special teams, who might catch the sharp eye of Patriots fans out there. We're going to be talking about that here on Wednesday, so keep it locked in to Locked

On Patriots. But today, our good friend, that counter, Murphy Pisto himself, in the true spirit of holidays, we cannot spend a holiday away from family here on lockdown patriots murph and the following gentleman is definitely family of ours he's not just a friend of yours he's a friend of ours and that is our man lj lj lj's not here let's go it's true he is available on twitter at show underscore one toss him a follow a follow, folks. You will not be disappointed. You'll always be entertained. I guarantee you.

You might not agree with everything that he's got to say, but I can guarantee you it's going to be a lot of fun. And LJ is a terrific sport. Surprisingly, Murph, LJ does not want to know about wide receivers this week. He doesn't. He wants to know about a subject near and dear to your heart, and that is the Patriots offensive line. We've hinted at this a little bit now for the past couple of weeks in terms of what the Patriots might do.

But LJ's specific question is, will the Patriots prioritize adding a piece to their offensive line prior to the start of the season? And Murph, we talked a little bit about Dalton Risner here last week and Paul Peter's great question. The cupboard is essentially some pickings when it comes to what's available out there on the line. Do you foresee the Pats still dipping into that well to bring a guy in here

or is the starting tackle opposite Trent Brown already on this roster? Yeah, the starting tackle opposite Trent Brown is already here. He is. There's something could happen. Somebody could have a holdout and there could a trade could could go down. The Patriots have enough cap space right now with what they've opened up alongside to make a minor move, maybe a little depth there. But but no, the, the, the right, the right tackle is, is, is already here. You know, it's, it's, it, you know, we got Trent

Brown over there on the left, make Trent happy. We talked about that before Riley, right. I can't speak today. I really can't. Riley reef is, is probably going to be the starting right tackle. And yes, this gives me a bit of pause. You know, Sidiso has moved in over there. He's somebody that we're talking about. But it's not pretty. It's not pretty. We all wanted the Patriots to do something, make a big splash in this area in free agency. They didn't. We saw all the overpays that happened at the position. Folks call them overpays. I

don't. You can't overpay big, giant, round people. You just can't do it. But no, I think he's already here. Unless something, a trade comes about, I can't really see them going out and signing somebody. If some kind of cap hit is going to slap somebody in the face that they need to go do something else. Yeah, I just don't see it happening. I just want it too much I think the way the Patriots have invested their money tells me a little bit more about what their plans are they've drafted very heavily along the offensive line now for the last couple of years I think a lot of people forget bringing in Antonio Mafi bringing in so that they still have guys like Jason Hines Andrew Stuber

uh there are guys on this roster that's Cody Rusi. There are still guys on this roster that fill out that, and none of them, none of the names that I've mentioned are really true starting tackles, but some of them have the ability to make that adjustment and be able to play the position. They've also brought in veterans like Riley Rafe, like Calvin Anderson. A name that really should not be forgotten based on what we saw on the field just a few weeks ago when the patriots were having minicamp and otas is connor mcdermott yeah don't be a bit surprised if he emerges as a strong contender for the starting role he started six games last year he allowed eight pressures without surrendering a sack um i can tell you that during the team

drills that i watched he looked to be the most comfortable offensive lineman in that position. He looked to be a pretty formidable blocker at the end of the line. I understand that until the pads come on, you're not going to know who's the true alpha in that room. But these guys have more than enough, I think, built up to understand that they're not going to look elsewhere unless somebody drops on your lap. I know they had DJ Fluker in here for a workout. That was, you know, something that I think they just wanted to maybe kick the tires, see what he still had in the tank. But at the same time, if they really wanted him,

I don't think they would have let him leave here without a contract. So, you know, Taylor LeJuan is still out there. George Fant is still out there. He's a right tackle. Eric Fisher, Chris Hubbard, the ageless Chris Hubbard, who's now 314 years old, is out there. But, you know, other than that, it's really, I don't want to say bottom of the barrel, but, you know, these guys haven't gotten contracts that they've either felt comfortable with or haven't gotten contracts at all. And it's getting a little late in the game.

Absolutely. And then you go into the guys, the guards. And we talked about Risner, you know, a couple of weeks ago here on the airwaves. And again, there's more talent when it comes to the guard position. I've always been a fan of Risner and you have been as well. We talked about that, but I don't see the Patriots going beyond position. I've always been a fan of Risner and you have been as well. We talked about that, but I don't see the Patriots going beyond position. I think they already have enough positional shifting that they have to do with the guys they have in-house right now. I can't see them doing it anything beyond that. If they're prioritizing the offensive line, Murph, I know we've asked this question before. Does this only solidify even more that Trent Brown

is not going anywhere this season? Yeah, it really does. It really does. I wouldn't be surprised if they're behind the scenes right now trying to work out a new deal, a new extension, get a little more money in his pocket while they have it, and just get him happy and on the field and engaged. I really think that's the only problem. Last year, he did deal with some injuries, which, which seem ticky tack to, to the likes of, of a lot of people out there. But believe me, when you're, when you're this large, those small injuries, you know, they take a little bit longer to heal up and you feel them a little bit more when you're carrying around 385 pounds. Yeah, absolutely absolutely without any question

and you know if you've got someone in here that is savvy that knows the system and again Dante Skarniecki has said this several times when Trent Brown is locked in yep he is nobody better at his position and he's going to continue to bring that level of protection that Mac Jones needs I can't see the Patriots parting ways with him just like. I can't see the Patriots parting ways with him, just like I also can't see the Patriots prioritizing the offensive line to bring in a new body here before the start of the season. LJ, I think it's a great question. You gave Murph and I an opportunity to talk offensive line,

which we absolutely love. I think it's the position the Patriots needed the most improvement at. But I also think that the moves that they've made have allowed them to improve, folks. And don't count out the most important addition that this team has made to the offensive line, and that's Adrian Clem. I think a competent coach in here to help Billy Yates get these guys on the same page that we did not see that last year. Disrespecting the voice in the room.

Exactly. And getting these guys to play sound, disciplined, and unified football is the big question for it. You've mentioned this several times last year. Offensive linemen need familiarity and repetition, perhaps more than anyone else on the field, including defensive linemen. This is a line that needs to absolutely play cohesive football in order for them to have any type of success. We didn't see that

last year. No, we didn't. The offensive linemen are always the group within the group. We're the guys that come in together in the morning, leave together in the afternoon, go out to dinner together and hang out and drink together on the weekends because quite frankly, nobody else invites us to the party because they think we're going to steal their girlfriends. And there wasn't a lot of that last year. It really wasn't.

These guys definitely were not on the same page. They seemed like five different men out there all at the same time in a center trying to hold them together. Absolutely. And no matter how strong that center is, and David Andrews is among the best in the league, and Michael Wayne, who is someone who we hope is going to continue to be a part of the Patriots' future, our good friend Miguel Benzon, there wasn't a lot of optimism brimming from him. I told you.

We talked about this last week, and a couple of people dragged us through the gravel for it. And, you know, these guys are going to go out and test the market. They're not just going to sign any deal that comes along. Everybody that we talked about last week, and he's one of them. He's definitely one of them. He's going to be quite coveted coming at the end of this season. A lot of GMs are going to be calling his agent day one. Yeah, without question.

And offensive linemen are always at a premium come free agency. And whether you're a guard, whether you're a tackle, it really doesn't matter anymore. Look at the way Bill attacked the draft. He's preparing. We get on Bill and off him. You had no game plan. What was going to happen at the end of the year? He's not going to do that. That's not going to happen this year. He went out and he got a plethora of guards, a couple who could play tackle. We'll see what happens. It's not that easy to kick

out. Otherwise, everybody would do it. Absolutely, without any question. And I really look forward to seeing those battles in training camp, which is coming up at the end of the month. Just a little over 20 days away, and the New England Patriots will be back on the field adjacent to Gillette Stadium. Arms will be swinging. Yeah, and it is our favorite time of year. And once the pads come on, that's where the big boys play. And we'll continue to bring you all of that coverage here on

Locked On Patriots. But once again, LJ, thank you so much for being La Familia here on Locked On Patriots and one of our most valued everydayers. Yeah, without a doubt. Love LJ. Love everything he has to say. Love every question that he has, even if it boils my blood.

And it often does, folks. And that's what we love about it. Murph, what can I say? We take you into the 4th of July holiday, folks. Hopefully with a little smile on your face and hopefully a little more well-informed when it comes to your New England Patriots. I want to thank my good friend, the only man that definitely gets the perpetual invite to the barbecue.

He doesn't need an invitation. He just comes in, throws what he wants to eat on the grill, and that's it. All kidding aside, you are family, my friend. And thank you so much for joining me here today. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can find you, where they can absorb the great wisdom and counsel of Thomas Murphy throughout the week here today. Well, of course, you can follow me on the Bird app at TeamRF207. It's right there. Please, if you got anything to say, come on down.

I'm begging you. Come on down. Of course, you can read me at E2GSports.com. Again, nice little Garrett Whitlock piece up there this morning and what the Red Sox are going to have to do with possibly another subtraction from the starting pitching. You know, I know the injury bug definitely hit the Sox rotation. Anything in the written realm that you need to know for your beloved Boston Red Sox, check out my good friend over here at TeamRF207 and all his written work.

Joining all of the great content that is shown on E2GSports.com. Don't forget, if you want to fill your Red Sox fix as well, check out my good friend, Gabby Herbert, Locked on Red Sox each and every day. You will not be disappointed. Gabby's doing a great job with that show, and we wish her all the

best here from our sister station at Locked on Patriots. But, folks, it is definitely going to be a fun week, so if we do not see you on Tuesday station at Locked On Patriots. But, folks, it is definitely going to be a fun week. So if we do not see you on Tuesday here on Locked On Patriots, we'll be back on Wednesday. So make sure to tune in and download, subscribe to, follow wherever you get your podcasts. On behalf of my good friend, that counter, Murphy Fisto himself,

a legendary Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports, I'm Mike DeBate reminding you to stay safe, stay well, have an extra safe and an extra healthy happy Fourth of July to all of you and your families out there. Stay well, folks. We'll see you next time on Wednesday here on Locked on Patriots.