Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: DeVante Parker Returns, Bold Predictions and Coaching Concerns For Week 11

Episode Date: November 16, 2022

As the New England Patriots turn their attention to their Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets on Sunday, the team continues to take stock into its performance. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com as the duo discuss the return of wide receiver DeVante Parker from a knee injury, the coaching difficulties of ex-Pats OC Josh McDaniels with the Las Vegas Raiders and making bold predictions for the remainder of 2022.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/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONSimpliSafeWith Fast Protect™️ Technology, exclusively from SimpliSafe, 24/7 monitoring agents capture evidence to accurately verify a threat for faster police response. There’s No Safe Like SimpliSafe. Visit SimpliSafe.com/LockedOnNFL to learn more.BlueNileMake your moment sparkle with Blue Nile. Go to BlueNile.com and use code lockedon to save fifty dollars on your purchase of five-hundred dollars or more.BetterHelpThis episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn and get on your way to being your best self. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Patriots fans, there's time for one more bold prediction before the end of the bye. What can you expect from your New England Patriots in the second half? The Voice of Reason is here with me today to discuss that and more. So stay tuned. 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, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so be sure to smash that subscribe button and download, subscribe to, and follow wherever you get your podcasts. Pats fans, today's episode of Locked on Patriots is presented by our friends over at PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy made easy. Pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry. First-time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with the promo code LOCKEDON.

That's prizepix.com, promo code LOCKEDON. Pats fans, earlier this week I dubbed a bye-bye to the bye, or I gave a bye-bye to the bye with our good friend Murph here on the Locked On Patriots studios. But it's not quite time to let go of the bye just yet. I know the Patriots are back in action, and they'll be back on the practice field on Wednesday to really start preparing for this weekend's matchup with the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets.

But we still need a little reasonable wisdom and counsel and lucky for me here today we have our resident voice of reason my patriots paizan a columnist extraordinaire of patsfans.com as well as being the co-host of not one but two amazing podcasts patriots fourth and two alongside russ goldman and derrick havens and of course one Patriots place with our good friends here on the program, the legendary Thomas Murphy and the Countess of Clas herself, Ms. Claire Cooper. He is Steve Balistrieri. Steve, thanks once again for joining me here on Locked on Patriots today. Good afternoon, Mike.

I always love talking football with you. And what better way to start after the bye week than have a game with the Jets? Absolutely. Can't think of any better place to be. And, you know, those Jets are coming to town, and it is going to be a barn burner. Let me tell you, the Jets right now, they're feeling their, well, let's put it this way. They're riding high right now.

They're flying high. I'll use an analogy for Jets fans out there. For all the digs that i give them throughout the 364 days out of the year i'll be complimentary the jets have played very well the last few weeks although patriots did get them the last time these two teams hooked up and we'll discuss that maybe a little bit more in just a moment but first my friend it is almost time to say bye-bye to the bye uh i promise folks i won't say that anymore but the new england patriots did take the practice fields on monday bill belichick doing a little bit

of unorthodox practice schedule this week i think a lot of it was to prevent any type of eventual letdown keep the skills sharp get the guys back out on the field after a long layoff so not a whole lot to report obviously they're only you know initial workouts that we're allowed to watch from Gillette but one thing that was interesting is the return of wide receiver Devontae Parker and of course we all know Steve that Devontae injured himself in the previous Jets game uh first play from scrimmage he goes down with a knee injury he's out for game. Did not play against the Colts. Using the bye week to get back on his feet,

and he looks like he may be ready to go, hopefully, for Sunday. Now, we won't know that for sure until the injury reports start coming out on Wednesday, but if, in fact, Devontae is on the road to recovery and he's able to go on Sunday, how does that change things for the New England Patriots game plan? Just having Devontae Parker back, what does it mean for the wide receivers core? Oh, I think it's huge.

When you look at how they want to use him and the fact that they've struggled, you know, in the red zone the last couple of weeks, I think that, you know, having a big physical guy like Parker going up getting contested passes, especially on third down and in the red zone, I think that's huge for the offense because it gives Mac Jones a player that they really don't have other than him on the roster. Yeah, without any question, I'm glad you mentioned the contested catch ability, because this is something that when Devontae was first acquired from the Miami Dolphins, that a lot of Patriots fans were looking forward to seeing. It almost felt like, well, this is what we hoped we were going to get from Nikhil Harry a couple of years ago, and now we can finally get it with Devontae Parker he's averaging 21.4 yards per

catch throughout New England's first seven games that he's played so this is something that we are seeing from Devontae Parker maybe not the touchdown production that I think a lot of Patriots fans had hoped for only one on those but let's face it the passing game has not exactly been lighting the world on fire either some of that is to do with the offensive line, the signal callers, the play callers. There's been a whole lot going on, but I think Parker's return is vital for a lot of reasons that you mentioned. First of all, he gives you that viable red zone target that the Patriots really have been lacking. And for as well as Taequann Thornton has played played and i love the way he's able to stretch

the field i love how he gives you that vertical threat when the patriots do want to utilize that his speed is tremendous jacoby myers i think is the most complete wide receiver on this team kendrick bourne starting to round into place a little bit parker does give you that ability to go up and to be physical with some of the more physical corners in the league. And I think especially against a team like the Jets, that's going to be vital for the Patriots to find some success because a lot of eyes are going to be on the passing game this weekend. It's going to be a big day for Matt Jones, the offensive line, and really for Matt Patricia in trying to get these guys going. Do you see Parker as a potential catalyst to really spark maybe an offensive surge this weekend?

Oh, I think so. I mean, you know, the passing game has been struggling. The offensive line has been struggling. And he's a guy, you know, can get you that quick slant, can body out a defender. You know, especially you get in those third and four, third and five situations, you know, he can go out and get you that five, six yards to keep the change moving. So that to me is big. And then, you know, he can occasionally stretch the field if they catch the defense kind of napping on him, depending on what the situation might be.

Absolutely. Glad you mentioned that as well, because he is someone that is capable of winning his matchups both on the perimeter and on the inside as well down the field something that is not really in his particular repertoire but this guy can move down the field when he needs to and if mac jones can hit him in stride he may be even able to give you a few yards after the catch as well because he is tough at the catch point and that leads him to be able to extend some plays beyond what they normally would be by toughing out some of the catches and toughing out some of the coverage that he might see so once again my friend your reason your wisdom your counsel brings us to an area where I'm in complete agreement.

And I think our, I don't want to speak for our listeners, but I think they will be as well. I think you'll see Devante come back into the Patriots, three wide receiver sets. I think Tyquan Thornton and I think Jacoby Myers will be the top three options. I think Kendrick Bourne gives you a nice little nudge. And folks do not forget about Nelson Aguilar. I know he's had his issues, drop issues. I know some fans have kind of written him off as the also-ran in that lineup,

but this guy can hang on to the football. He's capable of blazing down the field as well. He's also capable of making some big-time catches. We've seen him do it before. So maybe this might be a get-right game for the New England Patriots on the passing game, but going up against Sauce Gardner in that secondary is not an easy task, and they'll be well, well tested this weekend without any question.

The Jets are coming to play. They've got a bad taste in their mouth from two weeks ago, and definitely Sauce alluded to this earlier a couple weeks ago. He says, we got those guys in two weeks and so did um zach wilson these guys are going to be ready so hopefully davante parker comes back gives them that little boost that the patriots need steve it's always fun talking strategy with you and strategy is always always the byproduct of coaching good coaching and one former Patriots coach is not exactly lighting it up in the Nevada desert folks worse luck in Vegas since Clark Griswold took his family

out there and everybody went to see Wayne Newton not really good for Josh and Josh McDaniels over in Las Vegas the city that never sleeps I don't think Josh is getting a lot of sleep right now, but he's getting a lot of buy-in from the Raiders management. So for anyone that was hoping that Josh was going to come walking back through that door to magically fix Mac Jones, not going to happen, folks. Steve and I are going to talk about what that may mean for the Patriots coaching staff, and why is it a good thing or a bad thing? We'll discuss that in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues.

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my good friend and Patriots pison, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com, joining me here today on this Tuesday episode of the pod. And Steve, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about Devontae Parker. We talked a little bit about the Patriots wide receivers core, but the offense as a whole has been, it's been much maligned. I'll be as diplomatic as I can be without getting into colloquialisms that no one wants to hear right now. Everyone is hoping that the Patriots offense has rid itself from some of the difficulties that they've had during this bi-week and they come out ready to play.

A lot of that is going to be determined by the players on the field. Mack Jones under center, for example, has to be more decisive, has to be a little bit better when picking up the blitz. He has to do his job. Offensive line needs to be much better when it comes to blocking, both run and pass protection. They've been subpar. The tight ends ends the wide receivers

they have to step up their game can't say too much wrong about the running backs from under stevenson has been excellent and damian harris when healthy has been a nice compliment as well but the coaching staff i think right now is the catalyst for anything moving forward with the patriots and anything moving forward with their offense. And it's ironic because the coaching staff is under fire, maybe the second most off, maybe the second most under fire of any offensive mind right now in the National Football League. The top distinction, I'm sorry to say it, folks, it's not Matt Patricia, Joe Judge, or anybody on the Patriots staff. It's an ex-Patriots coach, and we talked about this earlier, my friend. Josh McDaniel is having a rough time out in Vegas.

He is far from doing the Elvis dance with Viva Las Vegas right now. Raiders are at 2-7. They lost to Jeff Saturday and the Colts in Saturday's debut, his pro and collegiate level debut. He doesn't have any coaching experience or didn't up until sunday um and they were able to come in and they were able to beat him matt ryan with a quarterback that most people thought had played his final down in the uh the nfl these are not good times for the silver and black right now and josh has been struggling an awful lot as a matter of

fact a lot of patriots fans a lot of fans throughout the league i know raiders fans were talking about this that josh may not make it through the week uh that the raiders brass may take a look at this pull the plug and say we're done they didn't do that they've actually given him a vote of confidence and said he will start the 2023 season i know things things can always be reneged, but we're going to take them at their word for a moment. I know Patriots fans had this scenario in their head that Josh was going to get fired. Bill's going to pick up the phone, send the plane out there, pick him up from Vegas. McDaniels comes back, coaches Mac for a day. Sunday, the Patriots come out and Mac looks like the Mac of all.

That's not going to happen. A lot of fans are saying doom and gloom of that because they just don't have the faith in Matt Patricia. Before we get into Patricia and Judge, let's talk a little bit about Josh McDaniels. How surprised are you at his struggles out in Las Vegas, especially with the roster he's got out there? Yeah, I'm very surprised. You know, when we saw them in preseason and training camp and, you know, we thought they were primed to have a really good season and it just hasn't worked out. And, you know they they all seem very frustrated i i watched the raiders game you know and then i saw the interview with um with car after the game and he seemed like he

was close to tears how uh frustrated he is right now and you know that vote of confidence uh take it with a grain of salt but i you know i in this case, I believe it's going to happen because, you know, Mark Davis is still trying to pay off John Gruden. He still has a couple of years left on what they owed him. And then to, you know, get rid of Josh McDaniels at this early juncture. I believe they gave him a four-year deal. So, you know, you'd be looking at 20-plus more years added on to a coach that's no longer there. I don't think that's going to happen. Yeah, I don't think it's going to happen either. Mike Florio tweeted about this very shortly after a lot of those rumors started

to gain steam throughout raider nation and even patriots nation as well uh thinking that josh was on his way back to new england and that he was on his way out of las vegas wherever he was going i know raider fans just wanted to see him jettison but there are a lot of reasons why josh is still the coach of the raiders and most of them have to do with what's sitting in the bank right now for mark davis um estimated uh potential tens of million dollars worth of a buy out and like you said patriot the the raiders right now are still paying john gruden uh they're not going to put that type of financial burden on their back and folks for lack of a better term nine games is still way too small of a sample size to determine whether or not this could potentially work unless this was so catastrophic that nothing could salvage it i think at least the raiders would owe josh the opportunity to finish the season and see what

could be done if these guys start to buy in so obviously josh mcdaniel's not walking back through the door but let me ask you this steve that means much to the chagrin of patriots fans that matt patricia joe judge and this patriots offensive brain trust is going to remain in effect for the remainder of the season hasn't been impressive what we've seen so far there have been moments where they've looked pretty good but overall a rough time for the offense can they get the job done down the stretch and get this team to the playoffs? I think it's possible. It's not going to be easy.

I mean, first they have to fix the issues along the offensive line because everything starts and ends from that spot. I mean, if your offensive line isn't playing well, your running backs have no holes to run through. As we've seen, I think it was either Phil Perry or Doug Hyatt posted on Twitter that in the last month, 79% of Ramondre Stevenson's yardage has been after contact. So that tells you that they're not opening holes for him. And on the flip side of that, if they're not opening holes for your running backs,

that means your quarterback's under duress and which he has been. So everything needs to get fixed right from there, right off jump street, going back this week against the jets. I think the brain trust, as you put it, they need to get more creative. They need to show different formations, different motions. I think they need to use play action a little bit more. And I think what we really need to see, especially this week,

I want to see them stretch the field, not so much vertically, but horizontally. Get everyone moving, say, to the left and throw back to the right and get some of your playmakers, guys like Tyquan Thorne, who has some speed, Kendrick Bourne, maybe Nelson Aguilar. Get them the ball and some space to allow them to make some plays after the catch absolutely i completely agree with you and i'm glad that you mentioned the playmakers because that may end up factoring into the point that we discuss next here on locked on patriots but i just want to let you know that

yeah i do agree with you in terms of what you said i think it is possible that this unit is able to put out a NFL-worthy offense. And I'm always cautious when I say that, because I know a lot of people are going to come back and say, well, the offense hasn't been as bad as people have made it out to be. And that is true. Virtue always lies in the middle, folks. You're going to hear people that have told you it's 100% disastrous. And then there will be people that will tell you that, well, the sky is not falling. Everything is fine. It really has been a little bit of both for the Patriots. So hopefully cooler heads will prevail.

The New England Patriots will heed some of what a lot of the analysts have been saying, which is utilize play action. Maybe use the gap runs as much as you use the outside zone and allow the playbook to maybe be a little bit uh how shall i say simplified even for mac jones to get everybody back on track steve we're at that time now where we are going to talk about exactly what we open the show with today and that is one more bold prediction before the bye you know know that Steve is always the resident voice of reason, and I'm going to pick his brain on what that might be in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up.

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and try all five flavors just for yourself. Built, you've got to try this, folks. Get 15% off your order right now by using the code LOCKEDON15 at Bilt.com. That's LOCKEDON15, L-O-C-K-E-B-O-N-1-5 at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your schedule today to join us here on Locked On Patriots. Tuesday, right now, after the bye week, as we head into a Week 11 matchup with the New York Jets at the end of the week on Sunday at Gillette Stadium. Steve, it's almost time to take our leave of the bye week.

All of the speculation, the time for the talk is just about over. But not before we have a little more fun here on Locked On Patriots, before we say bye-bye to the bye. I know, folks. I said I wouldn't say it again. I promise. This is the last one. Steve, we love bold predictions. Well, I don't know if we love them, but our fans love them.

Football fans all over the country love bold predictions. We love takes. Always, always able to sink your teeth into a nice hot take. So when you look at this team now, sitting at 5-4, holding on to the seventh and final seed in the playoffs right now, hard to believe that all four of the AFC East teams, so much for that AFC least, they're all going to make the playoffs if the playoffs started today. I'm not sure if that's going to happen when the season is over.

But as you look at this team right now, knowing the strength of schedule that they have the rest of the way, the way they've played, but also the potential they have to play the way we think they can, what is your bold prediction for the second half of the New England Patriots season in 2022? Well, I think the offense is going to get stuff figured out. I'm not sure that they is going to get stuff figured out. I'm not sure that they're going to get it figured out to the extent that we're all hoping they will. I think Mac Jones will play better because I just think that, you know, this past week with the buy to the buy week, as you said,

I think they did a lot of self-scouting and they have to realize what they do well and what they don't and what they don't. They need to toss out and, you know, just stick to what you know, stick to what works. And, you know, I really think that looking at the grand scheme of things, I mean, the playoffs are not out of the realm of possibility because as always, it all depends on who's healthiest. You know, we've seen Buffalo drop a couple of games that we didn't think they were going to. So I really think the offense will be better. I'm just not sure it's going to be that much better.

Yeah, I would probably agree with you. I think the offense will be better. I think we may differ a little bit in terms of how they're going to get there in terms of opinions and bold predictions. I do believe Mac Jones will be better. I think that the offensive line will still continue to be an Achilles heel. From what I've seen from Isaiah Wynn, I'm not sure the buy-in is there. And if that's going to be a problem, nothing we really say or do is going to matter all that much. If they're not getting the blocking and Mack is still running for his life, he's going to struggle. Even though I do predict that he will be better, I think it may be difficult for him with that. So he's going to have to be very aware of his surroundings, and we'll see.

Hopefully that will be the case my bold prediction for the second half of the season is that 12 man personnel that the Patriots have been wanting I'm not sure how much we're going to see 12 but I think the tight ends will be better and I know you can hear Claire squealing all the way over from the UK don't worry we'll talk about this when Claire rejoins the show and we talk to her later this week but at the same time I do think that this tandem of Hunter Henry and Johnnie Smith will start to live up to expectation uh they really have nowhere to go but up at this point Steve so maybe this isn't such a bold prediction but 35 catches 394 yards one scoring touchdown that's not one stat line that's combined with the two of them

right now folks so that absolutely has to change they also i don't think have been all that great with blocking against the run pro football focus has these guys graded pretty low hunter henry of 49.8 that's 49th among 67 eligible tight ends smith ranks 64 out of 67 he's at 35.8 so that has to change especially if the Patriots continue to struggle along the offensive line but I think they find a way to incorporate these guys on offense I think if they can utilize play action it's going to open up things for Hunter Henry really accentuate his route running skills you saw it on the seam route against the Colts 30 yard gain there that was a big move and i think a big connection between mac and hunter who really looked very good together last year

we haven't seen that um that i think we see a little bit more in the second half and i still believe jano can be a move tight end someone who is particularly threatening in the red zone if the patriots can put that together and they are able to utilize the two tight ends that strengthens this offense so much it gives them an additional couple of weapons that we really haven't seen utilized all that much this year so whether it's a bold prediction or not folks that is my prediction for the offense and I think the offense improves because of the play for the tight end so Steve before we take our leave of the bye week, you get the final word today, my friend.

Any more thoughts about the Patriots' future, about the bye, or about the second half that you'd like to share with our adoring public that always love to hear your wisdom and counsel? Yeah, I think, you know, this game on Sunday, I think it's as big a game for the Jets as well as the Patriots, as we will have seen from these two teams playing at the same time for quite some time. I think, you know, this is pivotal. I mean, I was talking with Antoine Staley, who covers the Jets for the New York Daily News,

earlier today, and he said how crazy the NFL is this season. At the end of Sunday, the Jets could be either in first place in the division or in last place. And that's, I mean, when you're talking about parity, there you go. I mean, every game now is going to be important, and I think in the next month you know looking at the patriots schedule i think we're going to have a much better idea

of where this team is and what they're going to be yeah absolutely we may have a pretty clear picture as to what this team could be by the time the buffalo bills roll into town on december 1st big thursday night game throwback game, my friend. It's going to be a fun one, but the Patriots have a couple of definite, definite tough matchups when you're talking about not only the Jets this weekend, but most importantly, when you're talking about the Minnesota Vikings as well on Thanksgiving, because they look to be every bit of formidable force when it comes to the

New England Patriots as well. So Steve, it's always an honor, always a blast to have you join me here on Locked On Patriots. I thank you for taking time out to join me today. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you,

interact with you and what you have coming down the pike from the great pen, the great voice of Steve Balistrieri. Well, thanks. I don't know so much about the voice right now. I'm losing it. But, you know, I write for patsfans.com. You can find me on Twitter and Instagram at SteveB7SFG. I'm on Facebook under Steve Valistrieri. And, you know, I did the podcast with Murph and Claire this morning

with Antoine, who I just mentioned. It's a Jets beat writer. And I have a podcast coming up tomorrow with Russ and Derek, and we're going to be breaking down the Jets game. Absolutely. And definitely check out both of those folks. Antoine, of course, has been on the airwaves here on Locked On Patriots. And Russ and Derek just do an amazing job with Patriots 4th and 2 alongside Steve.

So check those out wherever you get your podcasts, wherever you consume any of your Patriots coverage. And Steve's columns are always must-read, folks. His Sunday column, Murph likes to call it the Sunday paper. Who am I to argue? I completely agree, my friend. The tip of the cap, as always. Folks, thank you so much for taking time out of your schedule

to join us here on Locked On Patriots and make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And now that you've made us your first listen, please make your second listen our good friends over at Locked On Sports today. All of the latest sports news in all the major sports and college,

under 30 minutes, and you even get the take of the day. Folks, it's a tremendous deal, and you'll want to invest the time. So download, subscribe to, follow Locked On Sports Today on the Odyssey app, on YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And while you're at it, make sure to smash that subscribe button on YouTube for Locked On Patriots and download us wherever you get your podcasts. And while you're at it, make sure to smash that subscribe button on YouTube for Locked On Patriots and download us wherever you get your audio podcasts. On behalf of the resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots,

Steve Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe, stay well, be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.