Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Embarrassing Loss to Chargers; Securing the No. 1 Overall NFL Draft Pick?

Starting point is 00:00:00 Is it number one pick no matter what for the New England Patriots when it comes to their strategy for their final regular season game against the Buffalo Bills this Sunday? 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, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country, so reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL.

Starting point is 00:00:47 While you're out there showing some love to Lockdown Patriots on X, please follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots. And if you're looking for me over where the skies are blue, I'm available there as well at MDABATENFL.BSKY.SOCIAL. And of course,

Starting point is 00:01:04 Patriots fans, today on the docket we continue to wallow in the mire of the new england patriots 40 to 7 drubbing at the hands of the los angeles chargers who would have thought that the new england patriots fate would have improved the moment they didn't see the field it's exactly what happened on sund. Your New England Patriots now control their own fate in the palm of their hand. One loss locks them into the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Is it number one pick or bust for the Patriots? Well, we're going to be enough to cause us to forget all of the disgust we had while we watched the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Saturday in a 40-7 blowout at the hands of the LA Chargers. We're going to discuss the low lights.

Starting point is 00:01:54 That's right, Pats fans. We try to keep a positive attitude here a lot of times, but there were no positives coming out of that game. All low lights. We're going to discuss those. And then finally, we're going to serve up maybe the last slice of holiday blame pie we have left here on Locked On Patriots because a lot of you out there believe that Gerard Mayo and this coaching staff may be coaching for their very jobs on Sunday against the Bills. Should that be the case? Is it really the coach's fault?

Starting point is 00:02:21 Are the players more to blame or is that largest slice of blame pie reserved for those in a higher position on this team? Yeah. Finger might be pointed at ownership a little bit. We're going to talk about all of that today. And I keep saying we, because as you can see, if you're viewing this here on YouTube, I am joined by our resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots. The man whose level-headed approach we need now more than ever in Foxborough.

Starting point is 00:02:47 He is a columnist extraordinaire at patsfans.com, as well as being the co-host of another amazing Patriots podcast that needs to be in all of your rotations. That's Patriots 4th and 2 alongside the great Derek Avins. He's Steve Balistrieri. Steve, thank you for joining me here today. As always, my Patriots Paisan, we need your wisdom and counsel today more than ever. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:03:10 Boy, there, you know, I'm usually one of those glass half full guys. I always look for something positive or a little bit of optimism where you can say, you know, okay, we still got this Saturday I was watching that game and I can honestly tell you by early in the third quarter I was like man this game can't get over fast enough and uh you know after the game that uh that effect lingered on. I mean, I love football season. I love watching the NFL. But part of me was like, this season can't get over fast enough. I think a lot of fans felt that way.

Starting point is 00:03:56 I know the fans at Gillette that braved the damp, rainy, kind of disgusting conditions weather-wise that were up in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Saturday. Could not wait to get back into the warmth of their cars, beat the traffic, get out of there. It was an eerily quiet stadium on Saturday for the New England Patriots. And I think what was more disturbing though to the fan base, those that were in attendance and those that were watching at home, I think a lot of Patriots fans believe that the Patriots themselves, the players themselves, look like they would rather be anywhere but on the field at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

Starting point is 00:04:30 That was very disheartening. It brought out the ire of some Patriots that we hold in the highest regard. Guys who were considered top-notch leaders in that locker room took umbrage, for lack of a better term, to the way the Patriots fans treated them in the latter part of that game. And then, of course, in post-games, they the way the Patriots fans treated them in the latter part of that game. And then, of course, in post-games, they were leaving the field. A lot of boos in Gillette Stadium.

Starting point is 00:04:50 Was it justified? We're going to get into that, folks, in just a moment. But Steve, a lot of those boos, a lot of that angst, a lot of that disgust that Patriots fans were carrying in from Saturday night into Sunday morning actually turned into some optimism. And the Patriots didn't even have to step foot on a field in order to make that happen thanks to a 45 to 33 win by the New York football Giants over the Indianapolis Colts the Giants victory and the Colts kind of falling apart in that game put the Patriots in position to control their own fate when it comes to the 2025 NFL draft. If they lose to the Buffalo

Starting point is 00:05:25 Bills this Sunday at 1 p.m., folks, that time has been set. Mark it down in your calendars. This Sunday, 1 p.m., Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, who are now locked into the number two seed, the Patriots are locked in to that first overall draft pick. And this could be franchise changing for the New England Patriots whether they decide to hold on to the pick or do what I believe they should do trade it for a very good draft haul when you look at this with your infinite wisdom and counsel and reason that we need today Don Bellastrieri please help walk us through the process of what the Patriots should be thinking is this

Starting point is 00:06:05 number one pick no matter what or should the patriots really be more focused on trying to get a win to end the season well in in the immortal words of consider every tom mike this isn't personal this is about business and they gotta get that number one pick now because now they own it, right? So at this point, get that number one pick because it's going to set you up. I don't believe they should use it. You know, things may change to that effect. But at this point, you're going to get some big draft capital in return for that. You know, they don't have to slide back very far, only about four or five spots maybe.

Starting point is 00:06:54 And, you know, there's going to be teams that are hungry for that number one pick because they want the quarterback and, you know, be it Kim Ward or Sanders, you know, that's up to the other teams that want that guy or whichever guy, but yeah, they're going to set you up. I mean, it's all about business now, you know, honestly, I mean, I want to see him go out and compete but what would be this i mean is anything they do on sunday gonna change your mind about the way this season has unfolded i don't think so so make it about the business i mean do i want to see them play hard absolutely

Starting point is 00:07:42 because you don't like seeing the kind of effort we saw, you know, in Arizona and then even worse on Saturday in Gillette Stadium. You know, I was foolishly thinking, hey, you know what? They showed a lot of life against the Bills. I didn't think they were going to win that game, but I thought they were going to take it down to the wire. But I mean, that one, they just were run roughshod in every phase of the game. Yeah. Last week I had the Patriots losing to the Chargers by a final of 20 to 17.

Starting point is 00:08:16 I certainly didn't expect what we saw on the field, especially at home, because you know, these players come out there and they play for pride. They want the fans to cheer them. They really do, folks. Bottom line, it bothers these players when you boo them. They do hear you. You go into the locker room after that game and you can feel it. You can hear it in that locker room, the disgust that players have

Starting point is 00:08:37 when they're booed by their home fans because they know they haven't delivered. Yeah, they might be taking it a little personally, as you like to say. This is business, and this man is taking it very, very personal. Dietrich Weiss took it very personal on Saturday. So did Devon Godshaw. They had some stuff to say about Patriots fans and how they were coming across. But to me, I think you make an excellent point about this number one pick now. This is what's best for business. That's a much bigger selling point than just putting out the effort in the latter part of this season. I think that ship has sailed. If the Patriots wanted to go for effort and they wanted to prove that they were playing hard and giving it everything they had, they needed to come out of the bye against Arizona and they needed to

Starting point is 00:09:20 play hard in those games remaining on the schedule, whether it be the two against Buffalo or whether it be against Arizona and Los Angeles. You needed to see the same type of effort in all four of those games. I think that ship has sailed. So now you focus on maybe giving the young guys a shot, giving them an opportunity to get out there, see what they can do. They'll give it all they've got, but I don't think it's going to be enough to beat the Bills B squad, which is likely what they're going to be facing. I think no matter what, New England ends up with this number one pick. I don't think you're going to have to question their motives or question whether or

Starting point is 00:09:53 not they're giving it all. I think the players that are going to be out there on Sunday will give it their all. I don't think it's going to be good enough to be even a lesser Buffalo Bills opponent if that's what they do face on Sunday. Yeah, I agree. I mean, look, you know, all of the issues that we've been talking about all year, man, they all just came to the forefront on Saturday. The offensive line. That's a great point. Oh, my God.

Starting point is 00:10:25 It was dreadful. And, you know, wide receivers, they weren't getting open. You know, they were being smothered. And Justin Herbert, now I don't want to take anything away from Herbert. I think, you know, he's a very, very good quarterback. But you can see the difference this year between him and what he was a year or even a couple of years ago under Jim Harbaugh. You can see what coaching does. And he picked them apart to where it was ugly to watch. And so, you know, I don't have high hopes for the Patriots beating the Bills on Sunday. So, you know, I'm all in on the, hey, look, even if we don't want it to happen,

Starting point is 00:11:21 they're going to lose on Sunday. And that first draft pick now that's your priority and I honestly I wouldn't even start Drake May this weekend yeah that's a great point and that was actually going to be my follow-up for you in terms of the players that you want to maintain and you want to make sure are healthy heading into next season uh i think if a player a free agent out there such as who knows wide receivers cincinnati bangles had himself a pretty good game you know yeah these things kind of come into fruition steve uh maybe who knows maybe enough cash will convince him that new england is the place to play when he sees someone like drake may

Starting point is 00:12:02 i think potential free agents have seen enough of Drake to know what they're going to get themselves into. They know this kid is going to be a baller. If he gets weapons around him and some protection in front of him, and we'll get into that in just a moment too, folks, this kid is going to be just fine. So I don't see any need to put him in there and to risk any potential injury. I know a lot of Patriots fans are saying, throw Joe Milton in there. You want to see what you can do. This guy is the future backup. This is the way to go. I think there's an argument to be made there. I don't think necessarily that Jacoby Brissett is either going to increase or decrease his stock value. Could we see the third string of rookie

Starting point is 00:12:39 in there on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills? Would it be smart for the Patriots to do that at this point? Sure, because you're getting him some experience, you know. I would dress all three quarterbacks on Sunday. I would give Joe Milton the start, and then he'll have Jacoby and Drake right beside him on the bench, you know, and they can help him out. And, you know, I think it'd be great experience. And, you know, on the flip side, you're throwing a little monkey wrench into the bills, as you call it, the B team, you know, with, you know, I'm sure they're going to rest their starters after a short amount of time. And if guys are banged up, they'll probably rest them, you know,

Starting point is 00:13:26 for the whole game. But give them something they haven't seen. No one's seen Joe Milton yet in a regular season game. So what better way, you know? And it would be great experience for Joe. Plus, it'll give that level of excitement for the fan base that's going to be there. Hey, we're going to see something different, you know. And, yeah, you don't want to risk a catastrophic injury to Drake May

Starting point is 00:13:54 at this point. And Joe Milton's expendable. That's not what I mean. But you know going into next season, Drake's going to be the starting quarterback. Right. but you know going into next season drake's going to be the starting quarterback right and if he was to suffer some kind of you know serious injury boy you know you might be looking at all of next year being gone so you don't want that um you know i'm all for giving joe the start i think it would be exciting yeah i think it would be exciting too Yeah, I think it would be exciting, too. And look, I think it also feeds into where I think most Patriots fans are starting to land on this.

Starting point is 00:14:32 You want to see a better effort. I think they will give a better effort on Sunday. I don't think you'll see the same type of malaise you saw on Saturday. As we said before, I don't think that effort is necessarily going to be good enough to carry them over the Buffalo Bills. But bottom line, this is the best business for the New England Patriots, folks. This roster has too many holes. There are too many deficiencies to say that one player at the top of this draft is going to solve all of your problems and answer all of your questions. It's not. You can go for the best player available. Obviously, Travis Hunter would be the guy that I think a lot of Patriots fans

Starting point is 00:15:05 would love to see here. But if you can take that draft capital and turn that into a couple of competent linemen, turn it into a couple of competent receivers, get some help along the defensive line and at the linebacker position, perhaps another outside corner that could come in and be a good, solid compliment to Christian Gonzalez. These are all desperate needs for the New England Patriots. outside corner that could come in and be a good solid compliment to christian gonzalez these are all desperate needs for the new england patriots the best way to maximize it is to get that top

Starting point is 00:15:29 overall pick because that's the one that these teams are going to be vying for there are a couple of very quarterback hungry teams out there right now steve that would love to leapfrog and get into that number one position and bottom line a couple of those teams you may not have to move back all that much in order to get it so all the stars seem to be aligned for the new england patriots right now to get the number one overall pick but the stars were clearly not on the side of the patriots on saturday all low lights no highlights at all from this one just a complete drubbing from start to finish in every phase of football steve and i are going to talk about the problem areas that stood out most and what needs to be done about them in the off season when this episode of the locked on patriots podcast continues a proud part of the

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Starting point is 00:17:36 Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. And joining me is my Patriots by Zahn. Steve Balistrieri of patsfans.com and Steve in the previous segment we talked a lot about the Patriots procuring the number one overall pick. The pros, the cons, we both agree that the Patriots family business would be best served by them getting the number one overall pick and if that involves maybe not giving the best of what you got on Sunday to do it, this may be the one exception to the rule where the dreaded T word could be acceptable to this fan base. But something that wasn't acceptable to this fan base, to you or I as well,

Starting point is 00:18:16 as people that have covered this team for a number of years, several of our colleagues in the media, even national pundits picked up on the fact that the New England Patriots simply looked like a team that was unprepared. They looked like a team that was uninspired, and they continue to make fundamental mistakes and they're unsound in basically all three phases of football. That's something that New England Patriots fans have really not had to hear about their team in over a quarter century, really since bill belichick took the reins here in new england this team has not been this futile in a long time when you look at their performance against the los angeles chargers on saturday a 40-7 loss could not get any pressure

Starting point is 00:18:59 on justin herbert could not get any offensive traction going. They were thoroughly outcoached, and I think out-hustled in every facet of the game. We usually try to talk about highlights, Steve. We try to extract some silver linings. I couldn't do it, and I know you couldn't either, but what were the lowlights in this matchup that stood out to you the most for all the wrong reasons? Well, before we start, I will give a little bit of kudos. I'm not saying he was great, but I was pleasantly surprised by Cole Strange at center.

Starting point is 00:19:37 Point taken. Because it was his first game at center. He's only been practicing it for a couple of weeks. He's never played the position before. And I thought he handled business pretty well. I mean, you know, there was a couple of times where, you know, he was kind of blocking air and just kind of hanging out there. But for the most part, you know, I thought he looked pretty good.

Starting point is 00:20:04 And, you know, I liked the fact that in the running game, that athleticism that, you know, they were hyping about when he was drafted, you could see that better, you know, with him taking off. And he does play with the mean streak in the running game. I like that. So, I mean, it's only one game, but at the same time, when you're looking at an absolute disaster on your hands, I'm not going to include him in that because I thought he played pretty well. Now, for the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey would say, I mean, take your pick.

Starting point is 00:20:44 Where do you want to go? I mean, the offensive line, you know, I'm watching. And now granted, you know, when you're dealing with the Chargers, you're talking about Khalil Mack, Joey Bosa. Those guys are outstanding and they're, you know, they're outstanding for a reason because they get after it. But when you have guys on the edge that don't even get a piece of them where they're just grabbing air, I mean, that's just unacceptable. You can't have that. And once again, we saw that. I mean, you know, it was more on the right side this week than the left side. But Viderian Lowe, you know, didn't have a game that he could be hanging his hat on either.

Starting point is 00:21:32 It's just the same things time after time. And, you know, as I've mentioned to you before, I mute the sound of the television and I listen to the games on the radio because I believe Bob Soce and Zoe, they have a much better feel for the team and they know this team. So I listen to their commentary. Sometimes the sound doesn't quite match up, but yeah, you know, and they were calling it like it is. And Zoe even said after another penalty by the offensive line, this team, you know, could kill drives like Roundup kills grass.

Starting point is 00:22:16 And, you know, they do it all the time. The offensive line, the secondary, I know they lost Christian Gonzalez, but they were picking apart everybody. Of course, Ladd McConkie rubbed it in that the Patriots didn't draft him by torturing Jonathan Jones all game long. The wide receivers didn't have a great game. Even the tight ends this week did not have a great game. No, absolutely. No one did.

Starting point is 00:22:48 And it was across the board. Drake made that one beautiful pass to Mario Douglas. But, I mean, he didn't have the greatest game either. I didn't see anything, you know, that would fill me with, like, optimism moving forward. Yeah. I'm glad you mentioned Drake because I know a lot of fans have looked at him as the silver lining in a lot of these Patriots losses as of late.

Starting point is 00:23:16 I think you can probably say that that was not the case this week. I know he went down early with a head injury, came back. There was some question about whether or not he was going to be back in the game while he was being evaluated. But he came back and it looked like he was able to perform his duties out on the field. Ended up finishing with a negative.43 EPA per drop back. So there were definitely some issues there. He left the pocket a little earlier on some occasions, which I think led to some rhythm

Starting point is 00:23:42 problems when it came to his attempt to maybe find open receivers. Maybe he was a little bit worse for the wear after taking that shot. It looked like maybe there was a couple of times there where that was an issue for him, but you can't put it all on his shoulders because when you look at the pressure rate that was allowed by this offensive line, once again, you're tipping the scales over the 50% mark. You simply can't have that, especially for a young quarterback. So there was a lot of work that needs to be done on this offensive line without any question. There were certain moments that stood out a little bit. I loved seeing the ingenuity in Drake and Demario Douglas on the touchdown. I thought that was a heads up play by both of them kind of going off script, knowing

Starting point is 00:24:24 where the ball was, knowing where they were on the field, and making the necessary play to make that happen. So yeah, maybe a slight silver lining there, folks, but bottom line, just it wasn't enough. It was not enough from this team. You didn't see any consistency on offense, and defense continues to really, I think, dishearten a lot of Patriots fans. It disheartens me when you see what this defense is going to be. You're gashed again in the run. Exactly. You're gashed again in the run. You mentioned the secondary, and you mentioned Jonathan Jones. Now, we were led to believe that Jonathan was maybe putting some health issues behind him, starting to get healthy. He looked to be not just one step, but two steps behind Ladd McConkie at all times. And I understand Ladd's got a 4.3, you know, I understand that.

Starting point is 00:25:09 I understand Ladd's got like 4.3 speed. So he's quick. If you're losing Ladd McConkie, you're not in the minority. You're in the majority. But Jonathan Jones is a corner that is known for his speed. It just looked uncharacteristic. And Ladd took full advantage of that. Kyle Duggar continues to have coverage problems in the secondary. A lot of miscommunication between

Starting point is 00:25:30 he and Alex Austin at the cornerback position. This is where you miss someone like a Jabril Peppers, who is a great communicator in that defensive backfield. So all these things just kind of adding up to, I don't want to say a perfect storm, Steve, really like a negative tempest, if you think about it. And this one just continued to unravel as the day went on, and the Patriots just could not find any traction, could not get anything going. If we're talking blame for this loss, if we're talking the most egregious part of this loss, do you put this one more on lack of personnel, lack of talent on the the field or do you put it on lack of preparation and lack of guidance from the coaches rooming on the sidelines i think it's i think it's the

Starting point is 00:26:12 latter i think it's uh you know lack of preparation you know because we've seen at times they can run the football right yeah against certain teams i when i after the game i i was going through the game book and the stats and whatnot trying to draw some some glimmer of how everything went wrong and the two running backs gained a total of only 63 yards on Saturday. 50 of them, 50, came in the final drive in garbage time. And, you know, that tells me that your team wasn't ready to play at all. Yeah. You know?

Starting point is 00:27:07 Because going into that garbage time drive, they had 13 yards rushing other than Drake May. That's unacceptable. It is. And you can't sustain that. And a team is not going to be able to move forward, or they're not going to be able to look forward to the next season, knowing that this is the type of output that they're regularly bringing out. And folks,

Starting point is 00:27:24 that's going to lead us quite nicely into our final segment discussion of this podcast today. Steve and I are going to talk about the coach's room. A lot of Patriots fans were upset at the output that they were watching on Saturday on the field at Gillette Stadium. In fact, a lot of the Foxborough faithful at Gillette were actually chanting to fire the head coach. Was that a little harsh considering the circumstances or were fans justified in their frustration?

Starting point is 00:27:51 Steve and I are going to talk about that and whether or not this week's game against the Buffalo Bills could end up being more than just a referendum on this coaching staff. We're going to talk about all that and more when this discussion here on Locked On Patriots wraps up a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. We continue to dissect the Patriots' embarrassing 40-7 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Saturday at Gillette Stadium. Coincidentally enough, the New England Patriots actually left the weekend sitting in a pretty position. They control their own fate and potentially have a lock on the number one overall pick in this upcoming 2025 NFL draft.

Starting point is 00:28:42 Steve, up until this point, we've been talking about whether or not the Patriots are best served by allowing the Bills to come in here, beat the Patriots, secure that number one overall pick, and then control your own fate heading into the 2025 NFL draft. Tanking is never something that is condoned. I've gone on record several times here on Locked On Patriots and say that I don't believe that's the way a team should be run. Elliott Wolfe has gone on record. He did so shortly after taking the job and told the Boston Herald that he did not believe

Starting point is 00:29:14 under any circumstances that tanking had any place in the game. He believed it undermined the game, undermines the organization, and would never be a part of what this team does. But if the Patriots are to secure that number one overall pick, they have to lose. Where does this leave the coaching staff? Because the fans were absolutely embarrassed. They were chanting fire mail at Gillette Stadium in the latter part of that game on Saturday. I came on these airwaves very shortly after that game in my post-game reaction and said sweeping changes were needed across the board on the coaching staff. The benefit of about 24 hours to cool off kind of gives you a little bit more of a fresher perspective, but the question is still out there with a lot of Patriots fans. Do you believe that these coaches on Sunday, Steve, should be coaching for their jobs?

Starting point is 00:30:02 Well, two things. I think tanking is awful um and we know some teams have done that not going to point fingers but honestly i think as bad as this team is they don't have to tank to lose on sunday i think you know they're they're that far gone. And, you know, when it comes to the coaching staff, I really don't think Sunday has any bearing on whether they return or not. Because if your ownership at this point, is anything Sunday going to change your opinion of how this season's gone?

Starting point is 00:30:47 And the answer would be no. So if you're going to keep them, no matter what happens on Sunday, barring the coach walking off the field in the middle of the game, then, you know, you're going to keep them. If you plan on cleaning house, as you say, and some of the fans are calling for, then nothing would change your mind this coming weekend. Honestly, I'm looking at it from this perspective.

Starting point is 00:31:27 We keep seeing the same things over and over the lack of discipline, uh, you know, poor fundamentals and so on and so forth that we talk about every week here that we've been doing for 16 weeks. And, you know, is that a player issue or a coaching issue? It's kind of unfair that Mayo's coming in first time head coach.

Starting point is 00:31:52 He'd never even actually been a coordinator. And he's saddled with a roster as bad as this one is. So, you know, is it worth for for the crafts to give him another shot because what happens i mean i know everyone's really high on mike rabel and johnson uh you know detroit and whatnot but if they're adamant about keeping mayo they're going to lose their shot at these guys. So they're, they're out of the picture. What happens if you start next year with the same people,

Starting point is 00:32:36 you don't hit it out of the park and, you know, in the spring with the draft and free agency, and you start off one in four, one and five again. Now you're looking at a completely wasted second season of Drake May because you're not going to get the guy you're looking for in the interim. And that has to play on their minds because I know the craps hate losing. They're taking it on the chin from the fan base because those chants of fire and mayo, you could hear that on the telecast.

Starting point is 00:33:15 You could hear it on the, you know, the radio broadcast. Yeah. Yeah. You could hear that. And I mean, you know, Zoe and Bob didn't really touch on that. But I mean, it was visible or it was audible in the background. Absolutely. And so now now you're kind of in no man's land with that. And, you know, I was one of those people that was adamant there's no way they fire him. Now I'm kind of on the fence. I'm wondering, you know, is it going to happen? And I think, you know, right now, I think it's 50-50.

Starting point is 00:33:58 I think that's a good point. And it kind of leads me quite nicely into my final question for you today on this subject, Steve, is that if, in fact, there is any doubt about whether or not gerard mayo and this coaching staff are coaching for their jobs on sunday what type of effort from the patriots on the field will it take in your estimation to save this job because we've already established that the patriots would be best served by losing this game and securing that number one overall pick. If they go out and win this game and all of a sudden you end up with the number three overall pick, that's not going to get you that same type of ball that the number one would get for a quarterback desperate team that wants to trade up. What type of effort on the field is it going to

Starting point is 00:34:39 take from these Patriots? Do they go out and have to win this game? Or is it simply being a little bit better than they were last week? Because that sets the bar awfully low. In my opinion, there really is nowhere to go but up. So what type of equator, I guess is the best way for me to put it exists right now for this coaching staff to give you a little bit of hope heading into next year, but also still do what's best overall for the personnel of this franchise? Well, I think if I'm the owners and I'm leaning toward cleaning house, the only way that they could change my mind is if they blow out Buffalo like they were blown out last week, which I really don't think is going to happen. But that, I mean, that would be the only thing.

Starting point is 00:35:30 And it's like, okay, you know, they showed what they're capable of. And they've done that a couple of times this year, you know. Even in a couple of losses, they showed they were, you know, more than capable of being competitive. Then there's those other games. Again, it goes back to the same mistakes, the same stuff, which I believe falls on the coaching staff.

Starting point is 00:36:01 Now, do you take into consideration the fact that the roster is so bad right now? I think it has to, you know. But at the same time, if you're considering going after a guy like Mike Vrabel, maybe they're not even considering it. But if they were, then I'd be on the phone with him already and I'd be willing to overpay because

Starting point is 00:36:29 he's probably going to get off of that Chicago job. Honestly, I think the Bears are in a lot better position than the Patriots roster-wise right now. I know there's questions about ownership there, but I think this

Starting point is 00:36:45 is going to be the spring of overpaying because I think there's no way you're going to bring in a guy like T. Higgins just being competitive. It's not about that this year. It's going to be

Starting point is 00:37:02 about overpaying and they're going to have to pay through the nose, which the crafts are not known for. I think you hit the nail right on the head. This is absolutely going to be about the Patriots' willingness to spend and overspend in a lot of cases. The crafts are going to have to determine what is best for this franchise moving forward. I think Mark Daniels of MassLive put it very well earlier this week when he wrote about the lack of preparation on the field has to go to the head coach. The lack of efficiency of the offense and the defense has to go to Alex Van Pelt and to Marcus

Starting point is 00:37:36 Covington respectfully. But if you're looking for a finger to point, if you're looking for that ultimate blame pie, folks, that big slice slice it has to go to ownership they put these guys in place when you look at what the patriots did last year at this time steve they moved on from arguably the biggest legend to ever occupy a head coaching position in the nfl in bill belichick and when you do that and you hand the keys to the kingdom to a guy who doesn't have experience as a head coach or a coordinator at any level and expect that same type of discipline to carry over and for things to improve, you need to surround him with the most competent minds possible.

Starting point is 00:38:15 I think Alex Van Pelt and Demarcus Covington are very good coaches. I think they're very smart football minds. I think Elliot Wolfe is competent in terms of being able to evaluate talent, but do they belong in the roles they have? Was Elliott ready to be a general manager of this team? Were DeMarcus and Alex ready to be the coordinators alongside Gerard Mayo? These are the things that ownership has to answer for. Do you bring in someone that can build a program to try to help navigate this ship i've heard people talking about scott pioli who's right now out there he's done it before maybe he can do it again here he hasn't burned the bridges here in new england um there's

Starting point is 00:38:55 a possibility that that could be a call that i think this ownership group could make but bottom line folks this team needs to make decisions and they need to make them quickly uh either to give gerard mayo the vote of confidence or like you said steve do they clear house and move forward that way um either way i think we're all hoping that they do so with the number one pick in tow but steve what can i say thank you for lending that reason that wisdom that counsel we all needed today so desperately in the meantime i want to thank my my good friend Steve Balistrieri for his appearance today. Most importantly, folks, I want to thank all of you, all of you everydayers,

Starting point is 00:39:30 all of you Locked On Patriots loyalists that continue to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of Steve, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding all of you to stay safe, to stay well, to be the change you wish to see in the world.

Starting point is 00:39:45 Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on A Lot on Patriots.

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