Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Final Thoughts on Bills Loss, 2024 NFL Draft Priorities

Starting point is 00:00:00 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. Don't forget, Locked On Patriots is available on all platforms, including YouTube. So download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots

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Starting point is 00:01:10 And folks, thank you so much for joining us here today on LockedOn Patriots. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at mdabatenfl while you're out there showing social media love to lockdown patriots follow our account there as well at lo underscore patriots and folks for the first time in 2024 i get to welcome in my good friend my co-pilot my brother in the business the legendary thomas murphy mur, thank you so much for joining us here today and welcome to the first 2024 episode

Starting point is 00:01:50 of Lockdown Patriots with you in the guest seat, Don Murph. I think we got the last one of 2023 in, didn't we? We did. We did. So the first one, the non-solo of 2024. Good show yesterday, Michael. But always my pleasure. Can't wait to sit down here and talk some pats with you, even after what happened on Sunday. I know. I'm not happy.

Starting point is 00:02:17 I'm not happy. Yeah, I don't blame you. And not a lot of Patriots fans are, although some are. And I didn't cover that yesterday. Hey, Don Murph, I told you on Friday that I need a man who has powerful friends, and I need a million dollars in cash. I'm still waiting on that, by the way. But I did need those monster keys that you carry in your pocket like so many nickels and dimes. Murph, I know you as well as I were watching this game against the Bills on Sunday,

Starting point is 00:02:44 wondering why a lot of these keys were not being turned. Yeah. When you look at specifically the offense, because we'll start there, Bailey Zappi, a dismal performance in the first half. I thought he got a little bit better in the second half. I gave him some praise here on Locked On Patriots yesterday for kind of fighting through it. But the more I watched, and I went back and watched the game after recording yesterday's show I'm starting to waver a little bit on the full game performance of Bailey Zappi but you see things us mere mortals don't see which of the monster

Starting point is 00:03:15 keys were you most disappointed wasn't turned offensively on Sunday and your overall thoughts on the offense's performance against the Bills well Well, you know, the first key on my ring was to go out and sling it. I wanted the Patriots to set up the run with the pass. It turned out that if the Patriots had just taken a knee every time they got the ball in the first half of this game, they probably would have won it. All right. 17 points were scored before a single pass was completed

Starting point is 00:03:48 in this game. 17. Yeah, I thought we were getting out to a good start. The special teams unit looked great, but you can't come back from three turnovers in a game. And Bailey Zappi turned the ball over three times in the first quarter. I've never seen that before in my life. I couldn't throw three interceptions if I tried to. Yes, one of them was tipped, but it was still Zappi's fault. He was late getting the ball there. One series, it looked like miscommunication.

Starting point is 00:04:28 Somebody zigged when they were supposed to zag. It was awful. And the tip was just as bad. There's a reason that it's a weekly key to win the turnover battle. And you just can't in this league come back from something like that, you know, to start a game. And the Patriots once again proved, but look on the bright side, we're improving, okay?

Starting point is 00:05:00 In week three, you couldn't come back from one turnover, and the Patriots almost came back from three. The Patriots did some good things in this game. The turnover battle key obviously wasn't won. All three phases, which was not taken care of, own third down. Okay, the Patriots, once again, it was in my keys last week. It's in my keys almost every week. The Patriots, once again, it was in my keys last year. It's in my keys almost every week. The Patriots did not do well on their four for 10 on third down in this game. And while, um,

Starting point is 00:05:33 Buffalo's held, held, uh, their average at just right under 50%. Yeah. And, and you can't do that. You really can't. And, and you know before we start getting into to what went right you've really got to look at that um you know third down percentage is is so paramount in in this game especially with a team that's been constructed in the way that the patriots are you've got to be able to sustain drives. And when you can't do that, you're not going to put points on the board. The Patriots weren't able to do that again. It's been woeful all year.

Starting point is 00:06:15 They've gotten into third and long, they got into third and long situations far too often. And they just don't have the personnel right now to be able to overcome that. And really, I think this is what gets to the heart of your monster keys because in theory i think those monster keys could have led to victory using the pass and you did you switched my opinion on this heading into this game and rightfully so in using bailey zappy strength as a gunslinger someone that wants to push the ball downfield in the first matchup against the bills mac jones efficiently

Starting point is 00:06:45 and i give him credit for that folks he took apart the short zones that's where buffalo gave him the opportunity mac did it that's not bailey zappy strong suit and i completely agree with you this is a kid who needs to push the ball downfield the problem that the patriots ran into was poor pass protection right and bailey zappy not reacting to the hot read quick enough in order to shed the ball. That's something that I kept hearing in the back of my head. I could hear your voice going, hot read, hot read. Even that half a second, folks, that's a hesitation too long, will prevent the offensive line from being able to provide protection. Look, I'm not giving any flowers to the offensive line.

Starting point is 00:07:25 They struggle big time. They had a lot of problems protecting the pass, and they did not perform well in this game. But when you rely on that protection, or you need a quarterback that's able to make the read quick enough to make those downfield concepts that Bill O'Brien was calling effective, you're looking for a recipe for disaster. And that's exactly what happened. So in theory, I thought your key was right on the money.

Starting point is 00:07:50 I thought it was poor execution by the players that prevented it from running to fruition. I still think Bill O'Brien made the right decision by doing so. He just didn't get the execution he needed. No, he didn't. And you can't hang this on Bill. I thought OB through caution to the wind, he wanted to trust his young quarterback into setting up the other keys that we were talking about, and he wasn't able to do it. And the offensive line, we keep saying it week after week after week, and more people are jumping on board now that it's the offensive line play that has completely undermined this entire season

Starting point is 00:08:26 uh yes you can go back to bill on it but this is where you have to start rebuilding next year in the draft it's with the offensive line i don't just want to see one offensive lineman taken in the first three rounds i want two i want two offensive tackles taken in the first three rounds very good point we're going to get the draft strategy in just a moment, folks. Did the Patriots' performance on Sunday change Murph's mind about where they should be headed in the draft or where they should be focused in the draft? I got a funny feeling I know the answer to this question, but I'm going to ask it anyway, folks, and it's going to be a fun discussion.

Starting point is 00:09:01 So don't miss that. Stay locked in to Lockdown Patriots, folks. And the other reason to stay locked into this episode of Lockdown Patriots is Murph and I are not only going to talk about the negatives. There were some positives to be taken from the field on Sunday. And Murph and I are going to get into those in just a moment, mostly from the defensive side of the ball. Defense talk and anything else Murph wants to share on his monster keys being turned

Starting point is 00:09:24 or unturned when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, the NFL regular season is wrapping up, but there is still time to get in on the action with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. And right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed. That's when you place a $5 bet. That's $150 in bonus bets, win or lose. If you're thinking of trying FanDuel, don't delay.

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Starting point is 00:10:22 FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, once again, thank you for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, spending time on the first day back from your holiday break here with Locked On Patriots. And who else would join me here to kick off a new year on Locked On Patriots than my good friend, the legendary Thomas Murphy, columnist extraordinaire of tiehardsportsfans.com and, of course, a staple here on Locked On Patriots. Your wisdom and counsel is what makes the show go, my friend. And I think we proved that in the first segment. You follow the monster keys, you go to the top.

Starting point is 00:11:01 You don't follow the monster keys, you're never heard from again. With all due respect, Murph, I think the Patriots tried to follow the monster keys you're never heard from again with all due respect Murph I think the Patriots tried to follow your monster keys on Sunday they did the problem is you can lead the offense to the monster key but you can't make them turn it and that's exactly what happened they just didn't have the personnel to turn those keys a little bit of a different story on defense the Pats turned the ball over four times in their first six series. You said that. It's almost unheard of, folks, that the Patriots were not in complete blowout mode by halftime,

Starting point is 00:11:32 but being down 20-7 was actually, I thought, a windfall for the Patriots, considering the hole they dug themselves in. Big part of that were defensive stops, and I think this defense played particularly well under the circumstances that they were put in. And I thought they did a nice job against Josh Allen for the most part. When you're looking at this matchup, I know you had some defensive monster keys. We talked about them on Friday. Which ones were turned? Which was most beneficial for your New England Patriots on Sunday?

Starting point is 00:12:04 Stuffing the run. Okay. And they did a fantastic job at it. I mean, you could look at the box score and see that the Bills ran for 127 yards, but they weren't very effective yards. They held James Cook to 48. Josh Allen put up 44 on his own, and 19 of it came on one run where I was screaming

Starting point is 00:12:26 at the, at the, the screen before he took off, he's going up the middle. He's going to go up them and just stop him right there. And it didn't happen. Um, they were opportunistic, the bills with their runs and it helped them move the chains. But, um, I think on, on a whole, the Patriots did a good job. They kept James Cook out of the end zone. They did a fantastic job in owning the red zone. Okay, the eight ball that they were put behind

Starting point is 00:12:57 was probably the biggest eight ball that I have ever witnessed on a football field with the turnovers and the short fields that Buffalo had to work with. And they got one score out of it. You got one score. The other times they were forced to be set to settle for threes. And it's, isn't it nice to have a, a kicker that can get you those threes. So, yeah, that was it.

Starting point is 00:13:22 On the other side of it. I wanted them to go after Josh Allen. OK, I wanted to unleash Christian Barmore and company pressure numbers be damned. They were able to get in his face, get him off his spot. And what the front seven was able to do was was was make him rush throws that, that he did not want to make, uh, make him rush throws to, uh, receivers that, that were double covered. Um, it was a fantastic job. They, they mix things up really well between, uh, man coverage and zone coverage. They kept him off his game. Okay. They didn't allow the running game

Starting point is 00:14:07 to set up anything that Josh Allen wanted to do. Uh, there was, there was one, one, one play in the beginning of the third, third quarter. Uh, the, the Dalton Kincaid play for 51 yards. You can throw that on Duggar if you want. I'm not sure where the miscommunication was there. I think he was expecting a little help over the top that he didn't get. But no, this defense is a juggernaut. You keep hearing people talk about how they aren't doing well against the better quarterbacks in this league. Well, you know, Josh Allen is considered one of the better quarterbacks in this league. And in two games this year, the Patriots have done a pretty good job. Yeah, and I think it really lends itself into the argument that the Patriots are kind of

Starting point is 00:14:55 finding a little bit of a formula here in terms of being able to contain Josh Allen. This year in two games, he's completing only 59.2% of his passes against the Patriots. That really, I think, lends itself into the game planning. The Patriots are doing what they should do with Josh Allen. They're taking away Stephon Diggs. They're taking away James Cook. They're not giving him his typical zone. And that was one of my keys is to take away guys like Cook, like Diggs.

Starting point is 00:15:21 Put it on Dalton Kincaid, who, you know, he had a 51 yarder pulled in there, but that, that was, that was basically it put it on Gabe Davis. You know, these guys did not get into the end zone. Everybody that, that you talk about as, as, you know, these premier weapons that, that, uh, the Patri need, the number one wide receiver, the highly picked tight end, they're not helping their teams. And for the most part, a lot of these teams are still fighting for their way into the playoffs. They're empty stats, people. They're empty stats. What's not empty stat is what the Patriots were able to do on defense again this week. And if we just had some competent play from the offensive

Starting point is 00:16:06 line and from quarterback, this team is a playoff team right now. That's disheartening for a lot of different reasons, but it could be encouraging heading into the 2024 season as well to show you that not everything in New England, folks, is broken, especially this defense. They continue to be juggernauts, Murph said doing a great job of defending against the pass and making sure that Josh Allen did not get his typical targets another thing that they did turn one of Murph's monster keys take James Cook out of the equation and for the most part folks they did it they held Cook in the bills to a negative 0.10 EPA per attempt and that really is without what I like to call

Starting point is 00:16:46 James Cook running roughshod over the New England Patriots. Our good friend Evan Lazaro over at Patriots.com put it so much more eloquently, zero explosive runs on non-scramble plays. That sounds a whole lot better than running roughshod. But you get the point, folks. That's exactly what New England knew they had to to do this resurgent bills running game has been such a big key for them being able to move the football against so many teams patriots identified it and they came up with

Starting point is 00:17:16 a very good strategy to be able to contain it on they really did they they contained it well and then they blitzed well they did a fantastic fantastic job in keeping Allen from doing anything while they were in blitz packages. It was great. They were fast to it. Arms were up in the air. They were taking away lanes from him to throw into. And just another hats off performance by this defense that is top 10 in the league in DVOA and they're missing their two best players and their, their, their number one, uh, cornerback. And they had to ship off their

Starting point is 00:17:52 number two cornerback in, uh, you know, something that we don't have enough time to get into. How are you doing out there, Jack Jack? Yeah, absolutely folks. And, you know, bottom line, this is where the new England Patriots make their bones, so to speak, to put it in Godfather terminology, my friend. Unfortunately, that that wasn't true, but year in, year out, this is a top 10 defense. Bill Belichick is the greatest defensive mind in history. And while you're going to sit there and cut him up for draft, the way he drafts offensive players, you really can't on the defensive side. If you're going to cut him up for drafting Cole Strange, look at what we got going on right now without Cole Strange. Okay. Cole Strange was a good pick.

Starting point is 00:18:50 He wasn't a great pick. The kid's been hurt since August, for God's sakes. And now, unfortunately, his season's over. That, to me, lends itself into offensive overhaul. And I think that is going to be a focus for the New England Patriots heading into this offseason and maybe even heading into the draft Murph it seems like it's almost a foregone conclusion that the New England Patriots will have at least a top five pick I know a lot of Patriots nation is hoping for that number two we outlined a lot of scenarios yesterday here on the

Starting point is 00:19:19 pod to get Patriots to number two but what do they do with this newfound draft capital? And did Sunday's game change anyone's mind on what the Patriots should be doing and should be looking at heading into this pivotal 2024 NFL draft? We know Murph's been vocal, but is his mind getting a little bit cloudy on the subject? We're going to talk about that and much more when this episode of the Locked On

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Starting point is 00:21:36 easy. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on LockedOnPatriots. Spending time on your Tuesday here. And don't forget, folks, Wednesday is going to be a midweek mailbag day here on Locked On Patriots. It's been a while since we've done a midweek mailbag here, Murph. But you know what? There were so many great questions. We couldn't limit it to one segment.

Starting point is 00:21:59 We are going to dedicate tomorrow's show here on Locked On Patriots to the mailbag. And my good friend is going to be joining me here once again in the hot seat. We always love having you on to open up the mailbag. And believe me, this is a robust mailbag. So be sure to stay locked into Locked On Patriots. You're not going to want to miss it. But I know a lot of the fan base is divided right now as to which direction these new england patriots should be going in the 2024 nfl draft several out there are thinking quarterback or bust that's got to be your if

Starting point is 00:22:33 you're in if you're drafting in the top five you've got to go with a quarterback right off the bat i know you've been very vocal about where the Patriots should head. Some people were actually saying that maybe your method of thinking was pretty smart, considering that the offense looked a little better under Bailey Zappi. He looked a little more comfortable. And a lot of people are thinking maybe this kid can do it with the proper supporting cast around him. Well, we went over his first half on Sunday. Not very good. Um, I think maybe my 2020 hindsight of his second half performance was viewed with a little rose colored glasses on new year's day. I actually went through it again and,

Starting point is 00:23:15 you know, not terrible. He definitely was better in the second half and he wasn't the first. And I credit him for making the adjustments, but there were still hesitations and difficulties that led to problems. My question to you, my friend, is did Zappi's performance change the mind of Patriots Nation that we're starting to believe that maybe another type of cornerstone might be the way to go here in 2024? If the changing of that cornerstone is the quarterback. No. I've said time and time again, Bailey Zappi will be a fine backup quarterback in this league for many, many years.

Starting point is 00:23:52 And my thinking right now as to the way I want the Patriots to address this draft hasn't changed one iota. You can go out and find a developmental quarterback in the third or fourth round again. You can go out and sign a veteran quarterback. There are going to be plenty on the market this year that are going to be available to come in here. You might have to overpay these guys. You can also do the same thing at wide receiver. All right. What you can't do is go out and build an offensive line that you're going to have for the next five to 10 years. I don't want the Patriots to just take an offensive lineman in the first round. I want them to take an offensive lineman in the second round.

Starting point is 00:24:39 All right. If the Patriots end up somehow with the second pick in this draft, trade back and trade back and trade back again as long as you get Joel. All right. The only way that this screws up my dream and my vision is if the Bears suddenly come to their senses and take alt before, you know, anybody else has a chance to. And we all know that they're not going to do that. The last time an offensive tackle was taken first was Eric Fisher.

Starting point is 00:25:17 So, no, they're not going to trade back until you know that you're going to lose alt, okay? And there you have a foundation, a cornerstone at left tackle for the next decade and a half. And then in the second round, you go back out and find yourself a wide receiver in three or a quarterback of the future in three. You might have seen them over the weekend. We don't know. We've got to wait for the entire senior bowl season to shake out before we do that. This team is not as far

Starting point is 00:25:49 away as anybody is talking about. And I'm telling you now, folks, everybody that wants you to take a quarterback will set this team back three years because you are not going to take one of these high-priced, high priced, high drafted rookie quarterbacks and throw them out there unless you're an idiot and throw them out there to be fed to the sharks behind this offensive line and with these weapons that they have. There are people that need to be re-signed on the offensive side of the ball. I'm not sure if they're going to want to come back, and there are people that are going to need to be jettisoned

Starting point is 00:26:29 and make room for others. There have been mistakes made on this roster. There's no doubt about that, but I understood. The only mistakes that I didn't understand was Bill trusting the tackles that he had under contract going into this year. But no, it's not changing my draft strategy at all. You build an offense from the inside out. You build a defense from the outside in.

Starting point is 00:26:53 Bill has already built that juggernaut defense. This offensive line has let him down. Some of the direction that the team wanted to go last year has let himself down because he drafted and brought in players that were going to fit that system. And now they have to pivot again. There's only one way to do it. from a leaky, broken-down foundation that you're constantly pumping water out of. You just can't do it. You just can't. Now, it's not sexy and it's not pretty,

Starting point is 00:27:38 and you might want the flashy quarterback or wide receiver at the top of this draft, but, but it's, it's not going to happen if you don't have a quarterback to throw on the ball. You're not going to have a quarterback to throw on the ball if you don't have that offensive line. Very good point, folks. You know, I think the argument of building for the future is you absolutely need that cornerstone. And I, we hear this term an awful lot Murph we use it an awful lot to build that foundation and most of the fan base has been very vocal about needing that quarterback and look there's no denying it folks no the England Patriots do not have a franchise quarterback on their roster right now if you're going to be a

Starting point is 00:28:20 franchise quarterback in this league you have to be able to repeat your peak performance over and over again. The Patriots just do not have that guy on the roster right now. Bailey Zappi and even Mac Jones, stop groaning folks, I know, but even Mac Jones have showed the ability to perform at a high level in individual games. The problem is, is neither of them has been capable of sustaining that type of performance week after week after week. So leading into this draft, everyone assuming the Patriots have to go for the quarterback in this position.

Starting point is 00:28:53 Bottom line, Murph, if New England identifies the type of quarterback that can be that week to week star every time they take the ball and elevate this team to a new level. If they feel that type of cornerstone is in this draft, they're definitely going to have a decision to make when it comes to how to utilize that first pick. But I think this comes back to your argument and I think it articulates it well. This team is not just one cornerstone away from contending. They need quite a few and one of the big ones that they need is offensive tackle. Now we know the situation of what we're dealing with with Trent Brown. That is not a situation that's going to end well. Just to give you an example of the type

Starting point is 00:29:35 of season that Trent Brown was having when he was healthy, engaged, and in the lineup, 80.3 of an offensive grade for pro football focus one of the highest of his career it was the highest of his career 80.8 in run blocking that's a significant drop off when you're looking at a guy that we know obviously now is not going to be factoring into the future plans of this team you need a left tackle folks right you got you need when i'm out on trent brown you know that that the entire building is out and look there's no guarantee that the right side is going to be any more secure i love michael wayne who i think the patriots should do whatever they can to keep him in the lineup but you know bottom line if his side is not amenable to what the patriots are

Starting point is 00:30:21 offering he may be testing the free agent waters. And if he does, offensive tackles, yeah, absolutely. They really should use it. But if Ueno is in any way averse to that, or if they think they're going to be really opening Pandora's box with something like that, you might be looking at both tackles headed out

Starting point is 00:30:39 of New England this season. And that would be detrimental to any young quarterback coming in. Like Murph said, if you're putting a young quarterback, no matter how talented, behind a makeshift at best offensive line, it's setting this kid up for disaster no matter who he may be. And I love, you know, just while we're talking about that, you know, I've said before to franchise him or extend him and get him back in. Sidney Sal has looked really, really good the past couple of weeks.

Starting point is 00:31:08 He's really coming into his own. It's not easy to get down there, put your hand in the dirt, and play well from the get-go, folks. You've got to be a really special kind of guy like Joe Walt. But while the experiment at right tackle didn't really work, he's done really well with the guard at the guard position with on way you and, um, David Andrews, you know, being in between them has really helped the, the interior of this offensive line, um, looks good in the future.

Starting point is 00:31:41 You know, they just need those tackles and to find a little depth behind them. I said before that I was fine with who's here as the depth. I'd really like some upgrade here because these guys have just, you know, they've soured me so much because they've looked so bad in trying to be the frontline guys. They just can't. They're depth pieces. Very well said.

Starting point is 00:32:07 And you know what? Bottom line, folks, when it comes to depth along the offensive line, you can never have too much. I know the Patriots are probably going to get more modern in their offense

Starting point is 00:32:15 and they should without that type of comfort, folks, and without that ability to know that you're secure to play your game. Things can get awfully dark for a young quarterback very early i know everyone is absolutely betwixt in between by the show that michael pennix jr put on for washington um believe me when i tell you i am absolutely not

Starting point is 00:32:38 taking anything away he was phenomenal he's got an excellent wide receivers core but pennix looked great his fundamentals looked great but it's very easy to look good when you've got that supporting cast. And the Patriots just don't have those types of weapons right now to provide a young quarterback like a Michael Penix. They better give him some protection. Otherwise, he is going to be running for his life as well. So, Murph, I think you make a great point. I think there are arguments to the contrary, arguments to the pro. Folks, bottom line.

Starting point is 00:33:07 I wouldn't have had a problem taking Fenix in the second round. Yeah. Honestly, I wouldn't, but he's not a second round pick anymore. No, not after that performance. Not after last night. He's ready to go. He's well within the top 20. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:33:20 Well within the top 20. Yeah. And I don't see him dropping anytime soon. He's only going to ascend that ladder, folks. The Patriots are in for an interesting decision. And again, we understand your argument for wanting to get the top-level quarterback. If the Patriots are at number two or number three, you have to consider it. There's no question about it.

Starting point is 00:33:37 But if you're dropping below that and Joe Walt is available, that is a tremendous cornerstone to build upon. That should not be viewed as a consolation prize folks that's a jackpot because the new england patriots are solidifying a position that has caused them a lot of problems throughout the years when they don't have the right guy in unfortunately the right guy this year that was playing well just wasn't locked in to their game planning and you saw what happens when he's not in the lineup. So always interesting when my good friend Murph drops by here to lend his wisdom and counsel.

Starting point is 00:34:09 But tomorrow he's coming back because we want your wisdom and counsel. We want your insight and we want to know what is on your mind, Patriots Nation. So get those questions in for the midweek mailbag here on Locked On Patriots. And Murph, we can't wait to open up that mailbag. But once again, I want to thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule today, buddy, to spend with us here on Locked On Patriots. Lend your wisdom, your counsel, Don Murph. Before I let you go today, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact

Starting point is 00:34:40 with you, and what we can look forward to coming from the great pen of Thomas Murphy for the remainder of this week. Well, I got a couple of pieces up there over at diehardbostonsports.com. Check those out. A few Red Sox pieces. The keys to victory will be published on Friday, as always. And you'll only get the secret key here on Locked On that day also. Yeah, secret key was not turned. It was not turned this week.

Starting point is 00:35:05 And I was a little upset about that. One little miscue and we don't, yeah, no, no, no. But no, other than that, I'll be here anytime you ask me, Mike. Thank you so much for making me look good each and every week on these airways and asking me back. You couldn't get rid of me if you tried. It is your wisdom, your counsel, and your insight that make you look good, folks. Like I've said before, I'm just honored to give you the platform to do it, and we look forward

Starting point is 00:35:31 to a lot of Murph here on Locked On Patriots in 2024. Using the draft, Monday's coming up. A lot of mailbags, a lot to break down, and who knows, Murph, we might even be breaking in a new head coach and a new regime here on Locked On Patriots a lot to think about that's a big question on your mind and you can bet that we're going to be talking about that tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots so stay locked in wherever you get your podcasts including YouTube once again folks stay safe and stay well and be the change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate, advising you to enjoy the evening, enjoy your day, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

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