Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Fire Jerod Mayo After Week 18 Win Over Buffalo Bills, Loss of No. 1 Draft Pick

Starting point is 00:00:00 Gerard Mayo is out after only one season as head coach of the New England Patriots. Changes are abound in Foxborough and the real story has only just begun. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots Podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots.

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Starting point is 00:01:21 Pats fans, it was an interesting day in Foxborough on sunday january 5th 2025 rookie quarterback joe milton the third passed for a touchdown he ran for another in his nfl debut but the new england patriots cost themselves the number one overall pick in the nfl draft with a 23 to 16 win that's right folks a win in this case was a bad thing. We're going to get into that in just a moment. But a 23-16 win over the AFC East champion Buffalo Bills. The Patriots now finish the season at 4-13, snapping a six-game skid,

Starting point is 00:01:56 but a loss would have guaranteed them the top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Instead, the Patriots now fall to fourth. And guess what, folks? That's not even the biggest story of the day. Far from it, because today we are going to be talking about the ouster of Gerard Mayo as head coach of the New England Patriots. We're also going to be talking about the Pats' victory. It feels like a defeat for a lot of you out there, and I don't blame you. We're going to talk about what it means for the Patriots this offseason and into their rebuild and we're also going to break down the in-game action as well as there were a handful of Patriots that had pretty impressive performances on Sunday

Starting point is 00:02:35 so settle in Pats fans you are not going to want to miss a single second of today's show but we needed not only one but two level-headed opinions, even keeled voices, so I didn't waste any time. I went to the bench, and I got the biggest bat that I could find. That is my good friend, the resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots, columnist extraordinaire at patsfans.com, as well as being the co-host of another amazing Patriots podcast, Patriots 4th and 2, my good friend Steve Balistrieri. Steve, you always say, may you live in interesting times. We are certainly living in interesting times

Starting point is 00:03:11 as we record this podcast on Sunday Night Bison. Oh my lord. Yeah, I mean, what a crazy day. You know, they had one job today. They've been losing consistently all year, and they just had to lose one more. They turned around, and again, like the Bills, they emptied their bench. They played a lot of

Starting point is 00:03:40 young guys, and hey, the young guys were hungry. They showed it. You have to give a tip of the cap to the buffalo bills because they tried really hard not to win this game and we all know that you know you could tell by watching the game, that the Bills had no interest whatsoever of winning today. And it was funny because, as you know, I listened to Bob Sose and Scott Solak on the radio, and I just muted the sound of the television. And Zoe even said, the Bills are going to go down and score a touchdown here at the end of the game. And then go for two and throw it like 15 rows deep.

Starting point is 00:04:28 Yeah, there's definitely that level of petty that still exists between these two franchises, and I definitely want to circle back to that in just a moment because everything that happened today on the field, folks, is going to have a ripple effect on the New England Patriots, both in the offseason and in this future rebuild. And Steve, that rebuild got a much anticipated kickstart in the aftermath of today's game. Robert Kraft issuing a statement saying this was one of the hardest decisions he ever had to make, but the responsibility he has to Patriots fans led him to believe that the

Starting point is 00:04:59 best decision for the organization at this time was to let go of head coach Gerard Mayo. How surprised were you by the act itself first, Steve? And how surprised were you by the timing? I would say the former was less surprising than the latter. Absolutely. I mean, you know, we talked last week and, you know, I said I was kind of 50-50 that I thought they might let him go. And I think winning today was the final nail in the coffin,

Starting point is 00:05:31 although I would venture to say their decision was already made, you know, before today's game. And, you know, I think the cat's out of the bag uh you know mike rabel changed his uh his avatar i guess you could say uh you know today or yesterday so which kind of leads me to believe that they've already had conversations with rabel i think it's just a formality at this point. But, yeah, the fact that they fired Mayo only an hour after the game, I think, you know, the Krabs, they could sense the fan base turning, not only against Mayo and the team, but against them personally. We've been hearing and seeing a lot of different things on social media

Starting point is 00:06:30 with the fan base, and they're lambasting the crafts as well. And, you know, we kind of sensed that big changes were going to happen. I was still kind of teetering that they might decide to keep him for a second year because let's face it. I mean, he proved he wasn't ready for the job. I think we were all in agreement for that. But, you know, with all new coordinators, he's a new head coach. And with the roster that he was saddled with, I kind of would be able to understand

Starting point is 00:07:07 if the crafts decided to give him one more shot. But I think, uh, I think that ship sailed a couple of weeks ago and I think it started with, uh, Arizona and then last week with the Chargers, that was, you know, even at that point, I was like, man, I think, you know, this ship is getting ready to sink. Absolutely. If anybody wants to talk about the tide turning with this fan base, ask anyone who was at Sunday's game. Take a look at the parking lot. Take a look at the sparse seats that were still available at kickoff, during kickoff, and throughout the game. It was a predominantly pro-Bills crowd there. Buffalo traveled well. They outnumbered Patriots fans. Since when does that ever happen in Foxborough? And look,

Starting point is 00:08:00 you could see the erosion of enthusiasm and even the erosion in trust in this team from the members of its fan base. Now that leads me nicely into my next question for you, my friend, because you and I are both doing our best speculation at this point. I want to be very clear on that folks, neither Steve nor I are reporting on any inside information that lead us to believe this is the move. This is our opinion, but it's looking very likely that Mike Vrabel is going to be the choice here. Is this the right move for the Patriots?

Starting point is 00:08:22 Because some might tell you that a proper search was not conducted the last time uh that if the Patriots don't conduct a proper search this time they're doing themselves a disservice maybe keeping themselves out of the running for guys like maybe even Liam Cohen or Ben Johnson uh the offensive coordinators of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions respectively so Steve that regard, if the Patriots have made up their mind, if the crafts have zeroed in on Mike Vrabel, is this the right choice, or really, should they be doing a better job of vetting all their options at this point? Well, I think, you know, I think Johnson would be the best choice for any team at this point, because he brings so much to the, you know, to the offensive side of the ball.

Starting point is 00:09:12 But I think, you know, he's going to have his choice of jobs and he's probably going to look for a team that's a lot closer, you know, to building something than the Patriots are. closer you know to building something than the Patriots are I mean they they're basically stripping it down to the uh you know to the floorboards here but Rabel makes so much sense for the Patriots he played here he was a tremendous football player for the Patriots I remember he wasn't even a full-time guy with the Steelers. And then, you know, he was so smart. He was so versatile. You know, he caught 11 touchdown passes from Tom Brady.

Starting point is 00:09:51 And, you know, besides being a great outside linebacker, Bill Belichick always talked about how smart a player Grable was. And we saw that in the coaching, you know, once he became a head coach. But you look at that Tennessee team, I think you have to say that that Tennessee, those Tennessee teams that he coached, I think they were all overachievers because they never had a very good roster. They never had what we call a franchise quarterback. But he got them to, you to an AFC championship game.

Starting point is 00:10:28 And then it started to take a toll with the injuries the last two years, and that's why they let him go. But a lot of that, the reason they let him go was a lot of politics. And I know that the ownership in Tennessee was livid at him when they were on a buy. And he came back here to go into the Patriots, you know, Team Hall of Fame. And some of the comments he made were not looked upon very nicely by the ownership there. But I think he, you know, he's kind of, he's kind of that nice mix between an authoritarian coach and a player's coach. He cuts them no slack.

Starting point is 00:11:17 You know, he calls them out when they screw up, but he's also one of those guys that, you know, if you read that story in the athletic this last week you know about how the culture he built that's the kind of culture the patriots need to get back you know and money i i just uh i think you know i think there's no better person right now you know uh that they could bring on other than him yeah very well said uh and i think you're right on the money when it comes to vrabel because he brings the intangible that unfortunately gerard mayo did not bring to the table nor did any of his coaches on his

Starting point is 00:11:57 coaching staff and that's experience say what you will about mike braybill and the job that he did in tennessee but he does have experience coaching into the playoffs. He has experience building teams. He has experience working with his general manager and trying to cultivate a culture and change a culture in a given organization. I think that's where the Patriots are looking at this point. I think they realize that, in theory, Gerard Mayo was going to bring a new energy. He was going to bring a freshness, an openness, a more relaxed atmosphere to the locker room,

Starting point is 00:12:27 less authoritarian than it had been under Bill Belichick, maybe a younger, more vibrant voice in that locker room. I can tell you, Gerard Mayo brought all that to the table. But when you lack the experience necessary to lead a very young team, an inexperienced coaching staff, and a general manager that is still getting his feet wet as a general manager in this league um say what you will about elliot wolf a lot of pedigree a lot of experience but until you sit in the main chair you have no idea the pressures that job brings so

Starting point is 00:12:57 elliot wolf actually is expected to be retained our good mutual friend andrew callahan of the boston herald reporting that that he will be back as executive vice president of player operations but it's looking like the patriots are cleaning house in all areas um we're hearing reports that alex van pelt will not be retained and right now uh we're still awaiting reports on some of the other coordinators and some of the other coaches and we'll continue to bring you that throughout the week here, folks. But Gerard Mayo being out as Patriots head coach, not a surprise based on the last couple of weeks. But if you rewind all the way to the beginning of the season, Steve, it's hard to believe that the Patriots have gotten to this point. What do you think ultimately cost Mayo his job here in New England, and what are his prospects for a future?

Starting point is 00:13:43 I'd like to believe that he still does have a future in coaching. I think he's too talented and too popular among his players to simply go quietly into that good night. Yeah. Well, first of all, I think, you know, when it comes to Mayo, you know, he's still a very young guy. And he might have been, well, he was, not might have been, you know, he wasn't prepared for this responsibility yet.

Starting point is 00:14:10 And I think some team will recognize, hey, look, this guy is a good defensive mind. He's, you know, was a really good football player. He has that and he encourages and is able to lift the players around him. You know, was it too early for him to be a head coach? Probably so. So I think somebody is going to give him a job. It might not be a coordinated job.

Starting point is 00:14:38 He might go back to being a linebacker coach. But, you know, he can pull off this experience now. Where it went bad for him i think was really early in the process you know he was trying to be the anti-bill i think a little too much um he was trying to be more open and you know it's it's that's a really fine line that you have to walk because sometimes you can say the wrong thing, and then we saw it many, many times with him where he has to walk back statements.

Starting point is 00:15:13 And it started right off the bat for him. And I think it wasn't a lack of trying or smarts. I just think that replacing a legend like Bill Belichick was going to be an impossible situation for anyone that wasn't a very, very experienced head coach. And that was a mistake. I think maybe the crafts thought they

Starting point is 00:15:44 work around, but it proved to be too much for him. Yeah, exactly. And again, I do agree with you. I think that was the downfall of Gerard Mayo in this head coaching position is simply lacking the experience necessary to not only be a head coach at the pro level, but also all the intangibles that come with being a head coach. And especially when you're trying to rebuild a franchise that has been a dynasty and recently

Starting point is 00:16:09 been a dynasty uh the fans here in new england still remember what it feels like to go to duck boat parades in boston folks they want those days again i think the crafts realized that in order for them to save their product they needed to make make a change. And ultimately, Steve, we're going to see what that change means for the New England Patriots, who will be on their way in, and how will the Patriots be moving forward? Well, one thing we know for certain, they won't be moving forward with the number one pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Patriots win on Sunday, had them fall all the way to fourth place. That's right, they'll be picking fourth this time around, meaning that the Patriots will probably not be getting an offer they can't refuse

Starting point is 00:16:49 for that number one pick, Steve. We're going to talk about the Patriots' loss of the number one overall pick and the impact it has on this franchise, not just from this offseason perspective, but as this rebuild moves forward. All this and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team, every day. Lockdown listeners, growing your small business in

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Starting point is 00:19:52 the Patriots falling all the way to number four in the draft order yeah that's right your New England Patriots now picking fourth in the 2025 NFL draft and. And of course, the big news of Sunday, the ouster of Gerard Mayo as head coach of the New England Patriots after just one season. Joining me here today to break it all down, of course, is our resident voice of reason, Steve Valistrieri. And Steve, it's amazing. For 24 years, the New England Patriots pretty much knew three things. One, they knew their head coach was going to be Bill Belichick. They knew their starting quarterback was going to be Tom Brady. And they knew that they'd be picking toward the end of the first round of each of their respective year's drafts. Well, here we are five days into 2025 and those fortunes have reversed significantly.

Starting point is 00:20:40 The Patriots falling out of the top three into the top four now in terms of draft order is a big deal this team had a great opportunity to maximize draft capital in a way they haven't been able to do so in quite some time holding the number one overall pick when you have your franchise quarterback is essentially holding the answers to an exam you know you've got that ability now to maximize and make all of this work for you the pats no longer have that uh they're either going to stay put at this number four pick or they'll trade it for maybe one or two picks but you're not going to get the same type of haul that you would get having the number one overall pick from a reasonable standpoint steve because you are our resident voice of reason. How big of a deal as a scale of one to 10, is it that the Patriots no longer have the

Starting point is 00:21:30 number one? And is there a chance that they can still maximize this number four pick to make it work for them moving forward? Well, I mean, you know, I think this year, like last year, the quarterback class was phenomenal. I mean, we saw so many guys get drafted early, you know, in the quarterback class. And, you know, I think it's proven to be a pretty accurate drafting scenario that we saw in the spring because a lot of these guys are playing really, really well. So I don't think this year's class of quarterbacks is up to that level. There's a couple of guys that are very intriguing. If you're holding the number one pick and you have Drake May in your pocket, then, you know, their teams are going to be beating down your door that need a quarterback that want that up there.

Starting point is 00:22:27 I really think there's only two or three quarterbacks that may go early first round this year. So that means those guys are probably already going to be gone when you come up with number four. Now, that being said, you know, you still might be able to slide back a couple of spots and pick up, you know, some extra draft capital. But, you know, you're potentially looking at three or four players with the number one pick. Now, you're probably just going to get that other team's pick, you know, back and an extra one. So instead of four, you're looking at two. Absolutely. And look, I mean, if you're the New England Patriots, you're looking at this now and saying, okay, we have several needs on this team. Far too many needs to fill with just one player near the top of the draft. You need offensive linemen. You need tackles. You need someone to be able to help bolster this edge rush. You can make the argument that the Patriots need a top

Starting point is 00:23:29 flight receiver. I love what I saw out of Demario Douglas on Sunday. I really like what I saw out of Keishon Booty, but I don't think either one of these guys are number one top flight options on your roster. So you need someone to come in and be Drake May's top weapon. I've heard a lot of people even say outside corner. That's something that they should be targeting. I know that's why a lot of Patriots fans would love to see Travis Hunter here in New England. Picking at number four, that's no longer a slam dunk. That could be even a remote possibility. So I think that will continue to be the top topic of conversation now as the Patriots conduct their head coach search, or if it's already done with by the time the new coach comes in, you will need at that point to know exactly where they're

Starting point is 00:24:09 leaning and what they plan on doing with that number four overall pick makes it all that much more difficult now for the Pats. And the fans are upset, and they should be upset as well. Just like you can't blame the players for playing hard and for giving it everything they had on the field, you can't blame the fan base for being upset on this one either. It feels like the Patriots, again, like you said, Steve, had one job and they simply couldn't do it. Maybe a perfect microcosm for this season. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:24:36 Yeah. Unfortunately, it played out that way. But, you know, look, they have a boatload of cash. And if it turns out that it is Mike Vrabel or Johnson as the new head coach, I still think it's Vrabel. I think that goes a long way. When players are in free agency, they're like're like look frabel is a good coach we know him you know he's taken a team to the you know conference championship game uh and you know players like to play for him then they have have the franchise quarterback locked up. And, you know, as I wrote the other day

Starting point is 00:25:27 and, you know, starting on in March, it's time to overpay because the Patriots aren't desired location anymore, you know, but, you know, by all means overpay some of these, maybe a wide receiver like T. Higgins, a left tackle, a cornerback that's coming up. You know, you have to look at who's going to be available and throw a boatload of money at defeat. Don't try to be competitive. Try to be overcompetitive. Yeah. You know, and maybe they can fill a lot of these holes in free agency. And then, you know, if you take care of just a few of those needs, when the draft rolls around, you're not picking for a position. You're picking best player available. Yeah, exactly.

Starting point is 00:26:19 Very well said. And if you are doing that, then the New England Patriots can try to rebuild. Because let's face it, going with a new head coach, you're resetting now your schedule for rebuilding and for trying to return to let alone prominence. Let's keep that aside for a second. Just return to some sort of respectability on the field when it comes to the New England Patriots. So still a little ways away, folks, for the New England Patriots returning to the glory days. But alas, that is the position they find themselves in heading into 2025.

Starting point is 00:26:47 But if you want to hang your hat on a silver lining, and we always love to end things on a high note here on Locked On Patriots, Steve Balistrieri and I are going to do so in just a moment. There were a handful of players that turned in some very good performances on Sunday. We've already talked about a couple of them

Starting point is 00:27:03 and will continue to do so when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, from big upsets to game-winning drives, the NFL playoffs are better with FanDuel. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $200 in bonus bets. Guaranteed. That's $200 in bonus bets, win or lose.

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Starting point is 00:27:58 Make this playoff season unforgettable with FanDuel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots in the aftermath of the Patriots 23-16 victory over the Buffalo Bills in their season finale in Week 18, but that's about the best news that the Patriots had on Sunday. Everything else kind of gone downhill from there. The win, actually a loss in a lot of people's minds because the New England Patriots fell from first overall pick to fourth overall pick. Yeah, not an easy pill to swallow for Patriots Nation. And then, of course, the bombshell coming about

Starting point is 00:28:41 an hour after the end of Sunday's game Gerard Mayo out as New England Patriots head coach he will not be returning it's likely that his entire staff will be joining him as well executive vice president of football operations Elliot Wolfe expected to be retained but other than that the Patriots looking like they are now about to embark on a full-scale rebuild and here today to help me break it all down is the only reasonable voice that i could find here today to lend these stories justice and that is my good friend steve balistrieri steve obviously with gerard mayo out all bets are off in terms of what the patriots are going to be doing moving forward are they going to be retaining the same type of offensive strategy and i know

Starting point is 00:29:23 patriots fans are cringing when I say that but Alex Van Pelt came in here with a specific style wanting to use outside zone to incorporate the run to allow Drake May to utilize play action to the best of his ability I still think that's where Drake is at his best I think an OC coming in here may be smart to continue that because he's done well with it. Defensively, this team needs an awful lot of help. They went from the ninth ranked DVOA team in 2023 to being bottom of the barrel in 2024. So you need a lot of overhaul in a lot of areas.

Starting point is 00:30:02 One area where they may choose to retain their coordinator, and I think they'd be smart to do so, is Jeremy Springer with the special teams. I believe he did a very good job this year, and I think Jeremy deserves an awful lot of credit for keeping that team intact, producing a pro bowler in Brendan Schooler. That being said, a lot of the players that were seeing action on Sunday were not the Patriots' typical starters, but they were players that were going to make sure that if they had moments in the game, they were going to maximize their opportunity. Let's start with Joe Milton III. Obviously a very good game for him. I have named him the locked player of the game, which means that for Locked On Patriots, folks, he was essentially the deserver of your game ball. 22 of 29 passing, 241 yards,

Starting point is 00:30:42 one touchdown through the air, and another on the ground. Before we get into your other standouts of the game, Steve, what impressed you most about Joe Milton on Sunday? Because prior to Sunday's matchup, we hadn't seen any of Joe on a professional football field in a regular season setting. No, and you know, I, I really, I really liked the way he was one. He was accurate with the ball. That was the big knock on him coming out. Uh, I thought he was accurate. Um, I thought the way he saw the field was very impressive. You know, we've been hearing from the coaches that he's been doing a fantastic job. Um, you know, not only running the scout team, but, you know, he spends a lot of time on the virtual reality. And you can see it paid off.

Starting point is 00:31:36 You know, I thought he saw the field extremely well. You know, we know he's big. He's athletic, and that cannon for an arm is just phenomenal. It is. That one play you and I were talking about it offline, you know, it ended up getting called back. But that was one of the most incredible plays I've ever seen because he was running all over the place being chased. And on the run, he fired a football. It had to have been going 75 miles an hour. We talk about that 95 mile an hour fastball, but that football had to be going

Starting point is 00:32:21 75 miles an hour. I've never seen a football on a straight line move that fast. I mean, that to me was like, oh, my goodness, somebody's hands are going to hurt at the end of that, you know, that play because that thing was moving. But I just loved his whole game today. And granted, you know, he was playing against the JV team, the Buffalo Bills. But, hey, look, you play the games that are on your schedule and you play the players that are out there.

Starting point is 00:32:53 You know, it was his first NFL action, and I think he passed that with flying colors. Without question. Without question. Absolutely. I thought Joe was great today. And, again, I'm glad that you brought up the fact that he did play to his competition because a lot of people will look at it and say, well, let's pump the brakes a little here. You know, Joe was going against the Buffalo B team. You still have to go out there and make plays. And look, the knock on Joe Milton coming into this season, Steve, we heard it all throughout the preseason and we heard it all throughout the draft cycle, was that his accuracy was going to be a major issue. I thought he was accurate today.

Starting point is 00:33:28 I thought he threw the ball well. He found receivers. He put the ball in certain circumstances where only the receiver could get it. That's the mark of a quarterback that has tremendous growth and that has really grown into his abilities. So T.C. McCartney, Alex Van Pelt, I know a lot of Patriots fans are not really happy with the coaching staff right now, but that deserves a tip of the cap because if they

Starting point is 00:33:50 were able to help this kid with his mechanics to that level, it says something about what this team was able to do with someone with all the talent in the world, but just needed to have it harnessed in. So I was impressed with that. He was threading the needle on a lot of these passes. He was very impressive off the rollout. We knew that he could extend plays with his legs, but in order for him to still be able to find open receivers on the rollout when he had to move around, I thought was very impressive. And then of course, in the fourth and one situations where you have him sneak and you have him be able to use that big body and that athleticism and that strength to his advantage, he was able to do all of that. So I was very impressed by what I saw with Joe Milton.

Starting point is 00:34:29 Obviously, if you're the Patriots, you're looking at it and saying, wow, what a good one-two combination we've got in the quarterback room. Drake is your obvious starter. I don't think anyone is suggesting otherwise, but to have someone with Joe Milton's talent and ability on the bench is truly a weapon and an asset. So keep an eye on that, Pats fans. At the very least, I think he opened up a lot of eyes throughout the league. Who knows? Maybe a quarterback-hungry team midseason gives the Patriots a call and says, hey, you've got a very dynamic player on that bench.

Starting point is 00:34:59 Maybe, you know, then Elliott Wolfe kind of puts his godfather hat on and says, well, you know, make me an offer I can't refuse and we'll see what we can do. You want to do business, Steve? Let's do business. But before we take our leave from the Patriots' victory on the field, which, again, feels like a loss, but it is a victory, folks. Technically, this is a victory Sunday night, victory Monday episode. there were a handful of Patriots that did have a pretty good game on Sunday, leading you to believe that heading into 2025, they might be hitting their stride at the right time. Who stood out to you and why? Well, I think, you know, Boutte, I mean, Booty, whatever you want to call him.

Starting point is 00:35:41 He, you know, he had his first hundred yard game. That touchdown pass he caught was really nice. He slipped behind the defenders, you know, Milton was flushed to his right and he threw across his body, which you're not supposed to do. But when you have that kind of arm strength, you can get away with doing that i wouldn't suggest it all the time but you can get away with that and you know he put the ball out there and uh you know it was just nice to see the long touchdown pass for one and him to get a hundred yard receiving i think you know like you said him and pop douglas they're not number one receivers but if those are your number three and number four guys moving forward and you get that number one

Starting point is 00:36:35 number two receiver type then your offense is going to be looking a lot different you know um of course it starts with the tackles, and we all know that, but I loved Booty's game today. Antonio Gibson, we talked about. I thought he had a really good game. To Mario Douglas, I mean, yeah, those are the guys that stood out, I mean, for me. My friend, what can I say? I kid you not when I said I needed to go to the bench to find the biggest bat I could find, and the only reasonable level-headed wisdom and counsel that I would even consider joining me today is right here on the screen. Bud, thank you so much for joining me today. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can reach out

Starting point is 00:37:21 to you, interact with you, and what you got marinating in La Cochina Balistrieri throughout the week. Yeah. Thanks for having me, as always. One more quick thing. Whoever the next coach is, I'd really suggest they bring back AVP, not as an offensive coordinator, but as a quarterback coach. Because, you know, we talked about, you know, Drake May and Joe Milton were considered big projects.

Starting point is 00:37:50 Some people didn't even think they'd be ready to play this year. And look at the job he's done with them. You can't overlook that. But anyway, talk for another show. And we could do that at another time. But thanks for having me. I write for patsfans.com. I'm going to be busy tonight, as we all know.

Starting point is 00:38:13 I mean, there's so much going on. Derek and I are doing a podcast, you know, about 10 or 10.15 tonight. So we'll go from there. But, hey, may you live in interesting times, my friend. Thank you for having me. You do such a great job here. Always a pleasure. Thank you, my friend. That means the world

Starting point is 00:38:34 to me. One of the reasons why I enjoy doing this show so much is getting a chance to talk football with such great minds and such great people, such as yourself, Thomas Murphy, Dan Kelly, who joined me on Friday, and all of the numerous hosts that we have throughout the Lockdown Podcast Network, folks. Again, we are only scratching the surface when it comes to the New England Patriots

Starting point is 00:38:52 offseason. The games may be in the books. We will continue to break down the Patriots coaching search. We will break down the Patriots draft prospects, free agency, all of that still yet to come here on Lockdown Patriots. We're not taking any days off as we march toward the 2025 NFL Draft, so keep it right here on Locked On Patriots, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network. On behalf of my good friend Steve Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate reminding all of you to stay

Starting point is 00:39:19 safe, to stay well, to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

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