Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Grades in Week 9 Loss to Tennessee Titans: Pats Stand Pat at NFL Trade Deadline

Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots may have stood pat at the trade deadline, but there's still a lot of work to be done in Foxborough based on their performance against the Titans last Sunday. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the 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 the Patriots country. You can find me on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. Also, while you're out there, showing some love to Locked On Patriots for the Patriots country. You can find me on X at MDA, BAT, E NFL. Also,

Starting point is 00:00:46 while you're out there showing some love to locked on Patriots, social media style, please follow our account there as well at L O underscore Patriots and Pat's fans. Remember today's episode is brought to you by prize picks, go to prize picks.com slash locked on NFL and use the code all lowercase locked on NFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5. And Pats fans, we are still feeling the sting of the Pats 20-17 loss

Starting point is 00:01:14 to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, falling to 2-7 on the season. And unfortunately, it was a bitter pill to swallow, especially after New England came within an eyelash of making this a heroic effort on the part of rookie quarterback Drake May. Offense continues to sputter a little bit around Drake, and the defense kind of fell back to earth a little bit. That's what we're going to talk about here today. After all, it's Wednesday, and that means grade report day for your New England Patriots. And joining me here today to provide those grades and lend his wisdom, counsel, and reason to the show as he always does. Columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com, my good friend and Patriots Paisan, Steve Balistrieri. Steve, welcome back to Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:01:58 Always an honor to host you, buddy. Always an honor to be here, my friend. Yeah, it's always a great day to talk football. I don't care what the weather is or what the score was. You know, it's always a good day when we can talk about football and, you know, take a little break from all this election overload we've been getting for months very very true uh sports sometimes is the great equalizer and it can serve as a nice distraction regardless of what side of the fence you fall on folks we're here for you we're going to keep it focused on football today and we are going to grade your New England Patriots offensively and defensively but Steve before we do that the trade deadline in the NFL has come and gone ironically 4 p.m. on election day of all days November 5th the New England Patriots did not elect to make a move on deadline day they did

Starting point is 00:02:52 make a trade last week sending linebacker Joshua Uche over to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a conditional sixth round pick in 2026 but the Patriots were surrounded by rumors all day but just nothing materialized we heard a lot of names supposedly on the block from Kyle Duggar to Jonathan Jones to Devon Godshaw to a few wide receivers including Tyquan Thornton and KJ Osborne which almost looked like it was a foregone conclusion a lot of people thought he was packing his bags, heading to Los Angeles to become a new member of the Chargers. None of that materialized. Steve, the Patriots are essentially saying right now that coming together as a team is their goal for this week. And one of the big things about a team kind of rebounding after a tough loss or a disheartening loss is having strong leadership in the locker room to help

Starting point is 00:03:45 guide them through that process. In your estimation, because you always take things with a reasonable approach, that's why we call you our resident voice of reason, and we need some reason here on Locked On Patriots. Do you believe that it was leadership that took a role in keeping some of these players, some of these veterans here in New England, or do you think it was simply just the Patriots could not get the asking price they were looking for? I think it might have been just a tad bit of both. You know, I said last week on social media that, you know,

Starting point is 00:04:17 a lot of people were saying trade everybody, start from scratch, and I was like, that is a very bad move to make. Because when you're trying to rebuild, you identify the guys that you believe are your core players. And all the guys you mentioned with the exception of Osborne and Tyquan Thornton, they're all core guys that the Patriots just paid to stick around. Now, you know, we don't know if Jonathan Jones will re-sign here or whatnot. But, you know, some of the things that I had heard through the grapevine, and you and I know a lot of the same people, was they were getting, like, late sixth or seventh round draft pick offers for, you know, Jonathan Jones and God show.

Starting point is 00:05:08 And I wouldn't trade that guy for that. Right. Especially these are your key guys right now. They're having trouble stopping the run. Why would you trade your best run stuffer for a sixth or seventh round traffic? There's no way I would do that. And when you're rebuilding, you need those veteran guys in the locker room.

Starting point is 00:05:29 Maybe not as much even on the field, but you need those guys on the sideline, in the locker room, so they can ease the younger guys' transition into the pro game. And I think all of these guys fit that. So I thought it was a smart move. I was hoping that they weren't going to be complete sellers. I figured they might move a couple of the wide receivers since they have so many.

Starting point is 00:05:57 I was actually hoping they'd be buyers at the trade deadline. That was my hope. Not saying go for the gusto, but pick up a couple of guys, offensive or defensive linemen, maybe a linebacker. I'm not so much a wide receiver, and I know they need them desperately, but I'd rather have younger guys back there, and none of the younger guys were for sale. That's a very, very good good point and i think that you

Starting point is 00:06:26 look at a team like the chicago bears or the patriots will see this week uh and their acquisition of montez sweat last year a team that was out of contention but saw an opportunity to bring in an impact player on defense went and bought and now he's in chicago for the foreseeable future so you look at the patriots and you say yeah if they're buy, that's the type of move to make. I just don't think there was a move like that to be made in Tuesday's trade deadline, especially this year for given what was available. And I can confirm that's exactly what I've been hearing by people that I know very close to the team saying that late day three, if those are the offers that the Patriots were getting, yeah, they did the right thing by standing pat. And look, Gerard Mayo kind of echoed those sentiments when we had a chance to speak with

Starting point is 00:07:07 him on Wednesday morning. He said, look, you know, I know Elliot and the staff have contacted multiple teams, multiple teams contacted us. It's about thinking about the present and trying to get better in the future. Sometimes you have to stand pat to win. And maybe that's what the New England Patriots see here, an opportunity to get guys like Jonathan Jones, to get guys like Kyle Duggar re-engaged and help them build for the future by helping build some of these young guys that they have on this team and mentor them

Starting point is 00:07:36 to be everything they can be. Clearly, in that wide receiver room, there are square pegs trying to be fit into round holes. You look at Tyquan Thornton, you start to maybe think that they have designs on either moving him or moving on from him at some point. KJ Osborne came with a lot of pedigree and a lot of praise from Minnesota, but just has not looked like the typical fit that we expected him to be in Alex Van Pelt's offense. I know the trade deadline has come and gone, but releases are still able to be done.

Starting point is 00:08:07 Can you see either one of those players maybe on the chopping block here in the next couple of weeks? Yeah, I think you could possibly see both of them being released at some point. And we don't know. There might have been a conversation with Osborne where the team says, hey, such and such a team is looking to add you. And he was like, I really don't want to play for them. And they're going to do him a solid by releasing him after the fact

Starting point is 00:08:41 and letting him find the place where he wants to go. Yeah, I think so. If I'm looking at this objectively, I'm thinking that Osborne may be the more likely of the case to be released. He's a veteran guy, came in, not really a great fit right now. It doesn't seem like either side is overly happy with the other. They're tolerating each other. I think they're saying and doing the right things right now, but I think it might be beneficial for a clean break. I'd be a little more hesitant right now to release Thornton, and I know a lot of Patriots fans are going to hear that, and they're going to roll their eyes and say he's terrible. He hasn't materialized. Look, that may indeed be the case, folks. He may

Starting point is 00:09:17 need a fresh start, a change of scenery, and that may be the best thing for him at this point, but when he is able to stretch the field and you give him an opportunity to utilize that perimeter, one of the fastest players I've ever had the opportunity to cover. You can't just manufacture that type of speed and expect it to be there when you need it and you need to dial it up. So if the Patriots can keep him around, he's still on a rookie deal. You're not wasting an entire amount of money by letting him go or saving that much by letting him go and releasing him. Try to see what you can get out of the kid.

Starting point is 00:09:51 And maybe there is something that can be had at the end of the year. Then you have a legitimate conversation. And then if you're looking to move on from Taekwon at that point and utilize that roster spot, I think I'd be much more amenable to it. But you're looking at releases during the season, I'd say Osborne is a little more likely at this point, folks, than Tyquan Thornton. Steve, again, not much of an eventful trade deadline for the New England Patriots, although we did discuss the O'Shea deal and what it meant for the Kansas City Chiefs

Starting point is 00:10:18 and what it meant for the New England Patriots last week when you joined us here. I am going to put you on the hot seat, my friend, before we switch gears and open up your grade report and you provide your Dean Warmer-like assessment of the New England Patriots' performance against the Tennessee Titans. Did the Patriots make the right move here at the trade deadline? Do you believe that standing pat was the most prudent course of action given their position. Yeah. I mean, standing pat with, you know, getting rid of your veteran players. I, I agree with that. I mean, again, you know, you just mentioned it, you know, the the offers they were getting for these guys. I mean,

Starting point is 00:11:01 to me, they weren't worth getting rid of a guy just to cut his salary. I mean, they have oodles of money. So it's not like, you know, you're trying to save a buck here or a buck there for the offseason. I mean, they have boatloads of money to spend next year. So, you know, I'd rather keep those veteran guys around. The only thing I said, and, you know, we know they called people, as you said, Gerard Mayo said that this morning, but I was hoping they were going to add a couple of pieces and, you know, specifically in the trenches, which I think they really, really need

Starting point is 00:11:38 help right now. Don't forget, there is also the possibility that the Patriots may make three mid-to-late season additions that could end up acting like acquisitions, and that is the returns, the imminent returns, it looks like, of Christian Barmore, Cole Strange, Caden Wallace. All of these players right now, folks, are expected to make a return at some point this year. Gerard Mayo confirmed they would not be on the field and practicing on Wednesday. I can confirm they were not on the field on Wednesday, but are we getting closer? Yeah, there's a possibility. So keep a sharp eye out, folks, because the additions of players like Barmore and Strange and Wallace could end up curing what is wrong with this New England Patriots team,

Starting point is 00:12:19 especially when it comes to poor play along the offensive and defensive lines. Speaking of poor play, I think it's about time that Steve put on his professor cap and join us to provide his grade report for the New England Patriots 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 9. Quarterback looked solid, but the rest of the positions did look like they're on double secret probation. We're going to find out from Steve exactly what the grades were for the offense as well as the defense. So keep it right here, folks. You're not going to want to miss a single

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Starting point is 00:16:45 day. And joining us here today to help grade your New England Patriots 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday in Week 9 is our good friend, our resident voice of reason, and our midweek professor here on Locked On Patriots, Steve Balistrieri. Steve, we talked about the deadline, the trade deadline, and the Patri Patriots reluctance or hesitance to make a move at the deadline but there was clearly a need for this team to upgrade whether it be upgrading personnel or whether it be upgrading in performance the Patriots for the most part on Sunday did not look like a team that had learned a whole lot from their week eight victory over the

Starting point is 00:17:25 New York Jets. So I think now it becomes incumbent upon the Patriots to evaluate where they are and then move forward. And the easiest way to do that is to take a look at their performance, their most recent performance against the Titans. Let's start on the offensive side of the ball because the Patriots had a chance to make this one pretty interesting based on the legs, based on the arms, and based on the exciting playmaking ability of one Drake May. When you look at the quarterback position, Steve, obviously, guiding into this game, we were wondering whether or not Drake was going to even be able to suit up. Cleared from concussion protocol just the day before. Didn't look like he was any worse for the wear. He looked like he was in it to win it.

Starting point is 00:18:07 Makes an incredible play. 11.82 seconds of scrambling and evading defenders before he's able to find Ramondre Stevenson and the Patriots tie the game, but then a back-breaking interception to end the game in overtime. Overall, how would you say Drake may perform? Is this a performance more for the

Starting point is 00:18:27 future, or what can the Patriots learn from the present year about their young caller? Well, one, I mean, yeah, you hit the nail on the head right away with this. I mean, you know, he just came off a concussion protocol. I'm thinking he might be a little tentative to run today, which would be completely understandable. I'm sure his coaches said that. And then the first play from scrimmage, boom, he takes off for like a 26-yard gain and does not slide. He goes head first, which gave me a semi-heart attack.

Starting point is 00:19:09 But at the same time, I was like, this guy isn't worried about anything. And, you know, what we saw at the end of the game was to me the second best play of the entire week. The other one being Saquon Barkley, which I just saw that. And I just went, oh, my God. Yeah, it's almost inhuman. It really was remarkable. I mean, to vault a guy running backwards, I mean, who would have thought that? But anyway, back to the Patriots. I thought that play at the end of regulation was one of those plays where, you know,

Starting point is 00:19:45 we're seeing these type of things every week and he's building on it. And, you know, every week I'm more convinced that they got the guy that they need, you know, you know, when, when they drafted him in April, all of his positives came to, to, positives came to show on that one play. I mean, he has incredible athleticism. He keeps his eyes down the field.

Starting point is 00:20:16 The kid doesn't get rattled. You look at him after a bad play, he looks deadpan. After a great play, he looks deadpan. After a great play, he looks deadpan. He's just like, okay, we did that. You know, now we're moving on to the next play. And, you know, of course, when they score a touchdown, he celebrates like everybody else. But other than that, I mean, I think this guy is absolutely phenomenal.

Starting point is 00:20:43 And, you know, unfortunately, the team didn't do right by him with the rest of your offensive guys except the tight end position. I thought the running backs were very lackluster, and I know that Ramondre scored two touchdowns, and we'll get into that in a minute. But, you know, they weren't able to generate anything. And a lot of that goes to the offensive line, because I believe that Evan Lazar posted that they were averaging

Starting point is 00:21:19 minus three yards before contact, which is telling you they're getting hit deep in the backfield. And it's tough for the running backs to do that. But, you know, I looked at May's game overall, 29 of 41, only 206 yards. That was because he was running for his life, you know, basically for half the game. But eight rushes, all on scrambles for 95 yards. I mean, he was the best player on the team for both teams.

Starting point is 00:21:50 Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. And, you know, he made a couple of mistakes. That first interception was very, very bad throw in decision. And those are things, you know, you're going to have to live with with a rookie quarterback. The thing that upset me was that the second interception in overtime, he threw, well, it was on first down for one.

Starting point is 00:22:20 So there was no need to force it. But when I looked at the play after the game on the All-22 film, I was watching, you know, Boutte had a step on the defender. And then on the other side of the field, Kendrick Bourne fell down. footing and fell and the safety in the middle immediately started cutting toward Boutte because that was May's only play um you know hindsight being 2020 maybe he shouldn't have thrown that ball again that's a learning thing but then he said after the game that he should put more on it because the wind was a factor and that was the thing that was not his fault because they lost the coin toss and they should have taken the wind, but they did not. And I don't understand why in the world you wouldn't do that, but that affected your quarterback's throw.

Starting point is 00:23:21 If he's thrown with the wind, we might be talking about a different outcome. I think it's definitely possible. And look, Drake proves in the closing seconds of regulation that he is more than capable of leading this team and giving them an opportunity not only to win games, but also to give them the wind, to hand them the wind. He did everything he needed to do. Yeah, there's no question about it. He would absolutely love to have that throwback. His first interception, like you said, I think he'd love to have that one back.

Starting point is 00:23:48 The strip sack. We can't forget that there were turnover and rookie-worthy moments in which Drake May did look like a quarterback still in need of some development. But overall, when you look at the poise, you look at the leadership ability, the way his teammates are rallying around him and buying into everything he's doing on the football field. I agree with you. It becomes more and more clear each and every week that the New England Patriots have the guy. They got the right one. And I don't think quarterback play is going to continue to be a problem here in New England for any time longer. I think they found their solution there. But you've mentioned the supporting cast around him. And of course, the offensive line, Steve, earned your Dean Wormer 0.0 for the week.

Starting point is 00:24:34 When you look at the supporting cast around Drake May, how dismal is it in your estimation? And what can the Patriots do to better themselves? Yeah, I mean, you know, again, I ding the running backs. But, you know, they have to get a little bit more support. You know, when you're averaging minus three yards before contact, I mean, what does that tell you? You know, they're getting so penetrated up front that your running backs are getting hit deep in the field. And I probably shouldn't have. But again, I mean, 12 carries for 15 yards isn't getting it done. And the wide receivers, again, I think Kendrick Bourne is finally starting to, you know, get back to where he should be physically. I thought he had a pretty good game, four catches, 41 yards.

Starting point is 00:25:34 He seems to be moving better. And it takes a while. I mean, we all know that. I mean, you know, when you tear an ACL, it's it's not you know six months and you know back to where you were it takes a while all right um but again jalen polk i don't know what's going on with him i mean you know he was only targeted once and he only played nine snaps. And, you know, during those nine snaps, he had two penalties. I don't know. I mean, if there's one, and I know we're kind of grasping at straws here,

Starting point is 00:26:17 but, you know, we've got to find some sunshine here, right? here right uh jayvon baker he ran two routes deep routes and he was open on both of them but both times the penetration from the pass rush of the titans which was very good it was all game long uh force made to either scramble or dump it off, you know, for a check down. But, you know, perhaps there's something more there. I mean, we talked about, you know, a deep, you know, threat type of thing with Thornton. Maybe they should give him a little more looks next week because the two reps that I saw, he was open on both of them. So Hunter Henry remains your most consistent

Starting point is 00:27:09 guy on the field. And again, it wasn't, you know, world beater numbers, but seven catches, 56 yards on eight targets. That's all you can ask for from a tight end you know the guy when his number is called he's so reliable and um if it wasn't for him right now in the passing game i shudder to think what it would look like yeah very good point and again when you're looking at the supporting cast folks when you're looking at what the patriots need around drake in order to be able to succeed yeah i think the finger can be pointed at a number of positions. Like Steve said, obviously there are issues when it comes to the receivers and that group. There are definitely issues when it comes to the offensive line.

Starting point is 00:27:55 The eighth combination in as many weeks has not been the consistent protection that Drake does need. And New England's quarterback has the ability to utilize his athleticism to mask some of the problems because that could have been a lot worse with more of a stationary quarterback. And folks, offensively, the Patriots are going to have to make some adjustments without any question because a fearsome Chicago Bears pass rush is on the horizon for the New England Patriots this week. But before we move ahead to the Bears, it's going to be incumbent upon us to give a grade for the Patriots defense.

Starting point is 00:28:29 We're going to talk about the defense against the Titans 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, get ready to tackle NFL action with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win. The FanDuel Sportsbook app gives you everything you need

Starting point is 00:28:59 to place live bets on the NFL all in one place. So when you get a hunch in the middle of the game, you can check out the latest stats, view live play-by-play, and so much more on the same page where you place your bets. Let your New England fandom work for you by visiting Fanduel.com to join today. You'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if you win with your first $5 bet. That's Fanduel.com. Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with Fanduel, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Pats fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. As we put a cap on the week that was here in Foxborough. And a 20-17 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Week 9.

Starting point is 00:29:48 Week 10 matchup with the Chicago Bears on the horizon. But not before we provide our final grades. And luckily for us, here today to provide those grades is our resident professor here on Locked On Patriots. My good friend Steve Balistrieri. Who had some complimentary things to say about the New England Patriots quarterback in the previous segment, the rest of the offense, yeah, not so much. They really didn't make the grade. It was kind of a Dean Warmer firing squad, a lot of Hoovers, a lot of D-days, a lot of Dorfmans, not a whole lot of top level performance, Steve.

Starting point is 00:30:23 But when we take a look at the defense because a lot of people have been mixed on the defense i was a little bit harsh on them on monday and said i thought that they were a big cause as to why the new england patriots were not able to win i understand that this tennessee titans offense is not world beaters but that's still a relatively decent performance. When you look at this team, let's start with the front seven. Let's start up front with the defensive line and the linebackers. How would you assess the Pats performance on Sunday against the Titans? Like you, after the game, I started my notes on the game and I was very harsh on the defense.

Starting point is 00:31:05 Then I rewatched it two times. Don't ask me why. But I rewatched it two times, and I came away. The defense didn't play great by any stretch of the imagination, but they weren't as bad as I originally thought, because I was watching the way the game developed. Stopping the run was a big issue once again. And again, I mean, you're missing Christian Barmore, Jawan Bentley, you know, Peppers and Duggar. I mean, those are four of your best five players, number one being Gonzalez, on the football team, you know, defensively.

Starting point is 00:31:56 So it's really difficult to lose all that, you know, across the board from defensive linebacker, you know, secondary. And especially with the way Duggar and, you know, Peppers are so active on the defense. I just, you know, and I have to take that into consideration. So, you know, I'm looking at it they struggled you know since since tennessee was running the ball and you know setting the edge was a problem again and at first i was even um going down on one of my favorite players is anth Jennings because I know he had caught crashing down once and they broke a play to the outside for very good yardage.

Starting point is 00:32:51 But when I rewatched the game, I think, you know, I was too harsh on him. I was watching, you know, the way he played and I thought he did a much better job. But the edge was still an issue for them as well as, you know, up the middle. And, you know, the defensive line to me and the linebackers get a C minus because they

Starting point is 00:33:18 did make some plays out there. You know, I thought Dietrich wise for tackles, a sack tackle for loss, two quarterback hits. It wasn't that bad. The issue I had is they got tired at the end of overtime or at the end of regulation. And when the Titans got the ball in overtime, they went 13 plays down to the Patriots seven yard line. Eight of them were runs. And honestly, if Mason Rudolph doesn't bobble that snap, I think Drake May wouldn't have even

Starting point is 00:33:56 seen the ball. When you look at a team right now that is struggling the way it is offensively, there are a lot of reasons why the Patriots are struggling offensively. We went into a lot of them in the previous segment. Defensively, that team needs to do a better job of stepping up, even though it may be a little unfair to ask them to carry the load each and every week all of the time. You knew that coming in when you have a rookie quarterback that a defense needs to step it up. So I think in that regard, the New England Patriots still do look at this front seven right now and say they need to step up up. So I think in that regard, the New England Patriots still do look at this front seven right now and say they need to step up against the run. Tony Pollard was still able to find areas where he could beat this team and really keep them on their heels. And it always shows

Starting point is 00:34:36 in the stat column, Steve, that's the ultimate equalizer. So the Patriots need to do a much better job in that area. I completely agree. When it comes to the secondary, once again, Christian Gonzalez drawing the unenviable task, I guess we'll say, of defending Calvin Ridley, agent zero versus agent zero. I think he did a fairly good job of being able to keep him in check. As far as the supporting cast around Christian right now, I think there are guys that do need to step it up a little bit. Marte Mapu had to come out of the game for a little bit. He ended up coming back in, but he got shaken up a little bit. How would you say the secondary fared for the most part against this Titans offense? Yeah, I think, again, C-.

Starting point is 00:35:16 It was C- across the board. I thought Gonzalez did a really good job covering Ridley for much of the game. He covered him, I think it was said, for 24 snaps. He caught three passes, 54 yards. Not great, but not bad. That was pretty good. The

Starting point is 00:35:35 problem I had, and I wasn't sure why they were playing zone so much, and it's not like Rudolph is is like a big running threat i mean he's mobile but he's not a running threat and when they played uh zone rudolph ate their mop he did you know yeah um and i'm worried about that this coming week because they do have a very mobile quarterback that they're facing we'll get into that maybe in a minute.

Starting point is 00:36:07 But, you know, if they play zone, I didn't think they were very effective at all. I thought, you know, when they played man, I think, you know, Rudolph was only averaging about 5.5 yards a throw, which is, that's very good. You'll take that all day long. So, you know, the secondary wasn't great, but at the same time, maybe the scheme was a little off for them matching up this week. But, yeah, I do think, you know, Marcus Jones needs to step up his game a little bit. I was surprised Jonathan Jones' snaps were way down, and it could have possibly been they thought that a trade was imminent there.

Starting point is 00:36:54 Yeah, it could have been a possibility without any question. And look, I don't think they'll have that problem this week when they face the Chicago Bears. As you said before, Steve, they're facing a mobile quarterback that will present a whole host of challenges when it comes to this New England Patriots team. And folks, keep it right here on Locked On Patriots because we will be breaking down this matchup between the Patriots and the Bears coming to you from Soldier Field in

Starting point is 00:37:19 Chicago. Going to be a fun one out there in the Windy City this weekend. But in the meantime, I want to give a tip of the cap, a major thanks to my good friend, my Patriots bison, our resident voice of reason, and our midweek professor here on Lockdown Patriots, Steve Balistrieri. Steve, what can I say? Thank you for your wisdom, your counsel, your grades. Please let all of our fans know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and

Starting point is 00:37:44 what you got marinating in La Cucina Balistrieri between now and next week when we welcome you back to the pod. Yeah, it's a deep dive into the Bears and looking for ways that they could possibly win in an upset. I mean, the talk this week has been coming together as a team. So, you know, they lose to arguably the worst team in the league on Sunday. Then they come back and beat the Bears. Wouldn't that be, you know, so typical of this season? But, yeah, we'll be doing a deep dive on the Bears.

Starting point is 00:38:21 You can follow me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I write for PatsFans.com. I'm on other social media at Steve Balistrieri. And I wore this shirt for you today, WWP. Absolutely. WW Paisans. Absolutely. That's right.

Starting point is 00:38:41 I love it. I knew the P stood for Paisan. And you know what, folks? It can stand for Patriots as well he was both and he is the both at the highest level you could possibly hope for so thank you my friend for your friendship and for all of your contributions to Lockdown

Starting point is 00:38:54 Patriots and folks thank you all for continuing to make Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage crossover Thursday coming at you tomorrow Lockdown Patriots and Lockdown Bears make sure to stay tuned and all week long we'll be continuing New England Patriots coverage. Crossover Thursday coming at you tomorrow. Locked on Patriots and locked on Bears. Make sure to stay tuned. And all week long, we'll be continuing to break down the Bears matchup.

Starting point is 00:39:10 And we might even have a little more financial insight for you when it comes to the Patriots and the trade deadline. We're talking finances. You know who's coming on, folks. I don't need to tell you his name. You know it. Our good friend, the Pats cap will be joining us as well. So keep it right here and locked

Starting point is 00:39:26 in to Locked on Patriots. In the meantime, on behalf of my good friend Steve Balistrieri, 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. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked

Starting point is 00:39:41 on Patriots.

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