Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Guard Cole Strange Sidelined; Three Choices For ‘Next Man Up’

Episode Date: May 22, 2024

New England Patriots starting left guard Cole Strange is expected to miss the start of the 2024 season. Who will step up in his absence? Host Mike D’Abate discusses the impact of Strange’s absence and provides three names on which Pats fans will want to keep watch as throughout minicamp and training camp who could get the start in his place. #nfl #patriots Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm...Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Yahoo FinanceFor comprehensive financial news and analysis, visit the brand behind every great investor. Yahoofinance.comeBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply.FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning GUARANTEED That’s A HUNDRED AND FIFTY BUCKS – with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET! Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

New England Patriots starting left guard Cole Strange is expected to miss the start of the 2024 season. Who will step up in his absence? Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every

day, but we're also free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button and download and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for the Patriots country. So make sure to reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind because I want to know what you're thinking on X at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing social media love to Locked On Patriots,

please be sure to follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, if you saw Monday's episode, you know that we recently did an audiovisual upgrade here on Locked On Patriots. And Pats fans, if you saw Monday's episode, you know that we recently did an audio-visual upgrade here on Locked On Patriots. Still working out some of the kinks. And unfortunately, today we have to come to you from a remote location, but don't worry. Tomorrow's episode, we'll be back in the studio, hopefully with better video quality to match the new and improved audio quality.

So thank you so much for sticking with Locked On Patriots during this time. And Pats fans, as your New England Patriots continue to progress through OTAs, it's starting to feel like football season again. Yeah, the weather's getting warmer. We're all excited to watch Drake May take his first reps. Jacoby Brissett's getting looks with the first team offense. Joe Milton is launching moon shots out there, and they are impressive to watch. Bottom line, folks, it is great seeing the Pats back on the field, even if the odds makers don't like the

team's chances this season. And I don't think I'm overstepping my bounds by saying that. Not many people expect much from your Patriots this year. I don't care. I'm happy to see the Pats back in town. I know that you are too. But OTAs are not just about getting your first look at the players, folks. It's also about seeing which injured players from last year are ready to go in 2024. And prior to the Patriots' first OTA session of the season on Monday, new Patriots head coach Gerard Mayo indicated that a realistic timetable for the return of injured starting left guard Cole Strange might be either week to week or even month by month.

Now, that didn't sound too good at the time, and unfortunately for Pats Nation, Strange's status got a bit clearer on Tuesday. NFL Network's Ian Rappaport reporting that Cole, quote-unquote, may miss the start of the 2024 season and he may be out until the middle of the season and of course folks we all know that's due to the knee injury he suffered in the team's 27-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium in late December. Now you may remember that we didn't see Cole on the field

after that injury and when OTAs opened that was one of the major injury questions that was on everybody's mind. That's why all of the reporters on the scene on Monday made Cole the subject of one of their first questions. Gerard offered a little more than just the month-by-month, week-by-week comment. Here was his full response. He said, quote, That's an interesting one. Cole's another guy who normally we'd say day to day. He's actually more of a week by week, or you could go month by month if you want to. He's working hard. He's doing his rehab.

He's here every day. He's in the meeting room. So I'm happy where he is. And that's always a good thing. You want to make sure your players are engaged. Obviously, it's optimal to have them out there on the field. But if the injuries make that impossible, it's nice to know that he is in the meeting room getting the learning part of the offseason workout program in so that way he can make his best effort on the field. But the question on everybody's mind is when is that return to the

field going to happen? Well, with Strange likely to be out indefinitely, that leaves a significant void on the Patriots offensive line, both literally and figuratively, folks. Cole Strange is a big guy, 6'5", 310 pounds. It is not going to be easy for the Patriots to fill those shoes. And for all of the negative fan sentiment surrounding this guy, and I say fan in quotes because I know that all of you everydayers out there, all of you true Patriots fans, you're going to rightfully give Cole the benefit of a doubt here. He is a very good offensive lineman. We all remember him being selected by the Patriots in the first round and number 29 overall of the 2022 NFL draft. Most of the Patriots fans out there,

all of the talking heads they wanted a receiver and they let you know about it they got an offensive lineman but if you're being fair to Cole Strange you have to admit he lived up to his hype during training camp he was named the team's starting left guard right out of camp and he started all 17 games for the Patriots as a rookie now he suffered from both leg and knee injuries for the better part of last season. That limited him to only nine games played entering Week 15. And of course, Week 15 is where he suffered the injury against the Chiefs. But despite those injuries, he still aligned on 564 offensive snaps. He was credited with only two penalties and three sacks allowed.

So on a limited sample size, Cole Strange is showing that he can get the job done. But I can't in good conscience say that he was perfect. He had his ups and he had his downs, especially in those gap-heavy schemes deployed by New England's coaches on offense in 2022 and even last year under Bill O'Brien. Of course, we all remember they tried to incorporate a little more outside zone in 2022 under Matt Patricia. Obviously, that didn't work. As we've said many times here on this pod, they simply didn't have the coaching or the personnel to make it work. And in the interest of honesty, the former regime deserves some blame for that. But that's why the Pats felt they needed to go get Cole in their lineup. And now I was really

excited to watch Cole Strange. And I still am because I do believe he will be back. It won't be for a little while, but he will be in the lineup. But this is a system that I believe he could thrive in. He seemed really well positioned to finally make his mark under Alex Van Pelt's offense and under Scott Peters. And I'll explain why. When Cole is at his best, he's a tenacious run blocker. He's got great quickness

he can generate sudden impact on those power runs he did this routinely at Tennessee Chattanooga and for those of you long time everydayers out there recall a couple of years ago I spoke with Cole's college coach Rusty Wright over at Tennessee Chattanooga and he said that he said that he always had the ability to seal defenders on zone runs. Outstanding upper body strength allows him to do that. He's got the strength, the hand size to be able to grasp defenders in pass protection and keep them from reaching their targets. But it's not all about Cole's size that make him an effective fit in Alex Van Pelt's offense. He also has fluid movement to mirror his opponent as well as the ability to recover when he

struggles with the defenders. So all of these traits, when added together, made it likely that Cole Strange could really thrive in this system. And for a system like Van Pelt's, which is predicated on a strong outside zone presence, Strange was seemingly the ideal lineman for this group. And it's a shame that he's not going to get a chance to play a full season. At least that's what we're hearing right now, because he does what he does best when he's working to facilitate a run-centric offense. But as Rick Pitino might say, folks, Cole Strange is not walking through the door anytime soon,

so New England now faces the unenviable task of attempting to replace him for at least the start of the season, and perhaps even longer. In that vein, I'm going to outline three players to watch closely during the remainder of the Patriots offseason workouts and in the training camp when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, I'm really excited today to tell you about our sponsor, Yahoo Finance, because when it came to my financial future, I thought I had done it all.

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visit the brand behind every great investor, yahoofinance.com, the number one financial destination. yahoofinance.com. That's yahoofinance.com. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today as we break down the on-field impact of the injury to Cole Strange.

Of course, to recap, on Monday, head coach Gerard Mayo told reporters present that Cole Strange would not be participating in OTAs just yet. And then, of course, the Tuesday report from Ian Rappaport, Cole may indeed miss the start of the 2024 season and could be out for as long as mid-season and as we think about the loss of Cole Strange folks we're going to think about the void on the field and we've already talked a little bit about that his ideal fit in an outside zone centric concept like Alex Van Pelt is going to run the type of offense that's predicated on using a strong

running game to open up play action and take deep shots down the field. Cole Strange was excellent in that type of offense at Tennessee Chattanooga. That's a void that has to be filled, and it's not going to be easy to do that. We're all thinking about what the Patriots need to do to compensate for that type of loss. And in true Patriot fashion, no matter who's in the coach's seat, folks, it's always next man up. And I'm thinking about that spot on the line that needs to be filled as well. And in that regard, here are three names I would like for you to keep an eye on as the Pats continue on through OTAs, lead into minicamp, and ultimately to training camp in late July. The first name I'm going to give you is

Siddy So. And Siddy had himself a tremendous rookie season last year, selected by the Pats in the fourth round at number 117 overall out of Eastern Michigan. And from the outset, this kid proved that he was ready to be a pro offensive lineman in short order. Excellent size for his position, 6'5", 318 pounds, really became an imposing presence at right guard, formed a pretty good tandem on that side of the ball next to starting right tackle Michael Wenu. City was especially effective in the run game. He was given a 71.2 run blocking grade from pro football focus. That was by far

the most of any rookie lineman in that category, and it was by a pretty good long shot. So City So establishing himself as a stout run blocker early on. But again, the one thing to remember is this was under Bill O'Brien. Alex Van Pelt has already begun to incorporate outside zone into the Pat scheme. Now City does his best work in gap schemes. If you thought his 71.2 grade from pro football focus as a run blocker was impressive, wait till you see what they gave him in gap run blocking grades. 80.8, which ranked third best among all qualified guards.

So again, this is where he shines. He still needs a little work in pass protection, but this kid has the size and athleticism and the ability, most importantly, to handle stunts and twists, and that gives him the chance to return to the left guard position because that's where he played a lot during his collegiate career at Eastern Michigan. So if he were to return, it wouldn't be as much of a learning curve as some of the other guys on the roster. And I'll get into that in just a moment. But even though he played primarily at

right guard last season, City has been the team's top option at left guard during OTAs so far. He was during the practice on Monday, which was open to the media. If Cole Strange is going to be out for a significant portion of the season, and those projections that have him out potentially into the midway point, then New England may consider a positional switch for City. So, and if that is the case, you could see him move over to left guard. So definitely keep an eye out for that. You're probably going to start to know more as OTAs progress really start to get to know a little bit during mandatory mini camp and then by the time training camp rolls around you may have a

pretty good idea where City So is going to be playing this season the second option is rookie Layden Robinson and we've talked about this several times here on this pod 6'4 302 pounds he's going to be an imposing presence whether he's a right guard or a left guard but the thing that I love about Robinson and the thing that makes me believe that he's pro ready is that not only was he a staple on the Texas A&M offensive line he also was a pivotal leader in that locker room he started 33 games over three seasons again primarily lining up at right guard, but he knows how to facilitate a running game and he can help cultivate a good strong runner into a great runner. Did it with Isaiah Spiller at Texas A&M, helped him accumulate over 1,000

rushing yards in 2021, and he's got great power as a pass blocker. I still consider him a developmental prospect. He's not completely ready right out of the box just yet. He's going to require some work in his footwork and his hand placement, but this kid has a maturity level that will allow him to put the work in, put the time in, and really, I think, make strides by the end of training camp. So much so, I think he's going to make this a very difficult decision for the Patriots coaching staff. And again, much like City, so he's been playing on a position a lot during the Patriots workout so far. Again, this kid's used to playing on the right side, but he also took a notable amount of reps at left guard during last week's rookie minicamp. And he's developing a pretty strong relationship with fellow rookie left tackle Caden Wallace.

That could push the ball in his favor a little bit, especially if Wallace shows he's capable of carrying the load early. Folks, I would keep a sharp eye on Leighton Robinson. This one definitely has some promise, but the last of my trio of possibilities is recently signed free agent Nick Leverett. And don't forget, Leverett joined the Pats, we thought, as a reserve option in March. Leverett's been in the league for a bit. He originally entered the NFL in 2020, signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Rice, played most of his college football for North Carolina Central from 2015 to 2018.

In his four years with the Bucs, played in 16 games, making 10 starts at left guard, all in 2022. He's at his best on the left side, but interestingly enough, on Monday, he aligned primarily at right guard during Monday's practice, and he took some reps with the first team offense. So that's something to keep an eye on, folks. Definitely do not sleep on that. Of the three that I've just mentioned, Nick has the most tenure of anyone. So if the Patriots are looking for experience early on, especially to protect someone like Jacoby Brissett, maybe this could

be something to watch. So with that being said, who gets the nod? Who's going to start in place of Cole Strange at left guard? Well, only Gerard Mayo, Alex Van Pelt, and Scott Peters know the answer to that question, folks. But I'm going to reveal my thoughts in just a moment when I wrap up this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Listen up, Locked On listeners. The NFL schedule is out. You want to get tickets to watch your favorite team in Foxborough in their home opener in September against Seattle. But you just can't find an easy and affordable way to do it. Well, you shouldn't have to worry when you're buying tickets to your next big event. Choose Game Time. Because with

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off your first purchase terms apply so again create an account and redeem the code locked on nfl that's l-o-c-k-e-d-o-n-n-f-l for 20 off download game time today last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on this episode, breaking down the on-field impact of the injury to offensive lineman Cole Strange, Pat's starting left guard, facing the potential of being out for at least the start of the 2024 season and maybe even through mid-season and if that's the case folks the New England Patriots have a void to fill that they need to fill and fill quickly and in the previous segment I gave you three names of players

that I believe could get the nod for the Patriots at left guard to help spell Cole Strange until he's ready to return to the field those Those three names, City So, who currently is your starting right guard, rookie Layden Robinson, and veteran Nick Leverett. But I know a lot of people out there are wondering about Antonio Mafi. Patriots have him on the roster. He's got a year's tenure under his belt. Might he get a look? And should he get a look?

Folks, I think bottom line line he will end up being considered last year moffy was pretty up and down as a rookie took 459 snaps he was whistled for five penalties but to his credit i think moffy has tremendous athleticism for a guy his size it's visible on his game film from his time at ucla definitely you can see elements of it from his time in new england last season plays with good balance when you hit him head-on he can sustain his blocks and that gives him at least the opportunity to be considered I still think he needs work on his hand placement this was something that bothered me regarding Antonio's game when he came out of UCLA and that has affected his

ability to protect but he can use his size he's 6'3 329 pounds he can definitely mix it up with any defender that's going to be lined up opposite him and I think he has the skill set to be productive especially if New England is going to use some power run sets to help clear the space for Ramondre Stevenson and the Patriots running backs this year but here's the thing he still needs a lot of work and even though he has a year of seniority over someone like Robinson, who's coming in as a rookie, I still think Moffey's game is going to be hurt by thrusting him back into a starting role too quickly. That's when we started to see him struggle last year.

So in that vein, that's why I didn't include Antonio Moffey right off the bat. But it wouldn't surprise me to see him get looks. And hey, folks, Gerard Mayo has said several times, the best players are going to play. If Antonio Mafi has the ability, and he plays that position best in Cole Strange's absence, he's going to get the nod. So don't sleep on Antonio Mafi.

I just don't include him right now in my top three options for that position. Truth be told, I would say City So is probably the best fit here. He's definitely the most seasoned option in this system, and I think he brings the most complete skill set to the table. But that being said, I still don't see the Patriots making that type of positional switch here if, and I say that as a big if, folks, but if Cole Strange's absence is only going to be temporary. even if he's coming back mid-season, I can't see them taking and uprooting someone like City So who did so well on the right side last year, moving him over to the left, and even if it's mid-season when Cole Strange comes

back, you then have to move him back over to the right side. To me, that's a lot of moving parts and a lot of unnecessary shuffling. And think about it, if you're getting your starting left guard back at some point in the season you don't want to move him over to the right upon his return and make him adapt to a new spot coming back from an injury like that is tough enough as it is you want to make that comeback as comfortable as possible of course the wild card in all this here is if city so is playing well on the left side and you don't want to move him around and start causing problems with his game mid-season. So to me, even though City So is maybe the best in terms of skill set to take over that role, I think it causes way too much shuffling for the Patriots, and that's a problem they don't want to have to deal with right now. So in my opinion, I think it

makes most sense to keep City on the right, go with Robinson on the left, because I think he's young enough to make the switch, but he can also give you quality play. And he can stay in that role if for any reason Cole Strange is unable to return. Pats fans, the breakdown on Cole Strange's injury and its impact on the offensive line is just beginning because tomorrow here on the pod, AFC East injury expert Dr. Kyle Trimble is going to join me to talk about Cole's injury, how it happened, what it means for his recovery, and what is a realistic timetable for his return to the field.

Folks, we're also going to talk about some other injured pats, including Kendrick Bourne and Christian Gonzalez. So be sure to stay locked into locked on Patriots. You are not going to want to miss this one. But in the meantime, I thank you all for joining me here today

as we work to get the new and improved video on par with the new and improved audio right here on your daily home for Patriots news and analysis. But thank you so much for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. I'm Mike DeBate, and I remind you

all to stay safe and to stay well and 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.