Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Jeremy Springer, New Special Teams Coordinator; Pats Moving Forward, MACI

Episode Date: February 1, 2024

The New England Patriots continue to move forward into their new era under head coach Jerod Mayo. Host Mike D’Abate discusses the hiring of Jeremy Springer as the Pats new special teams coordinator ...before welcoming special guest Solomon Wilcots of SiriusXM. The former Cincinnati Bengals safety and NFL analyst provides his thoughts on the end of the Bill Belichick era in New England, the significance of Mayo’s hiring and the Patriots next steps. Lastly, they welcome Gabe, a special guest who provides valuable insight on MACI, a cutting edge treatment option for knee pain. Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-new-england-patriots/id1140512627?i=1000632782469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.NissanOur friends at Nissan have a lineup of SUV’s with the capabilities to take your adventure to the next level. Take the Nissan Rogue, Nissan Pathfinder, or Nissan Armada and go find your next big adventure. Shop NissanUSA.com. BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS if your best bet of FIVE DOLLARS or more wins. 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The New England Patriots Struggling Special Teams Unit will have a new leader in what continues to be a new era in Foxborough. 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
Starting point is 00:00:53 of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day, but it is also free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so smash that subscribe button, download and follow wherever you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated, so reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots social media style,
Starting point is 00:01:21 please follow our account there as well at lo underscore patriots today's episode is brought to you by fan duel make every moment more right now new customers get 150 and bonus bets guaranteed when you place a five dollar bet visit fanduel.com slash locked on to get started and pats fans thank you so much for joining me here today on the pod and action-packed agenda. I am about to be joined in just a few moments by former Cincinnati Bengals safety Solomon Wilcox, who always lends an incredible amount of wisdom and counsel no matter where he goes. And he's going to do it today here, folks. We're going to talk about your New England Patriots, the end of the Bill Belichick era, the start of the new era under Gerard Mayo.
Starting point is 00:02:04 And Solomon is even going to provide his thoughts on where the Patriots should head to try to rebuild their roster and return to respectability. And make sure you stay locked into our final segment today as Solomon and I will be joined by another special guest who is going to lend some unique insight on an innovative treatment in the world of sports medicine. So again, settle in because today's episode should be a fun one. But first, the New England Patriots have made a hire at a coordinator position. Now folks, not offensive coordinator, at least not just yet at the time that we're recording this.
Starting point is 00:02:35 Former Los Angeles Rams special teams assistant coach Jeremy Springer is going to be hired by the Patriots as their special teams coordinator. He replaces Cam Atchard, who has held that title since 2020. Now, don't forget, Springer interviewed with the Patriots last week, just finishing his second season as a special teams assistant with the Rams, worked under two coaches in Los Angeles, first under Joe Camillus in 2022, and then under Chase Blackburn this past season. Now, I know this raised a couple of eyebrows. Curiously enough, the Rams finished last in the NFL this season in special teams rankings. Yeah, that's right.
Starting point is 00:03:12 The Rams special teams unit ranked dead last, number 32 overall in special teams DVOA. And I know a lot of you out there are wondering, why would the Patriots bring in someone to coach a low-ranked unit with someone on the staff of an a low-ranked unit with someone on the staff of an even lower-ranked unit? Yeah, it doesn't really make too much sense on the surface, but keep this in mind, folks. Jeremy Springer has been considered a rising star within the coaching ranks now for quite some time, especially when it comes to special teams coaches. Prior to getting the job in Los Angeles, Springer spent eight seasons at the collegiate level. He started off at UTEP, went to Texas A&M, and then Marshall.
Starting point is 00:03:48 During that span, he presided over some of the nation's top-ranked special teams units. That was as a coordinator. Keep in mind that during his time in Los Angeles, Blackburn was the coordinator. DeCamillis was the coordinator, not Springer. In fact, one of Springer's strengths is actually something that helps make me feel better about this hire. He helps kickers regain their control. Just go back to 2022.
Starting point is 00:04:11 Rams kicker Matt Gay made 28 of 30 of his kicks. That's 93.3%. That was the second highest mark of his career, and he also tied his career high by making the 58-yarder that season. Bottom line, the Patriots have nowhere to go but up when it comes to special teams. Under Atchard's direction, the Pat special teams unit finished number 28 in special teams DVOA. They finished dead last in that metric in 2022. And there really wasn't a whole lot to smile about. Brendan Schooler earning the all-pro nod
Starting point is 00:04:41 for his performance this season was really one of the only bright spots. But that special teams unit routinely struggled with tackling, undisciplined penalties, and we just mentioned kickers. Chad Ryland made only 64% of his attempts in his rookie year. Hopefully, under Springer's tutelage, Chad will be able to turn that around. But no one's saying this is going to be easy because Springer does face a daunting task, especially knowing that 16-year veteran and team captain Matthew Slater is likely to announce his retirement probably sometime within the next month. I know. I don't want to think about it either, Patriots fans.
Starting point is 00:05:15 It's painful to think about Matthew Slater walking away from the New England Patriots, but unfortunately, it looks like it will be a reality. So Jeremy Springer certainly has his hands full but let's give the guy the benefit of the doubt see what kind of energy he brings in he said over and over again he's a high energy high octane type of coach a little bit different approach than we've seen here in New England in the past few years you know he's going to come in motivated he brings in some of that Sean McVay wisdom and counsel that the Patriots are so eager to infuse this coaching staff with. Maybe it means Nick Cayley comes in along with him. Who knows? But right now, this marks the first significant hiring of a coordinator for the Patriots externally
Starting point is 00:05:55 under Gerard Mayo. Don't forget, it hasn't been made official yet, but it seems to be a foregone conclusion that Demarcus Covington is going to be promoted to defensive coordinator. So now that just leaves the offensive coordinator and folks here on Lockdown Patriots will remain on high alert until that position is filled. And all of this together adds up to a lot to break down for Gerard Mayo's rookie season. And it really shows how much things have changed here in Foxborough. But if you find yourself wondering what all of the pros out there are saying about New England's new era, you're not alone. And joining me in just a moment is one of the most insightful voices in football media. Solomon Wilcox is going to join me as we discuss the end of the Belichick era here in New England, the significance of Gerard Mayo's hiring,
Starting point is 00:06:39 and where the Patriots will go from here. And don't forget, Solomon and I will also be joined by a special guest who is going to provide some firsthand insight, not only on knee pain, but also an interesting form of treatment called Macy. Yeah, folks, this is fascinating stuff. You are not going to want to miss this. All of this and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, we all know from personal experience, passion, drive, and patience is what brings home that winning trophy.
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Starting point is 00:08:05 Keep your ride or die alive at ebaymotors.com. Eligible items only, exclusions apply. eBay guaranteed fit, only available to U.S. customers. Patriots fans, NFL fans, and football fans of any walk of life, my guest today is a man known to all of you for his days on the gridiron as a safety for the Cincinnati Bengals, and of course, a member of the 1988 AFC Championship Bengals squad. He is also one of the most insightful analysts in the world of football, and he's provided expert insight for NBC, ESPN, CBS, Pro Football Focus, that's just to name a few folks.
Starting point is 00:08:44 He is currently the host of Sirius XM NFL's Radio Opening Drive and the Believe in Bengals podcast. It is my honor to welcome Solomon Wilcox to the pod today. Solomon, thank you so much for joining me here today on Lockdown Patriots. Well, Mike, thank you for having me. Good to be on with you today. Thank you. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:09:02 And Solomon, I've been a fan of yours both on and off the field for a number of years. It really, truly is an honor for me to share the microphone with you today. Thank you. Absolutely. And Solomon, I've been a fan of yours both on and off the field for a number of years. It really truly is an honor for me to share the microphone with you today. And we're going to do so in just a moment, Pats fans, because we are going to talk some Patriots football. But I would like to point out that here later in the show today, Solomon is going to be joined by Gabe, who has some unique insight on a new innovative medical procedure. I'm honored to provide the platform for you to do so. Stay locked in, folks. You won't want to miss this. But Solomon, of course, this is Locked On Patriots.
Starting point is 00:09:32 And I know our Patriots listeners would love to hear your wisdom and counsel, as I like to say here on these airwaves, especially as a former player and an analyst. You have insight into the nuances of the game that really are unique. You see things us mere mortals don't see on a daily basis covering football. The Pats finished the season 4-13. This was the worst season under Bill Belichick. Ultimately, it ended a 24-year run of Bill Belichick as head coach for the New England Patriots.
Starting point is 00:10:03 Before we get into the hiring of Gerard Mayo, which has caused a high level of excitement in the region, and rightfully so, what was your reaction to the end of the Belichick era in Foxborough? Yeah, it was one that is what we would deem to be inevitable when you have a dynastic run. And they had arguably, I think, the longest run for any dynasty in the 104-year history of our league.
Starting point is 00:10:32 We're talking about a dynasty that went about 20 years, two decades, right, of just dominance at the highest level, right? Not only championships, multiple trips to the postseason, AFC title games and trips to the Super Bowl, and then six Vince Lombardi trophies by the time it was all said and done. And this is like the, it's kind of what you would see. There's an apex where you kind of hit the top, and then the comedown is hard, man.
Starting point is 00:11:02 And that's what the 2023 season represent no longer do you have a Tom Brady even some of the guys like a Devin McCourty and some so many of those other really good players that were foundational pieces for a championship team and franchise were all gone and there was Bill Belichick with that look on his face that, if you ever feel sorry for Coach Belichick, that was one of the times to do so. And nobody feels sorry for Belichick because he always has the answers. He was always the smartest guy in the room. And, look, I have to give Bob Kraft just a lot of credit
Starting point is 00:11:39 for coming to the conclusion, the way that he handled it. He didn't just summarily, you know, in a bad way, fire coach in the dead of night and do it in behind some secret corner, gave it some time, allowed the dust to settle, didn't make some emotional or rash decision, but they had a conversation. I would like to think that that conversation was a lot of thank yous, showing of appreciation.
Starting point is 00:12:06 And I thought that the way that the two sides parted ways was with a high level of respect in the manner which they operated for over 20 years together. Yeah, without question. And I'm so glad that you mentioned the word respect, because I do think that was first and foremost for both Robert Kraft and Bill Belichick, the embrace, the handshake at the podium on that day, being in that room and seeing the two architects of this dynasty that New England had for two plus decades really was a surreal moment, but you definitely felt the level of respect that was on both sides of that coin. And obviously, Robert Kraft and the Patriots brain trust felt that this was the right time and the proper time to make the move to a younger voice, to a new voice. And that new voice definitely has a lot of Belichickian wisdom and counsel in his
Starting point is 00:12:55 heart. And that's Gerard Mayo, the 15th coach in the history of the New England Patriots franchise, as well as the first African-American coach in team history. This hiring Solomon is definitely culturally significant as well as logistically significant. From a national standpoint, what was the reaction that you heard around you to Gerard Mayo being hired as the head coach of the New England Patriots and your personal thoughts on what it means for the Patriots moving forward? First of all, it's been unanimously celebrated as a very important hire, as a very intricate hire, intentional, if you will, by not just Bob Kraft, but also Coach Belichick.
Starting point is 00:13:38 Remember, there are a lot of people who wanted to hire Gerard Mayo. One might argue he would have been a head coach by now had he decided to leave, right? Because people understand the complexity in which the defenses ran. And while it was Gerard Mayo and Steve Belichick, Coach Belichick's son, sort of co-coordinating, everyone pretty much understood how highly regarded Coach Belichick held Gerard Mayo, insomuch that some of his great former players like Tom Brady and Matt Light, they joked that he was Gerard Belichick.
Starting point is 00:14:17 I mean, and that's a term of endearment that he's kind of like coach's son and everyone knows coach belichick it's he's a he's a hard guy to get close to in a in a warm kind of way the fact that he would give you a job okay that says he thinks a highly he thinks a lot of it the fact that he make you his defense coordinator okay he thinks very highly of you then but in some way shape or or form, Tom Brady and Matt Light were able to share stories that told you this is a special relationship. And I have to think that it is that relationship, plus the things that Bob Kraft saw over the years from Gerard Mayo as a player, as a young man off the court, as a father and as a husband, as a businessman, and then how he grew over the years as a coach when Belichick literally begged him to come and coach. He told Gerard
Starting point is 00:15:14 Mayo's wife, he was born to do this. He's not going to be happy doing anything else. We got to get him into coaching. And so I got to believe that Mr. Kraft saw all of that. He saw Gerard Mayo grow as a coach. And he said to himself, you mean I get to get another Belichick, but younger, wise, and more relatable, right, for this generation of players? And so they signed the deal early. In so much, they went and worked with the league they worked with the fritz pollard alliance to get the okay because
Starting point is 00:15:50 in in a lot of ways it was not in adhering to the current rooney rules but they wanted to show the respect of not trying to circumvent those rules so they went to the governing bodies of the fritz pollard alliance john wooten be more specific, some of the other great custodians of our league like Angie and some others. And they gave it the okay to sort of predestined Gerard Mayo to supersede Coach Belichick when the team and coach Belichick decided to depart so I thought it was handled beautifully but it I think it it tells you what kind of asset Gerard Mayo is as a coach so now we're all just waiting because this comes with a lot of high expectations right it's a kind of a lot of smoke now we want to see some fire absolutely and that fire is definitely evident every time you see gerard on the field
Starting point is 00:16:46 getting a chance to watch him in practice and solomon you know us members of the media we're not allowed to watch a whole lot of practice we get a little snippet at the beginning and then you need to walk off and let the team do its thing but especially in training camp gerard is so much of a vocal voice being there for his players and always you know trying to get the most out of them and maximizing them and communicating with them in a way that i think is unique only to gerard mail and that's something that i believe he's going to utilize this season in order to make sure that this team is on the same page and they know that their coach is someone that not only has a lot of the pedigree of the past, but also the insight of the
Starting point is 00:17:25 future to be able to lead them to another level in 2024 and beyond. I was just going to say, Mike, you know, being a head coach in the NFL, that job has, it's changed in a lot of ways. It's grown in so many ways. It is akin to an executive level job in the private sector. Very good point. This is a multi-level job. You're talking talent evaluation, the construction of a team, the construction of a roster. You have to be able to handle the management of time when it comes to developing players' practice schedules. There's so many things at an executive level that you're handling administratively right
Starting point is 00:18:07 before you ever coach a game right you've got to be able to lead and men intuitively know if the plan that you have for leadership if it's working they know if you're not holding people accountable they know if the organization isn't there, particularly if you played, if you come behind a Bill Belichick now, you better have all your I's dotted and all your T's crossed. And so more importantly, the game has evolved even more to where coaches, you have to build relationships. And this is not just players. This is even as you're building out a staff with your coaches with people in the front office right and with your players so you have to manage up you have to manage laterally and you have to be able to manage vertically and building relationships with today's players is not easy think about this way. How many teams did you see that won their division titles? They're playing in the playoffs.
Starting point is 00:19:08 The coach is dancing in the locker room with their players. That's a new NFL, Mike. You and I both know it. It definitely is. You have old school coaches. Look, you've got Andy Reid wearing the gold chain and doing his thing. You've got John Harbaugh dancing in the locker room. That's what our league is.
Starting point is 00:19:28 Mike McCarthy's dancing with his guy. Because that's one of those tribal moments of saying, we're all in this together. I'm no bigger than you. You guys are no bigger than me. I can come down and hang with the guys as well as anybody else. The players really appreciate today's generation of players. They appreciate it greatly. And so that's what we're talking about when we're
Starting point is 00:19:51 talking about building relationships. They got to know how much you care before they care about how much you know. Absolutely. I'm so glad that you mentioned, you know, the coaches dancing with the players and the Patriots first championship parade. We saw Bill Belichick try his hand at some dance moves, which I think involved moving maybe just a couple of arms. And that was it. Robert Kraft actually had some pretty decent hip movement going on there. But I know Gerard is going to be really, really enthusiastic about with his players and that bond, no matter how you form that bond, it's so important. And I think he already has that in a lot of circles and the players that will be coming into New England for the first time are going to learn that firsthand with Gerard Mayo at the helm.
Starting point is 00:20:34 Lockdown Patriots listeners. I know that you are all enjoying the wisdom and counsel of the great Solomon Wilcox right here on today's episode. The good news is folks is we are not done yet. The Pats may have a new coach, but they also have a lot of work to do. And when we come back, Solomon is going to give his thoughts on what the Patriots may do moving forward when it comes to restoring their roster to respectability. And folks, stay locked in because Solomon and I are going to be joined by a special
Starting point is 00:21:01 guest who will lend his insight on what Macy treatment has done for his knee pain. Anyone suffering from this on a daily basis, folks, not going to want to miss this. All of this 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. Happy Super Bowl to all who celebrate from FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. And if you're like me, Super Bowl Sunday is all about scoring the best seat on the couch,
Starting point is 00:21:37 grabbing your favorite football snacks, and placing some super bets. I know it's not the same without your New England Patriots playing in the big game, but we all love to see the action on the field. And it's also fun to see what the country is wagering on, including some of those hilarious prop bets we all know and love. FanDuel has so many ways for you to end the season with a W or two or maybe even three. Not only can you bet on who will win Super Bowl 58, but FanDuel also has bets for which players will score a touchdown,
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Starting point is 00:22:34 for spending part of your week with us here on Locked On Patriots, and of course, making us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And former NFL great Solomon Wilcox and I will continue our Patriots discussion in just a moment. And don't forget, we're also going to be joined by a special guest, so stay locked
Starting point is 00:22:51 in to Locked On Patriots. But just so you don't forget, Locked On has launched the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel on YouTube. If you haven't checked it out, folks, you're going to want to do it today. Locked On Sports Today is here for you 24-7, covering the top stories of the day with the local experts of Locked On, plus our national shows covering every league. Go to Locked On Sports Today on YouTube and subscribe to the first ever national sports 24-7 streaming channel.
Starting point is 00:23:23 Solomon, before we take our leave of Patriots talk today, and I know we want to get into the Macy procedure, and that's something that I know is very important to all of us here. The Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers, they are set for Super Bowl 58. Obviously, New England is a far cry away from the Kansas City Chiefs, the San Francisco 49ers in terms of contention. But when you look at the Patriots right now and their anticipation for free agency, the NFL draft, where do you believe they should go in terms of their trip back to respectability?
Starting point is 00:23:56 I think it starts with the quarterback position. Listen, I think you can look at them defensively. You get a Matthew Judon back. You get Christian Gonzalez back, you know, you're closer there on that side of the ball. I don't, you know, I think that side of the ball is very well understood. It's also well understood that over the last several years, there wasn't a lot of fire power on this offense.
Starting point is 00:24:20 There wasn't a lot of players that struck fear in the heart of defensive players when you play the New England Patriots there was nothing dynamic about the players on the offense and you felt like man they were going to have to really struggle to get points and that I think it came into full manifestation last year and I think also we saw a regression with Mac Jones at the quarterback position, a guy who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. And now we're seeing a crisis of confidence with Mac Jones. I think part of that, you have to say, has been the environment. Part of that has been the lack of playmakers around him. Part of that is the fact that he's had multiple offensive coordinators after Josh McDaniel left. I of that is the fact that he's had multiple offensive coordinators
Starting point is 00:25:05 after Josh McDaniel left. I think that relationship was good for Mac. I'm not so sure the other ones that followed were. And so it's already been reported that they are not going to pick up the fifth-year option. That would keep him on the team through 2025 at about $24 million for the year at a 24 million for the year with at a guaranteed contract for that year.
Starting point is 00:25:27 So he's on the team for one more year through 2024 at about $2 million. I think that tells you he's going to be on the team. Why would you cut him? Because I think you got to give him a chance to be your starting quarterback again, but I could see them using that third overall pick in this year's draft. There's three really good quarterbacks in this draft. I think by the time that we investigate, there could be as many as five, four or five,
Starting point is 00:25:53 to go at least in the first round and top half of the second round. That's just what we're seeing at first blush. Still need to do a lot more homework. But you could see three go at the top of the draft. And so the Patriots are in a position to take one of the best three on the board. Just remains to be seen who those three are going to be, right? And if it's what Coach Mayo wants for his football team, they could trade down and get other picks. They could do a lot of different things. It's clear they need more on the offense.
Starting point is 00:26:25 They can end up with a Marvin Harrison Jr., by the way, with that third overall selection. But they're going to still have to improve their offensive line. They need explosive playmakers at the wide receiver position. I think tight end is a position that they're okay for right now. To me, it's about offensive line, wide receivers, multiple skilled players. Where's the next James White? Where's the next Shane Vereen? Where's the next Kevin Falk, right? And maybe their offense looks different than what we saw with those most recent offenses that worked really well for the Patriots under Tom Brady. Maybe it's going to be a little bit different. I don't know, but you still need playmakers around your quarterback. And the Patriots are really
Starting point is 00:27:09 starving for playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Folks continue to keep a sharp eye on all of the Patriots' latest developments, whether it be free agency, whether it be the draft, and that reported $66.1 dollars in estimated cap space according to our salary expert here on on locked on patriots miguel benzon definitely keep a sharp eye folks the patriots have some money to spend gerard mayo said he wants to burn some cash yeah i think this could be an interesting off season for the new england patriots solomon so thank you for all of your insight today and of course patriots fans fans, as promised, we are excited. We are honored today to be here with Gabe, a Macy patient that wants to explain a little bit about
Starting point is 00:27:51 knee pain and Macy treatment. And Solomon, I know that you are very heavily involved in this process and in this procedure and in this treatment. And I know the two of you want to share a lot of interesting insight with our listeners today. I'm going to take a little bit of a backseat here, and I'm going to let you guys drive the ship right now. Solomon, Gabe, thank you so much for joining us today and enlightening us on Macy. Give us a little bit more information on this procedure and your experiences with it. Thanks, Mike. I appreciate it. We're here today, Gabe and I, on behalf of Veracel, who has really brought new innovative treatments to the marketplace to help treat cartilage damage in the knee. And we're talking about something that has
Starting point is 00:28:33 been on the market for a while now. It is approved by the FDA to repair cartilage damage in patients from 18 to 55 years of age. Imagine using your own cells to grow cartilage tissue and heal your knees and keep you from deteriorating to bone on bone, or you ultimately would have to get knee replacement surgery. That's the kind of innovative treatment that Macy is. And Gabe is one of our patient ambassadors. He joins us today. And Gabe, why don't you tell our listeners something about your story and how is it that you came to use Macy as a treatment for your knee problems? Yes, absolutely. Thank you for having me. I've been active my whole life. I'm a former football player. And once I got out of the football scene, I transitioned over to powerlifting and then transitioned over to strongman competitions, became two-time Twin
Starting point is 00:29:33 City Strongest Man. Then I transitioned over to bodybuilding, natural bodybuilding. So as active as I am, I knew that there was no doubt that I was having some knee problems and it just kept lingering, getting worse and worse over the years. And I brought it into my doctor and we discussed, got a couple of MRIs done and realized that, yep, I had quite a bit of significant cartilage missing, but everything structurally was just fine with my knees. I just needed cartilage in there. Otherwise, had I ignored it, it'll take me down to the road of needing a knee replacement. I like to think at 39, I'm still fairly young and I'm very active, love hiking, love taking trips with my kids and bike riding and still being as active as possible and being able to just get up and down
Starting point is 00:30:25 on my knees if I needed to fix stuff on my own and things like that. So the Macy procedure really intrigued me. The idea of being able to create cartilage using cells from my own body basically gave me the comfortability of feeling like, hey, everything that I naturally had once is naturally in there without too many foreign parts in there. So that whole idea really intrigued me, felt really comfortable doing it. I actually got both of my knees done, not at the same time, one at a time. So that whole procedure, I'm two and a half years removed from it, and I feel great, and I'm able to do all the things that i used to once be able to do what can you say to our listeners by the way um and that would help
Starting point is 00:31:11 them to understand what that recovery process was like for you and what maybe critical moments of your recovery period did you feel like wow i i feel like i'm back to getting my life back again. Yeah, the recovery process is quite a bit longer than the average knee procedure type of surgery. It requires a lot of patience and trying not to rush through it. And the Macy program, they put together steps that you're supposed to go through at different stages. And everyone recovers slightly different depends on how active you are now I really wanted to get back to my normal self and being able to also some compete once in a while my buddies called me to fill in and flag football and I always wanted to make sure that I was ready for it. So the recovery process,
Starting point is 00:32:06 I went through it one leg at a time. It wasn't the funnest, but no surgical procedure really is. But if you follow it to the T, you should be able to get back to normalcy. See, Mike, as you can see for your viewers here on Locked on Patriots, many of them are probably former players themselves. They're probably weekend warriors. They do a lot of things to remain active, but probably experiencing some knee pain, too. You can go to the website at macy.com.
Starting point is 00:32:34 That's m-a-c-i.com to find a doctor in your area. If you're dealing with knee pain and you find that you are having some cartilage issues, this is the treatment for you. But you have to go to the website, check it out, find a doctor in your area, and consult with the doctor. So Mike, we appreciate you sharing your platform to allow us to spread the message.
Starting point is 00:32:57 Oh, it's absolutely my honor, Solomon. And it's my honor as well, Gabe. Thank you guys so much for giving us that insight. And I think Macy is fascinating. So gentlemen, thank you so much for sharing all of that with our listeners today. And again, you go to Macy.com, like Solomon said, and you can find all the information that you need. Gabe, my best of luck to you and my best wishes to you and your continued recovery and on the road to better health and better mobility. And Solomon, thank you once again for lending all of your wisdom. And you can find him on Twitter, folks, at Solomon's Wisdom. That was not necessarily by happenstance. That was by design. The wisdom and counsel today of Solomon Wilcox is always something we are happy to share
Starting point is 00:33:35 here on Locked On Patriots. And folks, thank you for hanging in there with us today and for joining us and making us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of Gabe, of the great Solomon Wilcox, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding all of you 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.

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