Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Jerod Mayo and 'The Patriot Way' Search for General Manager, Coaching Staff, Draft Strategy

Episode Date: January 19, 2024

New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo is ushering in a new era in Foxborough, Mass. predicated on open communication. However, are elements of the traditional "Patriot Way" still at the heart of ...Mayo's style? Host Mike D'Abate welcomes Thomas 'Murph' Murphy to discuss the similarities and differences in his methods and those of his predecessor, Bill Belichick. Mike and Murph also provide their thoughts on the Pats' potentially prolonged search for a general manager and coaching staff, and Mayo's 2024 NFL Draft strategy.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 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!Jase MedicalEmpower yourself when you purchase a Jase Case, providing you with a personal supply of 5 antibiotics that treat 50+ infections. Get yours today at jasemedical.com and use code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order.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. 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.FanDuelRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 As the late, great Prince Rogers Nelson once belted out for the 1989 Batman soundtrack, all hail the new king in town. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to this new era episode of 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 Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.
Starting point is 00:00:50 Don't forget, Lockdown Patriots is a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. And of course, we are available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, follow, wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Let me know
Starting point is 00:01:15 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 some love to Locked On Patriots social media style, don't forget to follow our account there at LO underscore Patriots. And Locked On listeners, not everyone's season is over yet in the NFL. There is still some crossing of the streams going on across the Locked On Podcast Network,
Starting point is 00:01:38 but this episode today is brought to you by our good friends over at PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL and use the code all lowercase locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. And Pats fans, it is a new era.
Starting point is 00:01:59 All hail the new Kingtown. As I said to open the show today, Gerard Mayo officially introduced as the 15th coach in new england patriots franchise history and folks there is a ton to break down yesterday here on the pod we brought you the financial impact of gerard mayo's hiring and what to expect for the patriots spending habits moving forward but today we're going to take a look at some x's and o's and the patriot. And who better to navigate us through some of the changes to expect in Foxborough than our very own party man right here on Locked On Patriots, the legend himself, Thomas Murphy.
Starting point is 00:02:34 Thank you for coming to me in friendship today. Don Murph. Oh, my pleasure, Michael. My pleasure. Yeah, I described it yesterday as, you know, to quote the great Eddie Murphy, no relation. There's a new sheriff in town and his name is Gerard Mayo. Gerard made that abundantly clear yesterday that this is a new regime and he's not going to let a lot of the old ways, the tried and true ways, filter into his thinking about how to build this team and how to coach this team.
Starting point is 00:03:17 He came off as a very player-orientated coach. Something that we've all known about him for quite some time. And I'm here to tell you, you can't be the man that sits on the throne and be everybody's friend. You can't. Okay? You might get through a season or so of it on stacked ball clubs. But when it comes down to it,
Starting point is 00:03:48 when you're talking about eliminating silos and things of that nature, at the end of the day, the buck has to stop somewhere. And he talked yesterday about not being a finger pointer, not wanting the finger pointers on this team. If you do things the way that you're talking about, you're going to end up pointing fingers at other people. All right. That's just – I've been coaching for a very long time. Of course, not at that level.
Starting point is 00:04:47 And I think I'm well- well liked by most of my players. I'm not liked by most of my players' parents because I am not an all-inclusive type of individual when it comes to opinions. Somebody has to make the decision. That's the way it is. And the way this press conference came off yesterday to me was a group of people pointing their finger at Bill Belichick in everything that's gone wrong here is because of Bill Belichick. Everything that's gone on here is because of Bill Belichick, with the exception of nine trips to the Super Bowl and six victories. Bottom line, there's always going to be some degree, like you said, Murph, of finger-pointing when you're bringing in a new era in New England. And we've heard that term used ad nauseum for the last 24 to 48 hours. A new era, a new day in Foxborough. Refreshing, a change of scenery. All these adjectives and all these descriptive words to
Starting point is 00:05:26 describe what we saw at the GP atrium at Gillette Stadium yesterday a lot of which did have that permeation through the room, I can tell you, there was an undercurrent of excitement in listening to Gerard Mayo, he absolutely is a captivating speaker Bon Jovi is out, U2 is in, it's a
Starting point is 00:05:42 beautiful day Absolutely Tip of the cap to Leslie there, that's a U2 is in. It's a beautiful day. Absolutely. Tip of the cap to Leslie there. That's a U2 nod. And she'll love that one, I know. But bottom line, there is still a lot to be done on this team. That's really the takeaway that I had from yesterday at Gillette Stadium and watching Gerard Mayo saying that he's a huge believer in developing people. My calling is to be a teacher is what he said. I don't like echo chambers. That was a very common catchphrase. I don't think there's a coach in the NFL. If you're good at what you do, that likes an echo chamber. By the way, folks, I don't think we had echo chambers up here in New England as much as the narratives would lead you to believe.
Starting point is 00:06:22 Bill Belichick was very open to listening to a lot of different ideas throughout the room. Stephen Belichick has said that several times. Josh McDaniels has said it several times. Bill O'Brien talking about how open Bill was in terms of hearing new ideas. Now, are there times where Bill probably believed he knew more than the other guys in the room? Yeah, and he probably did know more than the other guys in the room, but it doesn't mean he won't listen. Gerard is taking a lot of the same pages out of the Bill Belichick book, and he's presenting it in a new and fresh fashion.
Starting point is 00:06:51 But all of this new era, new way of doing things, Murph, I think it's still the Patriot way. And forgive me if I'm wrong here, folks, but I think there's still a lot of Belichickian wisdom and counsel in what Gerard Mayo had to say yesterday. Maybe it's being presented in a different way, in a fresh way, and that may land with the players a little better, especially some of the younger players on this team. But the core of what made this team a championship contender for a quarter century, I think, is still very much intact. And I think Mayo's going to make sure it is. Oh, I agree. I agree. He was shown a fantastic path to follow and I do. I think that there will be. There has always been pushback here in New
Starting point is 00:07:36 England. If you think it's not true, you're insane. Do you honestly think that Charlie Weiss never pushed back on what Bill had to say on the offensive side of the ball? You mentioned Josh McDaniels. Josh and Bill went back and forth at it for years over game planning and personnel know, in which way to go in the draft. But like I said before, the buck has to stop somewhere. And it's all fine and good if you want to take somebody else's opinion. I don't think Bill has ever, you know, closed his door and said, don't come talk to me. All right. But at the end of the day, that head coach has to make that decision.
Starting point is 00:08:32 And and Gerard is he knows this no matter what was said at that press conference yesterday. He knows that the buck is going to stop with him. And when he knows that that that's the case, it's his job on the line. So we'll see what happens. Yeah, without any question. Look, that job is ultimately going to be decided, folks, on how this team performs on the field, the metric that's going to be mattered the most. And for anyone thinking that this guy is not prepared to lead this team on the field, folks, I would definitely take a second look at Gerard's resume. It is extremely impressive. And we've both done this for a number of months here on locked on patriots defense finishing in the top 10 in total defense four times since gerard mayo joined this staff in
Starting point is 00:09:11 2019 the first year that he was on bill belichick's staff that defense finished number one allowing 275.9 yards per game and 14.1 points allowed per game on average. When you look at the responsibilities that he had for the past five seasons, intricately involved in the defensive play call strategy. I know Steven Belichick was calling the plays, but Gerrard was right there deciding the type of strategy that needed to be used. He was carrying out the duties of that unofficial co-defensive coordinator. So in terms of how this team operates on the field, I don't expect much of a change. No, I honestly don't. If you look back at this 2023 season, you'll see, what was it,
Starting point is 00:09:54 six different times that the Pats lost by one score. It was a one-score game. This came down to execution and, quite frankly, pre-snap penalties. This was not a bright unit, okay? We've talked at length over the years about how intricate this Patriots offense is and how difficult it is to pick up. And it really, it's unnerving watching people get on young quarterbacks for not understanding the intricacies of this offense. When Bill tried to change it and go with a different method, he was dragged for it, quite honestly, rightfully, because he brought in people to teach it that didn't know how to teach it. Yeah, very good point.
Starting point is 00:11:01 But that goes back to you. You've heard reports that Bill O'Brien was was forced upon Bill. That's not true. That's not true. Bill Bill wanted O.B. here a year earlier. But what he didn't but what he couldn't do was take him away from the job that he had at Alabama. He didn't want to do that to his friend. I've said it here many times that Bill wanted O'Brien here the year before, but he didn't out of respect to his good buddy.
Starting point is 00:11:34 And they brought him in last year. Things got worse, and things got worse because this offensive line was worse. Bill did not build the offensive line in the way that he should have, but Gerrard has some huge shoes to fill here. And what struck me the most was yesterday, he didn't really have any kind of plan to put out there for us on the offensive side of the ball. We're still not sure who the offensive coordinator is going to be next year or what style of offense that he was going to run. I think there is still a lot of work to be done. I think everyone would agree on that,
Starting point is 00:12:14 whether you are the biggest proponent of this move or if you're still a Belichickian loyalist. I think in a lot of ways, it will be the Patriot way that continues to sustain this team. Yes, Gerard Mayo has a drastically different way of speaking to the media than Bill Belichick did. It's going to come across as more refreshing, but bottom line, and there really is no other way around this. It is going to be the lessons that Gerard Mayo learned under Bill Belichick that's going to help him be a very solid coach on the football field. And I truly believe he will be. He'll have the ear of his players. You saw a lot of players in that room yesterday there to support him,
Starting point is 00:12:49 ex-players there to support him and talk about his prowess and what he brings to the table. You've heard players that have played alongside him several times talk about how he is a teacher of the game. This is where Gerard Mayo may be able to shine, folks, but ultimately it's those lessons, that Patriot way of we're going to outwork you, we're going to outsmart you, and we're going to be better than you because we're going to want it more is something that I think has been a staple of this
Starting point is 00:13:15 organization for 25 years. And I don't think that is going anywhere anytime soon. So for everyone who wants to label this as the new era, I think it may be a rejuvenation of the Patriot way. And that's what gives me the most confidence coming out of this press conference. And I hope it does for you as well. But Murph is absolutely right on the money. We are just scratching the surface because of all of the work that has to be done in the front offices of one Patriot place is maybe one of the most important jobs that's still open on this team, Murph, and that is choosing a general manager. Patriots are reportedly in no hurry to hire one. Is that a mistake?
Starting point is 00:13:53 Murph and I are going to discuss that point and so much more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. This next segment of Locked On Patriots is brought to us by our sponsor, BetterHelp. And Locked On listeners, sometimes we all need the opportunity to get something off our chest. Whether it be big or small, certain things can really start to get to you. And it's important to let that out, especially to someone who's unbiased on your life. Today, I want to say how I really feel about something.
Starting point is 00:14:32 And you all out there might even be thinking about the same thing this week. And that is the emotional roller coaster of anxiety, excitement, and bittersweet feelings when it comes to the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick parting ways after 24 amazing years. And even though it's just been hours since he's officially been on the job, Gerard Mayo is already bringing a lot of excitement and anticipation to the Patriots. And I don't want to speak for all of you out there, but for me personally, it is definitely bittersweet. I'm going to miss Bill Belichick, but like all of you out there, I'm anxious and I'm excited to see what Gerard Mayo can bring to the table. And what's important to remember here, folks, is that sometimes life can imitate art or, in this case, sports.
Starting point is 00:15:10 Sometimes we have so many feelings on a particular subject that from one moment to the next, we're not quite sure how to act or feel. Therapy can be different for everyone. And let's face it, most of us have bigger problems than our favorite sports team. It's important to get things off your chest every once in a while. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be flexible, and suited to your schedule. Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash Locked On.
Starting point is 00:15:48 Locked On listeners, thank you so much for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, spending part of your day here and making us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Thomas Murphy, our good friend, the Don of Locked On Patriots is here with us today, breaking down Gerard Mayo's official installation as the 15th head coach in New England Patriots franchise history. Murph, in the previous segment, we talked a lot about the Patriot way and how it really is continuing, maybe in a different wrapping, a different package, a different presentation, but the core tenets of the Patriot way, I think, are remaining intact here. And that's what gives me some optimism heading into this season with Gerard Mayo as a rookie head coach.
Starting point is 00:16:30 But one thing that's concerning me is the fact that the Patriots appear to be taking a very nonchalant approach to filling the positions around Gerard Mayo. You dipped upon this a little bit earlier in the podcast. You talked about no offensive coordinator direction, where that's going to go. We still don't know who the defensive coordinator is going to be. Gerard Mayo said yesterday, I think titles are important. The New England Patriots are not going to go into 2024 without a designated offensive coordinator and a designated defensive coordinator. Whether the title is open Murph GM,
Starting point is 00:17:05 right? When you look at the structure and you look at the manner in which the Patriots seem to be assembling their crew to build this 2024 roster, are you surprised by the strategy? And are you as concerned about this as I am? I'm more concerned than you are. I don't, I don't care how concerned you are. I am more concerned about this than you or anybody watching out there. This drives me crazy. To begin with, I thought the GM should have been hired before the coach. Any GM brought in should be able to pick their head coach for no other reason than to eliminate the excuse that this wasn't my guy. I never picked this guy three years from now. That's there's your finger pointing right there. I didn't pick this guy. Go let me get the coach that I want. We heard it this year trickling out from, uh, from that, uh, um, Bill O'Brien was upset that he wasn't allowed to pick his people and bring them in here.
Starting point is 00:18:07 It goes in the same way. As much as we're all talking about the draft right now, it's even more imperative, I think, to have a GM there during free agency. We all know free agency comes before the draft, people. So let's get our ducks in a row here. Whose duck are we following uh i don't know but i i can tell you right now it sure as hell better not be jonathan craft and i think that conversation where was jonathan yesterday both uh handling uh official family business yeah jonathan is basically like tom hagan right now i can say you know not a wartime consul yet he only handles specific aspects of the family there you go you know then he grabs his briefcase and he leaves while the don takes care of business
Starting point is 00:18:48 and brings in johnny ola look bottom line folks i think it's an interesting development that the new england patriots right now are talking about using the guys that they have in-house to really craft this free agency push this draft push um gerard said yesterday that he believes in the scouting department he thinks the scouting department is doing a very good job the two guys that really spearhead that scouting department are elliot wolf and matt groh now murph it's interesting that matt groh continues to be mentioned because we've talked about belichick loyalists matt is still very much in the room when it comes to collegiate scouting, and he's been a big proponent and a big force behind the last couple of drafts. But Elliot
Starting point is 00:19:31 Wolfe, I still think is a name to watch. We all know about the pedigree and we all know about his father and what he did for the Green Bay Packers. Ron Wolfe was a tremendous executive, brought them to a Super Bowl. So there is the pedigree there, but don't sleep on what Elliott is able to do either. He's been able to work for teams like the Green Bay Packers, the Cleveland Browns. There was a time there where he was almost considered a foregone conclusion for the Detroit Lions general manager position. Packers didn't allow him to interview for that. They wanted to keep him in house, but eventually, you know, Wolf had to go and he had to spread his wings and since 20 since 2022 he's been here with the patriots served as director of scouting he's the first person in
Starting point is 00:20:11 patriots history to hold that title under bill belichick here in this organization so intricately involved in a lot of different player personnel consultation um right alongside matt grow maybe even in an equal capacity at times, he could be a rising star. I'd be comfortable putting him in place, but at the same time, if that's going to be your guy, why not make it official? The timing of this just seems off. Right. I found very disturbing yesterday that Robert Kraft came out and said, when talking about this subject, well, we're still getting to know the people that are in the building. These people have been in the building for a long time. Robert, you don't know them? Come on in, have a cup of coffee. Let's
Starting point is 00:21:00 talk. You know, let's have a sit down. You know, that really bothered me. It's still a concentrated effort. The new way of doing things that they're talking about is all being done by people that have done things in only one way for a very long time. I want somebody from outside coming in here, somebody that Mayo will be able to work with as an equal, but somebody that knows the scouting game, that knows the intricacies of free agency and who to bring in here to reshape this offense into something new.
Starting point is 00:21:48 We all have issues with the amount of points scored last season. We talked about it earlier as to why I think, you know, that didn't really happen. But I'm still, I am still stuck on Dallas Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel, Will McClay, to come in here and right this ship when it comes to finding the right offensive personnel and to bringing back the defensive personnel that we could see leaving this organization for a little Georgia peach tree schnapps. Yeah, I think you bring up an interesting point. I'm glad you mentioned McClay again, because I've been getting a lot of DMs from you mentioning him in last week's show about the opportunity or the potential for him coming in. What we're hearing on a Cowboys camp is that McClay is going to be staying put
Starting point is 00:22:40 in Dallas. Again, it comes down to the New England Patriots needing to make sure that this offseason is not just about rolling out a new head coach. There have to be improvements. You have to nail this draft and you have to nail pretty much every pick. You have to be able to bring in the type of free agents, external free agents that you want to build the culture here and retain the ones that are going to allow you to keep what you've built here for 25 years, most of which is not so bad, folks, despite of what you're hearing out there. There's still a lot of good to build on that Bill Belichick left here
Starting point is 00:23:14 for Gerard Mayo to pick up and build upon that foundation. Miguel joined us yesterday here, Murph, a little over $69 million projected in salary cap space you got the number three pick in the draft you've got free agents external and internal that you have to convince and play under Gerard Mayo right these are all things that have to be done meticulously and they have to be done correctly or what you saw yesterday at GD Atrium in New England is not going to matter one bit if this team is still on the outside looking in of a playoff spot one year later so bottom line a lot of problems to solve and the New England Patriots need serious people to solve them maybe they've got that in place right now time will tell my friend but one thing we haven't discussed yet here about yesterday's introduction was maybe a little
Starting point is 00:24:02 more transparency than we've seen in years past, or is it folks? This is it. Murph and I are going to talk about some of the pearls of wisdom and nuggets of information dropped by the new HC of the NEP, especially when it comes to the 2024 NFL draft. When this episode of the lockdown Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the lockdown podcast network,
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Starting point is 00:27:04 Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, making us a part of your daily New England Patriots coverage. I am joined, as always, by the godfather here on Locked On Patriots, my good friend, Don Thomas I, Thomas Murphy. Murph, we've talked about a lot of different angles of Gerard Mayo's introduction as the 15th head coach in New England Patriots history. We've talked about the changes potentially on the field, in personnel, what Mayo's voice is going to be able to do to this franchise, and how he may be able to reach players in ways that maybe they haven't been reached before for any reason, for better or for worse. But one thing that continues to be
Starting point is 00:27:45 the overwhelming narrative about Gerard Mayo now being head coach here is that all of a sudden, we're going to get more insight into the team than we've ever had before. And I'm speaking as a member of the media. I'm playing devil's advocate here. That's the general consensus. I don't buy into that at all. I actually think that Gerard Mayo is going to give you similar information, but I just think he's going to do it in a different package. And I'm led to an interview that he gave with Steve Burton. And I know Gerard's done with a number of my colleagues in the media yesterday and gave one-on-ones. I encourage you to check them all out. I think they're all great, But Steve's really stood out above the rest.
Starting point is 00:28:27 Steve Burton is truly one of the goats of this business, folks. Steve asked him the question about the draft. And we know the draft is a big subject, big topic of concern for Patriots fans. And he asked him what his intentions are going to be. Gerard came back, and this is a quote verbatim from Gerard Mayo now. We are going to draft the best player for a position that is very important. You put the pieces together, but in all seriousness, we have a good opportunity in the draft, and I think our scouting department is pretty good. Most of the narratives that you're reading from that quote seem to indicate, Murph, that this was
Starting point is 00:29:02 Gerard Mayo's way of saying, we're taking a quarterback in round one. We're going to take them with one of those top three picks and everybody's running to the cash out window. They're running to place their bets on this right now because they think it's a sure thing. I don't think this is quite the hand tip that it's being made out to be. I think this message had a level of coyness to it. What's your take on this? Do you think what
Starting point is 00:29:26 you heard yesterday from Gerard Mayo to Steve Burton of WBZ changes the Patriots draft strategy at all here? No. What might change the Patriots draft strategy is who we were talking about earlier in Elliott Wolfe. Now, Elliott Wolfe is coming here from Green Bay where they have a get-the-next-quarterback mentality, and they've done a pretty good job with that. What I think Gerard did yesterday was put on notice everybody who's drafting behind the Patriots that, yeah, that number three quarterback
Starting point is 00:30:02 or the number two quarterback could be gone. So come at me. Come on. Come at me. You want one of these guys? Come at me. Give me your best freaking shot. You know, put your best package down, slap it down on the table, and let's go to work.
Starting point is 00:30:18 I still believe that Gerard and everybody in that building is going to be smart enough to see what happened over the last two years and see that this offensive line still needs work, still needs people that want to go out there and actually slam heads with people, not just collect a paycheck and ask for a pay raise. But it starts from the inside out. Bill took care of the guard situation over the last two, three years, and I think has done a pretty good job with that. No matter what you think of Cole Strange, Cole Strange is a very good football player.
Starting point is 00:30:59 And you could see when he was not in the lineup this year how poorly this offensive line functioned, okay? Because Moffey just wasn't ready. There wasn't that next guy, and that's where the depth has to come from. But, no, I still believe that they will stay this course, build this offensive line, and use this draft to do that. Now, I told Mike a story the other day where I did a mock draft where I traded down, you know, just one spot and then one spot more and one spot more. And I ended up with seven
Starting point is 00:31:32 top 100 picks, you know, as opposed to three of them. All right. Now, how much, and I still got the guy I wanted, Alt is the pick. And I still got the guy that I wanted at six. So there are things to do. Don't think just because of what Gerard said yesterday, that that means that they're going to go out and take the quarterback. For me right now, if you're not trading up to get the guy that you think is the guy, you can't just sit there and wait to see who falls to you all of these elements have to factor into your decision but what the patriots also need to do is be very savvy with what the two teams ahead of them right now are going to do chicago bears and the washington commanders you have to be sure that either they're both going all in on quarterbacks
Starting point is 00:32:22 or if they're not then all of a sudden eliminates at least one of those guys off the list so you have to be very mindful of where they're going we're hearing reports out of chicago that they may be willing to run it back with justin fields it could be posture it could be they're playing games with the other guys as well and england is not the only one that plays games with others folks i. I assure you, it happens in all 32 NFL teams. It just so happens that the Patriots have been very good about it over the course of the last couple of decades. They're going to have to maintain that same type of inquisitive attitude
Starting point is 00:32:55 and that inquisitive nature that seemed to put the Patriots a step ahead when it came to knowing what other teams were going to do. And anyone says that Bill lost his touch with that last year. Just take a look at what they did with Christian Gonzalez. Thank you. And making trades and being able to maneuver your way around a draft board. Oh my God. Folks, they were able to do it then.
Starting point is 00:33:14 Maybe some of the personnel that Bill picked out had not picked. And I think that's a valid criticism of him. Yep. But bottom line, you need to keep that same type of approach in the room. And maybe that's why, Murph, they're choosing to run it back with guys like Elliot Wolfe, with guys like Matt Groh right now, because there is precedent for such an NFL strategy. Our good friend Bob Sose pointed this out last week and said that Buffalo Bills, when they brought in Sean McDermott and Brandon Bean, kept their scouting department in place
Starting point is 00:33:42 until right around the draft and after the draft to bring in Brandon Bean to kind of bring it all together. So, folks, I'm not saying that bringing in the new regime after the draft is the smart move, but there is precedent for it. So ultimately, Murph, it is a new beginning in Foxborough. To take a quote from Semisonic to bring us home today, every new beginning comes from some other beginnings and we are now ready to enter that next phase under the 15th head coach in franchise history gerard mayo the tip of the cap to gerard and best of luck to him it's a big job but i think we got a capable guy in that seat right now that's going to give you everything he's got he will do the best job he possibly can and at the end of the day folks that's all you can ask for and you know who else does the best job he can each and every day here? My good friend right over on this side
Starting point is 00:34:28 of the screen, always bringing the wisdom, the counsel and the opinions the way only he can bring them. And folks, we love him for it. That's why we keep bringing them back. Murph, what can I say? I thank you, Don Murph, for coming to me in friendship today. We'll bet. Yeah, trying to pay down that VIG, right Murph? But in any case, we always appreciate you coming on. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, where they can interact with you, and what we can expect from the great Penn, the great voice
Starting point is 00:34:54 of Thomas Murphy in the coming days. You can find all my writing and musings over there at Die Hard Boston Sports Fans. You can follow me on ZitterX, whatever you want to call it, at TeamERF207. I'm always around. I love interacting with all of you. Drop your comments there. Let us know if you have any questions
Starting point is 00:35:16 for an upcoming mailbag show, and we'll get to them. Until then, I might be back here Saturday. You never know. It's possible. Murph has an open invite, folks. He has an embroidered chair, a director's chair, whenever he wants it. And you know what? If he stops by the studio, we're going to record it because it's always going to be entertaining and informing.
Starting point is 00:35:37 You can't ask for anything better than that. And, Bud, we always look forward to having you back. But in the meantime, on behalf of my best good friend right here, Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding 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.

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