Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Joint Practices with Green Bay Packers, Zeke Elliott, Stock Up/Stock Down

Starting point is 00:00:00 On day two of joint practices with the Packers, the Patriots bounce back in a big way with a lot of aptitude and a little attitude. And if you're a Pats fan, you'll love to see it. 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. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots podcast.

Starting point is 00:00:46 We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Subscribe or follow for free wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and 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 Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And of course, Pats fans, I thank you for joining me here today. Extra special shout out to all of you Locked On everydayers out there.

Starting point is 00:01:24 I always remain honored and humbled to all of you locked on everydayers out there. I always remain honored and humbled by all of your support. And after a relatively quiet day on Wednesday, it was a pretty chippy practice for the Pats on Thursday on the practice fields adjacent to Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, as the Pats and Packers wrap up their second of two days of joint practices. And even though the story of the day was the standout performance by the Patriots offense, yeah, there were some melees on the field on Thursday. And those, unfortunately, will get some of the headlines.

Starting point is 00:01:56 The most notable of these, when Packers linebacker Keyshawn Banks took a swing at Patriots rookie defensive end Keon White. Yeah, not really the guy you want to be picking a fight with, just my opinion. But Anthony Jennings wasn't having any of that. Immediately rushed to White's defense, leveled Banks from behind. That prompted a bit of a fracas, which definitely stopped practice. And of course, the Patriots and the Packers' cooler heads had to prevail, and they had to move forward from there.

Starting point is 00:02:23 Jennings, for his efforts, was kind of patted on the back by his teammates, but he was ejected from practice. Again, setting the tone for the day for a lot of chippiness between these two teams, but New England's success on both sides of the ball continued into the final two-minute portion of practice, and this is where the Patriots were at their best, folks. Mack Jones hitting Devontae Parker for perhaps the play of the day, a 40-yard touchdown against tight coverage.

Starting point is 00:02:51 And Mack was brilliant on this day, completed 14 of 17 passes, according to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, who's been doing an amazing job of tracking these stats from Green Bay. A much better performance for the Patriots offense than they put out on Wednesday. For all of you Bailey Zappi fans out there, Zappi struggled a bit more than Mack did, but he ended on a high note,

Starting point is 00:03:13 connecting with a pair of rookies, Malik Cunningham as a receiver, folks, and also Kayshaun Butte. And Butte really pulling in a tremendous catch, diving catch in the front corner of the end zone. Kayshaun's been great these past couple of days and the rookies are really rounding into form. Demario Douglas has been excellent. Patriots definitely doing their part on offense folks to erase what some considered pretty benign performance on day one on Wednesday. On the other side of the

Starting point is 00:03:41 ball Patriots were not about to be denied taking some valor from the practice fields in Green Bay during Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love's two-minute period Miles Bryan Adrian Phillips Christian Gonzalez all being credited with past breakups Phillips nearly had an interception he tipped it and unfortunately couldn't come down with it Kyle Duggar did get yet another pick he's been brilliant throughout all of Patriots training camp and the preseason, and the Pats defense just continuously brought the heat against Jordan Love and that Packers offense, and they wanted to make a statement, folks. They did so on Thursday, and who knows? Will this translate into Saturday night? That's to be seen. The Packers could be the sleeping giant that the Patriots have now awoken, or they may put the team on notice and said, you know what?

Starting point is 00:04:26 This is the game we're going to play. I think Virtue is going to lie a little bit in the middle. I expect Green Bay to come back out and be very aggressive. And I think the Patriots are going to be able to match it. So once again, looking forward to a fun night of football this coming Saturday. But it wasn't all great news for the Pats. Unfortunately, there are a couple of injury concerns that the Patriots need to keep an eye on.

Starting point is 00:04:49 And once again, folks, Taequann Thornton is at the center of one of them. Thornton turned in arguably his best training camp catch to date, calling in an estimated 45 to 50-yard deep ball from Mack Jones, dove for the ball, hung on to make the impressive grab, but unfortunately that joy was short-lived. Taekwon immediately getting attention from the training staff, particularly paying attention to that shoulder, and then the training staff walked off with Taekwon into the training area for further evaluation.

Starting point is 00:05:17 He did not return to the field. So we've been a sharp eye on that one. We expect to have more information on that tomorrow, on Friday here on Locked On Patriots. So once again, folks, stay locked into Locked On Patriots for the very latest. But it wasn't all about Taekwon. Keon White also needed medical attention on his left leg. Slowly walked off the field under his own power after landing awkwardly during one of the team drills. He stayed on the sidelines and was seen talking to coaches, looked to be in pretty good spirits.

Starting point is 00:05:49 So the consensus right now is that he may have, and I say may have, folks, avoided serious injury. And once again, folks, we will continue to monitor the situation from here, from those in Green Bay, and continue to bring you the very latest on Taekwon Do and Keon White right here on Locked On Patriots. And also, rookie Jake Andrews leaving practice. He got rolled up a little bit during team drills. That's one to watch.

Starting point is 00:06:13 Jake's been seeing a good amount of time with the backups on the offensive line, even seeing some starting reps. So this is also one to monitor. We're getting to that point in preseason where, unfortunately, injuries could mean missing regular season time. Hopefully, that won't be the case with Taequann, that won't be the case with Keon, and that won't be the case with Jake. And don't forget, we've already got Mike Gostecki on the shelf, looking like he'll be back for the regular season opener, but again, folks, no guarantees. Injuries are a part of the game. They're a part of the game we don't like,

Starting point is 00:06:46 but they are a part of it, and unfortunately, the Patriots will have to weather the storm. So not a day for the Pats to go unscathed health-wise. But another area in which the Patriots struggled once again was on the offensive line. And again, a tip of the cap to Andrew Callahan of the Boston Herald, who's really been doing a great job tracking these stats. Andrew's been tracking not only the quarterback statistics, but also the would-be sacks from the defense. And on Thursday, he had Jones possibly suffering between four and five sacks with two instant pressures. And as for Bailey Zappi, three cut-and-dry quarterback sacks without any question.

Starting point is 00:07:22 Riley Rafe at right guard, City So at right tackle. This is an area that is looking like it's going to be a little bit porous for the New England Patriots until that right side is solidified with Michael Wainu coming back and then the Patriots making whatever decision they need to make at right tackles. So still a concern for your New England Patriots, but believe it or not, that was actually better than the showing that they put out on Wednesday. So the question is right now, even though it is a backup offensive line, and so the question is right now, even though it's a backup offensive line, is there enough of a sample size to allow people like me to be worried? Well, the Patriots may have to rely on these backups especially if

Starting point is 00:08:05 some of these injuries continue into the regular season we talked about this a couple of days ago with Murph with regard to Michael Wainu and whether or not he's going to be ready to start the season there is legitimate question on that folks so unfortunately we can't just say this is the backup offensive line and whatever will be will be some of these backups may have to play with the starting unit and here today to help us sort through all of the pats problems is our resident voice of reason that's right steve balistrieri stopped by the studios before thursday's practice and we talked a lot about the offensive line we talked about ezekiel elliott and his impact on the 53-man roster.

Starting point is 00:08:46 We even played a very brief game of stock up and stock down. We're going to share all of that with you from my conversation with Steve 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, did you know that 80% of men will experience hair thinning in their lifetime? It's normal, but it doesn't have to be your fate. You can get ahead of your thinning with Nutrafol, the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement clinically shown to improve your hair growth visible thickness

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Starting point is 00:11:02 with the Patriots practice sessions is a resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots. Columnist extraordinaire from PassFans.com, host of an amazing podcast, Patriots 4th and 2, alongside Derek Avins. My Patriots Paisan is back. Steve Balistrieri, thank you so much for joining me today, buddy. Welcome back to Locked On Patriots. Well, thanks for having me and as i was saying offline you know my whole family and i have covert and you're the only person i would get off the couch for when i have covert to talk football with well that's a hell of an honor we want you to take care of yourself

Starting point is 00:11:40 first and foremost we want you to get healthy that's more important than anything but the fact that you are playing through the fight uh we appreciate it very much and I know all of our listeners do I certainly do and we're glad to have you here bud and uh hopefully our topics today will make you feel a little bit better but uh in that vein let's kind of get the negativity out of the way first Steve and unfortunately there was some negativity on the Patriots practice fields or I should say the Packers practice field I think the takeaway of the day from the Patriots first session of joint practices that happened on Wednesday is the continued struggles of the offensive line and I know it's early and I know that these are not the starting caliber players but Trent Brown was out there on the field.

Starting point is 00:12:27 We are seeing him getting some reps, and this is a group that continues to struggle. Riley Rave, City So, they're kind of taking over that right side right now with uncertainty surrounding Michael Wainu's status. Mack Jones looked like he was running for his life at times on Wednesday, sacked five times, you know, that would be sacks, but they are, you know, being tracked by the reporters that are on site in green Bay right now. Really not much better for Bailey Zappy.

Starting point is 00:12:59 He was brought down eight times. The England's front called for a handful of penalties and even some quick pressure that caused some of the quarterbacks, especially Mac Jones, to have to revert to that dreaded check down that everybody is so scared about when it comes to Mac. Steve, you are a resident voice of reason. A lot of people have accused me of being a little over the top in my concern for the offensive line right now. Where does the line really stand? And did yesterday's performance on the practice field change your opinion at all? Well, I don't think you were overly critical.

Starting point is 00:13:35 I mean, when you're in a joint practice and you give up probably 13 sacks and your offensive line has a handful of penalties, I don't know how you can maneuver that around or twist it around to make it seem like a positive. That's really, really bad. Now, we all know that they're not the starters out there, but you know, we're at that phase, you know, in the training camp, preseason, however you want to break it down, you know, they only have one more, you know, a preseason game before the game start for real.

Starting point is 00:14:21 So it's time. The offensive line needs to either come together you know or they need to look elsewhere and bring in some bodies i i really believe this because yeah the uh the starters haven't been out there but when are they going to get out there and work out the kinks i i think it's not unreasonable to be very concerned right now. Yeah, especially when you talk about being at a certain stage in training camp and needing to see something from these guys. Obviously, Michael Ueno is someone that everybody feels once he's back in the lineup, things will start to round back into form.

Starting point is 00:15:02 Please keep in mind, folks, Michael Uu has yet to take a OTA snap. He's yet to take a knee camp snap. He has to take a training camp snap. And he's yet to take a preseason snap. So it's going to take time for him to get acclimated. The Patriots are not going to remove him from PUP, plug him in, and he's going to magically be the Michael Wainu that we all know and love. It's going to take him a little bit of time to get in there.

Starting point is 00:15:23 And I'm sure that he's always going to do his due diligence and he's going to make sure that he knows the schemes backwards and forwards. But conditioning is something that you don't really round into form until you've had the opportunity to be out there. So that means that the Patriots are going to have to rely on these backups in order to make sure that they're running smoothly and that they're running smoothly and that they're running at the top of their game. And right now they're not running at the top of

Starting point is 00:15:49 their game. We're seeing guys get beat on the right, on the left. And it's a concern when you have your quarterbacks, like Steve said, absorbing 13 sacks between them. That's not good. You can't lay that on the footsteps of Mac Jones or Bailey Zappi. Some of the decision-making yesterday you could, but most of it and the duress that they're under is the direct responsibility of the offensive line to provide in order for the quarterbacks to have a chance to be effective. Yeah, the big thing is the quarterbacks have to be able to go through their progressions, right?

Starting point is 00:16:24 They have to see what's in front of them and at the snap, recognize what the defense is doing and, and, you know, go through your progressions and hit the open man. And with this offensive line flux that has been going on since last year, you know, it stymies that it stym last year, you know, it stymies that. It stymies your skill position, guys, because, you know, everything has to be cut short. And it's a snowball effect, and it affects everybody on the field.

Starting point is 00:16:59 And, you know, your quarterback should be, you know, finding chemistry and, you know and finding plays that work and ones that don't. But when you're not able to go through the entire progression, you really don't know what works and what doesn't. And the Patriots like to scheme things open you know they don't have a lot of uh uh guys who you know just throw out on the field and they're going to gain separation they've traditionally done that they like to scheme things open and you know we're not being able to really see that and that's the

Starting point is 00:17:43 that's the hard thing right now. Yeah, it truly is. And especially when you have quarterbacks that are so predicated on timing to make sure that their game is clicking on all cylinders, especially Matt Jones. I mean, this is where he is at his best. And when his timing is off, things can look pretty bleak out there at the quarterback position. It leads to a lot of frustration on the field, leads to a lot of frustration among the fan base, which is why I think you see some of that vitriol being thrown his way a lot from a large section of the fan base because it does throw off so much of what he does well. Billy Zappi a little bit more adaptable, but he struggles as

Starting point is 00:18:20 well when the timing is suspect or the timing is off in certain cases. So Patriots definitely have some work to do. I know a lot of people are excited to see Malik Cunningham. He is working with some of the first-teamers, so I think that's a sign that we're going to see a little bit more of him maybe than we even saw in Game 1 coming up in Game 2 against the Green Bay Packers. But I don't want to put it all on the offense

Starting point is 00:18:43 because there were some bright spots on defense yesterday for the Patriots as well, Steve. Matching up against Jordan Love. I know a lot of people are excited to see the young Packers quarterback, a new era in Green Bay. And the defense forced some early incompletions, put a lot of pressure. There were a couple of highlights that Jordan put out there. Long ball to Christian Watson, which I think maybe was the play of the day by consensus of those there.

Starting point is 00:19:10 But the Patriots defense was able to hold, I think, their most impressive drive to a field goal. And again, we're seeing this ability for the Patriots defense to lock teams down when they need to. Is this something that Patriots fans can hang their hat on or something that they can say, you know what, we ended on a high note because of the defensive performance? Yeah, I think so. I mean, you know, when you look at the flip side, when Green Bay's offense was on there, the Patriots, you know,

Starting point is 00:19:43 were able to generate a lot of pressure on love as well. Matthew Judon supposedly would have had a couple of sacks on his own. Dietrich Wise, you know, Josh Uche, Anthony Jennings. Those are the things you look at. Keon White, obviously. That was a positive. You mentioned the big play. There was some kind of a blown coverage with Christian Gonzalez. And, you know, that would have been about a 60 or 70 yard touchdown. So, you know, those are learning points for your, you know, for your young players. But, you know, the defense overall looked really good.

Starting point is 00:20:27 It looked like they were stifling the Green Bay running game with maybe the exception of one play with Aaron Jones, you know. So, overall, I think the defense looked pretty good, you know. Marcus Jones is still kind of struggling a little bit, but Duggar, I just love this kid. And having Duggar on the field, I just think he's going to be such a big difference when the rubber hits the road and you know jack jones i thought you know again you're hearing good things with him on the field and if his head's screwed on straight and he's playing you know that secondary is going to be solid yeah without question and i know you mentioned the blown coverage yeah there was a glaring hole yesterday in Christian Gonzalez coverage on that play but overall these teaching moments have such an impact

Starting point is 00:21:30 on a rookie and I think you're looking at a kid that takes things very much up to heart I think he takes them very seriously and I don't think you're likely to see him make mistakes like that again in the future because he is someone that takes notes. I remember talking to Spencer McLaughlin, who hosts Locked On Oregon Ducks here on Locked On Patriots shortly after Christian was drafted. And he says he is a guy that takes mental notes of every mistake that he makes. And he does them in a way to make sure that he puts himself in a position not to make those same mistakes again. Obviously, it's easier said than done. But this is a kid that definitely takes that seriously, and you'd rather see those

Starting point is 00:22:08 in practice than see them in a game setting. So good stuff, Steve, and I think we are feeling a little bit better about the Patriots' defense than the offense right now, but a lot of fans are starting to play a game that a lot of podcasts, a lot of media members, and a lot of fans out there love to play, and that is a little bit of stock up, stock down. We don't do that here often on Lockdown Patriots, but Steve and I are going to have a little fun with the coverage this week, and we're going to play a little game of stock up, stock down on some Patriots that maybe not getting the attention they deserve,

Starting point is 00:22:40 or maybe in your case you feel they are getting more than they deserve. That's the whole beauty of this game, folks. Steve and I are going to tackle that when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. That's fantastic. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and of course, your first listen every day. And joining me here today to help break down joint practices between the Patriots and the Packers

Starting point is 00:23:12 is my good friend, my Patriots bison, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. And, Steve, we're going to have a little fun here in this second segment, a game we don't play that often here on Locked On Patriots, but I thought it'd be a good opportunity with the second of three preseason games coming up and another joint practice taking place probably as we're recording this. A little bit of stock up, stock down for your New England Patriots. And look, we all know that there are certain players where their stock is way up right now because of the media coverage they're getting, because of everything that's going on. Demario Douglas obviously continues to have stock up.

Starting point is 00:23:52 There's no question about that. Everybody's loving what they see from Demario, and rightfully so, folks. He is as advertised. Keon White, another guy whose stock continues to go through the roof. He is, I think, being adequately touted for being what he is. But there are certain players on this roster that may have a little bit too much credit or not getting enough credit for what they're doing. So in that vein, bud, I'm going to throw a couple of names at you. And I'm going to ask you to determine based on what you've heard, you've seen, and you've observed observed are there stock up or is there stock down

Starting point is 00:24:25 i'm going to go with an easy one for you on this one but i'm going to give you an opportunity to pontificate on the guy i know you love talking about and that is linebacker anthony jennings would you say stock up or stock down right now in the middle of that pat's defense yeah you know i'm stocked up on Jennings. Excuse me. But, you know, I've always believed in this kid's playing ability. It seems like every spring, you know, people are saying, oh, he's going to be gone this year. And the fact remains that when the pads come on,

Starting point is 00:25:07 you know, he's a very tough edge setter. And he has the athleticism to get after the quarterback. We saw that when him and Keon White just kind of wrecked the Texans in the first quarter last week. You know, he continued, I thought, was another strong practice against the Packers. I think he has a role on this team moving forward, and I think he's going to be better this year than he was a year ago. Yeah, it's good to see Anthony Jennings rounding into form.

Starting point is 00:25:43 He's looked very good on the field so far, so I agree with you in your assessment. Anthony Jennings is stocked up as well. I'm going to flip over to the offensive side of the ball, my friend, and everybody's eyes are on offensive weapons. And we're going to eliminate guys that are injured right now, folks. Players that haven't had a chance to see the field or even recently injured, like in the case of Mike Gusecki, we're going to leave them off the list. We're going to start at the wide receiver position.

Starting point is 00:26:08 And we talked about DeMario's stock going through the roof, but there's another rookie that continues to make headway, but is not getting the same type of universal praise that DeMario Douglas is getting, and that is Keyshawn Butte. Do you consider him stock up or stock down? Oh, I think he's stock up. Just prior to the Texans game, you know, he started to put some practices together. And it seemed like the light had come on for him.

Starting point is 00:26:36 And he was getting that comfort level in the offense. Not saying he's all the way there. But, you know, it's a process for these rookies. They're trying to learn their job. They're trying to learn everyone else's responsibilities in that certain play that's called. And I think you're seeing it with him. You know, he made a couple of really nice plays right off the bat in practice yesterday, you know, and not only from Matt Jones, but from, you know,

Starting point is 00:27:11 Bailey Zappi as well. I think that's a really positive sign that, you know, the quarterbacks all trust this kid, you know, and we know he has the size, he has the speed and athleticism, you know, and I think, you know, and we know he has the size. He has the speed and athleticism. You know, and I think, you know, he's pushing his way up. You know, if he has another, if he finishes this week and this preseason game on the projection he's now on, I think he's going to make a case for them keeping six wide receivers.

Starting point is 00:27:46 Yeah, and I'm glad that you mentioned that because Kayshawn, I think, had his best day, arguably, on the field on Wednesday, hauling in four passes, absolutely looked great in the opening team period. He's starting to show his ability to find the routes, find his spacing, and hit his marks. If Patriots receivers are able to do that, they will make very good Patriots receivers. Maybe not superstar level, but they will assimilate and ingratiate themselves into this team and their concept. I can see Keyshawn Butte doing that on a daily basis, and the kid's working hard. You can tell he's got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder.

Starting point is 00:28:21 He wants to prove that he was worth all the hype that he got in his first year and a half at LSU. And I think he wants to do that in a big way on the football field with the Pats this year. So we'll see what continues to happen there. But yeah, I agree with you again. I think stock up on Keyshawn Butte, especially from what we saw on the field in the first day of joint practices. Going back over to the other side of the ball, Steve, the guy you mentioned earlier, and he was on my list,

Starting point is 00:28:47 and I'm glad that you mentioned him because it gives us an opportunity to bring it back a little full circle, the cornerback position. Obviously, Christian Gonzalez, a lot of eyes on him. You mentioned Jack Jones and his ability to make the most out of his time. But there's one other Jones that has been a little on the quiet side when it comes to his contributions at cornerback and that is one of the only guys to make an all-pro last year for the New England Patriots and that is Marcus Jones as a cornerback do you think Marcus Jones is stock up or stock down right now for the New England Patriots oh I think it's stocked down right now for the New England Patriots? Oh, I think it's stocked down. We were expecting a lot more out of him in year two.

Starting point is 00:29:28 And he hasn't really had a great summer. You know, he's been a little disappointing, to say the least. And it showed yesterday, you know, that the team put him on. Was it Romeo Dube? Yeah. It showed yesterday, you know, that the team put him on. What's it? Romeo Dukes. Yep. Yeah. And, you know, he was allowing some catches to him underneath.

Starting point is 00:29:53 They said, including one of the final plays of the day. So, I mean, these are not the kind of things you want to be reading about this second year guy whose people had so many high hopes for this year to take that big jump so you know um overall i think when you're looking at you know these first and second year guys i think right now isaiah bolden is probably outplaying him. Now, we know Bolden's not going to play on the slot, but I just think Bolden seems to be fitting in better in the defense right now than Marcus does, and that's something to keep an eye on. Yeah, and it does pain me to agree with you on this one as well because I do think that Marcus is slightly stocked down when it comes to the cornerback position.

Starting point is 00:30:49 I think we all expected him to come in and automatically be that slot weapon that we believed he would be right off the bat. Simply hasn't happened yet. And I got a DM from a fan that will remain anonymous, and I'm not going to out anybody, but said, I'm really frustrated with Marcus Jones right now because he's giving the Patriots an excuse to keep Miles Bryant on this team. And, you know, we all try to, I've tried, you know, several times and whatnot to explain to people that what Miles does on the field, folks, is valuable to the Patriots. I know there are some glaring difficulties, but you don't hear his name more than you do hear his name. And that means that he's doing something right out there on the field. So don't necessarily

Starting point is 00:31:30 be upset if you see Miles Bryant taking a roster spot on the Patriots team. This is a guy that knows their system very well, and he makes a lot of contributions that you don't see each and every day. But I think the sentiment right now is that they were looking for something more out of Marcus. The speed is clearly there. I don't see situations where he's beaten because he's being beat on speed. I think it might be a situation where he's trying to either overcompensate

Starting point is 00:31:57 for connecting on a route or maybe hanging with some of the bigger pass catchers that he's being matched up with. But this is something that I think Pats fans want to see a little advancement, and I know the coaches will as well. So, yeah, there is a little bit still to prove. But that being said, folks, that does not mean Marcus Jones' roster spot is in jeopardy. The Patriots clearly have high hopes for him.

Starting point is 00:32:18 He'll be there. But the question is, where is he going to play, and does this mean the Patriots have to carry an extra corner to compensate? Those are the kind of situations that we're going to talk about in just a minute, my friend. We couldn't let the day go by without talking about the Patriots' most recent acquisition, and that is running back Ezekiel Elliott. Some are touting him as the savior. Others are saying he's completely washed up and had nothing left in the tank.

Starting point is 00:32:45 I think both of those arguments are pretty unfair, and I happen to think that people saying that he's completely washed up is utterly ridiculous. I think Virtue lies a little bit in the middle. He's definitely not what he was, but I still think there are a lot of contributions he can make. But I think we're both in agreement that he's coming here to earn a 53-man roster spot. Patriots didn't bring him in here to try him out. He's going to get a spot on this team. Now, what that means is that one player that might have been on a roster bubble all of a sudden is going to get moved off. Does Zeke's signing push one more guy off, or do they carry as deep as five running backs on this team no i i think uh jj taylor is what he always has been and that's you know he's a practice squad guy

Starting point is 00:33:34 um i think it pushes ty montgomery off i mean you know he hasn't been on the field since the pads came on. And, you know, this isn't an outlier. This is the issue that's plagued him in his career. And how long are they going to keep a spot open for a guy like him? You have two young guys with Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. I think they still believe in these guys. So I think Harris, Strong, Zeke, and Stevenson are your four running backs going into this year. Yeah, I would agree with you. And I know a lot of people are out there, oh, I was surprised,

Starting point is 00:34:21 he agrees with them again, because he is right, folks. I have always been a big proponent of Ty Montgomery since he signed here. I've known several people, several of my colleagues, Ross Jackson being the host of Locked On Saints here, and Peter Bukowski, host of Locked On Packers, who have covered Ty as members of the Saints and Packers, respectively, who told me about his work ethic, who told me about his versatility, his ability to help out in special teams and really be a contributor as a runner and even a backfield or maybe even a wide out receiver if you needed to put him in. I know the Patriots were giving him a lot of looks as the third Z receiver. So to me, it's difficult to envision a scenario where the Patriots say,

Starting point is 00:35:02 you know what, we just can't use a guy like that on our team this year. He hasn't had the time on the field in order to be able to prove exactly what he can do in a game setting. And the sample sizes that the Patriots have seen have been very minuscule and not really enough to justify that type of spot. So yeah, I think that Ezekiel was brought in here for a reason. I think he fills the role of the second tier running back. That's going to be on this club. He's not a like for like, when it comes to tie, he's not as much of a receiver. Um, he's going to make his contributions on the ground without question, but he can receive out of the backfield. He's not useless

Starting point is 00:35:39 in that department. Uh, I had, uh, you know, a couple of people tell me the Cowboys fans tell me that he's completely useless as a receiver. Well, the Cowboys fans tell me that he's completely useless as a receiver. Well, the stats really don't bear that up, folks. But I don't know, maybe a little bit of sourness coming from Big D. But bottom line, I agree with you. I think J.J. Taylor remains for the practice squad. And I just don't see a scenario now where Ty Montgomery is allowed to hang around unless he's either put on IR, which would end his season, or if the Patriots start him on public. Maybe this is an opportunity for Ty to hang around. And also, we've got an injury to Pierre Strong now to consider, too. He was not on the field

Starting point is 00:36:15 on Wednesday. Didn't get the report before we started recording on Thursday to see if he was on the field. But there are concerns right now for the Pats. So it's definitely good to see Ezekiel Elliott healthy and in the lineup. We'll continue to monitor all of that, folks, when it comes to the impact of Ezekiel Elliott. How is he looking on the field? Is he seeing greater snaps? Is there a possibility we may see him for a series or two on Saturday?

Starting point is 00:36:42 I don't think it's going to be much, but I think the possibility exists, so we'll continue to take a look into that, but bottom line, we always appreciate Steve coming on and lending his wisdom and counsel. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know what you have coming by way of Pat's coverage this week from the great pen, the great voice of Steve Balistrieri,

Starting point is 00:37:01 and what you think Pat's fans should have their eye on this weekend. Well, I think first, you can follow me on Twitter at CB7SFG, as it shows down below. You know, I think this week, you know, we'll be writing about the aftermath of the game. I'm looking forward to that. We have to start seeing something gel with the offensive line. I don't care if they're backups out there. They have to start gelling somehow

Starting point is 00:37:33 so the offense can find their footing because I think we'll see the starters for a little bit on Saturday. I want to see how Juju Smith-Schuster fits in. You know, we've been seeing and reading great things about him. Of course, Hunter Henry. And, you know, a guy we talked about last week a little bit, Anthony Ferkser. So he was getting some extended reps yesterday. I'm curious to see how he fits in in a game situation. I'm starting to lose my voice.

Starting point is 00:38:09 I'm sorry. But that's the big things right now. And, you know, I just want to see a better product on the field offensively than they showed last week. And I'm curious to see some of the new faces on defense get some more play. Yeah, very good point. I'm glad that you mentioned that, and I think we will see a better product out there on the field, hopefully a more cohesive product, and I think because you're going to see some of the starters in this game, I think that's automatically going to elevate what the Patriots are going to be doing. So folks continue to keep it right here on locked on Patriots for all the

Starting point is 00:38:45 latest from green Bay and all the latest leading up to Saturday night's matchup at Lambeau field. But in the meantime, I thank my good friend, Steve Balistrieri for all of his wisdom, counsel, and reason. And we're going to see him back here next week.

Starting point is 00:38:58 Again, hopefully health permitting my friend you're definitely on the men, but get rest, take care of yourself, bud. And in definitely on the mend, but get rest. Take care of yourself, bud. In the meantime, folks, thank you all for taking time out of your schedules to join us here on Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:39:11 On behalf of my good friend Steve Balistrieri, I am Mike DeBate, reminding you to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. We will see you again tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots. Until then, folks, have a great day and thank you for all the support that you provide to the world. We will see you again tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots. Until then, folks, have a great day, and thank you for all

Starting point is 00:39:28 the support that you provide to the pod.

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