Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Jonathan Jones to talk with Pats? Joey Porter Jr. or Cam Smith? NFLPA Survey

Episode Date: March 3, 2023

The New England Patriots appear to be making their initial attempt at re-signing veteran cornerback Jonathan Jones. However, they are also keeping their options open by interviewing top prospects at the position during this week’s NFL Scouting Combine. Host Mike D’Abate provides the latest on the Patriots contract talks with Jones, their prospect meetings with Penn State’s Joey Porter, Jr. and Sout Carolina’s Cam Smith. He also provides his thoughts on the Pats poor grades on the NFLPA workplace survey.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-the-new-england/id1140512627Spotify: 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.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL 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

The New England Patriots are trying to keep up with the Joneses at cornerback, and they should keep up with the veteran Jones. 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. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Also, your first listen every day.

Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button and download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So give me a follow. Reach out to me. 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. Today's episode of Locked On Patriots brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook, official sportsbook of the NFL. Make every moment more. Visit FanDuel.com slash Locked On today to get started. Patriots fans, thank you for joining me here today on this Thursday episode of Locked On Patriots. And the Patriots have a need at cornerback. And though they love their veterans, they also know that this is a deep and talented

draft class. The Combine is the place to be seen. And they have seen some top-level talent without any question, two of which I'm going to break down for you right here on today's show. And I also know that many of you saw the skating survey results conducted by the NFLPA regarding workplace conditions for your New England Patriots. The Pats finishing 24th in the NFL. Some poor categorical results, but a team captain is fired back on those.

We're going to take a look at what David Andrews had to say. So don't go anywhere. A full docket here today on Locked On Patriots. But we start with some news on one of the Pats' top internal free agents, and we've talked about him several times here on Locked On Patriots. Jonathan Jones, starting corner in 2022, led the team with four interceptions. He is among the top options, the top priorities for the New England Patriots in the offseason and he is scheduled to enter unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career that happens on

March 15th when the NFL league year begins and the Patriots would like him to return but they're apparently willing to take a patient approach on the subject. Despite the market opening in less than two weeks, the two sides have really yet to engage in any substantial negotiations. So it's not exactly encouraging when you think about the fact that the market opening is so close and the Patriots still have a ways to go in terms of making headway with contract negotiations with Jonathan Jones. But a recent report by Karen Garigian of the Boston Herald outlined where these two parties stand at this point in time. And this may help to inject a little optimism into these negotiations for you, or at least the process, folks,

because right now it looks like the two sides are apparently willing to try to come together. To this point, there's been little movement on cornerback Jonathan Jones along with Jacoby Myers. They stand as the top Patriots set to hit the free agent market on March 15th. This is exactly per Karen's report. According to a source, the Patriots have indicated they'd like to have Jones back at this stage. However, there have been no substantive talks to that end. So this is something that I think in a lot of ways could give optimism to these negotiations. Karen is among the best in the business at what she does. If she's reporting it, you know it's coming from a place of honesty and it's coming from a place of forthcoming. Right now, the indication is that Matt Groh, director of player personnel with the

Patriots, is down at the combine. He is going to meet with Jones' representatives, potentially with Jones himself, at the scouting combine in Indianapolis. So if that meeting does take place, that lack of movement all of a sudden becomes null and void. The Patriots now have an open channel of dialogue with Jones, and hopefully the The Patriots now have an open channel of dialogue with Jones, and hopefully the two sides can get things done. And I think this is a smart move for the New England Patriots. Look, Jonathan Jones is not going to be a top-level shutdown corner. Not the way he's built, it's not his game. But when you look at the journey that he's made in New England, from starting out as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2016,

developed into a very important piece, a depth piece in the Patriots secondary, really became one of the best slot cornerbacks in the league, and then transitioning to the perimeter in 2022 after the team lose JC Jackson in free agency. You want to talk about a guy that can do it all and willing to do it all. Jonathan Jones did that, and he did that as well as anybody. He lacked experience on playing on the outside, didn't do a whole lot of that when he was at Auburn, but he really developed into a consistent performer each and every time he took the field.

And for that, you have to give him his just due. Now, statistically, fans are going to look at this and say, well, does he deserve top cornerback money? Well, Pro Football Focus ranks him as having surrendered 47 catches on 87 targets for 547 yards allowed. They credit him for letting up six touchdowns. While also on the same time, he's also being credited for the four interceptions. He had a pick six, forced three fumbles, and he ended his first year among the Patriots cornerbacks with 914 defensive snaps played over the course of 16

games. So he's a reliable guy when healthy without question, and he's healthy more often than not. And when he's out there, he'll give you productivity. He's going to yield a little bit, but he's also going to give you a lot. And that's something that really cannot be duplicated when you look at some of his peers on the market, at least who's going to be in Jonathan's price range. Now, Jonathan has gone on record several times saying he hopes to be back in New England. And I think he should be. I really hope he will be, but that's up to the Patriots. And that's up to Jonathan. He is setting himself up well for his first trip to free agency. No question about it. He's got some buzz around him and he had a very good year in 2022. That's going to fetch him some

pretty decent coin on the open market. But at the end of the day, he may be willing to take a little bit less to come back. I'm going to quote you from earlier this offseason. I believe Jonathan said this in January, where he said, I would hope so, as regarding his comeback or potential comeback to New England. That's where I spent my career. It's what I know. It's what I love. New England is home for me.

And in that aspect, we'll see. We'll see how free agency turns out and we'll take it from there. And that apparently is where we are right now, folks, with Matt Groh and the Patriots personnel going to meet with Jonathan to see what's on the table and what can be worked out. I feel optimistic because both sides are expressing interest in continuing to work together. So that right there should be the basis for some sort of negotiation at the very least, or hopefully a deal but if that's not the case and free agency does follow its own rules Jonathan returning is not going to be a guarantee again he is going to look at what's out there on the open market and eventually some team is probably going to come across with a offer that the Patriots may not be able to match so if he gets an offer he can't refuse

you know 29 year old Jonathan Jones may be on his way out of Foxborough. But bottom line, folks, we'll continue to be optimistic. But if he should go, the Patriots are clearly keeping their options open. And with the NFL scouting combine underway in Indianapolis, they're looking to infuse a little youth into the program. Pat's met with several top cornerback prospects out there in Indianapolis at the Combine, including Christian Gonzalez, who we've discussed several times here on Locked On. Devin Witherspoon is obviously someone that they'll keep their eye on as well, but they also met with two we have yet to really discuss possible options yet.

That is until today, folks. So we're going to be talking cornerback blue chippers when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, today's episode brought to you by our good friends over at FanDuel Sportsbook. The midway point of the NBA season is here, and now is the perfect time to download FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook,

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official sportsbook betting partner of the NBA. Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking the time out here to join me on the pod for making us your first listen. And I highly recommend making your second listen our guys over at the Draft Network, Locked On NFL. Two members of the Draft Network that I put a lot of faith in, a lot of trust in. Big fans, so proud to call these guys colleagues.

Damian Parson, Keith Sanchez of the Draft Network. They're two of the best at what they do, folks. Boots on the ground in Indianapolis at the Combine, so be sure to check it out wherever you get your podcasts. And speaking of the Combine, the Patriots are taking full advantage of meeting with several top prospects at positions of need, and that includes cornerback. And especially given what we just talked about here on the show, if they can't retain veteran corner Jonathan Jones, Patriots are going to need a pretty explosive body to come in and be able to spell some

time, get significant minutes. And to do that, they may have to look into the upper part of the draft, the early part of the draft. And we've talked a lot about two of the big time gems at cornerback in this draft here on Locked On Patriots. Christian Gonzalez, Devin Weatherspoon. These guys are the best of the best. They've been mentioned as ideal, prototy On Patriots. Christian Gonzalez, Devin Weatherspoon. These guys are the best of the best. They've been mentioned as ideal, prototypical Patriots.

The versatility, really complete resumes. I love these guys. They have it all. But the Patriots are keeping their options open as they should. And two prospects we really haven't mentioned here that much on Locked On Patriots are almost, and some may argue, that they're even more on locked on Patriots, almost, and some may argue that they're even more qualified to be Patriots than Gonzalez or than Witherspoon. And two of the guys, the Patriots have met with Joey Porter of Penn State and also Cam

Smith of South Carolina. Now, folks, neither one of these guys are going to have their shortage of suitors and the Patriots know that but these are two guys that can come in and immediately upgrade the Patriots cornerback room they're pro level ready right from the moment they step on the field and Joey Porter Jr. by the way folks want to get that junior in there because we all know that Joey Porter Sr. is a name that Patriots fans know very well. It's a familiar name to a lot of you. Of course, his dad, former Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins defender, Joey Porter, notable nemesis of the Pats during the Tom Brady days here. We all know about Joey Sr.'s comments about the Patriots and stealing the dynasty and I could

have three rings if they didn't spy gate folks I'm not even going to get into that right now we're talking about Joey Jr. and we're talking about what type of a pro he could be and who knows maybe time might heal some wounds Joey met with reporters in Indianapolis on Thursday morning and he was asked about his father I'll give you a little tidbit on that in just a moment but he also has advised that he met with the New England Patriots and that is a good sign that shows that there is at least some interest there and Joey was very excited about his meeting with the Patriots he says yes I've met with them pretty great organization definitely praised the professionalism that the organization showed

during the meeting and liked the potential fit and when he was asked about what his father would think about being chosen by the Pats, he said, quote, I don't think he'd be too mad at the situation. He'd just be happy that I got picked up by a team that wants me. Well, again, I think the jury's still out on that. We'll see what happens, but I truly do believe Joey would want the best for his son. And he knows at the end of the day, putting him in Bill Belichick's hands is pretty safe. And it's also a pretty good way to make a living. So I do

think time would heal all wounds. And who knows, maybe we would see Joey senior wear a Patriots jersey at one point. No, I'd love to see that. But in any case, folks, the reason why the Patriots would be interested in Joey Porter Jr. is not to stick it to his dad. Contrary to popular belief, they like him because he is a solid prospect in every aspect of the word. Prototypical length and then some to play press man. This is what he's created for. 6'2", 192 pounds. But one thing that the Patriots must love about him, and you'll love as soon as you watch any type of film or clips, anything regarding Joey Porter, excellent ball skills at the catch point. This kid really has

a knack for being able to play the ball very well. He knows how it's coming out of the hands of the quarterback. He knows how it's going to be put into the hands of the receiver, and he can do everything he can to keep that from happening. So we've seen him grow in his footwork. He's become much more fluid from his time at Penn State since he first started. And really just the height, the weight, the speed, everything you need at a top level position in the NFL, Joey Porter Jr. comes in ready to go right from day one. If there's one takeaway that might deter the Patriots a little bit is that Joey is really much better in press man and in

man coverage than he is in zone. He was really created as a press man scheme specific cornerback Patriots like their corners, a little bit more scheme, versatile guys that can play a little zone. I think with the right coaching, the right tutelage and the right attitude, Joey can develop into a pretty solid zone corner as well. But if you're looking for immediate return on investment, he's going to be a press man guy. And that's really where he can do his biggest damage. So Patriots are smart to bring this guy in. Big time program over at Penn State.

Love what I've seen from him. This could be a fun, fun, just could be a fun thing to explore, folks. You find me at a loss of words, but I just can't really put into words just how fun it would be for me to see Joey Porter in a Patriots uniform, even if it is offspring, but really one of the great talents out there. And I really, for one, I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of a pro he's going to be, whether it's in New England or not. But folks, Patriots weren't done because they did have another interview with another top level talent at the position. And that's Cam Smith out

of South Carolina, six foot, 188 pounds, really did a great job for the Gamecocks last year. This is a kid right now that you can come in and say his coverage instincts, his ball skills really separate him from a lot of his peers. And he's a little bit more scheme versatile. That may spell in the right direction. He also might be able to be had in later round draft capital if the Patriots decide they wanted to trade down. Something interesting to keep your eye on there.

But really quick footwork when it comes to what Cam brings to the table. Excellent hit movement. A lot of great body control and something that I think will help him, especially if he's defending along the line on the perimeter. You have to make tough plays sometimes to remain inbounds, especially if you can get your hands on the ball. He can definitely do it. He's got a physical nature of the way he plays.

A lot of competitive toughness at the catch point. He'll make every catch contestable and that's something that i think the patriots really love in their cornerbacks you'd really love to see him be able to come in and do that um if there is a knock on him and there aren't many by the way but there is a little bit over aggressiveness in coverage um i always scoff when i hear overly aggressive, but sometimes overly aggressive can work to your disadvantage, especially if you get a little handsy, a little grabby when it comes to your opposing receivers. The whistle sometimes can come out and it can cause a little bit of

penalty problems, so something to keep an eye on there for Cam. A lot of people say, well, maybe he's a little bit lean for his size, six foot, 188 pounds. You'd probably like to see him put a little bit more on in terms of bulk and in terms of conditioning. But again, I mean, I think these are things that the Patriots need to work out. But overall, this is a kid that can come in and start it outside corner right from the get-go. And he's also a pretty good team fit in man coverage.

Can play zone, but I think he fits a little bit better in man coverage. And Cam was very complimentary about the Patriots. Did say that their meetings are intense. They ask a lot of difficult questions, and he liked that. He liked being challenged. So you get an idea of what the Patriots' interest may be when they're pressing you a lot in interviews. There's a reason for it.

So Cam Smith is a name to keep an eye on and that brings me I think to a good point here to wrap this discussion up about combine meetings because you hear them all the time and they are important and I'm not lessening the importance of those folks but one piece of caution I will give and that's several of my colleagues have said the same thing over the course of this week, is that meetings do not always signify an intent to draft. There are several reasons for teams to meet with prospects. It could be to gauge a potential adversary down the line, even as quickly as this year. Guys like Joey Porter and Cam Smith are going to have playing time, significant playing time, right off the bat.

So you may want to know what kind of player you're dealing with if you're going to be facing these guys sort of like a keep your friends close your enemies closer type thing but it could also be for future free agency availability for a few years down the line these guys all of a sudden their rookie deals are expiring they may be finding work and the Patriots may be able to look into players that could come aboard and make an immediate impact. So that happened with Stephon Gilmore a few years ago, and the Patriots really loved the return on investment they got from him. So keep your eyes out for these guys three, four, five years down the line.

Who knows? Just because they're not Patriots on draft day doesn't mean they may not end up being Patriots in the future. So with those teams meeting and those teams getting together and meeting with some of these prospects, it does mean that there is some sort of interest and whatever that interest may be, may help to procure some talent, whether it be at the draft or whether it even be in free agency. And Joey and Cam seem to be open to playing for the Pats, judging by their pats judging by

their comments and judging by their responses to reporters questions but could a recent survey deter rookies and free agents from wanting to come to foxborough well folks that is the question and the pats workplace environment no it didn't grade too well in a recent survey conducted by the NFL Players Association. We're going to take a look at those results and why a team captain has said there is not much to see here when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast concludes. Patriots fans, thank you so much for taking time out to join me here today on Locked On Patriots. I'm Mike DeBate of Patriots Country of thank you so much for taking time out to join me here today on Locked On Patriots. I'm Mike DeBate of Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated.

And we've talked a little bit about the combine and a little bit about players that might be available, prospective cornerback prospects. And we've talked about internal free agents like Jonathan Jones and trying to procure their services. But retaining your internal free agents and drafting the Patriots of the future is only two legs of the three-pronged monster. I say that tongue-in-cheek, but it kind of is what it is about building an NFL roster. It's not an easy process, folks.

Anyone telling you that it is has never tried to do it or has never tried to understand it. And in that regard, you have to get external free agents, veterans, out on the market to be able to come and play for your team. And one of the big keys in luring an external free agent to your team is to make your work environment that much more appealing. Now, the Patriots have never typically had problems in this area. They've been a team that can always play the winning card. You go to New England, you're going to play with Tom Brady. You're going to play for Bill Belichick.

You're going to have a chance at a ring every single time you put on that uniform. The Patriots are not in that window anymore, folks. They still have Bill Belichick, still a very big selling point. But Tom Brady's not walking through that door. Mac Jones is trying to do the best he can to bring the Patriots back to a level of respectability and playoff contention. But again, these things are going to take time. So if you have to rely on outside interests to be able to bring teams or players to the

table together, you want to make sure that the work environment that you're providing is as good as possible. And according to a recently released study by the NFL Players Association, the Patriots did not quite make the grade in this area. And I was as surprised as anyone with the results of these. Patriots ranking 24th among all 32 NFL teams in overall satisfaction with their workplace environment. And again, a little bit surprising. The survey was administered to approximately 1,300 players, so a pretty good sample size there. Throughout the league, they were asked to rate various elements about their working conditions, including the treatment of their families, food service and nutrition, the conditions of the weight room, the strength coaches, the training room,

the training staff, the overall layout of the locker room, and of course, team travel. Now, again, this is a franchise that's been heralded as a model franchise for the better part of two decades. Their on-field success speaks for itself. But New England's players, at least according to this survey, are seemingly less than pleased with the surroundings in and around Gillette Stadium. The players' respondents describe the Patriots facility, and I'm quoting them verbatim here, folks, or at least the NFLPA's report, I'm quoting verbatim, old, dated, and in

need of renovation. Now that hits a little close to home. I think a lot of people would describe me that way. I'm just kidding folks. But all kidding aside, it's not painting a flattering picture of the life in Foxborough and at Gillette. The survey results also identified that the team believes that a need for additional staff in the weight room is something that should be addressed also in the training room while the facilities and the operations could use a quote refresh. So

Patriots, you know, grading really difficult in some of these areas, a C minus in the treatment of families. The Patriots, one of very few teams in the league that do not have either a daycare facility or a family room. And a lot of people were surprised on that one. They ranked the C- on that tie for 22nd out of 32 NFL teams. A few of the others, the weight room graded as a D, 31st out of 32 teams in the NFL. That was a little bit surprising. We're going to get to the most surprising one in just a moment, but it wasn't all bad news for the Patriots. I don't want to paint just

a complete dismal picture. Their strength coaches, their training staff earned the highest grade from the player respondents. Coaches Moses Cabrera and Deron Mayo, their strength and conditioning coaches earning a B plus. Responses indicating that they moderately add to their success on the field so a little bit of a praise for those guys the training staff got the highest grade of the day for the for the New England Patriots especially head athletic trainer Jim Whalen he earned an A for his efforts and the Patriots really praising him specifically for adding to their individual success on the field so So credit to Jim there. Glad to see him getting the acknowledgement. I've always heard great things about him, and it's good to see him getting that recognition.

But the Patriots' most surprising subpar score came from the travel category. Team ranked 25th in the NFL with a D-plus grade. Now, this surprised me because New England is really one of the only teams, I believe in professional sports that has its own modified private Boeing 767 to transport players and staff wherever they have to go throughout the country. And it's docked right here in my home state in Rhode Island at Rhode Island, TF Green International Airport. And I've seen them playing several times, never had the chance to be able to ride on it. Maybe someday, hopefully I will, but at the same time, you always get the

impression that this plane is pretty, you know, pretty impressive. Several times the Patriots plane has been lent for either goodwill missions or they've tried to lend it out to teams or people in need that needed transportation. Robert Kraft has always been very much involved with lending it out to charity, and it's always come back with very positive results. I will say this, the NFLPA's survey did not down the plane specifically or did not mention that the plane was part of the problem, although only 54% of the players felt like they had enough room to spread out may like a little bit more room don't forget it's a boeing 767 so maybe there is a little bit of you know room restraint in that plane when it was modified i i don't know that could be a question to ask down the line but

they did acknowledge that the seats were bigger than standard coat seats. So I guess that's good. You can definitely hang your hat on that. The travel grade, I think, was really more the result of a lack of Patriots being able to have roommates on road trips. This is something that really, I think, was a contributing factor to the organization's poor grade in that category. So because of that, the Patriots right now are looking at a situation where they believe there's not a whole lot of upgrades and maybe not a whole lot of relief in sight. Only 64% of polled players believe that team owner Robert Kraft is willing to spend the money necessary for upgrades, and they rank him 26th in the league in this category. And I have to say, folks, I was a little disheartened by this, but just when you think the team has painted a bleak picture of things in Foxborough, team captain David Andrews sets the record straight, and he did so on Tuesday talking to the Boston Herald's Karen Garigian

once again at a charity event that was being held on Thursday at the Hall at Patriots Place, and Andrews had the following to say, quoting him verbatim now from Karen's piece in the Herald, quote, any survey can be skewed. There's guys that may have only been in New England, guys that may have been with one other team, or 10 other teams who took the survey. There's guys that have families, guys that don't, whatever it may be. For me, I think I've loved my time here. I think everything in that building is designed to help us succeed and to help us win. So in that regard, David trying to set the record straight a little bit. And I've worked in the private sector organizing surveys, folks.

There are a lot of external factors that can factor into a player's response maybe they took the survey on a bad day maybe they took the survey with a little bit of a axe to grind against the organization maybe they are comparing it to other facilities that they've used i mean bill belichick earlier this year had a lot of great things to say about the las vegas raiders facility out in Paradise, Nevada, called it the Taj Mahal of all of the places he's been. Yeah, there's a reason for that, folks. It's a brand new state of the art. And coincidentally, the Raiders graded very high, I think third in the league in total workplace conditions. So maybe there are upgrades that need to be done

in Foxborough. I think this definitely paints that picture, but it doesn't necessarily mean the bleak situation that a lot of people are trying to portray it as. And David went on to say, this is his individual opinion, but really, I think bringing some gravitas back to what this team really does and helps players that are really grateful to play in New England, to walk away with the type of attitude he has. And he went on to say, quote, I'm grateful to be in that building. It's got everything I need to be successful. The training staff, the equipment staff, every staff has always been great to me and helped me out. And I think there's

everything I need to succeed in there. So when it comes to the 64% of players believing that Robert Kraft is not willing to spend the money necessary, yeah, I think David probably took a little umbrage in that and wants to, I think, help to quell some of the perception out there that Robert Kraft may be cheap. I can tell you, having worked at Gillette Stadium for the last couple of years on a periphery basis, going in, covering events there, I've never felt like this organization has been cheap. Far from it, to be totally honest with you. That being said, I'm not a player. I'm not in those response categories where I would be able to adequately respond to an NFL PA's survey. But this is just

my personal experience. And apparently David agrees here. And once again, he went to bat for Mr. Kraft a little bit. Quote, I think Mr. Kraft is super competitive. I think his focus is on winning, trying to win, and like the coaches is doing everything in his power to help us win. The Kraft family has been good to me. I'll always have respect and appreciation for everything they've done. I can understand some of the issues with the weight room, the family room, but if you've only been to a few different teams or one team, you might not know what it's like elsewhere. Sometimes the grass isn't always greener on the other side.

Amen, David. Well said, and I'm glad that he said that. So, folks, take that for what you will. I know there are going to be some that really want to pigeonhole the Patriots and take shots at them as a result of this poll. But bottom line, it's about the 53 guys in the locker room. Hopefully not going to have a negative effect on trying to lure some free agents in because the Patriots definitely have positions of need that they want to go the free agent route or the trade route to bring guys in, especially at the wide receiver position. Patriots giving much more indications that they're willing to go the veteran route than the rookie

route. And if that's the case, you definitely want to make sure the veterans that you're bringing in here know the score in Foxborough. And this new renovation project that the patriots are going about right now the weight room is part of it folks so maybe they can add to that in addition with the fan experience obviously the the lighthouse being upgraded the high definition video board largest in the country that's going to upgrade the fans but i think the patriots now will invest a little bit more in their players, and hopefully the weight room is just the start to that construction project. That weight room should be ready in advance of the 2023 regular season, so maybe that will put a smile on the face of some

of the players in Foxborough. And folks, ultimately what's going to happen is the New England Patriots are going to have to build a team regardless of their facilities, regardless of their workplace environment. They'll take this to heart, but their main focus is going to be on building that roster for 2023. And we're going to continue with more combine analysis, more draft analysis, and all the very latest news and notes from Foxborough right here on Locked On Patriots.

So once again, I thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to make Locked On Patriots your first listen every day and also a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Once again, folks, if you have made us your first listen, please do yourself a favor and make your second listen our good friends over at Locked On NFL Draft. Damian Parson, Keith Sanchez of the Draft Network. You want to catch everything they're doing down in Indianapolis,

all of the news notes and analysis and insight you can only find right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. So on behalf of all of us here at the Locked On Podcast Network, I'm Mike DeBate. Continue to stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. Enjoy the coverage, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.