Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Lamar Jackson a No-Go? On to Mac Jones, Bailey Zappe?

Episode Date: March 30, 2023

The New England Patriots look to be bowing out of the running to secure the services of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. As a result, speculation regarding a potential quarterback controversy between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe has once again begun to circulate, based on some cryptic comments made by coach Bill Belichick earlier this week. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Cooper, host of A Clare Perspective: A Patriots Podcast, to discuss the latest on Jackson, Jones and Zappe.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.Ultimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON. 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

As the million-dollar man Ted Bibiasi would say, everybody has a price. And it appears that the cost of acquiring Lamar Jackson was a bit too high for the New England Patriots. 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 Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Please subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or 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 is 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. That's fans, the rumors connecting the New England Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. That's fans. The rumors connecting the New England Patriots to Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson appear to be short lived.

Folks, we're going to discuss and break it all down for you today. And because it's the midway part of the week, we are going to be joined by the midway monarch here on Locked On Patriots. The illustrious Claire Classey. Claire Cooper will join me in just a moment where we'll talk all things Lamar Jackson and the Patriots quarterback room. So stick around, an action-packed show for you today on the pod.

But we start with the news of the day, and that is just one day removed from Patriots team owner Robert Kraft sending the fan base into a frenzy. We start to get reports that Lamar Jackson and the Patriots team owner Robert Kraft sending the fan base into a frenzy, we start to get reports that Lamar Jackson and the Patriots are unlikely to be united when it comes to the 2023 season. First, on a Tuesday night, Boston Sports Journal's Greg Bedard reported that the Patriots were not likely to pursue a deal for Jackson services, whether either by signing or by trade, and he cited three league sources on that. As such, the seas of speculation seemed to calm down a little bit, and then they really

went to a flat calm on Wednesday morning when the Athletics' Jeff Powell essentially confirmed that the Patriots were unlikely, barring any unforeseen circumstances, to go after Lamar Jackson. And folks, when we look at this with a little bit of a clear head, when we start to let a lot of the excitement settle a little bit, it does make really perfect sense for the New England Patriots to bow out of this. Their interest in him initially, and we said this yesterday here on the pod, was tepid at best when the initial wave of free agency started.

Even before that, when Lamar was tagged with the non-exclusive franchise tag, a lot of reports out there. Mark Daniels of MassLive was one of the first to report that the Patriots were unlikely to pursue a trade for Lamar Jackson, or at least try to work out a deal with Lamar Jackson. But that really started to swell a little bit, and it picked up, as business usually tends to do, when Robert Kraft revealed that he had received a text from rapper Meek Mill generally claiming that the former first-round draft pick wanted to join the New England Patriots. Now, Jackson remains one of the most dynamic talents on a pro football field. There is no question that this guy can assimilate into any system, and I believe he's a perfect

physical specimen to quarterback any team, even with some of the narrative out there that he may be injury prone. Yes, he's missed five games more in the last two seasons. I'm not holding that against him, folks. I still think there's a lot there that Lamar Jackson can contribute. But because of that, the New England Patriots look at the overall cost of what they'd be getting, and I think that appeared to be the sticking point for them. Not only would they be forced to surrender two first-round draft picks to the Ravens to get

Lamar Jackson, but they'd also be negotiating what many project to be one of the most lucrative contracts in the NFL. With just north of $12.9 million in available cap space, New England would need to act quickly to recreate or create, I should say, the necessary room to even consider bringing Jackson aboard. And during his appearance yesterday here on the pod, Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzon indicated that shedding some of the team's most highly compensated players, aka cutting them, would be the fastest way to achieve such a goal. He specifically mentioned a few. Trent Brown at the offensive line, tight end Hunter Henry, wide receiver Devontae Parker,

defensive end Dietrich Wise. That would clear up a good amount of salary cap space, and it would allow the Patriots to then try to attempt to sign Lamar Jackson to an offer sheet. But even though those moves are going to create the sufficient availability under the cap, how eager would Lamar Jackson be to join a team that just jettisoned two of their best pass catchers, the top option at offensive tackle, and a key member of their pass rush? That would be compromised to say the least. And you can understand where the Patriots are coming from. You don't want to necessarily gut the roster in order to satisfy one player.

That's a cost, and that's something that the Patriots had to weigh. Now there is an alternative to making such drastic roster cuts and Miguel laid those out very nicely here yesterday as well. The Patriots can restructure the deals of some of the higher earning players. Matthew Judon was somebody he specifically mentioned, Devon Godchow, Adrian Phillips, David Andrews. These types of restructures could convert most of their 2023 scheduled compensation into a signing bonus and then you could add four voidable years onto the end of their contract now the Patriots have dabbled in this area before folks we've seen them do it with Tom Brady Devin McCourty voidable years are done and added all the time, but in years past, they've only done

this sporadically. They've done it individually, and they haven't been so widespread. Doing so with several big money contracts could create salary cap peril for the foreseeable future, and that's something that New England is trying to avoid. So there you go. There's another layer of the cost that the Patriots would have to bear. Perhaps most importantly, there's the conundrum of guaranteed money. And Miguel also talked about this yesterday here on Locked On. If you haven't had a chance to check it out yet, I do encourage you go back, take a look at it. With hindsight being 20-20 now, you'll see exactly where all of this came into play. And Jackson is seeking a long-term top-of-the-market deal.

And by all accounts, he's not wavering from that. It could earn him the highest annual value earning in the NFL. And he's also requesting that most of the total value of the contract be guaranteed. I'm not going to say like for like, but he's looking for a deal structured very similar to what Deshaun Watson got in the 2022 offseason from the Cleveland Browns. Now, not only would Jackson be demanding contractual longevity from the Patriots or any potential suitor, but he's also going to look to comfortably exceed that $32.4 million salary, that value of his non-exclusive franchise tag. With a short-term, more team-friendly deal seemingly off the table,

the Patriots just, I don't think, have the wherewithal or really the desire to completely change the complexity of their roster to pursue a player, even one as dynamic and as great as Lamar Jackson. There's just too much financial commitment for a player who, again, has missed more than five games in each of his last two seasons. And of course, New England has the rest of the roster to think about in fielding a competitive team. So Jackson's going to remain embroiled in that contract dispute with Baltimore. A lot of people still believe that he's played his final down in Baltimore. Where he'll end up, that's a

conversation for another day. But his next down being played in Foxborough, a very, very remote possibility at best this point, folks. It appears to be looking less likely with each passing day than that starting with today. So now the Patriots know that they're probably going to be looking less likely with each passing day than that starting with today. So now the Patriots know that they're probably going to be moving forward with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappi. So in that case, what does this mean for the Patriots' contracts? What does it mean for their quarterback room moving forward? Well, we're about to bring in the Countess of Clas herself, Ms. Claire Clasie Claire Cooper of Pat's Propaganda and a Claire perspective of Patriots podcast

to prognosticate what that may mean for the Patriots quarterback competition. We're also going to get her take on the Lamar Jackson situation and whether just the compensation alone of surrendering to draft picks might have been a little bit too high to begin with. We're going to talk about all that and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, folks, today's episode is brought to you by our good friends at FanDuel. And the tournament is at a fever pitch, and there's no better place to get the action

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when you join FanDuel today. Just go to FanDuel.com slash LockedOn to sign up. Make every moment more to Fanduel.com slash LockedOn to sign up. Make every moment more with Fanduel. Patriots fans, the rumored interest that the Pats might have had in Lamar Jackson appears to be fun while it lasted. Reports on Wednesday

morning from the Athletics' Jeff Alp that the Patriots are indeed not pursuing Lamar. Of course, these are always taken with a grain of salt i definitely trust jeff's sources with every fiber of my being but until it's confirmed there's always going to be speculation but today here on the pod we're going to talk a little bit about the other types of costs that may have deferred the patriots from wanting to pursue these types of deals and that is the cost of two first round draft picks.

Is it a little too rich for the Patriots blood? Well, we're going to discuss that today with one of our very favorites here on the pod. It's Wednesday. It's the midweek. It's time for a visit from the midweek monarch, the Countess of Clas herself, Claire Clasie Cooper of That's Propaganda. And of course, the host of her very own podcast, The Claire Perspective, powered by FBC Patriots.

Countess, thank you so much for joining me here today, as you do each and every Wednesday. I know you saw the reports from Wednesday. It's been an interesting 24 to 48 hours here in New England, deciphering through all the Lamar Jackson rumors and whether it's possible, whether it's not. But I know that you had a pretty strong take on the Patriots' investment of draft capital in order to secure Lamar's services. When you look at the two first-round picks that would need to be submitted in order to secure his services, what was your reaction to that? What do you see out of the Patriots?

And do you think that played a hand in maybe them backing off a little bit on pursuing Lamar Jackson? Well, I think it was definitely kind of a cluster of things. I wouldn't say that it's really predominantly the only thing, because as Miguel alluded to yesterday on here, that it was definitely the economics of it would really struggle to have added up for the Patriots because of how much Lamar seemed to be sort of wanting. I know that he's already sort of like turned down a certain offer by the Ravens. And that's why he's on the non-exclusive franchise tag and stuff like that.

So, you know, it's obviously an individual that will warrant considerable money, but it's also an individual that is expecting considerable money, as well as obviously what the draft stock would entail. And the one thing in regard to that isn't so much just what you look at as the sort of the first two draft picks. I think it was Robert Kraft, not Bill Belichick, that mentioned yesterday or the day before in the sort of owners meetings of how valuable uh draft selection is and how valuable that the players are when it comes to from the draft because obviously you're getting

technically you're getting quite good value for money you know possibly depending on how each player obviously sort of undertakes his career but But, you know, rookie deals are, you know, are quite invaluable when it comes to cutting costs and stuff like that. So it isn't just the small picture of how much the Lamar wanted on his contract and how many sort of draft, you know, the first round draft picks that it would entail. It's then the ripple effect that that has on, you know, the rest of the costings and the rest of the, you know,

what it would entail in regards to the team. And I think the thing that stood out to me the most over sort of the actual physical cost of his contract and and the actual draft picks is the impact it would have on the team overall in regards to cuts as such that um Miguel mentioned yesterday it would take I know obviously this is still costly but it would it would take sort of deconstruction of the team and that's the thing that really sort of hit me in regards to because I was more of the sort of side of not sort of wanting them to sign them on there that's nothing against him as a player as a quarterback I know you know he's very good that there was lots of things that added up for me and I've had this kind of back and forth with a couple of my Patriots friends in particular. And I know that I felt like I was in the minority, that I sort of didn't want them to, you know,

to chase after Lamar, to spend the money to use the draft picks for him. And I initially thought that maybe I was I was of a minority. But I think it was it was Tom Curran did one of those um quick slants polls on social media yesterday or the day before and I was really surprised to find out that actually it was 43 percent um were get Lamar and 57 percent was was to stick with which which did quite surprise me because I did genuinely think I was in a real minority when it came to them not really wanting them to to have Lamar in regards to how it affected the team it had nothing to do with him as an actual individual as an actual quarterback it had more to do with the fact that his injury history what it would physically cost the team in regards to draft picks how that would affect the future of the team it feels like as Patriots fans we've gone through a few years now very transitional very sort

of I'm saying rebuild because it doesn't quite hasn't quite been been that sort of situation but the transition from Tom Brady through to Cam Newton during a pandemic year over onto the rookies first year then you go through that sort of trial period experimental period of of um and not a non-true offensive coach if you like in regards to Matt Patricia that sort of experiment as as Robert Kraft did did mention the other day at the owners meeting and it just feels like they've gone through so much of that already that to have an individual that would necessarily to gain that individual in regards to the quarterback to take apart what would be needed to take apart with the team cutting guys to save money not drafting earlier in the draft you know having to use those draft picks so you wouldn't

get your you know your cream of the crop or whatever you want to say in regards to the draft yeah sure that they'd still have sort of a third or fourth round that sort of thing but you aren't getting those the top top players so it's another year that you're not drafting those individuals so it's another year that you're going on without those rookies that you build the team up with and stuff like that so to me it felt like too much would affect the team to enable them to gain that player and as good as he is as a player would what he can bring to the team really be able to smooth over the cracks of what would be created to be able to bring him into the team with regards to the loss of players and the loss of draft picks that that would entail and for me personally as a Patriots fan and I know obviously this is just my opinion and I know a lot of people will not

agree and believe that you know he is worth it and I fully respect those opinions it's just for me from my perspective it was too much it just seems too much and I think that with bringing in Bill O'Brien I know we'll talk about the you know the current quarterbacks in a moment but with with bringing in Bill O'Brien it really felt like what they've brought in how you know who they've kept and things like they possibly with the exception of Jacoby Myers I know that's a different topic that's already been covered it seems like what they've looked to do is build a Patriots team around the quarterback that they have in regards to Matt Jones and so I just think that it was a long shot and maybe just too much compromise with the rest of the team and I fully appreciate there will be

fans sitting there saying it's worth it it's worth it and I fully appreciate there will be fans sitting there saying it's worth it it's worth it and I don't blame you for saying it it's just in my opinion I didn't actually think it was necessarily worth it at this stage how the team is what what would be needed to be given up so yeah that's just there's just kind of my two cents on the matter really well I think it's worth a lot more than two cents I'm glad that you mentioned the financial costs and brought those in because Claire let's face it none of these decisions are made in a vacuum all of these decisions have to factor in it is the draft capital that needs to be surrendered but it's also I think a big part of it is financial

costs alongside it you can make the argument that giving up two first round picks for lamar jackson services is a pretty good deal it's not necessarily a deal breaker you can go that level and say if we're going to get a 26 year old dynamic quarterback that's capable of being a dual threat as long as he's healthy one of the top players in the league you almost have to say okay we're going to do that every single time but the the New England Patriots are not in a perfect financial situation either. It's not just the two picks they're giving up. It's two picks along with, like you said, like Miguel said on Tuesday here on Locked On Patriots, jettisoning guys like Trent Brown, Hunter Henry, Dietrich Wise Jr., Devontae

Parker. These are restructures. These are either cuts that need to be made, things of that nature. Mostly it's cuts that need to be made. You cut those four players. All of a sudden, Lamar Jackson may want to play in new England as much as anybody,

but is he going to want to go to a team that is devoid now of two of its top pass catchers of its top weapon on the, uh, the offensive line? Is there going to be a situation where it's not as appealing of a destination so the Patriots have to take all of that under account and when you take a look at the fact that it would be two first rounders in addition to all these cuts yeah that's a problem and that's something that I think New England is realizing after the euphoria

dies down of saying wow Lamar jackson wants to play here we as a patriots team have the chance to go get in cooler heads always have to prevail in that circumstance so i think you articulated that well and i'm glad that you brought those elements in because it's such an important part of this argument it's not one thing over another it's not saying oh well we just don't want to part with the picks or we just don't want to spend the money. When you have to part with the combination of both, it can have a detrimental effect on a franchise.

We've seen it happen before, and it's a situation where the Patriots just have too much, I think, financially on their plate to make this work. So I agree with you. I think that this is now an opportunity for the Patriots to move on and see what they have because they have been building towards something toward a quarterback room that does look an awful lot like this is going to be Mac Jones's team in the foreseeable future yeah completely the other thing to to mention is I know obviously as Patriots fans were only really concerned with you know what the Patri Patriots think and what the Patriots do.

But at the owners meeting, you know, there was other head coaches that sort of alluded to the expense of Lamar Jackson just being maybe that little bit too much. I think it was Pete Carroll was quite candid in saying someone asked, you know, if they'd move on from Gino Smith, you know, Lamar Jackson. And they're very complimentary. You know, he's's a very good player but we just couldn't afford him and it's just it's I mean Robert Kraft said we want to make the playoffs and as you said in regards to the cuts now a lot of people say oh well you can get on you know without Devontae Parker you can get on without Hunter Henry but we're already as as Patriots Nation fans that are there's a lot of fans that are kind of already sort of shouting for that weapon you know give Max some weapons if you bring in Lamar Jackson as a bigger weapon that he

is are you really making the playoffs is that really possible with just your quarterback? Because don't forget, you've emptied the tank of a lot of other things as well. You know, defensive line in regards to Dietrich Weiss. He's been so invaluable recently. I mean, last year was his, what was the joke? His breakout fifth year or something like that. The fifth year, but he was so good. So then you're compromising your defence. And last year, your defence was so good so then you're compromising your defense and and last year your

defense was your strength so and obviously you're in you're taking away Hunter Henry and Devante Parker and I know a lot of people sort of weren't you know not very fussed with that but if you haven't got anything you haven't got any money you haven't got any draft capital to replace those guys who's Lamar throwing to so all of a sudden you may have a really top quarterback, but Robert Kraft wants to make the playoffs. And for me, it's like, is that really possible when all you've really got in your offensive weapons cupboard is one quarterback and not very much else because you can't afford very much else at this point.

It just seems, to me, it seemed like too much would have to be deconstructed, as we said. They'd have to rewind so much and as dynamic as Lamar can be. There's always that injury concern. There's always, has he hit his ceiling? You're investing a lot of money. There are a few ifs and buts there. And yes, granted, there is when it comes to Matt Jones as well. I fully appreciate that.

But it's a lot of investment for kind of a considerable risk, as we said, and emptying the cupboard out as well. So as a bigger picture, it just doesn't sort of, it didn't really add up for me. And maybe it doesn't add up for the Patriots. And that's why we're hearing this from Jeff Howes as we're recording this, that maybe they're not going down the Lam the Lamar route yeah there's still going to be people holding out hope and I fully I fully get that I really do and you know it's going to take us until the actual season

before we really certainly know or obviously he's dying somewhere else of course so um but yeah but I think it's like you said just just too rich when it comes to the draft capital yeah i think so and when you look at the needs of this team as well and what they need to address they still have questions on the line i still think that is their top priority i know i'm touting a lot of wide receivers on here um very impressive with say flowers and the present and really i'm becoming a lot more warm to the fact that if the patriots do this, that they're not, you know, falling down the wrong path. But I still think ultimately, if I'm the GM, I go for offensive tackle. I go for offensive line because if Matt's not getting protection or any quarterback back there is not getting protection, none of the weapons that you have out on the field are going to matter.

So if you're going to invest, that's where you invest, in my opinion. And I also think that it's important that you mention the logistical fit on the field i don't think anyone is questioning or at least they shouldn't be questioning whether or not lamar jackson could come in here and navigate a bill o'brien offense i think he's a much better a traditional pocket passer that people give him credit for yes the highlights are going to highlight his ability to extend plays with his legs or create plays with his legs he's one of the most dynamic talents i've ever seen on a football field that can do it but in terms of being a traditional passer he can do that as well so nobody is making this argument or at least if they are they shouldn't be making this argument that he's not a logistical fit here

in new england on the field it's all the rest that comes along with it. And unfortunately, the Patriots just aren't in that financial wherewithal and really in the needs department on their roster as well to be able to just ignore that. So excellent, excellent insight, Tink. And we definitely are proud for that. We definitely appreciate all of what you bring to the table here, Claire. And in light of that, it looks like the Patriots are going to be running it back with either Mac Jones or Bailey Zappi. Yeah, that's right, folks.

The flames are once again being stoked for a potential quarterback controversy here in New England. If that is the case, who will get the ball under center? Claire and I are going to have the answer for you when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. Patriots fans, the illustrious Claire Clausy, Claire Cooper, host of A Claire Perspective, a Patriots podcast powered by FPC Patriots, and of course, columnist extraordinaire from PatsPropaganda.com joining me here today on Lockdown Patriots, of course columnist extraordinaire from patspropaganda.com joining me here today

on Lockdown Patriots proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day Claire our team here in New England has been embroiled in a lot of rumors and innuendo the last few days obviously Lamar Jackson the big circular really I think just the the main topic of a lot of those rumors was lamar jackson but those rumors seem to be cooling greg bedard of boston sports journal kind of pouring a little bit of hot cold water on the coals on tuesday night wednesday morning jeff howell of the athletic following up the report that the patriots are unlikely to pursue Lamar Jackson. If that's the case, then the Patriots are looking to be running it back with both Mac Jones and Bailey Zappi.

And I say both because Bill Belichick just seems to refuse to commit to Mac as the starter, and I know why he's doing it, folks. It's not because he's trying to drum up competition. It's not because he enjoys being r right over the coals by the media this is simply how bill belichick does business it's how he's always done business he was asked about the quarterback situation on monday when he spoke to the media at the owners meetings in phoenix arizona quoting bill directly here um claire everybody will get a chance to play and will play the best players. Everybody will get a chance to play everybody that's on our roster. If they earn

the opportunity to play based on what they do in practice and all that, then they'll get an opportunity to play. And this has kind of given our colleagues in the media carte blanche to run with this and say, it's still not still not max job we've talked about this a few times here on locked on patriots when you look at this team going forward now claire and the way they've put it together the hiring of bill o'brien all the steps that they've tried to take to enhance this team's offense in the offseason do you still think a legitimate um quarterback controversy or a legitimate quarterback competition is ready to take place in training camp don't you just live it when bill belichick puts the teeny tiniest little drop of blood in the water and everything just goes

crazy i mean come on bill belichick had tom brady as his quarterback and he was still kind of very kind of ambiguous sometimes about what was going to happen and they sat on the other side it's very Bill to be very much like this and I love that you quoted it because I've actually got the quote down myself because I was ready to quote it if you didn't because it's yeah just everyone will get a chance to play sort of thing it It was just so, yeah, free for all. Now, the thing is, yeah, I know a lot of people have put stock in how Bill hasn't been like behind Matt Jones and really sort of championing him saying, yes, he's the starter.

But like you said, that's so Bill Belichick. And it's like, do we not realise or do you guys not realize in the media that he probably does it on purpose just to get you all going because as soon as he says it then that's it oh no it's like there's gonna be quarterback controversy and stuff like this so he's sitting there drinking his orange juice as I think the meme is usually chuckling to himself that he set the Boston media world aflame with his quarterback controversy. Now, if there is any truth to the matter then, then I mean, the one thing that we've mentioned,

and I was going to sort of mention again was, yeah, how Bill O'Brien is the structure that sort of would work around the likes of Matt Jones. But now Bailey Zappi is a quarterback very similar to Matt Jones. You know, the kind of the football smarts, that sort of pocket passer, you know, you know, they're sort of very similar. And that's obviously why they they were to draft Zappi, because he had a very I think we said it once on the show, probably last season. He was very much of the Mac mould. And we liked that. And we still like that. And I think what we've seen from both of these individuals as fans, probably less so last year for Matt Jones because of what happened in regards to injury. But we've seen that. I think it's you know, I think I'm not amiss to say that we've seen that Matt Jones can be a good quarterback,

particularly more so his first year as a rookie, granted. But Matt Jones is a good quarterback and I feel that we haven't seen everything that he's got now I could be wrong but you know this is just a matter of opinion but I think we've seen what you know we haven't seen all all of his you know he hasn't hit his ceiling yet um in regards to you know he's he has he's he's given us he's shown to us that he's got you know the skill set and to be a good backup he is a quality backup quarterback now is he a starter he's only done it a little bit and it was only semi-successful so this is it's remained to be seen and this is what we sort of will need to see as it develops so don't forget you know he was a rookie that sort of thing so yeah both of these kids have

still got plenty to prove and I think they've still got plenty of room for improvement as well but it just feels like Matt Jones was your first round pick Bailey Zappi was I think he was the fourth round or something along those lines apologies I haven't got it in front of me I can't remember his exact you guys know that my memory isn't the best. But it just really feels kind of obvious that Matt Jones, being your sort of first-round quarterback, you've brought in the Alabama guy that you think is going to work best with him. It just looks more obvious that even though they're not saying it, Matt Jones is who they want to work kind of with around.

Now, if he doesn't succeed this season 2023 season yeah i can i can completely imagine that you would turn around and say well there's going to be plenty of competition between mac and zappy for the next season if he was he you know if he was even there i feel that this is the year for mac to really prove himself i think this is the year to sort of see if you've got what you hope you've got in regards to Matt Jones so in regards to that I think the only way you're going to see that you know the only way you're going to realize if you need to pick up this this guy's fifth year option and all those sorts of you know complex things that come with it is to give him a chance so if

you don't put him out there to show you what he's got then how are you going to know so some of it just feels a little bit like well common sense really you've got to give him chance to show you what he's got and he's really on the practice field you know that it's not really the best stage to show that sure he alludes to you know what you'll see in the individual but it won't really give you a full picture of of what they've got and I think that that's what this year is for the individual, but it won't really give you a full picture of what they've got. And I think that that's what this year is for the Patriots. I think 2023 really is that year to build up some depth in regards to certain positions because they got so depleted, you know, such as the offensive line, such as the tie-ins.

I think it's really a year for, you know, enabling that for the future, ensuring that the cupboards aren't empty and aren't bare like they were a couple of years ago. And also to sort of see what Matt Jones has got under the likes of Bill O'Brien, because when you bring in, you know, a very quality OC who knows the system, who can succeed, works well with the rest, you know, the rest of the sort of of the behind the scenes the internal the the staff sort of thing it there's not much more you can do around him to help him succeed um other than obviously wide receiver one i know i know a lot of hands will be saying that but i think it feels like that that's being built there and it's to show us what what there is in regards to matt jones and that's that's honestly what i i feel that there is in regards to Matt Jones and that's that's honestly what I feel that 2023 is in regards to the Patriots yes of course they want to succeed Robert Kraft said they want to make the playoffs completely agree as a Patriots fan I want them to

make the playoffs I want them to win the Super Bowl but I do I do think it's very much uh stock up create depth bring us what what's going to be the future of this franchise. And I think it's very key to see what Mac has got. So if you put in a competition between Mac and Zappy, if that is realistically what is going to happen, I am very surprised because it won't give Mac very much of a stage to show what he's got. Maybe they know that that's what they need.

They don't need to see much from him. And that's fair enough. They know way better than me when it comes to that kind of thing. But just my gut feeling is it, it needs to be max year to really see what you've got in regards to him as a quarterback to know, you know, what's going forward,

you know, what comes next year in regards to picking up his fifth year option, that sort of thing. That's a good good point that's a very good point and i think so often we get sucked into a lot of the media narrative of what is said sound bites things that are said in a hotel convention room you know i mean look bill belichick bottom line is very strategic in how he speaks to the media and what he says i know he gets a lot of guff for it from a lot of circles i've been critical of him as well for you know not giving a whole lot of information but what bill belichick said at its core is no different than anything else he's done throughout his entire career you're

going to give your best players a chance to make a difference on the field it was a blanket statement it covered all of the roster it wasn't a shot either at mac jones or at bailey zappy look bottom line bailey zappy was impressive in his stint last year as the temporary starter coming in spelling mac jones a lot of people didn't even think he was going to see the field because don't forget the job was supposed to go to brian hoyer initially in that start against the green bay packers he goes down with a head injury zappy steps in cumulative pretty good statistics i mean he had a decent showing without any question he can do it uh 65 of 92 passes 781 yards five touchdowns to only three picks and and 70.7 completion percentage. Nobody's questioning whether or not this kid can play in the league.

Mack struggled at times last year, but did show signs of promise. And to me, the biggest evidence that Patriots are dialing in on Mack Jones this year is Brandon Bill O'Brien. This tells me that that is the reason they brought him in, and they're going to roll the dice and take their chances with Mac as the starter out of the gate. Now, that being said, this is where I buy into legitimate competition as opposed to legitimate controversy. I'm buying the competition. I'm not buying the controversy. Mac Jones has to come in and show that he's ready to

lead this team, take the reins and work well with Bill O'Brien. If for any reason Mac doesn't do either of those, then the Patriots will have no choice, and they'll have no problem, by the way, handing the reins over to Bailey Zappi because they know he can do it, and they'll feel comfortable saying, okay, Mac's obviously not the guy we thought he was. We need to put Bailey in there and bailey can do it and carry the load that's when you'll see a legitimate controversy until then there is no controversy folks at least as far as i'm concerned mac jones will be the starter coming out of gate in training camp in off-season workouts and we'll see how training camp progresses i believe that the job

will be his on the opening day when the Patriots take their first snap. I think it's going to be Matt Jones taking it, but you know, I think that's where Bill Belichick's comments need to come into play here. It's not a situation where he's taking shots at his quarterback or he's not giving him the confidence or he's not endorsing him. This is just simply the way he operates and how he does business and i don't think it should be a shock especially to people who have covered him for a good long time so that's my two cents on the matter you've added your two cents we've added our two cents folks what are your two cents on the matter we'd love to hear your thoughts on the patriots quarterback situation should it be matt jones do you think bailey zappy deserves a shot are there some of

you out there that still think that they should say, you know what, just let's go for it. Let's trade for Lamar Jackson. Let's go all in. We'd love to hear your thoughts on the quarterback situation. But we are always honored and grateful to get the thoughts of the illustrious countess of class herself, Ms. Claire Glazzi-Claire Cooper. Before I let you go today, my friend, please let everyone know

where they can reach out to you, interact with you on Twitter, and what we can look forward to from the great voice, the great pen of Claire, Klaasie Claire Cooper in the coming weeks. Well, as always, you can get me on the bird app that's, yeah, down there at Klaasie Claire. A Claire perspective, although it's the off season,

I'm still coming to you, but just not quite as often as usual, not maybe once every week now because it's the off season, having I'm still coming to you, but just not quite as often as usual, not maybe once every week now because it's the off-season, having a few little breaks here and there. But yeah, please stay tuned for a clear perspective. It has moved from Spreaker, folks, so if you are a Spreaker listener, apologies, it has now moved over to Megaphone.

So if you are a Spreaker listener to a clear perspective, please move over to Megaphone if possible. And I apologise for any inconvenience, but you need to speak to the higher-ups at FPC as that was that was a decision that's way above my pay grade so yeah it was just a quick shout out to anybody who uses Spreaker to move over to to Megaphone or anywhere else that you get your podcast obviously so please still check out a Claire perspective uh the last episode with uh Mike Dussault hit your hit the airwaves last the very very end of last week.

And the next episode should hopefully be with you kind of mid next week. So please keep your eyes peeled and ears peeled for that. I'm here for you each and every week still at One Patriots Place on the E2G Sports Network. They work us hard over there. So we're here for you each and every week. And obviously do keep a check on Pat's propaganda as it's the-season, things have obviously quietened down for us a little bit. But we are behind the scenes in the process of getting some stuff sorted for the new season. So please do not fail to check out patspropaganda.com. Please keep us on your browser.

Keep us there. So, yeah, we will be back very soon on there. So, yeah, I mean, you can find me a few places really even if it is the off season so i'm still kind of out there if you want to listen or as i said get hold of me on the bird app absolutely folks and whenever claire puts pen to paper or voice the microphone it's a happening you want to check that out pay close attention to her twitter feed because the new links for the new home of a clear perspective of Patriots podcast will be there as well. So check that out.

And of course, folks, we thank you for taking time out of your daily busy schedule to make locked on Patriots a part of your Patriots coverage. If you've made us your first listen, please make your second listen. Our good friends over at lock on NFL scouting with the draft dudes, my good friends and colleagues,

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