Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots, Mac Jones Bounce Back in Win over Buffalo Bills; Bill Belichick’s Future

Episode Date: October 24, 2023

The New England Patriots found success on offense with a solid game plan, strong protection from the offensive line and an efficient performance from quarterback Mac Jones. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to break down the Pats 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 7. 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.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!DoorDashGet 50% off up to $10 value when you spend $15 or more on your FIRST order, when you download the DoorDash app and enter code LOCKED23. Subject to change. Terms apply.Jase MedicalGet $20 off these lifesaving antibiotics with Jase Medical by using code LOCKEDON at checkout on jasemedical.com.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are the New England Patriots back on the right track, or were they just overdue with the bills? Stick around. We're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots the daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen each and every day.

Download, subscribe to, follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me.

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And, folks, today is Monday, and that means a lot of things here on Locked On Patriots. It means hashtag Mailbag Monday, and we do have a mailbag question to close out the segment today, so stay locked in for that. Of course, it is hashtag Victory Monday. It's been a little while since the New England Patriots have been able to celebrate one of those, but most importantly, the man that Mondays were created for here on Locked On Patriots joins us, gracing us with his wisdom, his counsel.

And after yesterday's win, I think we might have to even dip into the sacramental wine. He is Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. Thank you so much for coming to me in friendship and in victory today. Don Murphy. Oh, no. Excuse me while I have a few altar boy flashbacks of dipping into the sacraments of wine. Well, you know, I get asked the question all the time, Murph. Where do you get the wisdom and counsel? Not where do I get my wisdom and counsel. I don't think anybody really wants

to know that, but where do you get the terms wisdom and counsel from? Kind of become a catchphrase here on Locked On Patriots. Those of us that have an affinity for 80s and early 90s spooks kind of know the answer to this question. Our good friend Rich Gelman is a big fan of all of these movies as well. Folks, the great Mel Brooks delivers non-stop content, especially

when it comes to me. You all saw that I had some fun last week at the expense of Gunnar Ryszelski, who made that man a gunner. You know, I love that.gif file, but ultimately I did get that from Robin Hood Men in Bates. That is Rabbi Tuchman, Mel Brooks himself, playing the character, saying that he would give Robin and his merry men some wisdom, some counsel,

and some sacramental wine. So there you go, folks. Wisdom and counsel right off the bat, setting the tone here for this Victory Monday. I can't believe nobody knew that. Some people did. I will say that. I did get a lot.

Granted, Men in Tights isn't up there with high anxiety or anything, but it's still a good movie. Exactly. Yeah, I'd still check it out when it's on. If Mel's put his name to it, it's got to be funny. There's some redeeming quality there. But in any case, Murph, before we turn this into Locked On Mel Brooks, we are going to make this Locked On Patriots.

And your New England Patriots deserve all the credit that they're getting this morning. Still basking in the glow of a 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills. And Murph, in the first six weeks, New England Patriots were routinely playing themselves into early double-digit deficits. First quarter deficits were really becoming the norm here in Foxborough, and no matter where the Patriots were playing on the road. Anyone is going to tell you that this is the easiest way to lose, especially for a team that has a so-called personnel crisis. We hear this all the time. Patriots don't have any weapons, Murph, you know, the ones with the multiple Zs on the

end. But on Sunday, Patriots smartly reversed that trend. They built a quick 10-0 lead. That led to a 13-3 lead at the half. And now you can start to set into your offensive game plan. And I think that's where we'll start today because the Patriots were good in all three phases yesterday for the first time, I think this season. Let's dive into the offense first, Murr. What did you see from this offense on Sunday that was different in a good way that helped lead to the Patriots' second victory of 2023?

Well, first off, if you read my keys over the weekend, you know, if you got there, my first key that I was caught, it was the last key on the ring with the first key cut was find me 22 players find me 22 wasn't talking about the personnel uh grouping of 22 i wanted 22 players out there that were going to make plays and playmakers made plays this week guys like demario douglas kendrick bourne right ramond ray stevenson ezekiel elliott these guys were all facilitated by i think a smart move in terms of what bill o'brien did and mac mentioned this yesterday when he spoke to the media and said that bill o'brien deserves a lot of the credit for the way the patriots played yesterday he called a game that was simplified he called a game that was comfortable for mac a lot of the plays that were used were things he did well, ran out of our center, you know,

put this kid in a position where he can maneuver and he feels comfortable and he has time. And that's a big factor here, folks, as well. Murph and I are going to show some love to the offensive line in just a moment. But really, I think that's where this started. And that's where the sparks flew for the New England Patriots offense, and it allows guys like DiMario. It allows guys like Kendrick Bourne, even the tight ends getting in on the mix. Hunter Henry and Mike Gusecki, obviously, two catches for five yards, but one of those

yards was huge in terms of what the Patriots needed, and big smile on my face with Farrell Brown catching what he did as well, too. That is Farrell. It was it was it was quite the the national international tight end day here in Foxborough. I'm sure Claire was was just thrilled and dancing in her seat. But but the thing is, when I talked about finding 22 players, the 11 guys on offense, Kendrick Bourne, 28 snaps, Pop Douglas, 24. Devontae Parker was down to 17 snaps. Jalen Rager, 14 snaps. I would have liked to seen a lot more of Tyquan Thornton, who only had three.

The playmakers were on the field. It's been a while since we saw Pop Douglas at all, never mind this much, but this kid is the best playmaker on the offensive side of the ball. I want to just get back to O'Brien here for a moment because I was

really impressed by the way he rebounded. He's not getting as much at him in the press amongst the fan base as guys like mac jones and bill belichick that's to be expected because bill's the head coach max the quarterback they're the face of the franchise they're going to get the credit when they deserve it but they're going to get the heat when it's when the pressure is on and that's exactly what's been happening but i think o'brien was finally able to show us the type of offense he'd

like to roll out in this team full time in the running game using motion on 72.7 of the plays this week that is huge folks you talk about the ghost motion pre-snap motion you saw it all yesterday also called eight play action plays yesterday six of eight 95 yards you saw greater incorporation of the rpo want us to give a slight tip of the cap to uh the mac jones for setting the tone on the first series i didn't mention this last night but one of the things that really made me believe that this game was going to be a little bit different was a very simple five yard scramble in that opening series it's not anything that's going to make a highlight reel it's nothing that the mac haters are going to go yeah wow you know what he can really scramble no folks it had

nothing to do with that but to me it just showed a determination that's as the late great gorilla monsoon would say it showed me some intestinal fortitude he said in this game i'm not going to go down without a fight you're not going to beat me down emotionally the way I've been beaten down emotionally in the last three games that they've played. RPO wasn't there. You know that's what he was looking for based on how he moved out of the snap. But he saw the lane, took it, went forward, got the first down in terms of the yardage that they needed.

So that, to me, set the tone. I think it put the rest of the Patriots on notice that our quarterback is willing to go that extra mile. We have to be the same and we have to match that intensity. And I think they did that for the most part on Sunday. They did without a doubt. They did. They came into this into this matchup up prepared and ready to lay lumber on both sides of the ball. The blocking by the wide receiver group was fantastic downfield. It allowed guys to get extra yardage in the run game. It was fantastic. I think there was one call.

I forget who was a little overzealous on the offensive line as a, um, as a, a blocker when, you know, you, you can't be downfield when you're, when you're, uh, around person, people, you can't do that. You have to stay right here, you know? And, um, there was another, uh, another flag picked up later on, uh, in the game that, that I think was on David Andrews. David Andrews knows the job. He's not, he's not downfield. But no, everything came together really well. They planned this out. They knew what they were going to do. They completely mixed up Allen from a standpoint of what he was expecting. And his talent alone wasn't enough to do it. They listened to, you know, quite frankly, me,

when I said that it was important on the defensive side of the ball to keep your pad level, keep him in front of you. While you're flushing him out of the pocket, make sure that he has nowhere to go except up the middle. All right, we've been pounding this and pounding this, and the Patriots finally did it, and it paid off. Absolutely. It paid off in a huge way, and because of that, folks,

you're in New England Patriots earning their second victory of 2023. In the division. Keeping themselves alive and a big-time divisional win. Like Murph said, you pile up victories against the Jets, against the Bills. All of a sudden, these take on a much different meaning late in the season. The Patriots can string together a few wins here within the next few games. All of a sudden, they may have a season on their hands. And two weeks ago, that was inconceivable, folks.

I said before the season started, you know, if it might come down to the team that's able to sweep a season series. And right now, the Patriots have a shot to do that against two different division opponents. Absolutely. And perhaps even, even the score down in Miami gardens, Florida this weekend.

And we're going to talk about those dolphins coming up this week, folks, but we're going to continue to enjoy and bask in the glow of this victory. And one of the big reasons why the Patriots are victorious here on this Victory Monday on Locked On Patriots is because of those big round men that Murph loves talking about up front. The offensive line delivering their best performance of the season. Was it simply because of a move from right guard to right tackle or were there other factors involved? Murph's going to break that all down and we're going to have some fun talking about the lines

in just a moment 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, our partners over at eBay Motors have teamed up with Locked On Fantasy Football host Vinny Iyer to bring you some of the best fantasy picks each week, all season long. Whether you're prepping for a daily draft or scouting the waiver wire, every week we're going to provide you with players that are guaranteed to fit on your roster. So let's see who Vinny has picked out for us on this week's eBay's Guar fit fantasy picks of the week saints quarterback

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Mailbag Monday, but most importantly it is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. Hashtag Mailbag Monday, but most importantly it is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. My good friend, the kind of Murphy Pisto himself, a legendary Thomas Murphy. We are enjoying the New England Patriots second victory of the season over the Buffalo Bills, an upset

victory. Murph, coming into this game, our friends over at FanDuel Sportsbook had the Patriots set at eight and a half point underdogs. They certainly proved a lot of people wrong, including the two of us, but we've been critical of the Patriots over the last two or three weeks. And I think deservedly so, but that's reminding everyone that it's a marathon, not a sprint, and that you always have that puncher's chance every time you take the field. And the Pats had a lot of success on offense for the first time this season yesterday, Murph.

And one of the big reasons why was the play of the offensive line. Patriots came into this game ranked dead last in pressures allowed, 32nd in pass blocking. Right tackles were only graded 27.9 out of 100. So you knew something had to give in order to reverse that trend. They made the decision to move Michael wainu over to right tackle now you and i have been critical about that we've talked about the pros we've talked about the cons you've laid it out very nicely you've said several times here on locked on patriots i understand the case for it i understand the case against it why was this the right time and why did it

work so well? It worked really well because you were out of options. And, you know, quite, quite frankly, Michael Wanyu is a consummate professional and he stepped out there and did what a professional lineman would do. Also, you know, moving Junior back into a more cloistered surrounding, okay, being in between, you know, so being in between two all pro caliber linemen made his job that much easier. That's why this worked. The other reason it worked is because Cole strange was there on the left-hand side, Cole strange, who everybody's been screaming for, you know, whose head they've been screaming for, for the past, you know, six weeks. Sorry, this guy has been hurt since August people since August, and he's gone out there on a bad knee. He finally looked healthy and ready to play.

You know, it was a – finally, everybody on the single page with tunnel vision, seeing the same thing across the line of scrimmage from them, you know, to take a line from the great Dante Skarniecki, and it didn't help. It didn't hurt, you know, having Dante in the building this week. No, the Dante effect was definitely there. Jamie Collins tweeted about it yesterday. I retweeted it, as a lot of our colleagues did in the media. Even Alex Barth of 98.5, the sports hub, had a little fun after the game.

And he said, yep, Jamie knew. That scar effect is definitely there. And you saw all the love that scar got over the weekend. Congratulations to both of those guys. It's like singing with Sinatra out there in, in, in the, in the seats. You, you, you can't screw up. You can't miss a note. Yep.

Absolutely. He even brought out the best in Bill Belichick folks. And that is something that we may get to in the next segment, getting back to the love that we're having for the offensive line. You're absolutely right. Trent Brown, Cole Strange, David Andrews, City So, Michael Wainu. That lineup right now has been your best by far this season. Now, we still haven't completely seen the envisioned line

that I think a lot of people hoped that we would see with Riley Reif in there. I don't know if it's going to be possible. Second trip now to IR, it's going to be tough for him to be able to work his way back. We still don't know if it's short-term or long-term IR. Patriots have not commented on that. We haven't gotten much by way of that. But Dr. Kyle Trimble joined me here last week to talk about some of the injuries and did talk about trying

to come back from a knee injury. If they have another knee injury on top of it, whether it's the same knee or not, it really is detrimental. I think a big performance by Cole Strange coming back and showing that he's a competent player at left guard. So much of what the Patriots did with success on the ground yesterday, a 48% success rate on the ground for the Pats yesterday. And that was a big part of that was what they got out of the interior of that offensive line at the guard position. So good having Cole back in the lineup and showing, I think that he's more than capable of carrying the load folks.

Mack was sacked just once and hit two other times. And those were on safety blitzes. This, this this this group came to play absolutely they they came to play when i asked for 22 i got all i got all 22 yeah absolutely you definitely did we all did um you mentioned uh you know mac and the sacks and the kits was under pressure on a season best 21.9 of his dropbacks according to patriots.com that's huge that is big when you keep matt clean and you keep him upright and again he talked about this post game when i have time

i have the ability to play my game and he did that yesterday without any question um they came with yeah with that with that time with that ability you know what i what i criticized about monday last monday the fact that mac wasn't getting through his progressions like at all with that time, with that ability, you know, what I, what I criticized about Monday, last Monday, the fact that Mac wasn't getting through his progressions, like at all, he was able to do that when people are out there screaming about, you know, well, it was a check down here and it was a slant there. And yeah, well, the check down is your third option or your fourth option on a route. You know, the, the, um, that quick slant was Mack's third option. He had already looked out to the side multiple times, looked down the seam.

Nugaseki wasn't open on that one. And he hit Kendrick Bourne. You know, it was beautiful. It was everything that Patriots football is. And I'd want anybody out there to come at me on Twitter today, on Zitter, and tell me that yesterday was boring football. No, it wasn't. If anybody is interested in fundamental football, that was about as good as it gets yesterday from a performance that you'll see from the New England Patriots. And again, doing it in the face of adversity. Not a lot of people want to

talk about this, but the the bills came into this game ranking fifth in pressure rate in the nfl they led the league in sacks with 24 now i know bills fans are going to come back and say well there was no ed oliver in the lineup oh come on you look at what the patriots did on the defensive side of the ball without matt judon without josh uche without keon white they pressured josh on 43% of his dropbacks, hurried him 18 times. Yeah, I mean, you want to start getting into semantics. We can get into that semantical battle all day long.

The Bills had some key defensive members out without any question, but the Patriots had them as well. And teams that need to make plays when they need to rise above that. The Patriots rose above it yesterday. Maybe it's an anomaly for the Buffalo Bills, who have very highly ranked and a well-respected defense. So I'm certainly not saying they're fraudulent of anything of that case. But if you're going to use the argument about Ed Oliver,

and I'm hearing that an awful lot, you have to give it both ways. You have to take a look at what the Patriots did. You need to adapt. The Patriots out-coached the Bills yesterday, and I think that's a big reason why they won this game. Without a doubt. The Bills have kind of had their way with New England over the last, you know, I'm going to say two seasons, three seasons. And this was a get right game for Bill and his head. Yeah. And I'm glad that you mentioned get right game because heading into this matchup Murph, a lot of people in Patriots nation, whether it be members of the media,

whether it be a large section of the fan base, pretty well ready to move on from Bill Belichick. And we've said it several times here on these airwaves. It's all well and good to want to jettison a coach after a rough one in five start. But the question is, who are you going to get to come in to do a better job than you can do at the helm? Well, a lot of people are wondering whether or not Bill Belichick's win yesterday helped save his job. Well, Murph, we're going to discuss that in just a minute. Some of our everydayers flooded the Lockdown DMs last night.

I got to know whether or not Bill Belichick's job might be safe now because of the win yesterday. Well, Murph and I have our theories that there may be a couple of factors that make Bill Belichick's job safe. And we're going to discuss those in just a moment when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Lockdown Podcastots podcast continues, a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Right. Lockdown listeners snap into action this NFL season with FanDuel, America's number one sports book.

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put that confidence to the test with FanDuel. Visit FanDuel.com and kick off the NFL season. FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. Patriots fan, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. We hope you're enjoying your hashtag victory Monday, hashtag mailbag Monday, which it becomes in just a moment.

But of course you're enjoying it because it is hashtag Locked on Murph Monday. The legendary green master of disaster is with me today. Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports breaking down the Patriots 29-25 victory over the Buffalo Bills at Gillette Stadium on Sunday. Murph, there was a lot of pomp and circumstance in the air this weekend. Mike Vrabel being inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame. Dante Skarniecki taking his rightful spot as one of the best assistant coaches, I think, not just in Patriots history, but in NFL history.

Yeah, folks, the guy is that good. He was the keeper of the light yesterday. And you could just feel that there was a sense of nostalgia and a sense of pride that remained in this organization, even after starting the season at one and five. But prior to that game you probably wouldn't have believed there was much pride left in the locker room in the fan base and certainly not pride from those that are observing when it comes to Patriots head coach Bill Belichick well with yesterday's victory folks Bill Belichick moved into rarefied air. Only George Halas and Don Chivula have won more.

Bill Belichick won his 300th game as an NFL head coach. That is an extremely impressive accomplishment, and he deserves all the credit in the world for that. But a lot of people believe that that's simply just resting on past laurels. We're hearing the argument that the game has passed Bill by. We're hearing that Bill is no longer connecting with this team. We're hearing that the Patriots desperately need a new start. They need an offensive-minded head coach.

The names of guys like Kyle Shanahan and Mike McDaniel are being invoked as the type of coach that the Patriots need to hire. Not that they need to hire these guys prospectively. Shanahan and McDaniel are not going anywhere, folks. I think Miami and San Francisco are very happy with them. They ain't coming here. He likes life out there. Quite honestly, folks, how are those guys doing?

How many Super Bowl trophies they got sitting behind them? How many AFC titles or NFC titles are their grandkids playing with when they stop over on Thanksgiving. True. Very true. But I think in a lot of ways, people are looking at it now and saying, well, since Tom left, Bill Belichick's record hasn't been quite that impressive. The Patriots need a new voice at the helm. Now, a lot of fans are wondering whether or not a victory like yesterday's

victory where the Patriots put everything all together and match up that they were almost universally expected to lose they come in they put together not only an impressive game plan not only an impressive showing on the field but also put together a win whether or not that has an effect on a team especially on a head coach several of our everydayers sent in questions similar to that, but I kind of like the way that this one was worded. So I'm going to give Ava from Rhode Island credit on this one, who sent in a DM to the Lockdown Patriots account last night saying, did Sunday's win over the Bills help Bill Belichick's job security?

Because Murph, a lot of people are talking that Robert Kraft is ready to pull the plug on Bill Belichick now Ian Rappaport of NFL Network kind of poured some cold water on those coals yesterday saying that Bill Belichick signed a very lucrative contract extension in the offseason that virtually makes it a problem I'm not saying impossible yeah but it makes it a problem for them to part ways with Bill after this season but I think Bill Belichick was buoyed by this win yesterday, and I think his reputation was as well. What were your thoughts on this? Did Bill Belichick really need to help himself heading into this game

to help save his job? No, he didn't. He honestly didn't. There might be a personnel director out there that could get brought in that Bob is going to say, Robert's going to say, look, we need help in the draft. We need help finding these late round gems that we did in the past that have not, you know, panned out. We need to find the next Gronk. The other thing that's going to help Bill in that situation is the fact that, quite frankly, they're picking a lot higher

than they have been at any point in time in the last decade and a half here in new England, two decades. But who are you, who are you going to bring in? Are you going to bring in Kellen Moore? You know, are you bringing in Shane Waldron? Who's, who's the Seattle OC, Kenny Dorsey? No, from the bills. Nope. Not bringing them in. Eric B enemy. No, no, thank you. I really don't want to go there. Todd Moniker over there with the Baltimore Ravens, uh-uh, not doing it. Bill Belichick is the coach of this team.

He's going to be the coach of this team as long as he wants. There is nobody better out there. But, yes, this will help boost Bill in the public's mind. I don't think that there was ever this uproar inside the confines of one Patriots place to move on from Bill. There might have been a couple of people that were thinking it. Nothing has passed Bill by. Absolutely nothing. Football is football.

And it goes back to what I said earlier. Anybody who wants to come at me and tell me that yesterday was boring is delusional. What is happening around the league, I don't want to say is a trend or is trendy, but Bill always seems to zig when other people zag. I said for years, for years, that the issue, especially in the AFC East, was trying to match the Patriots, trying to match them offensively, which couldn't be done. And year after year, you would have turnover at head coach and quarterback and offensive coordinator with all these other teams. Look what Bill's doing. He's building a defense to stop these prolific offenses.

And with the exception of two games this year, he's done a really good job of it. I just can't see it. It's a fantastic question. I understand it. It's a fantastic question. I understand it. But no, hopefully this turns down the heat and gives people on talk radio, especially from two to six, something else to talk about today. Yeah, I think in a lot of ways, Murph, you make a lot of great points. Look, I've said this several times.

Bill Belichick forgot more football overnight in his sleep than most of us will ever learn in our lifetime that's simply the way it is and I think that anybody that knows football knows fundamental football knows that he is one of the best x and o coaches to ever exist in this game maybe the best um we're a little biased I think we probably put him at the top of that list but if you want to you know throw some of the other guys in there as well it's an argument that i think is at least valid and can be had here's what struck me over the weekend murph in covering the hall of fame ceremonies for both mike grable and dante skarnecchia it was the mention of not taking things for granted

thank you both of them it was the mention of realizing that, and Mike Vrabel saying this very bluntly whether or not the Patriots had a chance to salvage their season whether or not it was a lost cause and Dante was very pointed he did not hesitate he said with that guy over there as the head coach they have a chance pointing directly at Bill Belichick and you can tell the mutual respect that both of these guys have for one another. Dante knows winners. He spent 49 years in this league as a coach. He knows guys that are capable of rising to the challenge and guys that are not. Even at 71 years of age, Bill Belichick has a lot of fire left in him

when it comes to being a head coach, and I think at this point we need to see how the rest of the season plays out. Now, if the Patriots falter and they continue to trip down the stretch and Sunday's game ends up being an anomaly then absolutely not going to be on that question it's not going to be I'm sorry you it's not going to be on bill it's going to be on execution it's going to be on on the players uh hitting their spots being where they're doing their job and not worrying about somebody else's. Yeah. Well, that's a good point because, I mean, you can make the argument that this team yesterday came in against a presumably superior opponent with, you know, with players that stepped up,

did their job. And when these guys play to their capabilities, they're capable of doing big things. So I think that's a fair point, Murph, how much of this does get put on the head coach's shoulders or the gm shoulders for putting this together or is this really more of a player issue where they're simply not getting it or they're not executing properly or it's a lack of effort and i don't think you're going to see a lack of effort i think you saw a united team yesterday that wants to salvage what has been a dismal season so far in new england and it's a step in the right direction, Murph. And they needed a step in that direction big time. And we saw it last year with the fact that, you know, I think we talked about it last

week that Kendrick Bourne ends up having a better day when that one wide receiver that is getting more snaps than he is, is not available. Absolutely. The kid cares. He gets it. He knows he's in the right spots at the right times. You don't run the right route every single time, but most of the time he does, he has good, he has good chemistry with the quarterback. Keep Kendrick Bourne in there. You know, I am really, really still ready to jettison a couple of the wide receivers at the

trade deadline. It's just not the three that put up numbers yesterday, folks. Yeah, absolutely. If you look at the guys that put up numbers yesterday, folks, these are your playmakers. And I said this last night in the postcast to Mario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, keep the ball in their hands. Use the tight ends. Use your double-headed monster on the running game. Stevenson and Elliott are really starting to complement each other very well. And folks, as Murph would tell you, keep that offensive line combination because I think that's where the Patriots are going to be onto something.

And again, a big tip of the cap to the defense, which we didn't give a whole lot of love today on the show, but they did a phenomenal job as well. It was amazing. Yeah, between Jennings, between Farmore, Devon Godchild got in the middle yesterday and delivered five tackles. Everybody stepped up, and that secondary continues to show that they're going to be a special group if they get

healthy uh and if they start to really put things together uh that really that secondary room for a number of years to come it's going to be well stocked in the wind right you know as you said peppers barmore jennings you know they they all had outstanding games they they came in they knew their job and they knew what they had to do. And they went out there and did it. And these are guys that, that please extend, please, please. They are, they are, I don't want to say all pro caliber talents. I think Barmore could be, I think Peppers in the, in the, in the right season. I think in this system, I'm loving every second of it. I'm glad you made the point on Peppers because I saw a tweet come out on social media yesterday. Forgive me, I can't

credit the person because I can't think of it right now. If you do, folks, please drop a comment in the comments section below. We want to give credit. We're creditors do at all times here on Locked On Patriots. We'll get to it Friday. this is why Jabril Peppers is showing that he was a first-round pick. He's showing exactly why. There you go. It's that pop, that extra step, and that inability to back off. He just will constantly keep

moving forward. He just constantly keeps that foot on the accelerator and big things are happening in the secondary as a result of it. That's it. Murph, touch wise on Victory Monday here on Locked On Patriots. We always love breaking down a win. We're happier. There's a little more spring in the step,

and there's a little more jovial attitude. And thank you for lending all of the insight, the wisdom, the counsel that you lend each and every week here on Locked On Patriots. Before I let you go, buddy. A little bit of wine. a little bit of wine and a little sugar and that's my trick. But anyway, Murph, before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know what they can expect coming from the great voice, the great pen of Thomas Murphy as we head now into week eight in the NFL season and a matchup with the Miami Dolphins at the end

of the week. Well, right now I'm fixing the Red Sox. That's no small team. I am interviewing on Thursday for the vacant GM job. So you can all be thrilled. I did not turn it down. And, of course, the Keys will be out again later this week. I have a feeling that Michael will have me back being a Miami week so we can go over the keys on Friday or Saturday to get you guys all set. And I will have a special

key cut that I've been keeping in my back pocket for just such an occasion. Yeah, whenever you want to get Murph a little green, folks, mention the Miami Dolphins. I don't know, something comes out of them. And when it does, it's always fun. But it's always informative as well. And those monster keys this weekend are going to be essential to the New England Patriots' possible success in Miami Gardens, Florida this

week. But all kidding aside, we're going to really look forward to ending the week in style with you, my friend. So we look forward to having you back. But folks, what can we say? We thank you for joining us here today on locked on patriots spending a portion of your victory monday or very early tuesday morning here with us we encourage you to continue to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change that you wish to see in the world folks on behalf of the legendary thomas murphy of e2g

sports i'm mike debate have a great day, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.