Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Mac Jones, Mack Wilson Stand Out on Day 6, Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris: RB2 and RB3?

Starting point is 00:00:00 You are locked on Patriots your daily New England Patriots podcast part of the locked on podcast network your team every day Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots Podcast. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Folks, subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available.

Starting point is 00:00:45 I am your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app, on Twitter, on X, whatever you happen to be calling it these days. You can find me at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L and send a little love to the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. Van Pats fans a special tip of the cap and a nod to the

Starting point is 00:01:10 gods to all of you everydayers out there as you can see unfortunately some video problems still lingering but we are getting a new video set up. This will not be a problem much longer. Thank you all for hanging in here and of course you know some minor video snafus, not

Starting point is 00:01:26 enough to derail Lockdown Patriots. Honored and humbled, as always, by your support. And Pats fans, after putting on the pads to begin their first full week of training camp practices, your New England Patriots toned things down a bit for their sixth organized

Starting point is 00:01:41 team session on Tuesday. Now, per the NFL rules, teams are allowed three straight practices in pads. And because the Patriots have a number of consecutive practices already scheduled, the team needed to conduct at least one non-padded session this week. So that would be the reason for the no pads. I know a lot of fans were a little concerned when they saw that one day on, one day off, but relax, folks, it is all part of the plan. And even though the team scaled back the physicality, there's still a lot of action to follow on the field.

Starting point is 00:02:13 And we're going to get into all of it today, including a tandem of Patriots running backs that might just allow the Pats to be able to go with status quo in the running back room right now. Also, a couple of previously seldom used New England Patriots defenders are starting to emerge as true candidates for a 53-man roster spot. We're going to discuss those guys in a moment as well. So stick around, folks, and stay locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. But we start with the quarterbacks.

Starting point is 00:02:41 Where else would we start, folks? It's always all about the quarterbacks. And even though he's had some recent ups and downs, Mac Jones looked pretty good on the field on Tuesday. And as a matter of fact, several members of the media, myself included, believe this was Mac's best performance of camp to date. He looked more decisive. He looked more accurate. He completed 10 of 14 passes in team drills that he connected on three of four in the red zone against the starting defense. This has been a problematic area for Mack, and he navigated it very, very well. Two of them went for what we would call

Starting point is 00:03:14 would-be touchdowns to Ramondre Stevenson and Mike Gusecki, respectively. But once again, the control that he's exhibiting at the line of scrimmage is showing a better Mac Jones on the field. Once again, he is not perfect. I've seen some people criticize those that are praising Mac, labeling us as non-objective. That's simply not the case. Mac is definitely not performing up to the level we want to see him perform at when the season starts, but keep in mind, it's early August, training camp still has a long way to go, and they're building toward that. So in that vein, he is much better than what we saw last year at this time on the field. His best throw, unquestionably, a pinpoint connection with Devontae Parker along the left sideline. From my vantage point, it looked like a gain of about 20 to 25 yards.

Starting point is 00:04:02 So again, that's the read that I had on it. That's an unofficial folks but you get the point give parker a lot of credit on this one as well he made an impressive contested catch and tight coverage from christian gonzalez but once again it wasn't so much about the arm strength wowing everyone in the crowd it was the fact that mac jones put this only where devante parker could get it and and Parker went up and made the catch. If he's threading the needle on these type of accurate pinpoint throws, that's a good sign, and that's something that shows that he's feeling more comfortable,

Starting point is 00:04:33 and he's also exhibiting much greater confidence in his ability to complete them. That's what you want to see in your quarterback, especially at this time of year. So all in all, a solid day for Mac, but again, folks, not perfect. He did have one overt miscue that came on an attempt to find Mike Kosicki on intermediate route. The pass was broken up on a great play by linebacker Mack Wilson. He nearly picked off Jones's throw on this one. And folks, I'm going to talk a little bit more about Mack Wilson coming up here on the pod today. He's looking very good out there and really making a push for a 53-man

Starting point is 00:05:05 roster spot. Bailey Zappi connected on eight of 13 passes in team drills, but if I'm being honest, he struggled for much of this session. Not only did Zapp miss both of his throws in the red zone, but he also absorbed about three to four would-be sacks, depending on how you're grading them. He also had a pass broken up by Jabril Peppers. Now, Zappi definitely fared much better in seven-on-seven drills. He completed all four of his passes, and he looked more confident. But those stats can be a bit deceiving, folks, as they were in a more non-competitive setting. So if you're looking for who won the day at quarterback, I would say Matt Jones won this round, and he won it comfortably. Again, folks, it's still early, so let's see what the Patriots look like consistently when the pads are on regularly but for right now i haven't seen

Starting point is 00:05:49 anything on the field that would derail mac from keeping the starting job now trace mcsorley was out there as well he's getting reps in fact he went a collective four or five and team drills he did toss the day's only interception to safety j Bledsoe. Really made an athletic move on this. As a matter of fact, this one we're going in a game setting. He might have had a 40 to 50-yard return in store for him. There was a lot of space in front of him, and I know Joshua wanted to break that. But again, that's not what the drill was designed for. He put the brakes on fairly quickly, but a nice move by him.

Starting point is 00:06:21 And in addition to those throws, you could see Trace McSorley out there taking some scout team reps a quarterback throughout the morning so keep an eye on that one as well a lot of people myself included have speculated that Trace McSorley might be the ideal practice squad quarterback to run some of the scout team that could be something to watch or he might make this team if the Patriots decide to carry three quarterbacks. So overall, a decent day for the quarterbacks, but protection is still an issue. And folks, if I'm being honest, it's not really a surprise as to why. Starting left tackle Trent Brown, once again limited, and Michael Wainu is still on pup. The Patriots were forced to use a makeshift offensive line consisting of Riley Rafe at left tackle,

Starting point is 00:07:06 Antonio Mafi at right tackle, David Andrews, still the man in the middle on center, Bill Murray at right guard, and Connor McDermott at right tackle. So pretty much the same line that we saw on Monday with the pads on. And if you notice, conspicuous by his absence, Cole Strange. Cole was present at practice, but he was wearing a brace on his left knee and don't forget he appeared to tweak that knee during team drills on Monday didn't return to practice so while the Patriots are being cautious with Cole I don't want to panic anyone all the reports that we're getting have indicated that his injury is not serious so I don't think this is going to be

Starting point is 00:07:42 a long-term thing. Patriots are taking a cautious approach and they're smart to do so. But the more the Pats rely on reserves, it's going to test the mettle of this offense. And again, moving pieces are never a good thing at this time of year, especially for an offensive line that's looking to forge an identity. And the Patriots might lean heavily on a couple of pretty highly touted rookies and we mentioned the fact that Antonio Mafia is seeing some time at guard I would look for that to continue for as long as Cole's going to be on the shelf but another interesting nugget that came from Bill Belichick's media availability on Tuesday morning is that fourth rounder City So who played the majority of his college football at Eastern Michigan at guard might be

Starting point is 00:08:26 in for a position change. And this is something that we speculated a lot on here on locked on Patriots and several members of the Patriots media have been saying this for quite some time. He is going to make the move to offensive tackle and Bill Belichick confirmed this on Tuesday morning saying that it's just the right spot for us. This is where we feel he's going to be most effective. He played the position a little bit in college, even though the majority of his time was at guard, he knows that he can handle the tackle position. And this does not surprise me in the least folks. And actually, I think it's a great move. City is definitely sized for the position, 6'5", 330 330 you're not going to move him around and that's

Starting point is 00:09:07 important for a tackle big frame type of lineman is going to be an imposing force there but he also plays with a great deal of strength especially in his lower half and that was evident in the run game when he had to block and protect for the run he was putting his defenders in the dirt and he was doing it quite often so has the build and the ability to drive offenders backward especially when he plays low on those man blocking concepts and again those are skill sets you love to see in a guard but they can be very effective for a tackle as well he's an experienced player with an extremely high football iq and that to me is where he's going to make the transition from guard to tackle. And I think he's going to do it fairly easily. He's smart. He's able to handle stunts and also

Starting point is 00:09:51 twists, and that gives him the chance to be effective at the tackle position. So a good move here for the Patriots because with Calvin Anderson currently on the non-football illness list, and of course, Trent Brown being limited, that's an awful lot to place on the shoulders of Riley Rafe and Connor McDermott. you're going to need someone else to take reps especially with the starting unit looks like it's going to be City so I expect those reps to increase as the Patriots continue to practice impads throughout training camps so if the Patriots can solidify their blockers and protectors up front who Who is going to use the ground game to their advantage? Who's going to be running through all these holes that the offensive line is opening up?

Starting point is 00:10:30 Well, we know that Ramondre Stevenson is the alpha in the room, but the Patriots are looking at free agents too. And we know a few high profiles that have been in here or have rumored to be coming in here for visits. But can a pair of second-year running backs carry the load behind Ramondre Stevenson in 2023? Well, we're going to dive a little bit deeper into that subject when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team

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Starting point is 00:13:03 And of course, today here on the pod we're breaking down all the action from day six of Patriots training camp practices and in the previous segment we talked some quarterbacks and some all-line but what has become a midsummer quest for the New England Patriots is finding a running back to back up Ramondre Stevenson don't forget Damian Harris no longer here He's running with the Buffalo Bills now. New England Patriots tried to bring in James Robinson. Didn't work out. He was let loose very quickly. So because of that, Patriots have been rumored to a lot of different running backs out there on the market, and most notably, former Minnesota Vikings star Dalvin Cook. He's been the biggest name that the Patriots have been linked to. But let's not forget, Dalvin Cook. He's been the biggest name that the Patriots have been linked to, but let's not

Starting point is 00:13:45 forget, Dalvin Cook has been doing an awful lot of visiting with the New York Jets lately, and that seems to be a budding relationship. The Miami Dolphins still seem to be in the mix there as well, and don't count out the Patriots. They still have an outside shot at this one as well. However, the Patriots are not counting on Dalvin Cook being the answer to all of their problems. They brought in Ezekiel Elliott, formerly of the Dallas Cowboys, over the weekend. Patriots also brought in Leonard Fournette, who is kind of lingering on the free agent ledger right now, and this is surprising, even with training camps now in session. I thought myself he'd be a decent fit, but he quietly fell off the team's radar shortly after the Patriots brought him in, and if you're thinking Fournette might still be in thought myself he'd be a decent fit, but he quietly fell off the team's radar shortly after

Starting point is 00:14:25 the Patriots brought him in. And if you're thinking Fournette might still be in the mix here, I would probably think twice on that right now. On Monday evening, we got a little insight from Patriots.com's Paul Perillo, who recently shared some of the insight he received as to why no headway on a contract was made between the two sides. I'm quoting Paul directly here from his appearance on WBZ. He said, quote, I've had a couple of people tell me he wasn't in the best of shape. Unfortunately, folks, this kind of does fit the narrative. Fournette was a consistent contributor for Tampa Bay, especially playing alongside Tom Brady, but he averaged only 3.5 yards a carry last season.

Starting point is 00:15:04 That's his worst since an injury-riddled sophomore season for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He eventually lost the starting rushing duties to Rashad White, and he was released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March. So if there were conditioning issues, it looks like they started to pop up last year. So if Fournette is out of the question, then New England is likely to still do its due diligence when it comes to Cook or Elliott it's not a surprise that they are in search of someone to come up and take this number two role Ty Montgomery will to be that guy early on in camp but after suffering an injury Ty hasn't been on the practice fields for the last four practices

Starting point is 00:15:41 that's a concern and perhaps most importantly, any time that you can add extra offensive weapons, it takes some of the pressure off of Matt Jones, and that's important, especially heading into a pivotal year for him, and really a pivotal year for the Patriots. But if they don't add anyone, can the Patriots' young tandem of Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris do the job? I'm here to tell you folks, yes, they can. And based on what we've seen in training camp thus far, I think the Patriots agree with that as well. Let's start with Harris because for the second straight day on Tuesday, he took a pretty good amount of reps with the first team offense. He was heavily involved with the starters on field

Starting point is 00:16:22 organizational activities. That's usually a good sign. Someone that's trying to ingratiate himself into the Patriots offense, especially at a high level. This was even with Ramondre being a full participant on Tuesday, because let's not forget Stevenson was limited on Monday. So that explains that Kevin Harris got a majority of the reps on Monday, but this continued into Tuesday. And this is a little

Starting point is 00:16:45 bit of a surprise for me but again a pleasant surprise because Harris has been and he continues to stand out as the second option on the depth chart at least in my estimation he's the type of straightforward power runner that's going to provide that short yardage production but where the surprise comes in folks is he's showing me a lot of true speed and even great field vision and i think that can make him effective on early downs too if the patriots are picking up on this they might be seeing a lot more in kevin harris than any of us thought when training camp started he's a reliable back we know that sure hands and he's got the talent to quickly develop into a solid rotational

Starting point is 00:17:25 option. And his versatility is turning heads, including that of Bill Belichick, who praised Harris' growth just before practice when he spoke with the media, saying, quote, he's doing way better than he was last year. He's way ahead of things. He's in good shape. He had a good offseason, so he's ready to go. He's a guy that plays well with his

Starting point is 00:17:45 pads on. We'll see how that goes as he gets those opportunities. And again, folks, Kevin Harris is one of those guys that's built very strong, very low to the ground. And in that regard, when the pads do come on, that's when he is at his best. So to see him out there the last couple of days, definitely good for the Patriots. And even though Harris is gaining some attention, I don't want us to forget about Pierre Strong because he got those looks with the first team offense last week. Those same looks that Harris is getting now, those went to Pierre Strong in the initial week. So Bill sees potential in both of these guys.

Starting point is 00:18:21 And in my humble opinion he should strong has the potential to be a significant contributor in their backfield just like kevin harris he's the type of runner who can move with ease between the tackles and he really has great patience in finding his scene as a matter of fact i think strong may have the edge over kevin har this area. He really takes his time, and he finds his spot. Once he does, he can really turn on the Rockets. He's got such an impressive burst through the hole and speed necessary to break away. If you need big yardage on early downs,

Starting point is 00:18:56 Pierre Strong is the guy that the Patriots are going to look to, and I think he can carry the load. With that kind of speed and those kind of finesse capabilities, he's going to get some looks as the number two back as well so bottom line here folks there is enough versatility and complementary styles from strong and from harris to adequately fill that role vacated by damian harris they don't necessarily need to bring in a big name now don't get me wrong those that i speak to close to the team they're intrigued by adding a dalvin cook or a zeke elliott just like you all are and we all

Starting point is 00:19:31 are as well but i'm not so sure that these guys are the must-haves for this offense that the national and local panic patrol are going to have you believe again that's just my opinion but i'm not going to stir the pot just for the fun of it i think the patriots have enough at this position just like i'm pretty confident in their receivers their tight ends i think they have enough weapons to be effective so ultimately we'll see who's right on the field and we'll see what happens but keep a sharp eye on pierre strong and kevin harris because even if the patriots don't make a signing here they're still well equipped behind Ramondre Stevenson to have a solid running back core in 2023 and folks even though the

Starting point is 00:20:11 offense gets a lot of the spotlight at this time of year the defense is really showing that it has the ability to be something special and even though there's limitations in how he's practicing right now we know Matthew Judon's going to be at the top of his game when the season begins. We expected Christian Gonzalez to come out and look like a star, but when players who you didn't expect to pop are starting to pop in training camp, it only means good things for the Patriots, and two of those defenders we're going to discuss in just a moment. Two names we don't talk about here a whole lot on Locked On Patriots, but boy, have they earned it.

Starting point is 00:20:47 Mack Wilson and Ronnie Perkins. And I'll discuss why their emergence is a very good thing for the New England Patriots defense. Talking defense and much more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to make Locked On Patriots your first listen and also a part of your daily Patriots coverage.

Starting point is 00:21:16 And don't forget, tomorrow coverage continues here. The Patriots' seventh training camp practice. A lot to discuss, all the action from the field, and all the things that you need to know off it right here on Locked On Patriots. So, folks, be sure to stay locked in. But we've talked a lot about the offense today, folks. We're going to flip the script a little bit. We're going to talk about defense. And not the usual suspects on defense, as I alluded to coming into this segment.

Starting point is 00:21:44 We talk a lot about the cornerbacks, and don't worry, folks, I will get a cornerback tidbit in there. You know I have to. But at the same time, there is also a lot to like about this front seven. And two members of the front seven that we don't discuss here an awful lot had big days on Tuesday. And even though the pads might have been given the day off, the Patriots' pass rush came to play.

Starting point is 00:22:04 By my count, this defense notched six sacks on Tuesday, including two on injured reserve. But Ronnie Perkins has the talent to be an effective defender in both the running game and the passing game. And he's showing that on the field. And he really showed it on Tuesday. Demonstrated some good bursts and, of course, great closing speed. And he really seems focused on making a push for a roster spot in 2023. And make no mistake about it, folks, he's got the talent to do it. I think transitioning from a hand in the dirt rusher to a potential role on the outside, meaning that he play on the edge of the defensive line, take on the responsibilities of a traditional stand-up rusher is going to be the ticket for him. And I think that's what the New England Patriots are

Starting point is 00:23:01 trying to do with Ronnie Perkins. I still think he has an uphill battle to make the roster, but he's got my attention now, and I'll be watching him closely. And another player that's not only worthy of our attention, but I also think he's worthy of a lot more praise than he's received, is linebacker Mack Wilson, who I believe has been one of the Patriots' most reliable performers throughout training camp he struggled through his first season in New England especially given the expectation he came over as the straight-up compensation for Chase Winovich and people were enamored with his athleticism and his leaping ability didn't really get a chance to showcase it too much on the field in 2022 but he's starting

Starting point is 00:23:40 to demonstrate that type of sideline to sidelinesideline impact that he was acquired for. This is the guy the Patriots thought they were getting. And Adrian Phillips said something similar when we talked to him after practice today as well, saying it really is a pleasure to watch Mack Wilson coming into his own. Both his speed, his athleticism were on full display during Tuesday's practice. Had a couple of very impressive pass breakups while getting a lot of looks with the starting unit. And he's really becoming a factor on the second level of this defense.

Starting point is 00:24:12 Getting looks with the starters, especially this early, is a great sign that the Patriots like what they see from Mack Wilson. And I'll be very honest, I'm going to eat some humble pie on this one. I did not project Mack as earning a 53-man roster spot in my previous projection. And as of right now, it looks like I'm going to be wrong on that. And honestly, I'm glad I'm wrong on that because if Mack Wilson is playing well, it's going to add even more athleticism to the Pats defense. This is already a great unit, a unit that's capable of making life miserable for not only quarterbacks, but also

Starting point is 00:24:45 running backs and really all offensive weapons. And again, Mack just brings a very solid positive attitude each time he takes the field. He's an easy guy to root for, and I find myself rooting for him. So that should tell you something about the Patriots defense, especially the front seven. You're talking about guys like Ronnie Perkins emerging and Mack Wilson really taking it to the next level. It's such a good sign. It adds a new dimension to guys like Ronnie Perkins emerging and Mack Wilson really taking it to the next level. It's such a good sign. It adds a new dimension to guys like Christian Barmore and Matt Judon and Josh Uche, Dietrich Wise.

Starting point is 00:25:12 Players you know are going to already be at optimal level when the season begins. If these guys are starting to click on all cylinders, it's going to make that defense that much more fearsome. And I know, folks, you can't end today's show without a cornerback check-in y'all knew it was coming and christian gonzalez is still the top option folks there's no question about that but even though his playing status for the season is still in question you got to give jack jones a lot of credit right now he is clearly intent on proving his on-field value for the Pats.

Starting point is 00:25:46 We all know that the legal situation is still creating an awful lot of uneasiness throughout the entire organization, but Jack's not taking any chances in reminding the Patriots to just how effective he can be in this secondary. He aligned opposite Christian as the starting tandem at perimeter cornerback for the majority of Tuesday's sessions. And Jonathan Jones aligning in the slot. This looks to be a very effective unit for the Patriots.

Starting point is 00:26:11 And as much as I like seeing Marcus Jones get some time on the outside and Jonathan in the slot, yeah, the Jack Jones lineup, in my opinion, may be the most potent that the Patriots can put out there on the field in 2023. He demonstrated his keen instincts and coverage, breaking up a pair of passes, one of which was a near certain score to Devontae Parker. Jack Jones once again proving that he is a ball-locking corner that can draw a bead on a pass and make life difficult for an opposing quarterback. And again, if the Patriots have to play without that, they are still equipped to be able to take the hit and keep moving forward but at the same time if Jack Jones is in this lineup

Starting point is 00:26:50 it adds a whole other dimension to the secondary and I for one cannot wait to watch what these three guys can do on the field at the same time knowing that you have guys like Marcus Jones and Miles Bryant at the ready yeah that's a tough cornerback room. I don't think this cornerback room is getting enough love nationally, and it really, really should be, folks. Said that many times here, and watching Jack Jones out there today running the number ones, it only solidifies that point even more. So, Patriots fans, that is day six in a nutshell, and the Pats are going to return to the practice fields

Starting point is 00:27:24 adjacent to Gillette Stadium 9 45 start time at Gillette so if you're heading up plan accordingly and of course looks to be another beautiful day in Foxborough so enjoy and definitely take it all in and if you're relying on Locked On Patriots for your training camp recaps hope we've been able to and if you're relying on Locked On Patriots for your training camp recaps and insight, cannot thank you enough for your support. And don't forget, tomorrow we will continue with more coverage of Day 7 from Patriots Training Camp right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast.

Starting point is 00:28:00 So I am your host, Mike DeBate, reminding you to stay safe and stay well and be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. And we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Mac Jones, Mack Wilson Stand Out on Day 6, Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris: RB2 and RB3?

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