Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Mailbag: 2024 NFL Draft Strategy, Spencer Rattler, Mac Jones, Jacoby Brissett

Starting point is 00:00:00 Senior Bowl standouts, but did they do enough to move the needle for the New England Patriots come draft time? 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, and thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Don't forget, Locked On Patriots is not only a

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Starting point is 00:01:03 available. I'm your host, Mike debate. I cover your new England Patriots for Patriots country of fan nation. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at MDA, BAT, E NFL. While you're out there showing some love to locked on Patriots, social media style, please follow our account there as well at L O underscore Patriots. That's fans. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.

Starting point is 00:01:27 Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets. That's if your first bet of $5 or more wins. Visit FanDuel.com slash LockedOn to get started. And Pats fans, once again, it is time to kick off the week in style here on locked on Patriots it's mailbag Monday and it is also hashtag locked on Murph Monday and that means only one thing folks the monster master of disaster the green king of sting the count of Murphy Fisto himself the

Starting point is 00:02:04 dancing destroy, my good friend, Thomas Murphy. Murph, thank you so much for joining me today. Normally, you are Don Murph, but in honor and a hat tip to the late Carl Weathers, you truly are the Apollo Creed of this show. Thank you so much for joining us today,

Starting point is 00:02:19 my friend, and thank you for allowing me to saddle you with all of those names. Yeah, rest in peace, sir. Rest in peace. A fine career, a good man, and somebody that I wish I had met in my lifetime. But no, I will wear that moniker proudly, you know, as long as Michael wants to use it with me here on Locked On and anywhere else that he might introduce me. No, all kidding aside you have earned those monikers my friend they belong to a good man they have belonged to a good man uh carl obviously passing away over the weekend at the age of 76 and for you know children of the

Starting point is 00:02:56 80s like murph and myself who you know grew up watching apollo creed dance around the ring and you know watching movies like predator and action jackson and now the work that he did with the mandalorian one thing that was always great about carl is he signed all of his social media posts with the hashtag be peace and i think that's the great way we can honor him folks be peace uh really i think a lesson to be learned in all aspects in all walks of life that's what it's all about we're all on the team. I think we should remember that and follow the example of Carl Weathers and hashtag VPs, folks. That being said, Murph, there is a lot to cover here in New England. The New England Patriots will have a new outside linebackers coach, Steven Belichick, off to the University of Washington. The Patriots may

Starting point is 00:03:42 have a new assistant head coach coming in in the form of Ben McAdoo. Folks, there's a lot to cover here, and we're going to cover a lot of the coaching changes and what that means for Gerard Mayo's staff tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots. So stay locked in. But today is hashtag Mailbag Monday, Murph. And we had another batch of great questions, folks. You everydayers really do amaze us. It really, really is. You guys always find a way to keep your finger on the pulse of Pats Nation. And your questions reflect it.

Starting point is 00:04:12 It truly is remarkable. And Murph, what better place to start than with the Senior Bowl over the weekend? Great opportunity for the Patriots to scout some potential Pats. This is where the draft begins. I know it's a hashtag, folks, but it really does begin in Mobile. And now we are fully on to the 2024 NFL draft, and so are the New England Patriots. And Murph, there were a number of standout performances throughout the week, and some players may have really improved their draft standing.

Starting point is 00:04:39 But sometimes these players have a way of working their way up and changing that draft strategy. Well, that's our first question that we're going to tackle today. From someone who's rapidly becoming one of the very best of the best when it comes to our everydayers and question submitters out there, Leslie at Cape Cod Girlie on X. You can definitely find her there. Make sure to check out her and her colleagues on the Pesky podcast as well, folks. Great listen. If you're a red sox fan

Starting point is 00:05:05 you absolutely want to bookmark that one listen to it you will be glad you did but leslie brings i think a great question murph and she asks did performances at the senior bowl change anything for the patriots draft picks number if you and i both know that the pats have designs on that number three pick whether they're going to go quarterback, whether they're not, still a matter of conjecture. But do you think anyone that performed, not necessarily just in the game on Saturday, but all throughout the week,

Starting point is 00:05:33 do you think it changed the Patriots' strategy at all? And do you think it moved the needles for any of these guys to become potential Patriots? Yeah, first of all, got to love Leslie. Absolutely. Yeah. Just amazing. And I hope not. I really hope not. Last year, as you said, strangely, Cole Strange worked his way up the board and the Patriots grabbed him, not last year, a couple years ago, worked his way up the board and they grabbed him. Still a good pick. Stop getting on Cole Strange, people. Still a good pick stop getting on cole strange people still a good pick um they uh but but no i really hope not um i i really hope that you know some of the the bad performances that we saw from

Starting point is 00:06:14 the quarterbacks did not um uh contribute to the patriots not thinking about drafting them later, but no, I hope that, uh, that what happened this week, um, really, uh, um, just gave them a view of how they handle certain situations. And, um, you know, when things don't go right, I, because you know, me folks, alt is the pick and more and more people are coming around to my way of thinking. If you listening to the talking heads today, um, trade down, get as many, uh, top 100 picks as you can while still being able to grab alt at the top. Um, the, the top three quarterbacks that we've all been talking about all hearing about, um, I'm just not willing to gamble the third pick in the NFL draft on them. So no, I'm willing to.

Starting point is 00:07:09 But one thing that might have changed the way that they looked at what happened at the Senior Bowl is the fact that what Mike mentioned earlier, Steve Belichick taking a new job, you might put a little more priority on those defensive backs and those linebackers coming into this draft as opposed to uh what we have in the past and you know bill and steve will find somebody later on in the draft to uh to focus on a guy that they can work with that undrafted free agent db that is going to be fantastic. And they might end up taking somebody like, you know, the guy that stood out to me, Jarvis Brownlee Jr. Okay.

Starting point is 00:07:53 Jarvis Brownlee Jr. was one of the standouts this week, all week long, you know, Louisville kid, cornerback. I love this guy. I think that he has played himself up into a, dare I say it, a day two selection. And if the Patriots end up getting several second round picks, I would not be upset if they took Jarvis. That's a very interesting point. And I like the fact that you mentioned defense because a lot of Steve Belichick folks is a notable one and that effect will be felt on the field. I think Mike Reese put it very eloquently when he tweeted out shortly after word broke that Steve was taking the job at the university of Washington saying that Steve

Starting point is 00:08:40 Belichick up until this point has really been the only coach on that defensive coaching staff that could coach from top to bottom meaning that all of the game planning that goes up front that goes with the inside linebackers that goes with the defensive line the areas of expertise of both Demarcus Covington and Gerard Mayo really need a coach at the back end of that to meld that play calling that that play strategy, those coverage schemes that you see in the defensive backfield, those have to be melded so well with that front seven in order to get that total defense to work as a cohesive unit. Steve was one of the best in the league at doing that. Never really got the proper credit for that. A lot of people always looked at him as being in his father's shadow, but I assure you this kid is absolutely his own coach,

Starting point is 00:09:26 his own identity. And I think he's going to thrive in the university of Washington. It's a big loss for the Patriots. And yes, what it means is that you may have to load up on defensive backs, either in free agency or getting some young bodies in at the draft that are capable of being able to play from top to bottom. That may have changed the type of

Starting point is 00:09:45 defensive back that they're looking at now in this uh draft you might see some hybrids come in i mentioned one here on friday with steve javon bullard out of the university of georgia someone who can play the corner someone who can play the safety i'm not saying he's the guy because he may not be logistically where the patriots are in terms of picking, but I think you may see guys like that now on the radar for the New England Patriots. That's an excellent point, Murph. You know, and on the offensive side of the ball, you know, Christian Jones out of Texas, a humongous man, and here's a quarterback that nobody's talking about, nobody at all.

Starting point is 00:10:20 You're hearing it here first. You're hearing it here best. Carter Bradley out of South Alabama. Carter Bradley had himself a week and a half in a week down there and now i'm not saying that he's going to be a first round pick i'm not saying he's going to be a fifth round pick but this is a guy that that has definitely vaulted himself into the conversation as a priority free agent you know somebody that that is going to um to possibly uh hook on and and you know, somebody that, that is going to, um, to possibly, uh, hook on and, and, you know, we all know what Mr. Irrelevant is doing next Sunday. And before we take our leave of Leslie's question, obviously Murph, you put the words or you put the

Starting point is 00:10:57 initials MVP next to your name, you're going to get press, whether you get headlines or not, you're going to get press. And a lot of people are starting to talk about Spencer Rattler. Pretty good game on Saturday. Completed all four of his passes. 65 yards. Had a nice 29-yard touchdown strike. This kid was very solid in his decision-making. Very good with his accuracy all week long during practice.

Starting point is 00:11:20 Spencer has definitely done, I think, a good job of increasing his brand. But I'm not necessarily sure he's moved the needle so much to make him at day one pick no i think he's solid for day two if the patriots do what you expect them to do or what you hope they will do in trade down maximize draft capital get alt with a top level pick not necessarily the third folks but high enough where they draft him, but they can turn that third into a couple of prime draft picks. If Spencer Rattler is sitting there on day two,

Starting point is 00:11:52 you'd take a flyer on this kid? Man, it would really make Steve happy. Steve loves his South Carolina guys, and I hope you guys all check, checked out that show that, that Mike and Steve did over the weekend. Um, I don't know if I would go a second round pick on him. I might go, uh,

Starting point is 00:12:14 mid third round pick in the eighties. If he's there, it's just, you know, I, I haven't seen enough film yet. I, I am not one of these guys that puts so much emphasis on these bowl games.

Starting point is 00:12:26 It's unbelievable. And the combine is just, you know, underwear Olympics. So let's see what happens there. I think he might have moved up ahead of Michael Pratt and right around J.J. McCarthy, you know, system. Who would you rather have, him or J.J JJ McCarthy? Let's put it that way. So definitely an early to mid second round pick at third round pick is where I would have him graded out right now after the week that he had. I think you make a very interesting point on Rattler. Look, folks, there's a lot to get excited about when you see mvp and i

Starting point is 00:13:05 think spencer did have a very good few days here in mobile there's no question about that i'm not going to take away from that but don't forget that this was also a prospect in 2021 that was expected to be at the top of the draft class within the next couple of years his struggles in 2021 really hurt his draft stock and he lost out on the Oklahoma job to Caleb Williams of all guys right now is the consensus. Number one pick. He transferred to South Carolina to his credit, found his groove 6,212 yards, 37 touchdowns, 20 interceptions, seven rushing touchdowns over his 25 games with South Carolina. So the pedigree is there maybe with the right quarterbacks coach, maybe with the right offensive coordinator,

Starting point is 00:13:50 Alex Van Pelt, who knows, maybe he might be able to help him along, but you're probably looking at a guy that's not going to be more than a backup for the first couple of years. And maybe someone that you might be reticent to hand the keys of the kingdom over to unless he shows dramatic improvements. So to answer your question, Leslie, and I think Murph and I both agree on this, if the Patriots are decided on trading number three to maximize and capitalize on a loaded draft class and really get a lot of capital for that number three, I don't think it changes their strategy. I think they still go tackle in that position. They're going to trade it. That's the position to do.

Starting point is 00:14:26 I don't think they trade that pick and then try to get a wide receiver. Marvin Harrison Jr. will be gone at four if the Patriots don't take him at three. It just depends on what their strategy is going to be. And if they're decided on it. That's my hope. That's my hope, that they trade back to four and then trade back to five and let these guys go get the people that they want and I get the guy I want. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:14:49 And if that is the case where the Patriots have locked in on a quarterback at number three, then I don't think anything you saw over the weekend is going to change their minds there either. So tip of the cap and a much big thanks to Leslie for a great question. And folks, we are not done yet. A tremendous amount of insight, wisdom, and counsel being shared by our everydayers here. One of our very favorites has a question coming up, Murph, about the possibility of Mac Jones hanging around. Yeah, I know. Two weeks ago, it didn't seem like a possibility. But all of a sudden, that idea is starting to gain traction. And guess what, Murph? It actually makes some sense. We're going to tell you why it makes sense and what Murph and I think about the situation when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues,

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Starting point is 00:18:14 with my good friend, the Don of Locked On Patriots here, Thomas Murphy. And Murph, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about Senior Bowl standouts and whether or not it moved the needles for the Patriots to go in a certain direction for this upcoming 2024 NFL draft. We seem to think that the Pats are pretty well on their way to whatever they're going to be doing.

Starting point is 00:18:35 I don't think there was such a performance we saw in Mobile that's going to really turn their heads and make them pivot to whatever they had planned on doing prior to going in. But one of the things that really emerged over the weekend that I found interesting was that all of a sudden the thought that Mac Jones may remain in a Patriots uniform suddenly became a thing, especially on Sunday. A lot of social media discussions surrounding potentially keeping Mac around, developing him, even if he's not going to be their guy beyond 2024, a lot of different things that are coming around right now about him. Now, a couple of weeks ago,

Starting point is 00:19:10 this didn't even seem possible. Just the thought of Mac Jones being in a Patriots uniform was considered a toxic thought. But our good friend, Joel Inhull, who is a true everyday or one of our most valued and a great friend of the program. Joel wants to know, do you think we should keep Mac Jones as a backup for the 2024 season or try to trade him on draft night? Do you think three years is too small of a sample size to cut Mac loose or are we beyond the point of no return here? I do think it's too soon.

Starting point is 00:19:41 I mean, three years is not enough of a sample size to cut him loose having said that cut him loose cut the man loose um a lot as is mike said a lot has been made over the weekend that and you guys all know me i'm a mac jones guy okay i would say i danced a jig on draft night when he fell to the patriots um but if if the Patriots do not do what I want them to do, if they end up taking a quarterback in the top three picks, or if they end up doing what I want to do and taking Pennix in the second round, I don't want Mac Jones here. Mac Jones is not the chip on your shoulder type of guy that will take either of those moves as a burden to get over and work around and a wall to blow through. I just don't think that's part of his makeup.

Starting point is 00:20:38 It goes back to Alabama where he sat back and bided his time for three years until he became the starter. I'm not saying he didn't work hard to try to do it, but no, I really don't think a season of Matt Jones on the sideline is going to be a help. I do believe that Bailey Zappi, as I've said before, will be a fine career backup in this league, you know, going back to the Don Strzok days, you know, where you wonder why he doesn't get more of a chance. Well, it's because he's a backup. And that's the way he is. And I think that he has the mentality to be able to do that behind a more talented player. But no, I don't want to see Mac Jones here if the Patriots do end up drafting a quarterback. If they're all in and they say,

Starting point is 00:21:31 we're going to give him one more year, we're going to give him one more shot, we're not going to draft a quarterback this year. Maybe they sign an undrafted free agent that we talked about earlier. Yeah, keep them around. But if you draft a quarterback high in this draft, I'm talking first round, second round, I don't want to see him here. Send him off somewhere, let him get his feet under him and try to resurrect his career somewhere as

Starting point is 00:21:57 a starter. I do not think Mac Jones is a backup. Yeah, I see where you're coming from on this. And I guess what we did to tease coming into this segment is talk about why the thought of Mac Jones hanging around makes some sense. I'll play devil's advocate for just a moment. Great. A lot of people are saying that the confidence that Mac lost over the course of 2022 and into 2023 was a direct response to bad coaching and bad leadership under Matt Patricia and Joe Judge.

Starting point is 00:22:25 It damaged the relationship he had with Bill Belichick so much to the point where Mac felt uncomfortable communicating with Bill, went to outside sources that caused friction. And by the way, folks, I understand why that caused friction. If you're the head coach, you don't want your quarterback seeking advice or wisdom and counsel from everyone else in the league but you it definitely puts a strain on that relationship and it caused a downward spiral in mac jones that simply wasn't recoverable so now you're looking at a player that's lost his confidence lost his proverbial mojo for lack of a better term and now all of a sudden you start to see the problems on the field that mac had the

Starting point is 00:23:01 difficulty in decisions you know opening at the top of his drop in the wrong direction, throwing egregious interceptions, throwing across his body, across the field, things he's not designed to do, trying to pull himself out of quicksand. Like our good friend, Mark Schofield has said so many times, and this is what happened to Mac. And it basically caused a chain reaction of problems that you just weren't going to get out of. And that's why the Patriots went to Bailey Zappi. The argument is that now with someone like Alex Van Pelt, who has done a lot with a lot of quarterbacks, and we're actually going to talk about one in just a moment. So stay locked in folks. Don't go anywhere. This is going to get good. But in any case,

Starting point is 00:23:39 what we're looking at when it comes to Van Pelt is someone that might be able to help him regain his form maybe even regain some of that rookie season magic that Mac had and if you look at the type of quarterback that he is you can make the argument that maybe he's as good as any of the options you're going to be bringing in this year especially knowing the fact that some rookies may have to hold a clipboard for a little while they may not be be, just showed my age there, Murph. They're going to have to hold the tablet for a little while in order to really get acclimated to a pro level system. A lot of these guys aren't plug and play. There's maybe, I think two guys, maybe three at the top of this draft that could be plug

Starting point is 00:24:17 and play this season. The rest are going to need time to develop. So there's the argument in bringing mac back because there is a pedigree there to show you he can play at the high level but i think too much damage has been done to his reputation i think too many damaged relationships in that locker room are going to prevent him from being able to adequately lead as much as i wanted to fight it and as much as you and i wanted to fight it there was a lot more fire to the smoke folks about Matt Jones having difficulty with a lot of his teammates because of some of the things that were going on, not personally, but just

Starting point is 00:24:53 the way he handled adversity. You need to gain your teammates confidence. Bailey Zappi did that. Matt Jones did not. I don't know if there's a recovery from that. So to answer your question, Joel, I'm not sure this is something the Patriots can recover from. I'm not sure it's something Mac can recover from. I'm with Murph on this, even though he might be a player that can regain some of his form. I think he's going to have to do it elsewhere. I don't think it's going to be in the wing. Yeah. When, when I heard that, that, um, I was, I was led to, when I was led to believe that when he was outside the organization looking for advice years ago, I was led to believe that he was talking to Bill O'Brien exclusively. And it seemed that that was wrong. That even his quarterback's coach, his personal hitting instructor, was giving him advice to ask for a trade.

Starting point is 00:25:48 This is something Mack never did, not to my knowledge. He ever asked for a trade. But no, he's not all in on the Patriots, even with this coaching change. And I believe that some of the reports that, even with this coaching change. And I believe that, you know, some of the reports that are, have come out this weekend about finally having a head coach that believes in him, finally having people that he can communicate with. I'm just not sure that there's any coming back and winning over, as Mike said, the locker room. Guys have made their decisions about him already. And once a football team,

Starting point is 00:26:26 once a football player makes a decision about somebody, it's really difficult to change their mind to go back the other way. It really is. It's ingrained in them. They've seen how they work out. They've seen how they participate in practice. They've seen their mental mindset in rooms.

Starting point is 00:26:44 So no, I'm with with mike mike and i are on the same page here i think it's time for mac to go excellent question joel and i think definitely a good question to ask for any patriots fan right now and murph we're not even done talking quarterbacks yet no imagine because if the patriots do move on from Mac Jones, Bailey Zappi may still be here. He's still under contract. We don't expect him to go anywhere, but if they do decide to bring in a rookie, you need a stable veteran presence here

Starting point is 00:27:13 to be able to lead, provide examples. And who better than someone who's already been here in New England to go ahead and to do that? A former member of the Wolfpack. Now, ladies, calm down. I'm not talking about Jimmy G. I am talking about Jacoby Brissett. And he is an intriguing option because of his prior relationship with Alex Van Pelt.

Starting point is 00:27:35 Imagine that, getting the band back together in Foxborough, Murph. Who would have thought? We're going to talk about that subject when we wrap up this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Locked On listeners, passion, drive, and patience is what brings home that winning trophy. You know what? It's also what keeps your ride or die alive. Our good friends over at

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Starting point is 00:28:55 eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Patriots fans, once again, thank you so much for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. Spending time on your Mailbag Monday, on your hashtag Locked on Murph Monday right here on the pod. And folks, don't forget, stay locked into Locked on Patriots tomorrow. We're going to be talking coordinators. We're going to be talking coaches and a very special guest with some insight on Ben McAdoo that you are not going to want to miss, folks. So stay locked into Locked On Patriots. Download, subscribe to, follow

Starting point is 00:29:28 wherever you get your podcasts. But we're going to close the mailbag this week with an interesting question from a first-timer, really, submitting these questions. A new listener, a relative new listener, someone who just started listening to us a couple of months ago.

Starting point is 00:29:43 His name is Deon and sagas mass devon had a question on bringing back an old familiar friend to play quarterback now folks we're not talking tom brady we're not even talking jimmy garoppolo but we are talking a third member of that wolf pack and that is jacoby brissett jacoby is set to hit unrestricted free agency when the new league year begins in March Murph. He spent time here in New England, a year in New England as a spot starter, mostly as a backup. But Jacoby turned heads no matter where he went. Four decent years with the Indianapolis Colts, but I think he really turned a lot of heads in Cleveland under Alex Van Pelt.

Starting point is 00:30:22 There is a relationship there, and there is a synergy that both of these guys can use to their advantage. And I think Jacoby played some of his best football under Alex. So Devin wants to know that question. If the Patriots now are going to be moving in a different direction, the way we thought they would in the previous segment, we both agree that Mac is better moving on bailey probably is going to remain here maybe you get a rookie but you need another veteran presence do you think the patriots would be smart to sign jacoby brissett considering his previous relationship with alex van pelt but what is yours yeah i do um what coaches look for and you see this time and again is when head coaches move on or coordinators move on and become head coaches somewhere else, they raid the old kitchen cabinet on their way out the door.

Starting point is 00:31:12 And what they look for is talent, like-mindedness, and ballplayers that are on the same page as them. Now, we all know that Jacoby Brissett fills, checks all three of those boxes when it comes to, when it comes to Van Damme. Okay. And yes, that I'm going to be calling him Van Damme for the foreseeable future. It is, it is, I think it's a fantastic idea to bring Jacoby in here. He knows the, he knows the area, he knows the press, which is something that is a lot more important and going to be even more important in the new transparent Patriots regime that is coming up here Pelt is going to be asking him to do on a day-to-day basis. And just having that veteran presence in that quarterback room is going to be really, really important. for the last two years and I think would help whoever's in there now and whoever might be in there after the draft or free agency, you know, when that comes to pass. I think he would be fantastic here.

Starting point is 00:32:34 If you're not going to be bringing in a stopgap guy, you know, whatever name you might want to throw out there right now, Gardner Minshew, to come in here for a couple of years, and it is still a youth movement happening in there. I can't think of many, many players better than Jacoby Reset to sit there and explain how to become a professional quarterback. Very good point. You know, you look at the pedigree that he formed in New England, and folks, it does count for something. I mean, you look at his resume from his time here in New England, was the third round pick out of North Carolina state, began his career with the Patriots in 2016. He was a starter for two games, kind of got a little bit of notoriety here in New England for the job that he did. It was serviceable, but I think his best season, believe it or not,

Starting point is 00:33:24 was in 2022 for the job that he did with the Cleveland Browns. And a lot of people may say, well, I think he did a pretty good job in Washington last year. Yeah, I don't disagree with that. I think he did a pretty good job in Washington last year as well. But when you look at the numbers he put up relative to the amount of starts and the amount of games that he played, played 16 games for the Browns. Only the second time in his career that he suited up for 16 games and got into action. The only other time was his first year away from New England in 2017 with the Indianapolis Colts. 64% of his passes were completed. That was the highest percentage until this year in Washington with the commanders. He threw 12 touchdowns, 2,608 passing yards. A lot of what

Starting point is 00:34:08 you saw from Jacoby Brissett was growth. And I think a lot of that was brought out by Alex Van Pelt being able to identify what his strengths were and then catering to them. And I think that's something that really spoke very well of Jacoby and it spoke very well of him being able to play in the shadow of guys like Sean Watson, being able to play in the shadow of guys like Sean Watson even this year playing in the shadow of someone like a Sam Howell who had a lot of light on him early this season but Jacoby came in and really I think played very well for Washington as well this could be a good move for the New England Patriots if they wanted to go in that direction and again you mentioned that veteran leadership Murph I think that's so

Starting point is 00:34:45 important here he's someone who's willing to come in as a bridge option he's willing to be someone who will mentor a young quarterback and help impart some of the wisdom and counsel that he's learned throughout the years don't forget some of the guys he's been an understudy too in his time in an NFL uniform Tom Brady Jimmy Garoppolo we mentioned guys like Deshaun Watson and then this year Sam Howell Jacoby knows how to come in here and play the role he's assigned and that's so important when you're looking at a quarterback that can take you to the next level and when you have a relationship with the established coordinator a guy that's going to be crafting this offense from top to bottom it It really is, I think, an important part.

Starting point is 00:35:26 So, yeah, I think the Patriots should definitely take a look at him. All right, Murph, we're going to finish up with the obvious question. If the Patriots should take a look at him, do you think they will? I don't think they will. I really don't. I agree. Unfortunately, I don't. I think they're going to try to bring somebody in that will cost a little less. It's

Starting point is 00:35:47 really, it would be pertinent. But I think if the Patriots go in a veteran leadership kind of way, you look at the free agents that are out there, and there are guys that are still looking to, to make a buck and make their mark. Kirk cousins, Ryan Tannehill, Tyrod Taylor, Marcus Mariota, you know, all around the same age of cousins and Tannehill are up there.

Starting point is 00:36:14 They're, they're 35, 36 years old, but Mariota is still 30 years old. Jameis Winston is out there at 30 years old. But I mean, you know, if,

Starting point is 00:36:24 if he wanted to go, if Van Pelt wanted to go in this direction, why wouldn't he be calling Baker Mayfield? Very good point. All right. Exactly. Why wouldn't he want to be calling Baker Mayfield and say, Baker, I can give you a three-year contract. We're going to draft somebody later in the draft and see if they can, they can develop

Starting point is 00:36:44 him. You know, contrary to popular belief, he had some pretty good games with Baker Mayfield under center and Baker Mayfield was, was a victim of circumstance and height. I've said it's forever. He's short. He's a short guy. And, but no, I think that they, they were more apt to, if they're going to do, if he's going to go after that familiar guy, I think it would end up being Baker. Yeah, I agree with that. And Jeff Lloyd joined me here yesterday on Locked On Patriots, host of Locked On Browns.

Starting point is 00:37:14 He's a valued friend, a valued colleague, and I always love talking ball with him. And he was right on the money yesterday when he talked about Alex Van Pelt and the relationship that he had with Jacoby Brissett, but also the relationship that he had with Jacoby Brissett, but also the relationship that he had with Baker Mayfield and being able to get the most out of these quarterbacks. And let's face it, a lot of Cleveland's quarterbacks ascended to the starting level because of injury or suspension or difficulties on the field. These were not the ideal circumstances that a quarterback wants to come in and take the reins. They're not anointed prior to the season, given that gold stamp of approval and saying,

Starting point is 00:37:49 okay, you're our guy, go out there and get it. Especially someone like Jacoby having to come in and really, I think, play mop up for a lot of his career. Yeah, folks, I think there definitely is some value there to bring her in someone like a Baker Mayfield who started and started at a high level and led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to the playoffs this year when a lot of people didn't think they would even sniff contention. I think that definitely speaks well for Baker and the job that he did. And who knows, maybe it was some of Alex Van Pelt's guiding hand that helped led him back

Starting point is 00:38:21 to that prominent level. So keep a sharp eye on Jacoby Brissett, folks. This could be an option. Murph and I think they'll probably go in a different direction if they do go the veteran route. But once again, anything is possible in Foxborough, and you can't discount anything. That's the brilliance of being a member of Patriots Nation.

Starting point is 00:38:40 Whether you're a media member or a fan, there's always something interesting going on in Fox. Cash is always a concern, and Jacoby could be the more fiscally responsible of the two between him and Mayfield. I think it would take a bit to get Mayfield away from Tampa, but I think that's the way that they would lean to begin with since we have cash to burn. There's a lot to cover between now and then, my friend, and I thank you for always being here for the handoff. Whenever I need you, you are here to help me sift and wade through what has become a really robust mailbag, and I'm touched each and every week by the amount of support that you all

Starting point is 00:39:21 show to Lockdown Patriots by submitting your phenomenal questions. Folks, keep them coming. Hashtag Mailbag Monday may be a designated day at the beginning of the week, but it's always open. You can always send questions throughout the week, anytime, 24-7. No job is too big. No fee is too big. And if you got that reference, we can definitely be friends. I know Murph got that reference.

Starting point is 00:39:43 That's why we are friends, folks. What can I say, my friend? Thank you so much for all of your wisdom and counsel and for coming to me in friendship today, Don Murph. Before I let you go, please, Godfather, tell us where we may find you and absorb the wisdom and counsel of Thomas Murphy throughout the week ahead. Yeah, just check it out. Check me out at TeamMurph207. You can read everything that I do over at diehardbostonsportsfans.com. I got a nice little piece up there right now that you may enjoy and or may not enjoy. Concerning the fiscal responsibility that is the Boston Red Sox.

Starting point is 00:40:19 And I've got a nice little piece about Justin Turner up there right now as to why he was not, uh, has not returned to Boston and will not be wearing red socks across his chest or Boston across his chest in the foreseeable future. And it might not be a reason that, that anybody else is thinking of. Go ahead. Go check it out. Absolutely. Folks, whenever Murph puts pen to paper or voice to microphone, it is appointment reading appointment listening, because you will be more informed. You will be entertained. And folks, you'll walk away with wisdom and counsel you did not have before. That I can guarantee. So be sure to check it all out. In the meantime, I want to give one last tip of the cap to Leslie, to Devin, and to Joel for amazing questions. Thank you for your submissions. It was our honor

Starting point is 00:41:03 and our privilege to use them here on Locked On Patriots. And folks, the week is just getting started. So make sure to download, subscribe, and follow wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode of Locked On Patriots as soon as it's available. I'm Mike DeBate. And on behalf of my good friend, Thomas Murphy, we all wish you the opportunity to stay safe and to 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 Mailbag: 2024 NFL Draft Strategy, Spencer Rattler, Mac Jones, Jacoby Brissett

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