Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Mailbag: Kayshon Boutte, Deepest/Thinnest Positions, Tackle, Kicker Upgrade?

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Starting point is 00:01:31 Pats fans, we are just over, a hair over, one week away from the first training camp practice for your New England Patriots Wednesday, July 24th on the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium. Your 2024 Patriots will take the field. I know, folks, no one knows what's going to happen with the Patriots this year. How quickly are they going to round back into form? A lot of questions, and you're flooding the Locked On Patriots mailbag with those questions. And today, as you can see, anytime we have to drag out that very heavy mailbag, we need a man that can do it.

Starting point is 00:02:01 That's right, my good friend, the kind of Murphy fisto himself the legendary thomas murphy joins me today thank you so much for helping me to kick off the week in style here today oh brother man it's it's long overdue long overdue i feel like i haven't been here in a month i know and you know so so yeah let's get to it absolutely we are going to get to it amazing questions you know murph it's not often that one of our everydayers, one of our listeners, has two such poignant questions that they warranted a spot and a spotlight here on Locked On and on the Mailbag episode. But the gentleman that did that is not your average everydayer either, folks. We're going to get into that in just a moment, plus an amazing question from one of our longtime listeners as well, definitely a

Starting point is 00:02:45 locked on loyalist but i think we'd be remiss murph if we didn't start with the news of the day breaking news on tuesday morning courtesy of espn mike reese adam shepter first reporting that the state of louisiana dropping all gambling charges against new england patriots wide receiver kashon booty the charges folks stemmed from an arrest earlier this year about Booty creating a quote, and I'm using these terms, quote, verbatim here from the arrest sheet, a fraudulent online gaming account indicating that he was 21 years or older. Several hundred thousand dollars passing through it during its existence he did not turn 21 until may 2023 shortly after being drafted in the sixth round at number 187 overall by the new england patriots

Starting point is 00:03:33 now murph we followed this situation from the time that it happened from its inception right through today where apparently kayshawn will no longer be subject to any type of legal damages. And at this point, because there's no legal charges that are being filed, you have to wonder what that means for the league. We're going to let the league handle that, and we'll talk about that in just a moment. But from a purely Patriots standpoint, what are your thoughts on this? And does this make Keishon Boudet's chance to try to make a roster spot here all that much better? Yeah, it does.

Starting point is 00:04:07 It does. Without this hanging over his head, it gives the powers that be something else to think about, you know, or one less thing to think about, I should say, when it comes to whether or not this young man gets back on the roster this year. And I think, you know, it's bad news for Juju Smith-Schuster. Very good point. And I'm glad that you mentioned Juju because I want to get back to that in just a moment. But you look at Kayshaun's pro-level resume and it's not going to leap off the page, folks. And I say this with every bit of reverence for this kid's game, but he appeared in only five games for the Pats last season,

Starting point is 00:04:45 two catches, 19 yards. But when you look at the pedigree and what he brought to the table from his early days at LSU, prior to his difficulties with injury and staying on the field, this kid was being mentioned among the Jamar Chases. He was being mentioned among the Justin Jeffersons. The LSU elite receivers that have come through that program in the last 10 years, Ishan Budi was right there with them. And in that regard, when you look

Starting point is 00:05:12 at what he can bring to the table in the slot, trying to help stretch the field, someone that can play multiple roles in a receiver core that needs that type of versatility. I do. I think you hit the nail right on the head. And look, Gerard Mayo said this during minicamp when he said that, Kayshaun has done a great job for us. We're going to let the league handle all of that. But we want to try to help this man not just be a better player on the field, but also be a better man. And I think that proves that they see something in him.

Starting point is 00:05:42 Whether or not it translates to a roster spot this year or not, it's still a matter of conjecture. It's going to be how he plays on the field during these next few weeks to make that spot and to earn that spot. But the fact that Gerrard was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt after everything that was out there, I think proves that they are definitely watching this kid. And it does mean difficulties, especially for someone like a Juju Smith-Schuster who has a very similar type game. This kid's younger, he might be hungrier,

Starting point is 00:06:10 and he might be a better fit in this offense all the way around. He might be. He might just be. And considering the fact that Kendrick Bourne is probably going to start the season on PUP, we're looking at Bourne, Douglas, Pol Polk, um, Baker and KJ Osborne, as I feel are the locks on this team. All right. And then we get into Juju, K Sean, Taequann Thornton and Jalen Ragoor that could leave, you know, three guys looking for, uh, two spots right now. Um, that's with born on, Pup to start the season. And this does,

Starting point is 00:06:50 this definitely, you know, this news today pushes him up that ladder as to somebody that they're going to be able to depend on to be there after final cuts. Very good point. And, you know, bottom line, Keyshawn being able to put this behind him allows him to focus fully on football right now. And that could be a dangerous thing. When this kid has a chip on his shoulder and he plays with that type of desire to prove his doubt is wrong, it's usually been pretty good in those situations. So this is definitely something to watch here as we march forward into the start of training camp in just over a week.

Starting point is 00:07:22 And Murph, I think it lends quite nicely into our first mailbag question that we have today here on Locked On Patriots because everybody's wondering what the depth of certain Patriots positional groups is going to be. Obviously, with Keyshawn Booty now being able to focus fully on football, that deepens the wide receiver pool a little bit. And this is a deep pool, folks. But is this the deepest part of the New England Patriots roster right now? Well, our good friend

Starting point is 00:07:48 David, the Cornell hockey fan, one of our all-time great everydayers, tremendous support of the show. David, tip of the cap, we always appreciate your support here of Locked On Patriots. We know you're a fan of Murph's great work. That makes you a very smart individual in my book. He wants to know, Murphph at which position are the Patriots deepest and thinnest now that's a loaded question let's start with the deepest part of the roster first Murph is it the receivers that we were talking about or is there another area on this roster that's catching your sharp eye there's there's a couple of areas on this roster that are

Starting point is 00:08:21 catching my eye and I I don't want to, even though we just talked about this and guys fighting for a position, I don't want to consider wide receiver depth. Okay. Because as Michael said, there's probably not a number one on this roster right now as it's made up. And quite frankly, after opening the show up, that would be the coward's And, and quite frankly, after, after opening the show up, that would be the coward's way out to just say,

Starting point is 00:08:49 yeah, go ahead. It's the wide receiver position. Look at all of them. They're everywhere. Who are they going to cut? My, my, my deepest part and I'm going to, I'm going to collectively put these guys together is the defensive backs. Okay. I think Kyle Duggar and Jabril Peppers are probably the best safety duo in, in the, in the AFC East, maybe the AFC. They added Del Pettis and, and John Popel,

Starting point is 00:09:23 and they'll compete with, with Bledsoe and Hawkins for the rest of it. Marty Mapo, you know, of course, can always line up as a safety or a dimeback. And I really find this group to be the deepest part of this team because they're so interchangeable. You know, Gonzalez and Jonathan Jones are two of the best cornerbacks in the league. You know, Alex Austin, who came in last year, he only played five games, is set to break out this year, I think. And I really believe that this is the deepest, most versatile group that the Patriots have to work with. That's a good point. And I'm glad that you combine those two areas in the secondary, because when you look at individually and you look at the cornerback room, people are going to say, oh, well, the cornerback, Christian Gonzalez

Starting point is 00:10:14 needs a player on the opposite side in order to be able to be successful. Well, you can make the argument Jonathan Jones is that guy. If the Patriots start the way we think they're going to start, they're probably looking at Marcus Jones at the nickel. And if that be the case, then you're looking at Jonathan Jones, Marcus Jones, and Christian Gonzalez as your trio of starters. I don't think there's more than five teams above the Patriots that could say that you have a better cornerback trio than that. So that's a very strong positional group.

Starting point is 00:10:40 And then you take Kyle Duggar. Then you take Jabril Peppers. And you put them up against safety tandems throughout the league I would say the Patriots right now have a leg up on the competition when it comes to this positional group I think it's excellent great job there Murph and great insight at the risk of playing devil's advocate I'm going to differ slightly I'm still going to go on the defensive side of the ball, then that is the linebackers. And when you look at the Patriots linebacking core and you look now at guys like Matthew Judon, who obviously is coming in motivated to either earn the next deal that he's going

Starting point is 00:11:14 to get elsewhere or earn an extension with the Patriots. And when you have a motivated and maybe even a little chippy Matthew Judon, that's only going to strengthen what is already a very deep core. You're looking at guys like Anthony Jennings, Juwan Bentley, Sione Takitaki is someone that I think could be interesting to watch, not just because of his sideline to sideline speed, but also his ability to play on special teams. Watch him. He's one I'm watching very closely in training camp. Jelani Tavai, obviously, just signing a big extension. Joshua Uche, betting on himself, doing what he needs to do to get on the field. Murph, when you're looking at

Starting point is 00:11:50 a guy like Raekwon McMillan and calling him a bubble candidate on this roster and looking at him potentially as a guy on the outside looking in, injury history aside, you know you're fielding a talented group from top to bottom. You really are. You really are. This group is definitely in the conversation to answer David's excellent, the first half of David's excellent question. Absolutely, without any question. And, you know, they're versatile in ways that you don't necessarily see

Starting point is 00:12:20 on paper all the time. But when you look at the stats stats it really does illuminate itself everybody looks at the linebacking core as you know guys that are either in the middle just you know pure run stuffers like a juwan bentley who's very good against the run or you look at guys like matthew judon and joshua uche who are professional pass rushers they make the lives of opposing quarterbacks miserable when i looked at anthony Jennings' stats in preparation for this show today, Mert, because I knew I was going to go with the linebackers. Okay.

Starting point is 00:12:49 Started the final 13 games of the season. He led the team last year with 14 tackles for loss. 13 of those came against the run. When you look at someone now that plays a reserve role on this roster in terms of linebackers, it really does illuminate just how much talent this core, this team has. And I'm looking forward to watching it and,

Starting point is 00:13:11 you know, who's going to be coaching them this year and having his stamp all over this team. That is one Dante Hightower. I can't wait to see what he does with this group. Gerard Mayo has done a tremendous job with this linebacking core. I'm looking forward to seeing DeMarcus Covington now in a, an authoritative role as defensive coordinator. And then of course, you know, watching these guys kind of round into their own. But folks, we're not even scratching the surface when it comes to

Starting point is 00:13:34 David's question yet, because we've talked about the deepest positions on this roster. What about the thinnest? Which one's keeping you up at night? And which ones are starting to give you a little pause when you look at this team heading into training camp? Murph and I are going to continue to answer this question when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. This show is sponsored by BetterHelp. Locked on listeners, summertime can be a fun time,

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Starting point is 00:15:22 Patriots fans, thank you so much for joining us here today on locked on Patriots it is mailbag day it is telegraph Tuesday and Murph is back in the hot seat with us our good friend Thomas Murphy always whenever we open up the mailbag and we need all-encompassing all-inclusive wisdom and counsel we go to this man and he never disappoints Murph it's my honor to welcome you here to the pod as I do each and every week sometimes multiple multiple times per week, folks, but we are back in full strength now after a brief summer break and we're getting ready to open up training camp, Murph, in just over a week and already our fans are flooding the Lockdown Patriots mailbag with some phenomenal questions. Our good friend David continues to ask the poignant questions,

Starting point is 00:16:05 and this was so good that it actually stretches into two segments because we talked a little bit in the earlier segment about the deepest parts of the Patriots roster. But, Murph, we have not addressed the least pleasant of the questions that we possibly could ask is what is the thinnest area on the Patriots roster right now? I'm not going to steal your thunder. I'm going to ask you to kick us off here.

Starting point is 00:16:27 Murph, when you look at this roster from top to bottom, what's the thinnest positional group or the thinnest area on this roster right now? Now, I've gone on ad nauseum about this offensive line for weeks and months and, you know, going back to last season. So I'm going to throw a monkey in the wrench. Okay. That's not what I'm going to go with. It's edge. Edge is the edge defensive end is, is the, is the weakest part of this, of this Patriots roster right now. All right.

Starting point is 00:16:58 You know, defensive end is, is, is, is a position that, that position that we all love. We all love the sack masters. We all love the guys that go after and get it. Dietrich Weiss is a reliable guy over there on the left-hand position. Weiss is solid. He's not the wow factor that everybody expects, but he's there every week, gets his job done.

Starting point is 00:17:25 And we saw last year what he's able to do, really, really do. You know, he goes with his lunch pail every single day and you can't ask for more. But other than that, what's really there? What's really there? I mean, you could put Keon White on the other side, but that's not where I want him. Keon can play anywhere on the line, but I want him sitting there. I want him lined up next to Barmore on the inside. You know, that's where he's really going to wreak havoc.

Starting point is 00:17:56 So, you know, that's where I think the real problem on this defensive side of the ball is. Mike talked about the linebackers. I talked about the defensive back. You know, it's defensive end that I think is one of the weaker positions on this team right now, on this roster right now. And if Judon does not come back healthy and ready to go, the edge position could be something of a question mark, you know, going through the front seven. That's a good point. And you mentioned depth beyond Keon White and Dietrich Wise. And of course, we're looking at Dietrich Wise being the true defensive end, the true edge out of those two. Keon can play it. I agree with you. He is stronger aligned next to Barmore, and that's

Starting point is 00:18:41 where we would like to see him. But you're talking about guys like William Bradley King John Morgan III uh Sam Roberts is listed as a defensive end we haven't seen a whole lot out of Sam there is a lack of depth when you look at true edge rushers you have to borrow from Peter to pay Paul when when you're moving somebody like Keon White to the outside instead of sitting him in a 4-3 and and3 and really allowing him to bully and manhandle opposing centers and guards. Absolutely. I am going to flip over to the offensive side of the ball, and I'm going to go with the obvious. And I do believe that right now the left side of the offensive line is the thinnest, not necessarily the thinnest when it comes to volume a lot of players back there can play the position but do the patriots have the dedicated guys to be able to get the job done right i think the jury is still out on that

Starting point is 00:19:34 chukwuma oko or four is probably going to be the left tackle you're going to see first in training camp can he sustain the blocks is the hand placement the feet placement is it right on the money in order to warrant a left tackle position Murph has been preaching this from the day the Patriots first signed Chuck Sikora for and from the day that they first drafted Caden Wallace it's all well and good to like the concept on paper it's great to see the athleticism in minicamp but when the pads come on and you start training for game settings, it can be a whole different animal. If these guys prove it, Patriots might be onto something here. If they can't, yeah, that only thins this group out even more in my estimations. That's why I

Starting point is 00:20:16 went with them. You know, the problem in the last two years is there's been a lot of great depth pieces that, you know, the guy that the next guy up that you want, the only problem is the fact that you've been asking them to be the first man up and it hasn't worked out. Right. You know, it just hasn't worked out. Chucks could come in and take a few snaps at, at a left tackle.

Starting point is 00:20:36 If there was a legitimate left tackle here, and I'm just not sure that, that he's going to be able to get that done. I think the Patriots brass really swung and missed here. And who knows what that means on the field. It doesn't just have an effect on this offensive line, folks. It has a ripple effect throughout the entire offense, Murph. We're talking the quarterback position.

Starting point is 00:20:56 How quickly does Jacoby Brissett hand piece to the kingdom over to Drake May? Is that line capable of protecting him? Can that line open up the lanes that were Mundray Stevenson and Antonio Gibson? Does the lack of guys on the left side make this offense all that more predictable? Do they have to run right? Do they have to go off center to that side, off tackle to that side? Those are the real questions. When you sit back and you talk about how predictable an offense is, it's because you can't do all three things. You can't run right. You can't run left.

Starting point is 00:21:33 Your quarterback can't roll out to that side, even if he's eminently capable of, as I think Drake May is. And these are all concepts that just trickle down and trickle down to go on the other side and just pick on the defense just a little bit the question that dave brought up here today i believe lends itself quite nicely into the dual set of questions we're gonna get yeah folks we teased it earlier and he gets the dual set our good friend lj trader lj from our days in sharing the mock drafts lj had not one but two dynamic questions that we wanted to share today murph and the first being my weakest

Starting point is 00:22:12 side of the ball right now when it comes to the patriots the thinnest positional depth chart in my estimation on this roster lj wants to know what the patriots are going to do about it with training camp approaching lj asks will the patriots fill a need and sign a left tackle will they wait to see who gets cut or will they make a trade dunmurf look into your wolfian slash maoian crystal ball what will the patriots do to address this situation i think i think i think a week into practice they're going to realize that this experiment is not working out and they're going to go throw some money at a left tackle. I've been preaching DJ Humphries for months right now. You can bring him in here on a short-term deal with some guaranteed money. I think that'd be a great, great move. Also, Donovan Smith is a very young 31 and he's only been in the league eight years. So maybe you could go and give him a call.

Starting point is 00:23:09 Neither of these guys are all pros. Neither of these guys are going to light the team on fire. But like I said, they're legitimate left tackles. They are guys that are going to move other people back on the depth chart. And I wouldn't mind seeing them sign one or both of them. You're not going to – any trade for a left tackle, you're either going to be overpaying in an unbelievable way through draft picks and maybe a player. People are talking about moving Matthew Judon.

Starting point is 00:23:42 I don't think that Judon will get you a left tackle that is worth a Judon. I want Judon here, okay? I do not want him playing anywhere else. I want him here for the rest of his career. I said this a couple of weeks ago. Get him signed. Give him a two-year deal and make it fair for everybody. But, you know, so I don't want to see that happening.

Starting point is 00:24:02 So who are you going to trade? You're going to trade draft picks. And would you trade draft picks, a second or a third round draft pick for a left tackle? I don't think anybody that's out there right now that a team would give up is worth that freight, especially where the Patriots are going to be picking. Okay, because best case scenario, guys, this team is probably seven and 10, eight and nine. The way things are looking right now, I'm taking into consideration all the new pieces and when we're going to see may and things like that. Um, so please don't get on me right to Mike and say, what the hell is Murph talking about? This is a 17 win team. That's not,

Starting point is 00:24:43 it's really not. This team is not going to compete for a world championship this year. They could compete for a playoff spot, and I will go that far. But anybody that you would trade for right now would cost you too much. Go out and spend the money. Without question. I think you're absolutely right. And look, I agree with you. I don't think the

Starting point is 00:25:05 patriots are going the trade route it's going to be way too costly yet we'll be overpaying for talent um as good as matthew judon is that is not a big enough to bring back the type of offensive tackle you would need to bring back to warrant a trade like that you look at the list of available names out there donovan smith is intriguing i do like this and i think it makes a lot of sense uh and i'll go into why in just a moment but david bakhtiari dj humphries jason peters billy turner these are the things that are out there right now and i agree with you i think bakhtiari is probably not the fit that you need in this system um unfreeze is someone that could be a possibility maybe peters maybe turner uh. Cameron Irvin is another name out there. Riley Rafe is still available out there.

Starting point is 00:25:48 Yeah, how about 53-year-old Dwayne Brown? I hung a couple of years on him there, but no, we're not going there. Smith, to me, makes some sense, and I could see this happening. I'm not saying it's imminent, folks, and I don't have inside information as to whether or not these two sides have even been talking or whether or not this is even on the radar. But the thing that I like about Smith, durability. You look at the time. Since he's been in the league in 2015, he's never played any less than 96% of his team's offensive snaps in a given season. Three times, 2015, 2016, and then 2018, he played 100%

Starting point is 00:26:27 of the snaps. So this guy is not someone that takes a whole lot of time off. Last year, he played 98% of Kansas City's snaps, not just durability, but also restraint on the field. One thing you want to maintain in left tackles is your ability to avoid penalties. Last year, he was only whistled for five, four holding penalties and one false start. So not someone that's going to be wearing out the whistle of the, uh, the referee. So this to me could make some sense. He's got experience in successful systems, whether it be in Tampa Bay or whether it be in Kansas city, he's won Super Bowl rings with both of these teams. This could be a call I could see the Patriots making. The left tackles that are cut are few and far between. And the expanded cap

Starting point is 00:27:11 this year has really made it even more difficult because now you can afford to keep those depth pieces that you might have overpaid a year or two ago to bring in and then found somebody better than them. Great point on the cap. Great point on the position, because especially when you talk about the portion of LJ's question that involves waiting until roster cutdowns to see who gets cut. Yeah, the position that you may need may not be well stocked or may not be affordable. It's one of the reasons I wanted Alt so badly. It's one of the reasons i wanted a cornerstone

Starting point is 00:27:46 left tackle because you just don't fish them out of the pool the way you did in 1999 very true very very true lj a great question hope we were able to provide at least a little headway for you ultimately the only ones that know what's going to happen are the patriots it's going to be gerard mayo in the head coaching seat it's going to be a the Patriots. It's going to be Gerard Mayo in the head coaching seat. It's going to be Alex Van Pelt. It's going to be Scott Peters. They're going to be the ones that make the call on what happens with this offensive line. But Murph and I are both in full agreement with you, my friend.

Starting point is 00:28:16 Patriots do need to address this somehow, some way, in some way, shape, or form. I believe they will. We'll find out in due time within the coming weeks. But there's also a position that right now LJ is not happy with. It doesn't include offense. It doesn't include defense. It includes special teams, but it does include a very strong component when it comes to scoring. Yeah, that's right, folks. LJ is not happy with the kickers on this roster and wants to know what the Patriots are going to do about it. I don't know if we've got great news for LJ's not happy with the kickers on this roster and wants to know what the Patriots are going to do about it.

Starting point is 00:28:45 I don't know if we've got great news for LJ to answer this question, but we're going to attempt to do so when we close up the Locked On Patriots mailbag right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Listen up, Locked On listeners. Your beloved boys from Boston have a homestand coming up at Fenway. You want tickets, but you're not quite sure how to go about getting them.

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Starting point is 00:31:17 So smash that subscribe button and download and follow wherever you're getting your podcasts to ensure you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. And here today to help us open and wade through and lend wisdom and counsel to the Locked On Patriots mailbag is our good friend, the legend himself, the Count of Murphy Fisto, the Green King of Sting, the Dancing Destroyer. All the names that you could possibly imagine. He earns them all, the good ones that be, folks. My good friend, Thomas Murphy. Murph, we've talked a lot about the Patriots' strengths and weaknesses heading into training camp in just over a week but our good friend lj has uh a proverbial bone to pick i guess would be the best way to put it with some of the positional groups on this roster definitely with the left tackle position he wanted to know how the patriots are going to

Starting point is 00:32:02 address that we talked about that in the previous segment. But another subject that is very poignant. Absolutely. Folks, Murph is absolutely right. Kickers count. And my good friend Pete Collins, co-host of the Foxborough Fellows podcast, a couple of weeks ago joined us here. And he talked about the kicker position being perhaps one of the most intriguing positional battles between both Chad Ryland and Joey Sly.

Starting point is 00:32:29 But I don't think LJ is happy with the kicker position as a whole right now. I don't think he's going to be joining their fan club anytime soon. Because once again, LJ drops a question into the mailbag. And for the benefit of those of you listening to this podcast as opposed to viewing it, LJ's question reads as follows. Will the Patriots address the kicker situation? Murph, Chad Ryland is the incumbent. Joey Sly is the free agent addition that could challenge him. Is it going to be either one of these guys?

Starting point is 00:32:59 Or do the Patriots still have some work to do out there to find out what's going to happen when it comes to the kickers? All right. They still have some work to do out there to find out what's going to happen when it comes to the kickers? All right. They still have some work to do to find out what's happening with the kickers. But you're going to get one of these guys. Okay. They've had ample time to go out there and do this. And they should have.

Starting point is 00:33:14 And they should have done more. I'm not in love with either of these guys. But who are you going to go out and get now? They're going to dance with one of these dudes all season long. One will go to the practice squad if one doesn't, you know, there always could be a surprise cut, you know, a rookie just wow somebody out there in their training camp somewhere else. And the Patriots could pick up a veteran that gets let go.

Starting point is 00:33:46 You know, but again, those guys, how much better are they going to be than these two? So, yeah, no, sorry, LJ. I know you wanted more, but that's really it. I mean, there's nothing out there on the market right now. And you're just going to have to wait and see, I could be wrong, but if anything happens, it's going to be because somebody else gets cut somewhere else. Good point. And again, I think it comes back to LJ's question from the previous segment, Murph, who are you going to wait? Are you going to wait and see who gets cut? I think it's much more

Starting point is 00:34:19 likely they do that when it comes to kickers than with the offensive linemen. But I agree with you. I do agree with you. If it's going to be one of these guys, and I believe it will be, I still think it's going to be Chad Ryland. And a lot of people are saying that, you know, Sly can challenge. Look, I don't doubt Joey Sly's ability to kick in the NFL and to be a solid option and maybe even a starting option for a number of different teams out there. Joey set a career record last year with the Commanders for not only a franchise best, but also a career best in 61 yards. This kid can kick for distance overall throughout his career, 121 of 147. That's 82.3%.

Starting point is 00:34:57 He's made 138 extra points, 238 touchbacks on kickoffs. This kid can definitely kick, and he can do a number of different things well. But Patriots invested serious capital in Chad Ryland. Whether you agree with taking him in the fourth round or not, folks, when you've invested that type of draft capital, if this kid proves that he can get the job done, at least at an adequate level, I think the Patriots are incumbent upon themselves to give him an opportunity to continue to earn that job. I see comparisons to Justin Rohrwasser a couple of years ago. Rohrwasser came in here, proved that he could not be an NFL kicker. He was cut

Starting point is 00:35:36 by the Patriots and never heard from again when it came to an NFL football field. And yes, I know the off the field stuff factored into that, but believe me when I tell you, if this kid could kick the ball, he'd be on a roster right now. He couldn't do it. And that was just a big swing and a miss for the New England Patriots. Chad Ryland is not Justin Rohrwasser. He has the ability to be a kicker in this league. The question is whether or not he has the ability to be a full-time NFL kicker on one of the 32 NFL rosters, or if he's a practice squad guy that's going to really kind of push others and be someone that you can rely on in a pinch or someone that can come in off the bench. That I think the jury is still out on right now. This kid had a great year in Maryland, did great things at Eastern Michigan when he was there. Last year was not a good year for him statistically overall, but when you hit a game winner in a clutch situation in a hostile

Starting point is 00:36:29 environment in Denver, a 56-yarder to win the game, national television on Christmas Eve, yeah, you prove that you do have some ice water in those veins. That's why I think they give Chad Ryland an opportunity, every opportunity to win this job until he proves to them that he can't win it. Yep. I agree. I agree. They'll give him the shot.

Starting point is 00:36:51 But once again, you had opportunities to go out there and sign, you know, big names and you didn't, you didn't do it in a year that you had, you had the money to do it. These are the guys that you're going to dance the whole night with. It speaks volumes to just how important that position was and how spoiled we were here in New England for so many years, having Adam Vinatieri followed up by Steven Gustavski and then a little bit of a hiccup there with some of the legs that came in and out and then settling on Nick Folk, and he became a guy that could be relied upon. You know,

Starting point is 00:37:27 there were times where the Patriots were relying on Nick Falk to be their primary scorer and he delivered each and every time. So we've always, we've always been spoiled a kicker. Yeah. Now, now you see what happens. Absolutely. Going back, going back really far and going back to the days of the late great Gino Capoletti. You know, you love, love, love the kicking tradition here in new England and whether or not they have the guy on staff right now that can continue.

Starting point is 00:37:52 That tradition is still very much under conjecture, but we're going to continue to keep our eye on it. And one of the things I love most about mailbag, Monday, telegraph, Tuesday, whatever you want to call it, sharing the microphone with my good friend here

Starting point is 00:38:05 who continues to knock it out of the park. I do want to give a major tip of the cap to David and to LJ for providing four great questions today that allowed us to be able to take deep dives into some very intriguing aspects of the Patriots roster, and hopefully we've given you a little bit of headway. But did we hit all the areas? Are there still some areas out there that you have concerns on folks drop us a note in the comment section

Starting point is 00:38:30 below we'd love to hear from you keep it respectful we will do the same and we always love to interact with all of you great everydayers casual listeners and if you're a first timer we hope you've heard something you like today that'll keep you coming back for more. Bottom line, my good friend keeps coming back for more each and every week, and we could not be happier or we could not be more fortunate to welcome him back. And that is my good friend, Thomas Murphy. Murph, before I let you go today, my friend, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you've got marinating in Murph's kitchen

Starting point is 00:39:01 until the next time you take the microphone with me here on Lockdown Patriots? Well, you can reach out to me on Zitter at TMurph207. You can read me over there at DieHardBostonSports.com. Yeah, I'm working on a pre-camp roster breakdown right now. Whenever Murph puts pen to paper, voice to microphone, it's always appointment listening, appointment viewing. You're informed, you're entertained, and you come out a better fan. What more can you ask for, especially when it comes to the NFL and

Starting point is 00:39:29 mostly when it comes to Major League Baseball and your Boston Red Sox. So check that out. And folks, we are just scratching the surface here on Locked On Patriots. A full five-show slate here on Locked On all week long. In the meantime, a tip of the cap to my good friend Thomas Murphy for joining me here today

Starting point is 00:39:47 and also heartfelt thanks from the bottom of my heart for all of you Locked On everydayers, all of you listeners that make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate reminding you all to stay safe and to stay well and to 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.

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