Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Matt Corral, Jaelan Reagor, Roster Surprises and Breakout Candidates

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. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen every day. Remember, Lockdown Patriots is a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. So subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that

Starting point is 00:00:46 you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm 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 Twitter, on X, the Bird app, whatever you want to call it, at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L.

Starting point is 00:01:02 And while you're out there showing some love on social media to Locked On Patriots, follow the account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, today on the program, we bring you into your Labor Day weekend by talking a little Patriots rosters. Obviously, two new signings that we're going to break down in just a moment. We're going to talk biggest roster surprises and potential breakout candidates. And here to do it is someone that's going to lend a thicket of intellectual reason

Starting point is 00:01:30 here on Locked On Patriots, as he always does. My Patriots pison columnist extraordinaire for patsfans.com and the co-host of an amazing Patriots podcast, Patriots 4th and 2 alongside Derek Avins. My good buddy Steve Balistrieri joins me here today. Steve, welcome to Lockdown Patriots. Thanks for joining me here on this Friday episode. Thanks for inviting me. It's a great way to kick off Labor Day weekend, talk football

Starting point is 00:01:56 with my buddy. And you do a great job, by the way. Thank you. And yeah, I mean, we're getting into regular season mode now. You know, now the practices are in that regular season mode where the media only get to see a couple of minutes. All the prep now is going toward the Eagles.

Starting point is 00:02:18 So. Absolutely. We're only nine days away from heaven. It's true. It really is. It's been a long off season, but the full attention of Patriots nation is now on the regular season and a Sunday date with the Philadelphia Eagles,

Starting point is 00:02:33 September 10th at Gillette stadium. Tom Brady's going to be in the house. Steve, a lot of excitement going to be in the air. Steve with 53 man roster set and the practice squad now set. We take a look at the roster in Ernst. We take a look at it from top to bottom, all of the positional groupings and the practice squad as well. But two new additions that the Patriots made on Thursday did cause some eyebrows to be raised. And the first one was a claim off waivers from the Carolina Panthers and that is 24 year old Matt Corral

Starting point is 00:03:06 coming into the we assume in the mix for a backup quarterback position with Bailey Zappi also with Malik Cunningham don't forget folks the fact that Corral was claimed by the Patriots mean he automatically joins the 53 man roster he is not a squad guy, so if you look at the Patriots depth chart right now, it's Mack Jones and Mack Corral. Steve, obviously there is a good amount of pedigree from his time at Ole Miss playing under Lane Kiffin. This was a kid that did a pretty good job and warranted a third-round pick from the Carolina Panthers just two years ago, but at the same time, he missed his entire rookie season with a list-rank injury, and he was trying to make the squad this year,

Starting point is 00:03:49 was a clear number three in Carolina's pecking order. But there is a lot to like about this kid's game, a lot of potential as opposed to prowess, present-day prowess. When you saw this claim, what was your thought right off the bat, and what does this mean for Bailey Zappi and for Malik Cunningham in your estimation? Well, I think that, first of all, I think it was a good pickup. You know, his last two years in Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin, you know, was RPO heavy. I'm not going to say it's the exact same kind of offense that Bill O'Brien runs,

Starting point is 00:04:26 but it's in the same vein. It's similar. And I think he'll be able to pick that up fast. And he was very successful at it. In his two seasons under Kiffin, he threw 49 touchdowns, I think, nearly 7,000 yards in 23 games. Those are some good numbers there. And I think, you know, it's going to be, I think,

Starting point is 00:04:54 an easier transition for him to learn the Patriots offense, where Bailey Zappi is really not a fit for Bill O'Brien's offense. So I think that probably the first couple of weeks of the season, I think Zappi will be activated, and he'll probably be the de facto backup while Corral learns the ins and outs of the offense. But I think it won't be long before he's the actual backup. I don't think it bodes well long-term for Zappi here. In regards to Cunningham, I think Cunningham

Starting point is 00:05:34 is your developmental guy. He's your scout team quarterback. He's going to play a valuable role, especially coming into week one against Philly, because they need to be prepared for Jalen Hurts. Absolutely. And I'm so glad that you mentioned that, because the style of play that Corral is going to bring to this team is, like you said, that spread RPO-heavy scheme that he ran very well under Lane Kiffin. And Mac Jones ran a very similar system at Alabama. So you've got a lot of synergy now. And I think that can really help Corral catch on to this offense a little bit quicker than people think he's going to

Starting point is 00:06:13 because of the knowledge he's bringing and the familiarity he has with that type of an offense. I think you also made a very good point, and I want to stress this, folks. It does not mean that Mac Corral is coming in here to change the Bill O'Brien offense or that he's a perfect hand and glove fit it's not 100 the same system but there are enough similarities to let i think the patriots coaching staff know that this may be a better fit under bill o'brien than maybe bailey zappy was so

Starting point is 00:06:41 you mentioned his ability and his prowess. Two seasons under Lane Kiffin completed 69.2% of his passes. You were right, 6,686 yards, 49 touchdowns, as opposed to 19 interceptions in 23 games. So that right there shows you folks that in the proper system with the proper coaching staff put in place, Matt Corral can be an interesting prospect, and I think the Patriots are going to see what they have. Who knows what this means for Bailey Zappi moving forward. I think this could be an opportunity for the Patriots to maybe restock their quarterback position a little bit

Starting point is 00:07:18 and maybe make it a little more tailor-made to what Bill is going to coordinate and maybe a little bit more of a complement to what Matt brings to the table as the undisputed starter. The New England Patriots also active in the wide receiver market and I know a lot of fans were hoping that they would be either prior to roster cutdowns or during training camp or even if you want to go as far back as the draft. A lot of Patriots fans were clamoring for a number one pick to come in and be the wide receiver here in New England. Well, they got one, but I don't think it's the one that a lot of Patriots fans were thinking of or maybe even the one they wanted. And that's Jalen Rager, the former top pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, cut by the Minnesota Vikings, cleared waivers.

Starting point is 00:08:00 This guy was the 21st overall selection in 2020. All the talent in the world, all the prowess, the upside, hasn't been able to put it together in the NFL. We talked a little bit offline about this, Steve. We see this move as a developmental practice squad prospect, but nothing really more than that at this point. A high ceiling for the kid, but not necessarily the floor that I think a lot of Patriots fans were expecting in getting a new wide out.

Starting point is 00:08:26 What are your thoughts on this move? What should the Patriots expect out of Jalen Rager? Well, I think right now it's a low risk. I mean, you're putting him on the practice squad with the possibility of a very high return. And, you know, this guy has speed. I mean, we've seen that. That was one of the reasons he was drafted. You know, he has that blistering speed, not maybe quite as fast as Tyquan Thornton, but he brings that element to an offense. Now, if he can learn the Patriots offense and the route tree,

Starting point is 00:09:11 there's no limit to what he could accomplish. Are they expecting this? No, because they didn't sign him to the active roster. They signed him to the practice squad. So I think this was a good move for the Patriots, especially with Thornton being on IR for the first four games of the season. If this guy can catch up, you know, he can bring that speed element to the outside.

Starting point is 00:09:37 Now he's had trouble with drops, but, you know, this is something they can work with and it's giving him a clean slate. There's no pressure on him whatsoever, you know he because he is a practice squad player and as we talked about uh you know offline i think they're just going to tell him look you just need to learn the playbook learn the route tree work as hard as you can and put the time in and practice and we'll see where the chips fall i I think this was a really good move. And, you know, in regards to the number one wide receiver that everyone keeps wanting, they won six Super Bowls without one, unless you consider David Patton, you know, Givens, JoJo LaFell, Chris Hogan. They weren't number one guys.

Starting point is 00:10:26 No, and I think in a lot of ways, I think fans are looking for that type of player that's going to draw the attention of the defense. That one guy that a defense looks at and says, we cannot let this guy beat us. We have to dedicate two, maybe three defenders to stopping this guy. I understand where the clamoring comes from but I think the way the Patriots are set up in Bill O'Brien's offense is to beat you with multiple weapons and I don't want to say with deception but maybe with a little bit of uncertainty because you're not sure who's going to be that guy to break out one game it might be Devante Parker the next game it might be Mike Gusecki or it might be Hunter Henry at the tight end position. And you've got versatile weapons that can help you.

Starting point is 00:11:06 And I know I'm missing a lot of folks here, but I'm just giving you a couple of examples. But bottom line, I think that's where the Patriots do their best work. But Rager, I think low risk with a high reward is the best way to describe this kid. 45 career appearances, including 24 starts in the NFL, 72 catches, 799 yards, four touchdowns when aligning as a wideout. Here's an interesting point, and Evan Lazar of Patriots.com originally brought this up, and it got me thinking, and I did a little work looking into it myself last night. Rager's ability to carry the football also may have factored slightly into the Patriots decision to bring him in. He's rushed for 83 yards through

Starting point is 00:11:45 18 carries, 1,343 total snaps on offense. If you look at those numbers, they're not really proportionate to someone carrying the ball out of the backfield or on a jet suite, but the Patriots wanted to use Tyquan Thornton in this manner. Tyquan has not been healthy enough to take this role on on a regular basis. Pop Douglas, I think in a lot of ways, the Pats would prefer not to utilize him there because I don't think they want to risk injury. So the Eagles, bottom line, a very good defense, but they've had their difficulties defending motion.

Starting point is 00:12:19 So who knows? If Rager comes in here, I know it's a lot to to ask and I don't think he'll be up to speed in time to be active for this game coming up against the Eagles but maybe he can give them enough intel to help the Patriots be able to utilize that motion and be able to utilize what he can do well so that's something to watch with Jalen Rager and again I want to give a nod to Evan for getting the ball rolling this was his statistic and I did look into, and it does make a lot of sense based on what we've seen and what the Patriots like to do. Steve, one other aspect of his game that could be intriguing for the Patriots is the return game. This is a kid that, for the Eagles, averaged 21.3 yards per return on kick returns and 9.2 yards per return on punts.

Starting point is 00:13:07 Good numbers there, not phenomenal numbers, but average numbers. That dropped last year from Minnesota to 6.4. And from those that I've talked to close to the Minnesota camp, he's had his difficulties with drops and muffs on a regular basis. Do you think the Patriots may look to utilize him in this fashion, or do we really need to be thanking our lucky stars that the Patriots just see him as a developmental wide receiver prospect and nothing else? I don't think they'll use him with the punt game because Marcus Jones is,

Starting point is 00:13:38 I think that's his job right there. Of course. But I wouldn't be surprised if somebody gets dinged up and they use him as a kick returner. You know, not the primary one, but maybe a backup kick returner, you know, if something were to arise. Sure, because I don't think his issues with kick returns are the same as he's had, you know, with the punts.

Starting point is 00:14:09 And sometimes that's just a mental block that happens to these guys. We'll see. I think, as you said, low risk, high reward type of, you know, return for this guy. I don't think it was a bad move at all. You know, we'll see how it all plays out yeah we will absolutely we'll see how it all plays out and don't forget folks low risk high reward capability doesn't mean it's going to hit the target but as a practice squatter you definitely have to take a shot there's this first round Yeah, it didn't work out for him in Philly.

Starting point is 00:14:48 You know, it didn't work out for him in Minnesota, but it doesn't mean the guy is a total bust yet. I mean, he's still young, and, you know, we'll see what happens. Yeah, absolutely. I think the fact that he was taken one pick above Justin Jefferson makes it look a little worse, being 2020 but coming out of college I mean Rager was very highly touted because of the upside that he has and if someone can harness that it gives you the opportunity to put someone out there that can really make significant contribution and that leads me quite nicely into what we're going to talk about in just a moment, and that is biggest roster surprises, folks.

Starting point is 00:15:26 Now that the 53-man roster has been set, at least the initial one that's going into this week's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles, who surprised you the most by being on the roster? Who also surprised you most by being off the roster? Steve and I are going to talk about surprise makes and surprise cuts when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, football season is about to kick off and FanDuel is giving you the chance to

Starting point is 00:15:55 win all season long. Because right now, when you bet on a Super Bowl winner, you can get bonus bets every time they win in the regular season. Just pick any team to win the Super Bowl, and you'll get bonus bets for every victory. Feeling a little confident about your favorite team in Foxborough? Put your Patriots fandom to the test with FanDuel. You can use your bonus bets on spreads, player prompts, over-unders, and more. So visit FanDuel.com slash LockedOn and start earning bonus bets with America's number one sportsbook.

Starting point is 00:16:26 That's Fanduel.com slash Locked On. Pats fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, taking you into your Labor Day weekend with our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com and Patriots 4th and 2. And Steve, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about what Jalen Rager and Matt Corral can bring to this team this year. Obviously, two signings that are, I don't want to say under the radar, but two signings that were not blockbusters, but really the potential to pay off in a big way if they

Starting point is 00:17:00 can work out the way the Patriots hope they do. So that being said, the Patriots also made a lot of moves this week that they are hoping work out the way the Patriots hope they do. So that being said, the Patriots also made a lot of moves this week that they are hoping work out the way they intended to, and that is setting their 53-man roster. There were some surprises. We all know about Bailey Zappi and Malik Cunningham finding their way onto the cutting room floor and then back via the practice squad. It was a little surprise that the Patriots only left two running backs on the roster, but they've restocked there via the practice squad. Let's start with the positives first.

Starting point is 00:17:35 In terms of Patriots players that surprisingly, in your opinion, made this roster where you thought they might have been more bubble candidates or on the outside, which Patriots that are Patriots as we speak surprised you the most after roster cutouts? Probably, I'm thinking Amir Speed. I was kind of thinking that they might bring him back on the practice squad. I was kind of hoping Isaiah Bolden would make the initial cut and then place him on IR. But apparently, you know, that concussion he suffered in Green Bay might be a little more severe.

Starting point is 00:18:14 So they opted to put him on IR before the cuts, which means he's lost for the season. But I think Speed was maybe the biggest surprise for me. I wasn't shocked by any of the other additions, really. I'm going to go with him. Yeah, I think Speed surprised some people, although from what I'm hearing, the selection of Amir Speed back in April's draft did cause a little bit of a ripple effect

Starting point is 00:18:44 throughout the league of people to start taking note and from what I'm hearing there were at least two three maybe even four teams out there that may have been eyeing him hoping that he'd end up on the cutting room floor through waivers and they could put on a claim on him I think it forced a lot of people to take a look at some of his tape and it was impressive some of the stuff that you saw in college and especially with Isaiah Bolden going down I think they were looking for that core special team or someone that could come in maybe be a little bit of a threat in the return game who knows you've seen him do that he may be there but mostly for special teams acumen and special teams prowess

Starting point is 00:19:18 maybe even take a few snaps of cornerback if need be i think the patriots felt they couldn't expose him and risk losing him. So putting him on the roster was definitely a good move. And I see where a lot of that could be a surprise because most people did have him on the outside looking in when it came to Patriots that were a surprise make. Steve, we hate to end on a low note and we're not going to do that because we still do have another great topic to discuss in terms of breakout candidates but there are a lot of players that unfortunately did lose their jobs in New England this week and it's always the most unfortunate part of roster cut down uh players that were cut loose that weren't brought back as a member of the practice squad in your opinion

Starting point is 00:19:59 when you look at this roster who are you most surprised that got cut, that hasn't returned as a member of the practice squad for the Patriots? I think it would be Jason Hines. Very good choice. You know, he was picked up by the Dolphins. You know, he struggled a little bit in pass protection, but he showed some good flashes throughout the summer, and I know everyone was talking about the Kevin Harris touchdown, but he flashed more than just that one particular play in the running game. And I thought he was a really good developmental prospect. I was kind of hoping that they would bring him back. I think that probably was the biggest loss that they suffered.

Starting point is 00:20:49 I mean, some of the other guys showed well. They just weren't, you know, it comes down to a numbers game. And sad to see Nick Volko, as I'm sure you are. But at the same time, I mean, he's getting up there in age. And they opted for a younger kicker in the draft. I mean, Chad Ryland has a huge leg. They drafted him in the fourth round. So I can't argue with the logic behind that.

Starting point is 00:21:18 I mean, you know, Bill's never caught a fourth-round player in his rookie season who's healthy. I assume he's going to make it. Yeah, I think those two factors really are the main reason why Chad Ryland is the kicker on this team and not Nick Fulk. Look, a fourth-round pick is a high investment. The Patriots traded up to get Chad Ryland. They obviously targeted him. They knew this is the guy they wanted.

Starting point is 00:21:44 He came into camp and showed enough of his prowess to be close enough in the race with Nick in order to warrant that spot, at least in my opinion. This is not a Rohrwasser situation, folks. A couple years ago, Justin came in, a lot of controversy. That aside, he didn't earn the job. He just plain loud did not earn the job. He was erratic. He wasn't reliable, didn't have the job he just plain loud did not earn the job he was erratic he wasn't reliable didn't have the distance or the ability to kick in the clutch the way the Patriots thought he might and that was one of the big reasons why Nick ended up coming back winning the job and really taking you know Justin out of the equation because Patriots used the fifth rounder on him obviously they were high enough on him to use that type of draft capital to draft a kid that a lot of people felt may have been there at the end of the draft for them to sign.

Starting point is 00:22:27 And it didn't work out. They weren't afraid to move on. This situation was not like that. Chad Ryland came in and showed enough of his leg and enough accuracy prowess to warrant the job. He's still got to work on that a little bit, folks. There's no question about it. But he was close enough to not really give the Patriots any choice. And I'm going to miss Nick tremendously from a personal level and from a professional level as well. But it was time for the Patriots to move on. And I think they showed that with the selection of Ryland.

Starting point is 00:22:57 So Jason Hines is a good choice there because of what he brings and the versatility where he can align at both guard and tackle something that the Patriots would love I'm sure to have back a little surprised to see Bill Murray go actually I think with all of the starting level snaps that he was getting during dream camp a lot of people expected him to stick around I thought he might be a good swing option at guard or at tackle he was getting a lot of those snaps as well. But Chicago picking him up, that's a good pickup for them. And obviously, I know a lot of people are upset that J.J. Taylor got cut loose and did not get brought back on the practice squad. You know, J.J., I think, is just looking for a fresh start at this point.

Starting point is 00:23:37 He's been a career practice squatter here in New England now for the last couple of years. And that shiftiness that he brings to the table is an NFL-ready talent, folks. And I think he wants to showcase that elsewhere. So great contributions here, but I agree with bringing back guys like Ty Montgomery and Kevin Harris over him simply because of the ceiling that Kevin Harris has.

Starting point is 00:24:00 And I think that Ty Montgomery brings you a little more size and a little more versatility in what he can bring to the table. So, folks, who are your biggest roster surprises? Who ended up on the cutting room floor that you feel should have been brought back? Who is on this roster that you feel the Patriots could have done without? We want to hear your thoughts in the comments below. As always, keep them respectful, but we welcome any and all comments here on Locked On Patriots. And, Steve, that brings us to how we're going to wrap up our show today.

Starting point is 00:24:27 And that is breakout candidates, roster candidates that might be flying under the national radar right now, or at least in some circles that might household names by the end of the season. Steve, I got a funny feeling we're going to be talking about some rookies when we return, but I don't want to step on your toes. We want to hear your wisdom and counsel, folks, and I'll sprinkle in a little of my own. When this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:24:56 Locked On listeners, buying tickets to your favorite events should not be stressful. Put the fun back into it with Game Time, the fast and easy way to buy tickets for all the sports, music, comedy, and theater near you. With killer deals on last-minute tickets and their best price guarantee, you can stop stressing over the tickets and start getting hyped for all the fun you're going to have. The GameTime guarantee means you'll always get the best price. If you find tickets in the same section and roll for less, GameTime will credit you 110% of the difference. That's why it's the fastest growing ticket app in the country. Get images of your seat before you buy

Starting point is 00:25:33 so you know exactly what to expect when you arrive. You can buy tickets in a matter of seconds, just two taps and you're set, and tickets are sent directly to your phone so you never have to dig through your email. Snag the tickets without the stress with GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply, so again, create an account and redeem the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off.

Starting point is 00:26:01 Download GameTime today. Last-minute tickets, lowest price guaranteed. Pats fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots. Joining me as well as our guest today, our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com and Patriots 4th and 2. And we're going to talk breakout roster candidates in just a few moments here on Locked On Patriots but first please remember that even though Monday is Labor Day it's a

Starting point is 00:26:29 national holiday it is still hashtag Locked On Murph Monday it is hashtag Mailbag Monday and we're taking all of your great questions all weekend long so make sure to get those in by Sunday night to have those featured here on Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:26:48 Tag us on the Bird app at LO underscore Patriots. Or if you want, drop a question in the YouTube comments section. Just put hashtag Mailbag Monday so we know that's your submission. Don't forget, folks, Mailbag Monday right here this Monday on Locked On Patriots. And Steve, what can we say, bud? It's always fun building a roster for your New England Patriots and building a practice squad and seeing the players that really stood out during camp and preseason ascend to being solid pros here in Patriots uniforms. But there were always a few that managed to rise above the rest. Players that may not have gotten a whole lot of preseason hype, but throughout their

Starting point is 00:27:25 play during preseason, during training camp, and most importantly during the regular season, tend to be pretty special members on this team. I happen to think this roster has a few of these guys, but I'm going to let you talk first. But who do you believe are the primary breakout candidates or breakout candidate, if you want to limit it to just one? Who do you believe are the primary breakout candidates or breakout candidate if you want to limit it to just one who do you believe we should be watching this year well before we start uh you mentioned murph i i had just got off the phone with him he was all excited to be talking with you on monday so be prepared he's already winding up so he's getting warmed up, folks. Oh, yeah. And you know when Murph gets warmed up.

Starting point is 00:28:07 Oh, yeah. The fire will fly. That's all we can say. Absolutely. I think in being fair with the breakout candidates, I'm going to name one from offense, defense, and special teams. Excellent. So I'm going to start with offense. I think everyone saw Peter Schrager's, you know, post there on Good Morning Football.

Starting point is 00:28:33 And I agree with them. I think Pop Douglas is going to be a real weapon for this team. And, you know, the one thing that I i noticed and i'm sure you did as well in pre-season the patriots kept him very much under wraps they didn't want to have any film on how they plan on using this kid and i think that that was for a specific reason so i'm very excited about him uh defensively it, it has to be Keyon White, another rookie. I think he is going to be a really big impact player this year. And I'm very excited to see what he can do, especially getting after the quarterback.

Starting point is 00:29:19 He is a relentless guy, all business on the field and for third um you know when it comes to special teams bryce barringer i'm very excited to see him um we've seen him i mean he kicked a 69 yarder and and uh preseason he was putting balls way up with five seconds of hang time. Frequently in practice and then actually in a couple of preseason games. I think the future is bright for all three of these kids. Absolutely. I don't think you're going to go wrong with any of those choices, folks. As a matter of fact, I think if you polled Patriots fans right now,

Starting point is 00:30:03 they would probably agree with you right down the line especially pop douglas at the wide receiver position this is a kid that really came out of i'm gonna say obscurity because he wasn't he was somewhat touted coming into otas and mini camp and the off-season workout programs and you started to see him emerge as someone that understood the playbook very quickly felt very comfortable comfortable in Bill O'Brien's offense. But then you look at the prowess and the performance on the field, and this kid just got better and better each day. It was like he would go out, make his performance, come back, study, learn what he did wrong, learn what he needed to improve, and then come back out the following day and do it.

Starting point is 00:30:42 It sounds so elementary. It sounds so rudimentary, folks. But believe me when I tell you, it can be a rarity in a football setting, especially in a training camp setting, for a player that young to come in and be able to do what he's done in a limited amount of time. This kid's football acumen is going to be just as valuable to him as his abilities on the field.

Starting point is 00:31:02 And he really is an exciting player. He's very quick, amazingly short hands, and really a very good route runner. And that's something that I was pleasantly surprised at. And watching him throughout camp really kind of solidified that. So great choice with Bob Douglas. Keon White, I completely agree with you. He's a guy that can definitely align everywhere. We saw him pretty much a line everywhere throughout preseason and throughout training camp. Outside linebacker, we saw him set in a three-point stance. He's rushing the passer. He can play the run, which I think is an area where he may come into play against the Eagles,

Starting point is 00:31:36 especially in week one, if he gets some playing time. And toward the middle part of the season, it wouldn't shock me to see this get dropped back into coverage a little bit when some of that conditioning really starts to kick in, he can pretty much do it all over the field. So great choice with him. I'm also going to give a little love to Martin Mapu because I think Mapu can give you such an amazing opportunity to do so much on this team. He can line up anywhere on defense. We've said this several times here on Locked On Patriots. He's in man coverage a lot of times. He'll go into safety zone packages.

Starting point is 00:32:11 You also see him line up as sub package linebacker. These are such intricate type of roles that the New England Patriots love to employ, and they're giving them to a rookie. And that shows you exactly how much understanding he has of this system and I think to me it just speaks so highly of him whether you see him playing next to Juwan Bentley off the ball or on the defensive line free safety strong safety he's aligned at both you're going to continue to see him and it creates again a lot of uncertainty you're not sure what he's going to do at any given moment that's a hell of a weapon to have sure what he's going to do at any given moment uh that's a

Starting point is 00:32:45 hell of a weapon to have for the patriots and then of course on special teams i think you're right on the money with beringer i think another breakout candidate to watch this year is brendan schooler i know he had a tremendous year last year i look for him to ascend because obviously matthew slater is not getting any younger it pains me to say that we might be watching Matthew's final season here in the NFL. Not a given, folks, but it might be. And if it is, I think Schooler is that guy that's being groomed to kind of take over as the director of traffic back there in the special teams. The kid's got the knowledge and the smarts to do it, so I look for a big leap from him this year as well. So in terms of breakout candidates, Steve,

Starting point is 00:33:26 is there anybody that you think we've missed here? Is there anyone that you think is really under the radar that might shock the world here with the New England Patriots? Or are these guys pretty much on the map already? Well, I don't know if he's under the radar so much, but a guy that I foresee having a big season in this offense is Mike Isiki. You know, Bill O'Brien's offense has traditionally run through the tight ends. And I think, you know, he's one of those guys,

Starting point is 00:33:57 he's maybe not a traditional type tight end. He's more of a big wide receiver. But I think he's going to thrive in this offense and i think him and mac jones are going to have some really good chemistry and i think henry as well i mean i don't know if that's considered under the radar but i think those guys we haven't really talked about them that much and you haven't seen much nationally about them i think they're uh on paper you know one of the best tight end duels in the league yeah i think you can make the argument that they are and look this team is going to run a lot of 12 personnel we saw them do it in training camp

Starting point is 00:34:39 in preseason they're going to continue that they've got the two tight ends to be able to do it i also like the fact that they have guys like Matt Sokol and Pharoah Brown that are on this practice squad, two guys that are more than capable blockers. They can catch passes out there too. Sokol, I think, did a great job of showing the world that he's capable of making contested catches, even diving grabs if he needs to. It's not something he's going to do as well or as often as Kasicki or Henry, folks, not even close. But if you need him to do it, he's got the ability to do it as well.

Starting point is 00:35:09 And look at some of the film on Pharaoh Brown. I know Bill O'Brien liked this kid when he played for him in Houston in 2020, and that had to factor into the decision for the Patriots to bring him in there as well. So good tight endage talk. Claire will be very proud of you, Steve. There's no question about that. And I definitely don't think this gentleman is under the radar in any sense

Starting point is 00:35:30 of the word, but I really, really am looking forward to seeing Kendrick Bourne ball out this year. I really, really want to see it. Kendrick is one of the most likable and one of the most affable guys on this roster. You can't help but root for him with all of the energy

Starting point is 00:35:45 and all of the candidness that he brings to the table. But I think you're going to see his skill set brought out in ways that you haven't seen before. We thought a couple of years ago this kid was special, and he is. I think Bill O'Brien's going to bring even more out of it, folks. I think you're going to see the occasional jet sweep from him. Who knows? You might even see him grab the ball and throw a pass.

Starting point is 00:36:06 We've seen that before. But ultimately, you're going to see dual threat capabilities both in the slot and on the perimeter that I think you're going to know and love about Kendrick Bourne. And I hope comes out and shows the world what he's capable of doing, because I think last year was such a rough year for him. He deserves it. And you can hear it in his teammates when they talk about him too. They're rooting for him, including one Mac Jones.

Starting point is 00:36:30 And that's a good guy to have on your side if you're a wide receiver. Steve, what can I say? It's always a blast whenever you come on and lead your wisdom and counsel here on Locked On Patriots the way only you can. Before I let you go, my friend, and give you back your Labor Day weekend, please let everyone know where they can find you and where they can follow your great work. Yeah, thanks again, Mike. I mean, this sets the weekend off on a perfect note, and I love talking football with you. I missed being up there at training camp again this year with you. I'm going to have to remedy that situation next year.

Starting point is 00:37:07 Yes. And make a trip up there and go to training camp. But, you know, I'm on Twitter at SteveBS7SFG, as it shows at the bottom of the screen there. And at PatsFans.com this week week i'm doing a breakdown of the roster and the practice squad and gonna write about you know how they shape up and what we could be looking forward to this season i think they're going to be a lot better than people are giving them credit for i saw yesterday where the over under win total for this team is 6.5. I think that's way too low. Yeah, I think it's way too low as well. Look, bottom line,

Starting point is 00:37:53 whether you agree with his methods, whether you are perplexed by his methods at times, if you're questioning Bill Belichick's track record to put out winning teams on the field, you're probably not paying close attention, folks. I understand that there is a desire for fans and media alike to want to be able to cover a winning team and to want to be able to root for a winning team. We all do. And fans should want their team to win and win at a high level every single year. But what this team has done for the last two decades is not an accident, folks. It is big on team building. And I know the gentleman that wore number 12 up here for a number of years masked a lot of deficiencies on this team in years past.

Starting point is 00:38:33 But the one thing that you can always credit is that the Patriots had the players in place on all areas of the roster to make these teams special. I'm not saying this team is going to be that level this year, but I'm seeing things in this team that I haven't seen in quite a while. A swagger, a quiet confidence, an ability to rise above a lot of negative expectations and prove people wrong. And that's a dangerous thing to give a Bill Belichick coach team, folks.

Starting point is 00:39:01 So do not sleep on the New England Patriots. Do not sleep on Bill Belichick. These guys, I think, have assembled a better team than most people are giving them credit for, sometimes myself included. I get caught up in it as well, but when you look at it with a level head, you realize just how difficult it is to build a roster

Starting point is 00:39:17 and what this team needs to do. So Steve, that being said, we're ready to march into week one and week one coverage will be the norm here on Locked On Patriots, Monday through Friday, including the holidays, starting with hashtag Mailbag Monday. So get those questions in, and once again, I thank you all. All of you everydayers, all of you casual listeners, and any first-timers that we have out there, thank you for taking time out of your weekend to spend with us here on Locked On Patriots. And don't forget to download, subscribe, or follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts, including

Starting point is 00:39:49 YouTube. On behalf of my good friend, Steve Balistrieri, my Patriots Paisan, who's going to be back here with me next week to help preview the Philadelphia Eagles, I am Mike DeBate, reminding you to stay safe, to stay well, especially to stay safe this weekend on Labor Day weekend.

Starting point is 00:40:07 Enjoy it folks and enjoy it responsibly. And we can't wait to bring you Patriots coverage for week one here next week on locked on Patriots. In the meantime, have a great weekend, everyone. And we'll see you back here on Monday.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Matt Corral, Jaelan Reagor, Roster Surprises and Breakout Candidates

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.