Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Matthew Judon Restructures Contract, Training Camp Ups and Downs

Starting point is 00:00:00 Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon has repeatedly made it clear that he's happy to be a New England Patriot. This 2023 paycheck is now going to make him even happier. 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. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:55 Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate. 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 at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse or Xverse or whatever it's being called right now, be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, this episode of Locked On Patriots is brought to you by eBay Motors. The championship team is about each player being a perfect fit.

Starting point is 00:01:28 It's the same thing with your vehicle. So for parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBayMotors.com, let's ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to U.S. customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. And Pats fans, thank you once again for joining me here today, taking a little time out of your weekend

Starting point is 00:01:51 and making us your first listen each and every day. As always, a special shout out, a tip of the cap to all of you Locked On Every Dayers out there. I'm always honored, always grateful for all of the support that all of you Locked On Loyalists show to the pod each and every day. And here on this weekend edition, we're going to be breaking down the Patriots' top performers at the unofficial midway point of training camp. In stadium practice being held on Friday evening, Patriots have a day off on Saturday before hitting the practice fields once again on Sunday in preparation for Thursday night's preseason matchup at Gillette Stadium against the Houston Texans.

Starting point is 00:02:28 And it's not just about the top performers, folks. It's also about those that need to step it up a little bit as well. And here to help us break it all down is our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. He's going to pop in here in just a moment, so stay locked in, folks. But first, Matthew Judon is finding himself a bit more affluent this weekend, and Patriots Nation is happy as a result of it. Both Judon and the Patriots reached an agreement on a contract adjustment that's going to take his original $2 million of guaranteed money in 2023,

Starting point is 00:03:03 and it's going to significantly bump it up to $14 million fully guaranteed. The adjustment reportedly improves Judon's original 2021 deal, and it's going to allow him to make up to the max of $18 million this year. The report, first broken by ESPN's Adam Schefter on Friday evening, also indicates that no new years were added to the contract. We're going to come back to that tidbit in just a moment. But as we all know, Matthew Judon being happy and being secure here in New England is a good thing for the Patriots all the way around.

Starting point is 00:03:36 And if we're all being honest, fans and media alike were waiting for this to happen, especially because of the fact that Judon hasn't seen that much of the practice field as of late. He's been showing up, doing conditioning work, but he hasn't taken part in team drills. In fact, he's yet to even put on the pads for any of the Patriots training camp practices. That's led a lot of people to speculate that maybe Judon might be angling to try to find himself a new contract. And quite honestly, whether it was a quote-unquote hold-in or not matters so little in this situation. This is great news all around for the New England Patriots. And again, it's my choice to do so, and I'm not knocking anyone else, but I take an honest athlete like Judon at face value. I still believe him when he assured Patriots Nation that his

Starting point is 00:04:21 practice status was related to fitness and not finance. And again, folks, this isn't cloak and dagger speculation. This is Matthew's own words that I'm basing my opinion off of. He said, quote unquote, when we spoke to him last Friday, we're just working, me and the training staff and the coaches, to make sure that when I do practice, I'm at a good pace. I can move fast the whole practice. It's more about working on my condition, working on running. I'm making sure I am where I need to be. Then we can ease into things. I'm in my eighth year. I think you all know what I do on Sundays. And of course, he smiled after saying that to kind of add a little levity to the situation.

Starting point is 00:05:00 But bottom line, if you take a look in Matthew Judon's usage over the past two years, starts off very fast, high motor, never stops working. And toward the end of the year, you started to see a lot of that high energy wear on him a little bit, and he started to wear down. I think the Patriots are taking a more prudent approach with his conditioning this year, and I think it had much more to do with that than anything related to his contract again folks I don't have the inside information some others may have so I'm not knocking reports simply telling you how I feel about the situation bottom line whatever reason we want to come up with for Matthew Judon having a reduced workload up to this point I think we can all agree that he's going to be wowing Patriots fans each and every Sunday on the field, and he's got a swanky new financial deal to do it. And from an on-field perspective,

Starting point is 00:05:49 an in-game perspective, this was a no-brainer. Judon has routinely, consistently proven that he has the versatility and adaptability to be the team's number one player on the edge. That's what he was before this extension. That's what he is now. And that's what he will be in my opinion until he hangs up the cleats here. That's exactly how potent this guy will be. And he brings it every single time he takes a snap and he's not going to go out there and compete unless he knows he can do it at the highest possible level. His on-field awareness and his ability to scan the entire field alone puts him in position to do what he does best. He runs from reaching the corner on those early downs and providing the speed and strength necessary when rushing the quarterback and compiling all those sacks. In his first year

Starting point is 00:06:35 with the Pats, don't forget, 60 tackles, one fumble recovery, 12 and a half sacks, which was a career high at the time. Last year in 2022, supposedly a down year for the New England Patriots defense, he eclipsed those totals. 15.5 sacks, a new career high, two forced fumbles, recovered one of them, and also logged 60 total tackles. So he's had 28 sacks since he's been in New England. I don't know how anyone can argue that he's not worth this extra money. And even as impressive as he's been as an individual defender, Judon separates himself from the past, from others in the league, by being an amazing facilitator for his teammates.

Starting point is 00:07:14 In 2021, he was so good at being able to read opposing coverages and opposing offensive lines, and it allowed guys like Christian Barmore to be able to position themselves to take on double teams and what Matthew did that was so brilliant is when Christian was positioned to take on the double team Judon positioned himself right next to Barmore by doing that it means Barmore is in a position to draw attention from the opposing blockers that means Matthew's now freed up or left one-on-one on the edge to make life uncomfortable for opposing quarterbacks.

Starting point is 00:07:46 And he did that at a good clip in 2021, definitely did it in 2022. What's he got in store for 2023? Folks, stay tuned. You're going to love it. He did something very similar, playing the decoy more often than not last year for Josh Uche. That allowed Josh to set a career high in sacks in 11 and a half. They formed one of the top pass rushing tandems in the NFL, and I think that's going to continue on this year. So with 2023 right on the horizon, you know the New England Patriots are going to be calling upon Matt Judon's deal to show you what a good deal it is for Judon and for the Patriots, his 2023 salary decreases from $11 million to $7 million, but you get a $7 million signing bonus as a result of this.

Starting point is 00:08:35 The 2023 cash increased from $12 million to $15 million, and his 2023 incentives increased from $500,000 to $3 million. And according to our good friend, Miguel Benzon, the past cap himself, Patriot's salary cap savings from this deal is likely to range anywhere from $0 to $1 million. Don't forget, Matthew is still able to earn the maximum $18 million on this contract, so the cap savings that the Patriots may or may not be in line for is really going to depend on his not likely to be earned incentives. And I know a lot of you out there are wondering why the Patriots did not add years to the end of this deal, either in a void term

Starting point is 00:09:15 or a simple extension. And once again, Miguel Benzon doesn't need to stir the pot. That's why he's the Pat's cap. He tells it like it is and drop this pearl of wisdom on his Twitter page. And folks, check him out at Pat's Cap saying, if you can afford to avoid having a significant amount of dead money in a year in which you may pick up Mac Jones's 50-year option, it's a good idea to do so. Best way to not have a significant amount of 2025 dead money is not to have any in the first place. Folks, that's why he's the pharaoh of Foxborough Finance and a great friend of the program.

Starting point is 00:09:49 And he will be here next week to provide yet another masterclass on the Patriots salary cap. So stay locked in, folks. The best is yet to come here on Locked on Patriots. But today, Steve Balistrieri will enlighten us on camp standout performers and who is in need of stepping up their game a little bit when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day.

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Starting point is 00:11:23 is a time for the Patriots to regroup a little bit. They will return to the practice fields on Sunday, but not before hitting the Gillette Stadium turf for an in-stadium practice on Friday evening, always one of the more fun nights. But at the same time, it's also a little bit of a midway point for your New England Patriots. A little time to evaluate some of the great things that have happened during

Starting point is 00:11:45 camp so far, and maybe point out a few Patriots that still need to step it up. And you need a reasonable approach to doing so, folks. And luckily for us today, we have our resident voice of reason to help us here break it all down in a very calm, calculated, and

Starting point is 00:12:01 very measured manner. And that is my good friend, my Patriots, Paisan, columnist extraordinaire for Patsfans.com, Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Welcome back to the pod, bud. Always a pleasure to have you. Always a pleasure to be here, my friend. Yeah, I, you know, been watching the news

Starting point is 00:12:21 and watching how everyone's, you know, portraying training camp so far and you know things are um let's just say uh as you said measured things are going a lot more smoothly for the offense as composed as compared to a year ago? Oh, without any question. It's like night and day, and especially the last two practices prior to the in-stadium on Friday night, Wednesday and Thursday, Patriots offense looking more crisp, more solid, more confident, and a lot more fluid. And I think that's one of the big reasons why this team is probably going to be

Starting point is 00:13:02 better than the product that they put on the field in 2022. And I know a lot of pundits out there, a lot of national prognosticators. Prognosticators is the right word, Steve. We're not going to use any type of ill terms to talk about some of these national opinions. But bottom line, I think in a lot of ways, people are looking at the division in which the Patriots play. They're looking at a stacked AFC. And they're saying that there's only so many slots available for a playoff spot. Patriots are just on the outside looking in because they don't have a Josh Allen or they don't have an Aaron Rodgers. Or Tua and the Dolphins are balanced more on both sides of the ball.

Starting point is 00:13:43 I still think the jury is out on that one, but we're going to take a look and see what this team has to offer. And we're just under a week away from the Patriots suiting up to take on the Houston Texans in their first preseason matchup. And right before that happens, you and I always kind of take stock into what camp has looked like so far, who's standing out, who really has been pleasant surprises and who needs to step it up a little bit so we'll start with the positives first i

Starting point is 00:14:09 usually like to end on a high note but we'll start with the positives first when you look at this roster top to bottom who has stood out to you in terms of your camp coverage who have been your pleasant surprises so far on the Patriots roster through eight training camp practices? I think it has to be Demario Douglas. I mean, since the first OTA, you know, everyone's been reporting him making plays every single day, it seems like. And, you know, I've heard very little negative about him other than what we already knew was his size. But, you know, he is a water bug out there. I mean, he's in the open field.

Starting point is 00:14:53 He's very, very difficult to bring down, as we've seen in the very rare tackling drills that they, you know, do in training camp. You know, he was slipping away from everybody. And his moves off the line, he can get open and get some separation right off the snap. He's been doing it against good cornerback play. So it's not like he's going against a bunch of stiffs out there. You know, he's going against some of the Patriots' good corners, and he's getting open

Starting point is 00:15:25 and you just have to love that you know I've been beating the drum since Julian Edelman left that they need that small quick off the you know the snap uh slot guy because that's where their offense always seemed to work the best and I think they found one in this guy. He may not be a world beater in year one, but I think they got something there with this kid. Oh, without question. The speed that they're showing with the Mario Douglas is something that really I think was advertised. It may be even better than advertised when he came in here as a pro,

Starting point is 00:16:01 as opposed to what he did as a collegiate athlete in Liberty. So we knew that that type of speed from what he showed in college was going to leap off the page. And it's done that so far. But the tenacity that this kid's showing, the ability to take a hit and keep moving forward, not something easy when you are the size that Demario Douglas is, but he plays much bigger than his frame. And he's showing, I think, an understanding of the Patriots playbook and a synergy with guys like Mac Jones and even a fellow rookie of his, Keyshawn Butte, who I also think has really grown by leaps and bounds, even since we've seen him

Starting point is 00:16:36 early on in camp. He's really turned the switch on a little bit as of late, but DiMario has been that guy that's been consistently better each time he takes the field. And I think you have to put him on this list without any hesitation. So great job and a great selection. And I completely agree with you. And I think most of our listeners probably will as well. I'm going to go a little off because, you know, I've been beating the drum for this guy for quite a while since the Patriots signed him a couple of years ago. And a pleasant surprise for me has been the return to form for Hunter Henry. And if you're hearing a cheer right now, folks, it's coming from West Midlands in the UK. Claire is excited every time we talk tight endage here on Locked On Patriots. But to me, Henry coming back and bouncing back from a subpar season in 2022 is a good

Starting point is 00:17:26 sign for the New England Patriots offense. First of all, it shows Mac Jones is much more comfortable in handling what he needs to with the line of scrimmage. When he's given a little bit more control over what happens, it allows his favorite targets to be able to either break free or Mac to be able to zero in on them. And he's done that a few times with Hunter Henry. He's hauled in some pretty highlight-worthy passes from Mack, one of them being over Adrian Phillips, which really kind of went viral.

Starting point is 00:17:54 A lot of people say he looked like Randy Moss in that ability to go up and to make the contested catch and really show his athleticism. I think that's a little bit of a far cry. I think that's a little bit of a stretch.. I think that's a little bit of a stretch. And as much of a Hunter Henry fan as I am, I think that's a little bit too much praise to keep on him. But he has looked much better. You're seeing the route running.

Starting point is 00:18:15 You're seeing ability for him to be able to get open. And you're also seeing that return of his own confidence. He's utilizing the open field to his advantage to be able to make plays. And he's also throwing a block here and there. So I think the addition of guys like Will Lawing to this coaching staff, Bill O'Brien and his ability to coach tight ends. And of course, you know, Mac Jones being able to kind of zero in on him and hit him a little bit more, I think has made all the difference. So Hunter Henry getting back to his basics really, I think, has been a pleasant surprise for him as well.

Starting point is 00:18:51 Yeah, I think that's a good call. You know what? I mean, there's all different kinds of players that you could plug in here, folks. I mean, Mac Jones could be someone that a lot of people would say is a pleasant surprise and that, you know, there have been struggles, but Mac has looked better and more comfortable in this offense. So you could go in that direction. Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris are two guys I talked about here earlier this week on Locked On Patriots that have really stepped it up. So a lot of guys on offense making this team better.

Starting point is 00:19:19 Offensive linemen have been stepping up, filling some roles vacated by established starters. Connor McDermott, Antonio Moffey, Cody Roosie, Bill Murray. These guys have stepped in and played with the top unit and have gone against the top-level defense, and they've actually looked pretty good doing so. So, folks, a lot of choices to go through here, but, Steve, it hasn't all been one-sided. There have been guys from the defense that have positively stepped up

Starting point is 00:19:44 for the New England Patriots as well. You know a thing or two about preventive units. When you look at the Patriots' defense, who stood out to you as a pleasant surprise thus far during training camp? Well, I'm not going to say a surprise per se, because we expected these guys were going to do well. Two more rookies, you know, Keyon White, Christian Gonzalez, and actually a third rookie, Mapu.

Starting point is 00:20:13 I mean, so, I mean, you know, we kind of expected those guys were going to make an impact this year. So I won't say I'm surprised by that, but I think that they're standing out in a good way. You know, we didn't see much from White early because it's hard to get a good read on the edge guys and the linemen when there's no pads on. Now that the pads are on, you know, White's showing that,

Starting point is 00:20:40 you know, that speed to power, that's such a big thing for guys coming off the edge. So that is so well needed in this because they need to give Judon a break, which he's been getting in training camp thus far. But I like what I've seen from him, Mapu, Christian Gonzalez. I mean, he's growing by the day. Sure, he's getting beat. Rookies will all go through that.

Starting point is 00:21:12 But it's not all perfect. But, you know, he has that demeanor where he just shakes it off, goes right back to the next one. And I think him and Devontae Parker have been really helping each other, you know, because they've been going against each other frequently in drills. So I think that's, you know,

Starting point is 00:21:32 iron sharpens iron, right? Absolutely. So well said my friend. I mean, I think anyone with their scorecards at home, when you look at pleasant surprises or biggest standouts in camp so far in a positive manner, Christian Gonzalez, I think, has to be near the top or at the top of everybody's list, just really performing as advertised, if not better. There have been rookie growing pains here and there. time, folks, when you look at Christian and what he brings to the table and his ability to return

Starting point is 00:22:05 that type of lockdown presence on the perimeter, it's something special with this team. And they just feed off it. It really is a hallmark of a Bill Belichick-led defense. And I think that Christian is really making his home in Foxborough and will be for quite some time. This gets something special, Steve, and it's really a joy to watch him each and every day. You mentioned the rookies like Keon White. Murph and I talked a little bit about Keon yesterday here on the show. Marte Mapu continues to be a standout, even though he's wearing a red non-contact jersey, folks. He's getting time with the first level unit.

Starting point is 00:22:39 He's running with the linebackers in the first team defense. Second team defense, he's playing that free box, and he's playing free and box safety. This is big. When you talk about a player that is as inexperienced at the pro level as Marte Mapu is, but has that understanding of the Patriots defensive playbook, it's something unique. And that's what he brings to the table, very similar to a Kyle Duggar.

Starting point is 00:23:04 And I liken them in terms of their football iq been a real joy to watch this patriots rookie class and i i for one can't wait to continue to watch them want to give a little love to the veterans as well a couple of veteran defensive backs that i thought have really stepped it up in their roles they knew they needed to and they came and they brought it each and every day. Jonathan Jones at the cornerback position. Every single day you look at the stat sheet, he's always in there, either leading the team or among the leaders in past breakups, doing such a great job, whether he's in the slot or whether he's on the perimeter, consummate professional.

Starting point is 00:23:39 I can't say enough good things about Jonathan Jones. I really love what he brings to the field each and every day. And I also want to give a little love to Jalen Mills, who's playing very well at the safety position. I know a lot of Patriots fans were concerned about that and wondered whether or not some of the legal woes of Jack Jones were going to force him from the field and maybe force Jalen back into cornerback duty. Jalen has been solid at the safety position.

Starting point is 00:24:04 And anyone wondering whether or not the Patriots were going to significantly miss Devin McCourty out there on the field, they're always going to miss his presence. They're always going to miss his football acumen. And that won't be replicated for quite some time, folks. But from what I'm seeing from the safeties, Patriots are going to look very good this year in that department as well. So a lot of positives, Steve.

Starting point is 00:24:25 You know, we're brimming with positivity. This is very unusual for Patriots fans. It doesn't sound like we're from Boston. It doesn't. It really does not. But you know what? We're going to be putting our Baston hats on in just a moment, my friend, because there are players that have not quite lived up to expectation, that need to step it up a little bit in order to see the field

Starting point is 00:24:47 and in order to earn their roster spot in 2023. Offense, defense, yeah, they're on both sides of the ball. And Steve and I are going to discuss who needs to step it up when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues about part of the Lockeddown Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy day, your busy weekend to spend here on Lockdown Patriots.

Starting point is 00:25:15 I am speaking with our resident voice of reason, my Patriots pison and a columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com, Steve Balistrieri, joining me here today. And Steve, we've talked a lot about the Patriots' standouts. We've been very positive so far in our assessment of who have been the camp darlings, the media standouts, really the diamonds in the rough that the Patriots have kind of plucked out of obscurity. All right, I'm being a little melodramatic here. But bottom line, you know, there have been some pleasant surprises out there on the field, and I think we've nailed the top ones, but there are times where we have to be critical of our team if we're being objective,

Starting point is 00:25:54 and there are players out there on the Patriots roster, on the offense, and on the defense, that have not quite lived up to expectations so far. When you look at this roster, top to bottom, and again, the floor is yours first, my friend. I guess we'll start with the offensive side of the ball. Who, in your opinion, has maybe performed less than what you expected or you believe needs to step up their production in order to live up to their preseason hype? I think it starts with Tyquan Thornton.

Starting point is 00:26:25 Absolutely. Because, you know, I thought he was misused last year, and we're not going to get into that again with the coaching staff. But I thought with Bill O'Brien here, he was going to light it up. Now, I'm not saying he's not going to, but he hasn't done so yet. So that's something I think that they're missing right now with their wide receiver room because he has that speed that we wanted to see utilized this year.

Starting point is 00:26:55 But so far this training camp, we haven't seen that. He's been pretty limited. And I know yesterday, you know, he went down on the conditioning field down below the lower practice field. So that's not a good sign for him. I think he needs to be much more involved. They need that speed element with this offense because teams have to respect that um and you know i i expected he was going to be cruising by now you know under bill o'brien and there's still time for that but you know

Starting point is 00:27:35 we haven't seen it yet yeah i think writing taekwon's epitaph here in new england is a little bit premature look this kid is one of the fastest athletes I've ever covered. And maybe I've ever seen on a football field. And granted, my sample size is a lot more limited than some of the others who have been covering this team for a number of years and have seen a lot more, done a lot more in this field. But Taekwon has special player type speed. And that's something you can't just manufacture, folks.

Starting point is 00:28:03 That's something that the Patriots believed was going to be a complete asset to them when they drafted him number 50 overall last season. So Taekwon to me is someone that I agree with you needs to see the field. Murph said so in some colorful terms here yesterday, I'm locked on Patriots that he needs to get on the field. And I completely agree with that because right now you've got Demario Douglas playing at a high level. You've got Keyshawn Boutte playing at a high level.

Starting point is 00:28:30 These are two rookies that are hungry for a roster spot. They're both playing with chips on their shoulder. Demario Douglas is kind of proving he belongs as a slot receiver and as a potential weapon on this team. Keyshawn Boutte, everybody knows all the stuff that's being said about him, that he's never been the same player since that 2021 ankle injury that essentially sidelined him and really, I think, derailed his entire 2022 output. These guys have something to prove, and they're hungry to do it, and all they need is an opportunity to showcase it.

Starting point is 00:29:02 On the flip side, you've got guys like Kendrick Bourne you've got guys like Devante Parker I think Parker has been better than Bourne thus far but bottom line these are veterans that are playing up to their standards especially Bourne in the last couple of days really kind of uh you know Bourne again so to speak I know that was a bad pun folks I apologize but he is playing better as the time goes on. And Parker, I think, has maybe been their most consistent receiver throughout this entire gate. And Juju Smith-Schuster is performing as advertised.

Starting point is 00:29:32 So he's facing stiff competition. And the Patriots know they only have a certain amount of slots available. If Taekwon is going to be someone that is going to give them difficulty in getting on the field and he's not able to stay healthy. That's a problem, and the Patriots have to at least do everything they can to address it. So I agree with you on Taekwon Thornton. I do think he is the guy on offense that needs to step it up. Steve, from a defensive side of the ball, is there anybody that you look at right now on this roster and you say, you know what?

Starting point is 00:30:09 Yeah, they haven't really performed up to expectation or we haven't seen enough of them. I mean, is there anybody on defense right now that stands out to you as someone that still has something to prove here? Just a little bit with Jack Jones. I mean, you know, with what he's going through right now is legal issues, you know, you know, he has to be on the field and productive and, and that, that will come any of the talk down to a certain degree because he's facing a lot of questions right now. And, you know, I still don't understand what the whole thing was when he left practice the other day um you know i heard he was kicked out but then somebody else said it wasn't and then he was talking with matt grow so i don't know what's going on there but i was really

Starting point is 00:31:00 hoping to see him in lockdown mode um and right now it seems like he's running more with the backups than the starters that could change that could definitely change but it seems like right now the uh the starting boundary corners are uh Jonathan Jones and Christian Gonzalez with Marcus you know Manning the slot which isn't bad at all. Don't get me wrong. But I was hoping to see Jack take on a more dominant role this year. And with Christian Gonzalez, it would allow Jonathan to go back to the slot, which I think would be ideal for them. Yeah. In terms of personnel groupingsings i'm so glad that you mentioned this and i wrote about this earlier this week for sports illustrated when jack was getting the

Starting point is 00:31:49 run with the perimeter corners the starting perimeter corners in starting defense christian on one side jack on the other and jonathan in the slot that is definitely their most talented and i think their most potential productive lineup that they can put out there on the field because when jack is locked in he can draw a beat on the ball better than a lot of corners I've covered in quite some time. And it really is something special to watch. He can really do some great things on the football field. Tremendously talented. No question about it, folks.

Starting point is 00:32:18 This is a starting level corner at the pro level when everything is clicking on all cylinders. But you hit the nail right on the head. It has to be a buy-in. And Thursday's episode, we actually had the good fortune to speak with Patriots cornerbacks coach Mike Pellegrino by video conference on Friday morning. And he alluded to what had happened on the field. Obviously, he's not going to reveal much. He basically said, Jack made a great play. What happened, happened. We've had conversations with him,

Starting point is 00:32:49 and we're going to leave that in the past, and we're going to move on to practice nine, which essentially is the practice coming up for the Patriots in stadium on Friday evening, and we're excited to continue to watch him grow. But you look at something like this, where apparently he gets into a little dust up with uh kendrick bourne verbal dust up folks there were no punches thrown or anything like that this was not a fight or anything tempers flared a little bit and jack walked off toward the tunnels and he wasn't with any of the training staff so right off the bat you know he's not leaving the field because of injury if it's an injury there's some member of the training staff so right off the bat you know he's not leaving the field because of injury if

Starting point is 00:33:25 it's an injury there's some member of the training staff that's accompanying him uh and going to help him either get treatment or get looked at or something to that effect um i don't think we'll ever know whether he was actually kicked out or whether he left on his own accord but the patriots appear to be looking to leave this in the rearview mirror. So especially with everything else that he's got on his plate right now, he needs to be as good on the field as he's ever been to remind the Patriots that even if I'm going to miss time here, I'm indelible enough to this team, this defense, to have you keep me on the roster, to have you keep me around long term, because I'm worth that type

Starting point is 00:34:05 of investment. And of course, we don't know, folks, what's going to happen to him legally. There's still a lot that has to be worked out. But ultimately, yeah, I agree with you. I think Jack needs to step it up maybe from an emotional standpoint and a maturity standpoint, more so than what we're seeing on the field. Because what we're seeing on the field is actually a pretty good product when he's healthy and locked in. My good friend, the Patriots by Zahn, has become a Friday fixture here on Locked On Patriots. We love having him.

Starting point is 00:34:32 And Steve, once again, I thank you for joining me here today and lending your wisdom and counsel the way only you can. Before I let you go, bud, please let everyone know where they can interact with you on social media and what you've got coming

Starting point is 00:34:44 from the great pen of Steve Valistrieri over at patsfans.com. Yeah. Well, you can find me on Twitter at Steve B7SFG. Just like it says down below, I write for patsfans.com. We do a podcast over there called Patriots fourth and two,

Starting point is 00:35:00 which you've been, you've been on there, but we we've had some technical difficulties. We need to have you on again. But, you know, I think I'll give you a little hint. The Hall of Fame game was on last night, and I started thinking about Matthew Judon because during the Hall of Fame game they were talking to Miles Garrett,

Starting point is 00:35:22 and they were talking about him being one of the most prolific pass rushers in the NFL, which he is. The past two years, 29 sacks. Judon has 28. Maybe not enough credit at the national level for what Judon does. And, folks, again, we love when Steve comes on because he does lend these thickets of wisdom and counsel that just really kind of put everything back into perspective. And he definitely did that today when it comes to Matthew Judon. That is a good pull,

Starting point is 00:35:55 my friend. We definitely appreciate that. But check everything that Steve does out for patsfans.com and especially Patriots 4 fourth and two. I'd love to be on soon. Imagine the surprise. I mean, imagine technical difficulties, me. I mean, come on. Who would ever believe that? You're looking at technical difficulty right now, folks. But all of you every dayers hang in there each and every day with Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:36:21 I cannot thank you enough for all of the support that you provide to the program. We continue to be honored and humbled by your support. So on behalf of my good friend, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com, my Patriots by Zahn, I am Mike DeBate reminding you to stay safe and to stay well. And of course, to be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. Have a great weekend. And we'll see you back here on Mailbag Monday on Lockdown Patriots. So be sure to get those questions in, folks. And we'll have them for you here on Monday when we return. Have a great day and a great weekend, all. Thank you so much.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Matthew Judon Restructures Contract, Training Camp Ups and Downs

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