Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Minicamp Recap: Drake Maye, Mike Onwenu, Rhamondre Stevenson and More on Day 1

Episode Date: June 12, 2024

The New England Patriots returned to the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium on Monday, as they opened the final phase of their offseason workout program. While all eyes were on rookie quarterback Drake Maye, the Patriots also debuted a new offensive line alignment and appear close to agreeing on a contract extension with running back Rhamondre Stevenson. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the Pats first day of minicamp practices. #nfl #patriots   Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm...Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-...And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL  Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. Right now, NEW customers get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS with any winning FIVE DOLLAR BET. That’s TWO HUNDRED BUCKS you can use to bet everything from the Finals MVP to who's going to hit one out of the park! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list! FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

Mandatory minicamp is underway in Foxborough, who besides Drake May garnered some of the headlines. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen each and every day.

Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day, but we are also free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots country.

So reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. While you're out there showing some social media love to Lockdown Patriots, please be sure to follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $200 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet.

Visit fanduel.com slash locked on to get started. And Pats fans, mandatory minicamp getting going in Foxborough. Gerard Mayo kicking it off with a press conference practice following a lot of storylines a lot of things to talk about when it comes to the pats on the field so who else would we welcome here today to give a recap of mini camp day one and our good friend the legend himself thomas murphy thank you so much for coming to me in friendship today on this mini camp recap episode. Done Murph.

Happy to be here, bud. Happy to be here. You know, crawled out from the bushes that I was hiding behind to, you know, check out everything that was going on. And now we're here. Absolutely, folks. And for those of you expecting a mailbag Monday, do not fear. We are going to close the week in style here on Locked On Patriots with a little mailbag action.

But the Pats were back on the field yesterday, Murph. This is the last of the offseason workouts before the Pats go on a little mini vacation, and then they come back in late July to start training camp. All eyes on the quarterbacks, Murph. I don't think anybody's surprised there. That's where we'll begin today.

Drake May did not disappoint on the field on Monday. This kid continues to look better and better each day he takes the field um seven on seven drills 11 on 11 drills equally impressive in both he completed six of seven passes during seven on sevens 12 of 16 during 11 on 11s the thing I think that's standing out to everybody is his field vision his poise and the continuous improvement he shows each and every day now i don't think anybody's willing to hand him the keys to the kingdom just now there's still a lot that needs to be proven but my first question to you is how

impressed have you been with drake may in terms of what you're seeing from him in terms of growth? And is he progressing at a faster rate than you expected at this time? No, he's moving along at the rate that I thought he would. It's the beginning of full padded practices. He took a couple of sacks when he probably could have gotten rid of the ball yesterday. But what's impressing me is the fact that he's, he's, um, identifying what's not there and going with checkdowns. Okay. And that's, that's something that, you know, this kid knows that he's not out there to, uh, impress the masses. He's not out there to, to make highlight reels on day one of mandatory mini camp. That's not what he's doing. He's learning the playbook. He's taking what's being given to him.

And that's a sign of maturity that, you know, quite frankly, you know, just to contradict myself, I really wasn't expecting out of a kid that has not played a lot of football. That's a good point. And I'm glad that you mentioned the checkdowns because one of the things that we've been worried about and we said it from the moment that the patriots were even considering drafting right before they actually did it was his ability to navigate the short area of the field and also his willingness his almost instinctive nature to test the ball downfield show off that

athleticism show off that strong arm drake mays got them both, and he does that on occasion. He'll showcase his strong arm. We've seen it. He'll showcase his athleticism. But something that I think is impressing me the most is his ability or his willingness to learn the playbook, his temperance. And it's obvious that he's listening to guys like Alex Van Pelt, like T.C. McCartney, like Ben McAdoo, like Jacoby Brissett. I mean,

these guys are all in his ear telling him what he needs to do to succeed. And Drake May is doing it on the field. He's filtering through all of it and taking in what he can and what he can incorporate from each of these voices that are, that are whispering to them. And there's, there's good things that all of these guys are telling him and he him. And so far, he's soaking it up. Yeah, definitely is. And you saw that yesterday. Obviously, the statistics are only skin deep when it comes to training camp, mini camp. These guys aren't going against active competition.

So it's going to be very difficult to grade him on his stats. But the one thing that everyone seems to be in agreement on, and several of my colleagues that tweeted out during practice yesterday, were talking about the touch, the velocity that he puts on the ball, putting it where only the receiver can get it, as our good friend Taylor Kyles of CLMS put on Twitter. That's been one of his top traits as a starting quarterback in college. To see him translate that into the NFL level is something that I think Patriots fans are really going to be excited to watch especially in training camp folks if you have the opportunity to get up and take a look at what Drake is going to do during camp I highly

recommend it in the sessions that are open to the public this kid absolutely has a talent that we haven't seen at the position since number 12 wore this jersey here. Also, if you're a Pats fan, one of the stats or one of the things that I think maybe went under the radar a little bit yesterday and something that still needs to be worked on, and this is not a knock to Dre. This is simply a sign of the offense making strides but still having a long way to go. Two-minute drills were dominated by the defense yesterday,

and that's something that the offense needs to get better on. Alex Van Pelt definitely saw it. You know the Patriots coaching staff saw it. I expect them to be hard at work during this break trying to come up with ways to be more effective in the two-minute drills and in the red zone. They can master that. I think the Patriots offense may be on to something here. They sure are.

And, you know, if these wide receivers can eliminate some drops, not to get 3D on you people, that would help a great deal because there were a ton of drops yesterday. Slim Reaper dropped balls. Jalen Polk dropped balls. It was eye-opening, the fact that this kid put the ball where it needed to be and these guys couldn't grab it yeah that's something that has to be shored up between now and the start of the season that's what training camp is going to be for

which of these guys on the receiving core which of these pass catchers even uh backfield receivers even tight ends need to step up. And you have to find out who's going to be the reliable targets for Drake May, for Jacoby Brissett, as they progress into the season. And Murph, if we're being fair, it wasn't just Drake May that took snaps yesterday. He took the second most. He repped behind Jacoby Brissett, who was still the clear-cut QB1 on this team, folks. And I believe that will continue to be the case until Drake goes out and takes it.

I thought Jacoby, a steady performance yesterday, 6 of 10 during 7s, 9 of 16 during 11s. One of the things that made me realize that this is still Jacoby Brissett at the top of this list is the touchdown pass he threw to Demario Douglas. Beautiful pass, thread the needle between he threw to DeMario Douglas. Beautiful pass. Thread the needle between two defenders. And credit DeMario. He went up, got the ball in the back of the end zone. He snatched that.

Yeah, he came up. He gave it the spike. Everybody was really excited. His teammates crowded around him. That's the type of throw a veteran makes. And that's the type of throw Drake is capable of making, folks. When he starts to make those on a regular basis, that's when you're going to see Drake may take this ball and not relinquish it but right

now i still think that gives jacoby brissett the slight edge here but he had a good day yesterday yeah he did he did have a good day um the same can't be can't be said for everybody that's wearing a quarterbacking type number but uh but no, but no, those two, uh, performed admirably. And you can really understand. I, a lot of people have made, um, a big deal out of the depth chart. And now that Drake may is, has moved up to number two on the depth chart right now, they know what they have in Bailey's Abbey. Okay. They need to, to get Drake these reps. You know, it was, it was a complaint by a lot of people during OTAs that, that he wasn't getting enough reps. Well, maybe it was heard and, you know, or, or maybe this was just the plan to begin with.

He's getting more reps right now. I'm still not sure that he will be, I know he won't be number one week one. I'm not sure if he'll be number two. Yeah, I think that's a valid point. And look, I think it's also good that you mentioned that, you know, with other quarterbacks on the field that maybe didn't have such a great day. Everybody is talking about the pick six, the Bailey Zappi threw to Kyle Duggar. I would remind people of two things. First of all, he threw it to Kyle Duggar folks. Kyle D people of two things. First of all, he threw it to Kyle Duggar, folks. Kyle Duggar is very good at finding the football and taking it back for touchdowns.

He's done it several times. We've seen it. So it's not exactly an embarrassment to be picked off by Kyle Duggar. Second, and I think this most importantly, you have to weigh the experience that Bailey Zappi brings you as opposed to the unknown, untapped talent of Joe Milton.

And I love watching Joe throw the football. This guy is a professional thrower of the football. He's got a cannon for an arm. I think he's got relatively good instincts that can be cultivated into solid mechanics, but he's not there yet. Joe did not partake in seven-on-seven drills yesterday. He did connect on three of his five during 11-on- 11s. But again, this is a growing pains type deal. And if the Patriots believe that Drake May is still in need of a lot of tutelage at the start of the season, do not be a bit surprised to see Bailey Zappi continue to be a member of this team.

Even if he's penciled in as a number three, they're going to definitely watch him closely during training camp. At least that's the impression I'm getting. I don't think it's a foregone conclusion that this guy's on the cutting room floor immediately. No, I agree. I don't think Bailey Zappi is on his way out the door. I think he's going to end up making this roster. I think Joe Milton is going to end up on the practice squad. Okay.

But you know, the, the things that you have to understand with this, um, with the hierarchy of the, uh, of the depth chart is where they sit and, um, and what their responsibilities are. And quite frankly, if you're the number three guy, you're running the practice squat. Okay. You're that that's, that's your job. OK, now, now there are there are instances where I think that's good right now. I don't think that's best for Drake May. You know, let Bailey Zappi go run the practice squad. Joe Milton is not running the practice squad, people. It's not. You're not going to get what you need. But Zappi could do it. And so that's what I'm saying. You might be number two on the depth chart. It doesn't mean if something knock on wood catastrophic happens and you need to go to the backup that

it's going to be Drake May right out of the bag. Yeah, absolutely. And again, folks, as training camp progresses, as mini camp wraps up, these things are going to start to look a little bit clearer. We're still looking at a very fuzzy picture right now. We're looking at a lot of exciting still images, a lot of exciting 30, 25, 18 second videos that are circulating on social media, but take under account the whole package. And that's when you're going to start to see these things really come alive, where the Patriots are thinking, how much confidence they have in Drake May to be their number two or eventually be their number one, what they believe Jacoby Brissett brings to them as the top option or as the most savvy veteran in the room. And then you're going to start to see the jockeying of position Bailey Zappi and Joe

Milton and see how the Patriots are going to put that out in the wash. But overall, I think an exciting day for the quarterbacks. I wouldn't say a great day for the quarterbacks, but a lot of exciting highlights. And that will continue when the Patriots hit the field again on Wednesday. Of course, today the Patriots spending some time in the community, Murph, doing some great community work, both at schools, social outreach programs. This is something you're seeing across the league an awful lot.

And I think it is a great opportunity for the NFL players of all 32 NFL teams to really get a chance to know their community. David Andrews talking about it earlier on Tuesday, saying one of the most important things that players can do, especially young rookies and young players, is get to know the members of their community, build a relationship. Some of the guys that were having the most fun in the room on many of the videos that you're seeing out there, other than the kids were the rookies, were guys like Drake May, Jalen Polk. Exactly. And you have to remember these guys are kids. Most of them are very early twenties and they're still, you know, finding themselves in this league.

So all the way around great things, but we're looking forward to see the Patriots on the field on Wednesday. And when they take the field on Wednesday, what's that offensive line going to look like? We're going to talk about Michael Wayne, who possibly moving back to right guard. Yeah, that's right, folks. That and so much more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast

continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, summertime means baseball, the NBA finals, and more. And you can bet it all on FanDuel. Right now, new customers get $200 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's 200 bucks you can use to bet everything from the finals MVP to who's going to hit one out of the park. Your favorite green team in the hub is so close to raising the banner 18. So make your fandom and your confidence work for you with FanDuel. Visit FanDuel.com slash locked on and add a big win to your summer bucket list.

Fanduel, America's number one sportsbook. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. Joining us as always is my good friend, the legendary count of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy. And Murph, before we get into a story that I know you can't wait to talk about, before we get into an item on the field that happened yesterday that I know you love to talk about above

all else, I just have one question for all of our everydayers out there. Folks, if you're like me and you're tired of having to turn down the volume with all that shouting going on when all you want is to get your daily sports fix, well, it's time to make the switch to Lockdown Sports Today. Lockdown Sports Today is a free 24-7 sports streaming channel programmed for you every day to bring you the biggest stories without all of that screaming. Lockdown Sports Today brings you can't-miss analysis, opinions, and news.

And that's all streaming 24-7 on YouTube or the free Amazon Fire TV channels app. Locked On Sports Today, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And Murph, Locked On Patriots is also your team every day. And even though the Pats are taking a day off from the field on Tuesday, they're going to be back at work on Wednesday. And most of the eyes of the fan base of the media are on the quarterbacks,

the receivers. There's a lot of attention paid to the cornerbacks, maybe even a little bit of the kicking battle out there. We know our buddy Alex Barth of 98.5 loves his punters and kickers. And he loves to sit there and take a look at these guys. But there is still opportunities to observe the offensive line and defensive line, specifically the O-line. And you know what, Murph? It took center stage yesterday, for lack of a better term.

We know that a comprehensive evaluation of the offensive line is nearly impossible until those pads go on, until these guys start partaking in contact. But when they align in certain positions, it's going to raise eyebrows. And at one point during 11-on-11 drills yesterday, and a tip of the cap to Mark Daniel extension in the offseason, actually was aligning at right guard yesterday, a position he's very familiar with, a position he plays very well. But if we're being honest, Murph, a player that you've been critical of, not the player himself, but the usage of him by the coaching staff in putting him over toward the left. Now, Caden is a natural right tackle, and that's where he aligned yesterday with Nick Leverett taking snaps at left guard because of the absence of Cole Strange and City So kind of lurking in the wings right now. So when you look at this new alignment along the O-line, in your expert professional opinion, because this is your area of expertise, my friend, is this simply the coaching staff trying out a new combination, seeing if it sticks, seeing if it can work, or is there something here? Is this something we

could see more of either on Wednesday or into training camp to move Mike back inside and put Caden at his natural position over on the right tackle? That's exactly what they're doing. They're looking for the combination of the best five and how that's going to fit together. And this is the time to do that, folks. You need to do that early and you need to do it often. Especially if you are going to depend on a rookie at some point in time during the year, you know, we've, we've pounded the desks here, uh, about when Drake starts and when he's getting in there and what's going to have to happen all starts from the inside. It all starts from that offensive line and how he can best be protected. And if this line ends up better with the young kid from Penn State at right tackle and on way you

back into a, quite frankly, his best position, you know, it's great that Mike can move up and down the line from left to right. And even though he spent most of his, his professional career on the right hand side, they're just, they're, they're getting ready for, for all scenarios.

And they're trying to find the combination of the best five right now. The only, the only person that we're 100% sure of is David Andrews, David Andrews there. he will be at center. Everything else works off of him. And as long as he stays healthy, I think both guard positions will do really well, will do pretty well. But with Anwe Yu at right guard, if Wallace can kick out and hold his own

on the right side as a right tackle, and he did this really well in college, folks. I've never criticized the man's play. It's just how the Patriots were planning on using him. I think this could be a good combination. I just wish Cole Strange was healthy and over there on the line. Yeah, absolutely. And unfortunately, Cole right now looking like he will be out for at least an indeterminate period of time. A lot of people are saying midseason. Kyle Trimble joined me a couple of weeks ago and said to be even a little over optimistic. And recently he had the opportunity to speak with Chris Price of the Boston Globe, kind of reiterated that, meaning Cole Strange did. So keep a sharp eye on Cole, folks. If he's going to be out for an extended period of time that is a hole and i'll get to that in just a moment but killer for this kid it really is and

unfortunately it comes at a time where you know he was going to come into his own in a system in which he's designed right this outside wide zone type scheme that alex van pelt loves to employ is the type of scheme that Rusty Wright ran in Chattanooga, and that's exactly what Cole was good at being able to facilitate. I think he really was poised to make a big jump this year, and we wish him the best and hope he's back on the field as quickly as possible. He'll be back, folks. It's just a matter of when, but I like the points that you made about Owenu, and I like the points that you made about a winnow and i like the points that you made about caden wallace first of all a winnow is not someone that is indifferent to playing

guard he played right guard last year as well folks everybody remembers him as the right tackle but he did play 194 snaps at right guard last year before the patriots had no choice right to kick him out there was no other answer exactly and there wasn't this year i think the Patriots had no choice right to kick him out there was no other answer exactly and there wasn't this year I think the Patriots have an answer yeah and I'm glad that you mentioned Caden Wallace because I've been trying to give the Pats coaches and Caden the benefit of the doubt of being able to kick out to the left saying the athleticism the footwork the versatility the ability to mix it up gives you the option especially as a young player of being able to go in and learn

something new but I don't think there's anybody myself included that'll argue that Caden is much better suited to the right than the left yeah you want to talk about what he did last year all Big Ten Conference started 13 games he allowed only one sack right on the right side 40 starts in his collegiate career at Penn State every single one of them came on the right side. 40 starts in his collegiate career at Penn State, every single one of them came on the right side. So Caden Wallace is not someone that is incapable of playing that position. Yeah, he's a rookie. He's going to need seasoning no matter where he aligns, but this is a natural fit for him. And if he's more comfortable as a rookie, I think Mike is the more versatile of the two. And I don't think he'd have a problem kicking back

inside. I don't see the Patriots kicking him out to the left. I don't think he'd have a problem kicking back inside I don't see the Patriots kicking him out to the left I know I've heard that a little bit I don't believe they're going to move him around and move him at left tackle that would be a mistake but I could see the Patriots I could see the Patriots moving him to right now you mentioned left guard yesterday Nick Leverett got the majority of the snaps I know Layden Robinson is out there much like Caden Wallace he's much more comfortable on the right than he is the left yeah but City So to me is interesting because the Patriots have aligned him on the left so far do you expect to see more out of him on the left side considering what he brings to the table I do um I think that

he's a solid uh option to put there I think he's somebody that's versatile enough to be able to slide over to that side on the inside. And this could end up being the best version of this offensive line that we're going to get. Because quite frankly, we still don't have a left tackle on the roster. Yeah, I mean, Chuck Sikora for I think is the guy that's going to get the nod i think he's a veteran and i think they will do what they can to prepare him and to get him ready to play on that side calvin anderson is going to be someone i'm going to continue to be intrigued by watching i know there have been health issues it's a feel-good story because of everything he went through last year whether it be the problems with injury, internal health, battle with malaria that just was absolutely horrifying to hear.

So happy to see him doing well and back on the field. But people forget that when he was healthy and locked in, this is a pretty good reserve tackle. He's a pretty good option, a swing option that the Patriots could have. So don't sleep on this guy. I don't think he's going to crack the starting lineup, but he could play a very intricate role in spelling some of these guys

if they do have difficulty. He's a veteran enough, and he's got, I think, the savvy to play on either side should the Patriots need him. There are still some good left tackles out there if this does not work over on the left-hand side. You know, D.J. Humphreys from Arizona is still out there. Charles Lino, who's no pro bowler or anything, work over on the left-hand side. You know, DJ Humphreys from Arizona is still out there. Charles Lino, who's, who's no, no pro bowler or anything, but he's somebody who has taken a lot of snaps on

the left-hand side, man. He's a 32 year old man. Humphreys is 30. You know, Donovan Smith, you know, from Kansas city, he could, he could step in here and be part of that rotation over on the left side. The, the, the left tackle spot really, really bugs me folks is it, it is so paramount to, to having a successful running game and, and passing attack that it's, that's why these guys get paid so much money. And that's why I was a little rough on the Patriots during this off season when they, when there were

starting caliber left tackles out there to go get when they missed the boat and ended up with, with Wallace there at the end of an offensive tackle run. They ended up with probably one of the better right tackles in this draft. But he's not a left tackle. He's not. And it's already, I don't want to say completely evident, but it's becoming more evident that that's the side that he's going to help this team on the most. You know, it's a fair point.

I mean, one thing I will say, Ken Wallace has the stuff to be a starting tackle in the NFL. I firmly believe that. Now, whether you believe that he's better suited to the right, which is where he's comfortable, or whether you believe he can kick over and make starts at the left, still, I think, is a matter of conjecture. I think the fact that they're putting him over on the right side now to show where he's more comfortable maybe tips the hand of the Patriots coaching staff a little bit, but bottom line, folks,

the best five are going to play. Murph said it right from the beginning. Gerard Mayo said it yesterday when he spoke to the media. And that ultimately is going to be what the deciding factor is here, Murph, because you're not only dealing, if you're Scott Peters, you're not only dealing with players that are versatile, that you can move around like, you know, pieces on a chess board and say, okay, well, this, this player is versatile. I can use him for so many different things. You're talking about protecting potentially a rookie quarterback at some point this year, you need competent players out there that have experience that have pro level experience that are capable of playing the tackle position. That's why Chuck Sikora for, I think, think in my opinion is going to be the guy that they're going to go with at the left

even though he's not experienced on the left he's still right now if this roster holds as it is he's still the most experienced guy they have now like you said if they go out and they get someone that's going to be able to come in then all bets bets are off, folks. And I wouldn't necessarily discount that. Murph's mentioned some of the names out there like Humphreys. These guys are savvy veterans, and now is the time you want to bring them in. Allow them to start fresh in training camp. Learn the system. Keep a sharp eye out.

I'm going to keep my sharp eye out on Wednesday to see how these guys align, and definitely in late July when the Patriots reconvene. That's when you're really going to start to see, I think, the offensive line come alive. And those days when the patriots reconvene that's when you're really going to start to see i think the offensive line come alive and those days when the pads come on murph i know murph is going to be like a kid in a candy store he can't wait for it it's going to be a lot of fun because those guys are going to look formidable they're going to look ready but there's only one player right now murph out there that looks fantastic. Our man Ramondre always looks fantastic.

And you know what else is fantastic? It looks like Ramondre may be hanging around in Foxborough for the foreseeable future. Are the Pats and Ramondre Stevenson close on a contract extension? Murph and I are going to discuss why and why it's a great thing for the New England Patriots when this episode

of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on mandatory minicamp day one recap episode of Locked On Patri patriots joining me is the legend himself thomas murphy and we have our sharp eye on all the major players in foxborough drake may caden wallace michael wanu from under a stevenson in a few moments but one thing that i

would keep but folks all of you everydayers should have your sharp eye fixed on your YouTube and podcast feeds because our new hub for all things New England sports, Locked On Sports Boston, is ready to launch and will be your exclusive home for everything related to your beloved Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, your banner 18-bound Boston Celtics, and of course, yours truly and your New England Patriots. Show your New England fandom by locking in to Locked On Sports Boston, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team, every day. And folks, bottom line, there is nothing more exciting for Patriots fans than the start of camp season.

It's a new dawn, a new day, a new era, and a chance for a new beginning. And that's exactly what we're looking at, Murph. We're looking at potentially a new rookie quarterback at some point this year, a new look offensive line, a brand new head coach, new look and feel to this team on offense and on defense. But one of the things that I think the Patriots have been very good strategically about this offseason is trying to keep some continuity in the right. They're keeping guys, core guys around for the long haul. And we've seen some of these players. We've seen some of these guys sign contract extensions in the offseason or re-sign as

free agents, whether it be Michael Wenu, whether it be Kyle Duggar, Christian Barmore getting extended, Hunter Henry sticking around for a little bit of time, Kendrick Bourne being brought back. These are solid locker room guys, lead by example guys that just make everyone around them better. But sometimes you sign not just for leadership in the locker room, but for prowess on the field. And the gentleman that we're about to talk about, I think embodies both and that is the fantastic ramondre stevenson ramondre had the opportunity to speak with us in the media yesterday following practice and he dropped a very interesting nugget of information ramondre

was asked about his contract situation which as we all know he's entering the final year of his rookie deal this year and ramandre was quoted as saying it's something you've got to think about but right now i'm just trying to get the deal done and locked in with the extension it's pretty close pretty close murph that sounds pretty good to me uh what are your thoughts when you hear remandre stevenson say something like that in your opinion do you believe a contract extension is now imminent? Yes, I do. I think it's imminent.

I think I've been working on it for quite some time. And, you know, probably for weeks now. And they're inching closer and closer together. What's really important right now in Patriots rebuilding of Patriots culture, or setting a new tone, is the fact that they are keeping these guys around, things that did not really happen in the past. You rarely saw a second contract for a running back here in New England. They were few and far between.

You know, James White is the exception, not the rule. And I think this is fantastic because remondre is somebody that loves it here he wants to play here okay and this shows other players around the league that this is a place you want to be regardless of of uh um what you read about player surveys all right you know this is this is a fine place to play. This is a great stadium, a great, a great fan base. And, and it's just, it's good to keep those guys around. I've always said that, you know, especially with, with the Red Sox, you know, over the years, I mean, it's good to keep these guys around and in letting some of them go and walk away hurts your culture.

Keeping the right people here helps it. Now, Michael said we talked earlier about speculation. I am going to speculate a little bit that, you know, Devin Gottschall was not very active yesterday in minicamp activities. He was over on the sidelines an awful lot. Whether you want to call this a hold-in or whatever, and avoiding your fines, he's somebody else that needs to get a deal done right now. And he's letting people know that by his non-participation

that he's looking forward to that. When you look over and you saw what Christian Barmore rightfully signed for and some of the glowing terms that he's been talked about here in the past by Bill Belichick and some other fantastic defensive side of the ball players, so you can go back to Flo and talk about this. He's deserving of a deal. He's deserving of a bump. But just to circle it all the way back around, I think that, yes, Ramon Dre is very close to a deal. I think we're going to see a three-year extension in the range of $21 million to $23 million in total, maybe $15 million guaranteed, $18 million guaranteed. He deserves it. You can't hold it.

You can't hold a player's health against him. I would not call Ramon Dre injury prone. He's not somebody that sits out ticky tack stuff. He's not somebody that, you know, we're looking to name a tub after in the locker room. That's not him. When he's been out, it's been something that he needed to rest. It wasn't anything small. It wasn't me with the sniffles. No, it definitely wasn't. The high ankle sprain that he suffered last year, folks, in a lot of ways,

Ramondre was kind of shut down at the end of the season because there really wasn't much to bring him back for. I believe that if the Patriots were in the thick of a playoff run, you would have seen Ramondre back out there. So anyone questioning his health or his durability clearly has not been paying attention. Ramondre is one of the more durable backs out there. Gerard Mayo saying yesterday that he believes he's one of the better backs in the league. And Ramondre was by that after practice was over. Speaking to the NFL network, he said that he agrees with Gerard Mayo. So you'd like to see that type of, yeah, you definitely, you'd like to see that type of confidence in a running back, but it also showed that he

appreciated the backing from his head coach in that respect. So it's showing camaraderie, it's showing moving forward. And the other thing it shows to me too, is how valuable that not only Gerard Mayo, but Alex Van Pelt believe he is to this offense. Remondre is always at his best when he blends his physical power running style with a little bit of finesse. He makes tacklers miss in short yardage. Alex Van Pelt loves that, by the way, folks. Go back and take a look at some Nick Chubb tapes. And believe it or not, Ramondre Stevenson is checking out a lot of Nick Chubb tapes because it is a move back to that outside wide zone run concept.

Ramondre played this an awful lot when he was an Oklahoma Sooner. It's a return to what he's used to doing and what made him stand out at Oklahoma. I think the Patriots realized that in order for Alex Van Pelt's used to doing and what made him stand out at Oklahoma I think the Patriots realized that in order for Alex Van Pelt's offense to stick you need a happy healthy Ramondre Stevenson and a productive one what better way to do that than to extend them and show their appreciation so I think there's so much involved with Stevenson coming in and getting a contract extension to me it's an excellent move and I'm glad that you went back and mentioned guys like Devon Godshell, mentioned guys like Matthew Judon, who spoke with Rich Shurton on Tuesday morning on his radio show and said that

he's not looking to make waves, but he made it very clear that he's looking to increase that 6.5 million annual salary he's going to get this year. I know there's the guaranteed 7.9, but Matthew Judon definitely deserves a little more. And I don't think anyone's going to argue that when it comes to Godchow, there's no more guaranteed money left on his deal folks. So he's definitely looking to get some more security and get a little bit more love from the team in order to move forward. And I think both of these guys are key cogs so as they continue to sign core players from mundray is going to be that

first domino to fall now in this post mini camp era i believe heading into training camp but if i'm the patriots i'm keeping that pencil sharp i'm keeping uh my accountants there uh late hours to make sure that they can work something out for guys like Judon and Godchild. I think these are guys that need to come back as well. That's it. They really do. Godchild's getting up there in age, but he's not playing that way. I think he's 29 now, and I believe a two-year extension after this season would be fantastic. Judon is also, you know, I think a lot of it is coming down to the fact that he's been injured the past two years. Nobody's ever had a problem with the production that he's put on the field. And these two work off each other

really, really well. And I think Judon is another guy that he's 31 now and um he'll be 32 but no this is somebody he's he's playing on on to call it team friendly would would be you know one of the bigger understatements that either of us could make on this show um i do believe that that he's worth a two-year extension at some really decent cash. Yeah, absolutely. And do it now. You have the money. You have the space. Do it now.

Get it front-loaded so this isn't a hindrance down the line. Get Miguel in here and figure that out. Never mind. Just get him paid. Absolutely. And Miguel can give you all of the particulars, all the ins and outs.

He's already starting, too, folks. The spreadsheet comes on and shares here at LockedOnPatriots are just the tip of the particulars, all the ins and outs. He's already starting to, folks. The spreadsheet comes on and shares here at LockedOnPatriots are just the tip of the iceberg. Check out his feed. You'll definitely be more well-informed on anything contract-related. He's great. Miguel is truly a man among men

when it comes to Patriots salary cap. He's the only source I need, and we'll continue to do. Where would we be, folks, to kick off the week in style without my good friend, the kind of Murphy Fisto himself, bringing the wisdom, the counsel, and the knowledge the way only he can. But thank you so much for taking time out to join us here today. Before I let you go, please let everyone know what you've got marinating in Murph's kitchen right now between now and the end of the week when we bring back the mailbag to close the week in style sausage and peppers nice and also i've got a little piece that that i'm i'm doing on marty

mapo you know and his move to the inside he's making making a little will side linebacker action happening you know i noticed that the other day not a lot of people are talking about that so i thought i would bottom line, when it comes to wisdom, counsel and knowledge, Murph is as good as they come. Check all of that out on diehardbostonsportsfans.com and of course you can catch him one, probably two times each week right

here on the Locked On Patriots Airwaves. We are honored, humble and grateful to have you here on Locked On Patriots and we will continue to be each and every week folks. So make sure to stay locked into Locked On Patriots, and we will continue to be each and every week, folks, so make sure to stay locked in to Locked On Patriots. Download, subscribe, follow wherever you get your podcasts because you don't want to miss an episode as soon as it's made available.

But in the meantime, I give a tip of the cap to my good friend Thomas Murphy for all of his wisdom, counsel, and insight, and most importantly, I give you my heartfelt gratitude for all of you everydayers, all of you casual listeners, and all of you first timers for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of my good friend Murph, 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.