Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Out with the Fins, In with the Jets, Mac Jones, Pats Defense and More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Pat Jones needs to step up his game, and no one knows that better than him. But he's far from being the New England Patriots' only problem. 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.

Starting point is 00:00:40 Thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts to 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.

Starting point is 00:01:00 So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on Twitter, on X, on the Bird app, at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And don't forget, today's episode is brought to you by our friends over at PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL and use the code all lowercase locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. And Pats fans, thank you for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:01:38 As always, a special shout out to all of you everydayers out there, all of you locked on loyalists that make this show possible. My unending appreciation to you. I'm always honored. I'm always there, all of you locked on loyalists that make this show possible, my unending appreciation to you. I'm always honored. I'm always humbled by all of your support. And of course, today, folks, it's time to turn the page because it is Wednesday. That means we take our leave of the Miami Dolphins and we focus on the J-E-T-S New York Jets and a week three matchup this Sunday at 1 p.m.

Starting point is 00:02:04 MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey. But we're not about to turn the page just yet until we take one last look at the Finns, especially from the perspective of quarterback Mac Jones, who's coming under a lot of fire from a lot of sections of local national media and, of course, a big part of the fan base. There's no question that Mac needs to step his game up a little bit. He'd be the first to tell you that, and he's done so, so far for the past two days. However, to lay all of the blame at his doorstep is a little irresponsible.

Starting point is 00:02:36 And here today to lend some reason to that opinion is a gentleman who knows a thing or two about being a voice of reason. That's right. Steve Balistrieri of Hatsfans.com. He's going to pop in here in just a moment, and we're going to discuss Mac Jones and that slice of blame pie that's being passed all around the New England Patriots table right now. We're also going to take our final look at the Dolphins game, and we're going to take an early look at the New York Jets.

Starting point is 00:02:57 So stay locked in, folks. You are not going to want to miss that. But as always, on Wednesday, the Patriots issued their first injury and practice participation report and some of the highlights from Wednesday's report include the return of Trent Brown and City So both offensive linemen spent last week on the sidelines both were in concussion protocol both were back out on the field today they were limited participants but seeing them back out there definitely an encouraging sign for your New England Patriots. And of course, cornerback Jonathan Jones was also back in practice. He was a limited participant, but bottom line, folks, it's a good sign to see Jonathan out there.

Starting point is 00:03:35 Patriots are definitely going to need him in the secondary against a potent stable of pass catchers of the New York Jets. And of course, there were a couple of notable absences for the New England Patriots. One for a good reason, one maybe not so much. We'll reverse the trend today and we'll start with the good news, and that is defensive tackle Devon Godchow missed Wednesday's practice, but he did so because both he and his fiance welcomed a new baby into the world on Tuesday. He was out on paternity leave. Congratulations to Devon and his fiance. Definitely wish your child all the health and happiness in the world but there was another notable absence and this one is worth monitoring folks Marcus Jones who don't forget suffered the shoulder injury against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday night not present on the field and this could be a big one for the Patriots

Starting point is 00:04:21 not only is Marcus a key part of that secondary but he's also their primary punt and kick returner, and he's also a guy that can give you a gadget play here and there on offense to spark it. Marcus's speed is some of the best on the team, and they're definitely going to miss him if he's not able to go. Keep a sharp eye on Thursday's report. Might be telltale as to whether or not Marcus is going to miss significant... Might be telltale not only when it comes to this Sunday's game against the Jets, but whether Marcus might be in line to miss significant time. Folks, it's never a dull moment in Foxborough. And in just a moment, my good friend, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com going to pop

Starting point is 00:04:56 in here and we're going to discuss Mac Jones, the Miami Dolphins, and we're going to take an early look at those J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. Without further ado, I welcome my good friend, my Patriots Paisan, columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com, as well as the co-host of Patriots 4th and 2, another amazing Patriots podcast. If it's not in your rotation already, make sure it gets put there as soon as possible. My good friend, Steve Balistrieri, welcome back to the Lockdown Patriots podcast, Bison. And thank you for having me. It's a pleasure

Starting point is 00:05:31 to be back. Unfortunately, it's not in the greatest of circumstances. I really thought they would be able to pull out a win on Sunday night, but it didn't happen. Yeah, I think we all were hoping that a win was in the cards for the New England Patriots, especially on Sunday night, but it didn't happen. Yeah, I think we all were hoping that a win was in the cards for the New England Patriots, especially on Sunday night football. This is a team that knows how to play Miami well. Miami knows how to play them well, so I think everybody expected a close, tight game. But once again, the Patriots on the outside looking in when it comes to the win column. And for the first time since 2001,ve new england patriots are oh and two heading into week three but we all remember the last time the new england patriots were oh and two yeah a

Starting point is 00:06:11 little something called the first super bowl that the new england patriots won happened that year so it's not unprecedented folks highly unlikely that this is going to repeat but not unprecedented steve we'll digress my My inner Homer is out of me right now, and I desperately need your wisdom, your counsel, and your voice of reason. I think we all do here on Locked On Patriots because one of the things about starting 0-2, if you're an NFL team, is you're constantly looking for an accusatory finger to point. You're looking for someone to blame. We always look at the quarterbacks, don't we? It just always seems to come down to that. For better or for worse, the quarterback is always going to get that extra spotlight. And this week is no different. Mac Jones coming under

Starting point is 00:06:53 fire, a lot within the fan base, some within the local and national media are kind of gleefully taking a victory lap here saying, Mac can't get it done in the clutch. He's not able to come up in the big moments. That arm is a liability. All of these things that are adding up to little more than argument fodder, for lack of a better term. I really think they're more like kindling just to kind of spark the discussion that some in the region want us to be having heading into week three. The statistics though, Steve, would say that Mac Jones has played much better under Bill O'Brien and that the ship is being righted, but it's going to take a little bit more time. In your reasonable approach to the way you handle things, my friend,

Starting point is 00:07:37 please lend a thicket of intellectual wisdom and counsel on this subject. Is the blaming of Mac Jones something that is really off the rails right now when it comes to this team being 0-2. Totally off the reservation on that one, man. I mean, if you've watched the games, the Patriots have some issues. They probably have several issues. Mac Jones isn't one of those several. I mean, has he been perfect? No, but he's been good. And, you know,

Starting point is 00:08:12 when you're unable to run the football and you're unable to give your quarterback reasonable protection, you know, you're not going to win many games. I don't care who you are back there.

Starting point is 00:08:28 I mean, he's running around. I thought he moves better in the pocket on Sunday night than he probably has in his entire career. And, you know, the same people that are talking about this, you know, lack of clutch gene by Mack, they're the same people that are lamenting Bill O'Brien for throwing so many screens. And the reason he's doing that,

Starting point is 00:08:53 because he does not trust the offensive line to be able to hold up. The same thing is like with the screen passes, not screens, lack of a play action. And, you know, because everyone's been saying, well, O'Brien, that's a part of his philosophy. Why aren't they doing more play action? It's because he doesn't trust the offensive line to hold up when Mack is falling back. So therefore, you know, he has to do what he can with what he has.

Starting point is 00:09:31 And everything stems from the play of the offensive line. And until they get that ironed out, they're going to struggle offensively. And it doesn't matter who the quarterback is. I mean, it's just a fact and yeah they they need to start faster they need to stop the mental mistakes and the turnovers that's all a part of it but putting this all on max play you're not watching the games i mean well let me rephrase that. Everyone watches the games, but not everyone sees the game. You know what I'm saying?

Starting point is 00:10:08 Absolutely. Yeah, there is a difference, folks. There's a difference between observing and actually absorbing. I think you make a very, very interesting point and a very good point when it comes to Mac Jones, and that was lamenting Bill O'Brien's lack of use of play action. You need two things for play action. In order to make it effective and in order for it to be a viable part of your offense, Steve, you hit the first one right on the head. You need a solid offensive line to be able to

Starting point is 00:10:33 block up front and hold that defensive line off to give the play action pass a chance to be able to reach its target and then do its work with yards after the catch, but you also need to facilitate that with a sound running game. And the sound running game has not been there this week. It hasn't been there for the past two weeks, and one of the big reasons why is lack of continuity on the offensive line. Patriots have talented players up there, folks. No one is suggesting that Cole Strange and Mike Uenu have suddenly lost their mojo.

Starting point is 00:11:01 But this unit has not practiced together as a cohesive unit. Really, all summer long, Ueno was on the physically unable to perform list. Holt Strange missed a large section of time. So you have to give these guys an opportunity to gel. Murph and I and Steve have talked about this constantly here on Locked On Patriots. Offensive line play is as much about continuity as it is about talent and right now the Patriots just haven't had that continuity so naturally you're going to be under fire if you're Mac Jones under pressure yes he has been better completing over 72 percent of his passes under pressure is a much better showing than what we saw last year but he also has less than 2.5 seconds to react whenever Miami's pass rush reached its target. When you don't have that time, yeah, you can't use the running game.

Starting point is 00:11:53 You can't test the secondary deep. You have no other choice sometimes, but to kick back and take a sack, Mack took four of them on Sunday. Patriots do have some problems right now, but to lay this all on the feet of Mack Jones, I think is irresponsible right now. And you know, it was funny. I was talking with Derek Havens this morning on our Patriots 4th and 2 podcast. And look, they have a bunch of good weapons, not great weapons, but good ones. But it all comes back to that offensive line. You have to have the time for your quarterback to survey the field and find one of those guys,

Starting point is 00:12:31 whether it's one of the two tight ends, which I think they have two very good tight ends, or one of the several wide receivers or a guy out of the backfield. it all comes back to the protection and if your quarterback has to hold the ball for a second and a half how much of the field is he actually being able to see you know um and the answer is not enough and you know, they don't have the speed that Miami has. They don't have the talented guys that other teams have. But they have plenty of good weapons. And, you know, do we wish they had more speed out there? Of course, you know.

Starting point is 00:13:20 But the guys that they have can be successful. They just have to do a better job up front. And without that running game, again, I'm beating a dead horse here, but, you know, without the threat of a running game, we saw it several times on Sunday night. Miami was just blitzing right up the middle because they weren't afraid of getting caught with a run that breaks through the, you know, the first line of defense or a quick pass where somebody can take that and

Starting point is 00:13:54 make yards after the catch. And, you know, I think the yards after the catch were really, really low on Sunday night. I haven't seen the exact number, but I mean, how many times did we see the guy catching the ball and being tackled right away? Steve, before we start talking about the green side of the Meadowlands, we're going to take one last look at the Miami Dolphins. And you mentioned tackling earlier, tackling a problem on both sides of the ball, folks. And we're going to talk a little bit about the Pats defense and some of Steve's parting thoughts

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Starting point is 00:16:06 Keep your ride or die alive at ebay.com slash motors. eBay guaranteed fit only available to U.S. customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. Pats fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And of course, your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And Steve, in the previous segment, we talked about Mac Jones and the slice of blame pie that's being served on his plate.

Starting point is 00:16:40 I think Steve and I kind of agree here that putting a heaping portion of that blame pie on Max Plate is a little irresponsible when you consider all the factors that are going on around him. But bottom line, a loss is a loss. And as Bill Parcells used to say, Steve, you are what your record says you are. And the Patriots are an 0-2 team. They need to make improvements heading into what is a crucial game coming up this weekend against the Jets, but you still can't move on to the future without knowing what you've done in the past to make the corrections necessary to move forward. And in addition to Mac Jones, we talked about the offensive struggles. The running backs need to get going. The wide receivers need to get more involved. The tight ends have been very good. We need to see more of that. But on the defensive

Starting point is 00:17:25 side of the ball, I thought the Patriots regressed from the performance we saw against the Philadelphia Eagles two weeks ago. Whereas I think the defensive line and the linebackers were excellent in that game. I think they showed some weaknesses in the foundation this week. You wrote about this very well for your report card, your game report card that was issued on Tuesday. What are the main differences you saw in this defensive line, this linebacker core, really the front seven overall against Miami as opposed to what we saw against Philly? Well, you know, watching the game,

Starting point is 00:18:01 I thought Miami completely dictated, you know, the tempo and everything going on in this game because they won both battles in the trenches. I thought they dominated the Patriots in the trenches. And, you know, the defensive line in particular, they didn't do a good job at all, I think, of setting the edge because we've seen – it looked kind of like that Patriot crack toss to the outside,

Starting point is 00:18:34 and they were just eating them up on that. And, you know, I look back in that game, and they just – you know, when Miami rushes for 145 yards and averages almost five yards a carry and two touchdowns, that's not good enough, especially for a defense as good as this one is. And then, you know, the kicker of the whole thing was the fact that, you know, the final touchdown, they ran it right up the gut.

Starting point is 00:19:10 Godchow and Kwale were totally sealed off. There was a huge hole right there, and Mostert ran without being touched for that 43-yard touchdown. And, you know, the fact of the matter is the linebackers weren't a lot of help in run support in this game. I thought Uche and Jelani Tabai, I thought they were constantly failing to set the edge. And even Jawan Bentley missed a couple of tackles,

Starting point is 00:19:45 and we hardly ever see that. Exactly. So, yeah, it was not a great effort on – well, let me rephrase that. I'm not saying they didn't put an effort in. It wasn't a great performance by the defense. But I do think, you know, after they had those issues, you know, in the first half with being ate up underneath with those, you know, those short passes that Miami was taking because that's what they were giving,

Starting point is 00:20:18 I thought they adjusted well in the second half. I thought the secondary played much, much better in the second half of the football game, but they still had issues with their run defense. Yeah, without question. And it really, it stands into line. Murph and I talked here yesterday about that three safety set, that three safety umbrella that you're going to put in the middle of the field. You're taking away the big play and credit to Mike McDaniel.

Starting point is 00:20:43 He had an answer for it. And the Miami offense had an answer for it. But when you do that and you put three safeties in the middle of the field, it's going to weaken your ability to be able to hold up up front. And the Patriots defense, unfortunately, didn't have that secondary help that they usually have giving your front seven a little bit more help. They did make the adjustment and they played a little bit better after, closer to the second half, but the damage is done. The Pats defensive line surrendering 145 yards to the Dolphins on the ground.

Starting point is 00:21:13 Raheem Mostert was responsible for 121 of those yards and two touchdowns. That's a tough day at the office. But you know that the minute we arrive, the minute the New England Patriots arrive in East Rutherford, the Jets are thinking, we have to try to run the football here. Patriots were very good in being able to try to contain it in week one. Not so good in week two. Tale of two Patriots coaching staff,

Starting point is 00:21:49 you're keeping a sharp eye on this week in practice, depending on what you saw on the field on Sunday night. Well, one parting comment about the Miami game, you know, they were on national television. And, you know, for all the hand-wringing about joe judge coming back what a uh play design he hooked up they had noticed something about jake bailey who was with the team for several years right and and when he was holding on the uh the field goals how he had a little bit of a tell. And I just thought that was absolutely brilliant that they saw that

Starting point is 00:22:32 and they implemented something with Brandon Schooler. Because looking back at that play, it wasn't even close to not being blocked. I mean, he was right on top of them when he kicked it. I just thought that was brilliant. And the NFL, being a copycat league, you're going to see that pop up with other teams. Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Starting point is 00:22:56 And again, I mean, yeah, it was one play, but it just goes to show when the Patriots and several teams, they all do it, really. They dig deep looking for any kind of an edge. And, you know, kudos to Joe Judge, Cam Acord, Joe Houston. I just thought that was a very brilliant play that they were able to notice. I mean, it was so subtle. And then, you know, I watched Pat McAfee,

Starting point is 00:23:27 who knows a lot about special teams, on his podcast, and he was talking about that on Monday. And, you know, those are the little things that go into a game plan, and who knows, you know, if things had turned out different, that might have been a turning point. Yeah, and I think it had the chance to be a turning point without question. And I love the point that you made about that being showed in film rooms across the country, across the NFL landscape, in special teams planning rooms. You know that teams are going to take a page out of that book.

Starting point is 00:23:57 And it was brilliant. The minute you saw Schooler aligned out wide, you knew something special was coming. And then to see it come to fruition the way it did, and then Kyle Duggar chasing down to make sure he got the recovery, textbook, folks, textbook. And we've said that several times. One of the better plays you'll see in special teams anywhere in the NFL, and clearly the highlight of the night when it comes to the New England Patriots.

Starting point is 00:24:20 So, Steve, we take our leave of what was a disappointing loss, and we do it in a way that kind of leaves a pretty decent taste in the mouth of Patriots fans, ending on a high note. But, folks, can that high note extend into getting the Patriots into the win column? The one-on-one Jets stand in their way of that, and this is a different team than we expected to see, or is it? Steve and I are going to discuss that point in just one moment when this episode of the

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Starting point is 00:26:08 slash LockedOnNFL and using the code LockedOnNFL. Prize picks, daily fantasy sports made easy. Pats fans, thank you once again for taking time out of your busy schedule to join us here on Locked On Patriots, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network. And don't forget, tomorrow here on the pod, Crossover Thursday, my good friend, host of Locked On Jets, John Butchko and I are going to be talking the ups and downs, the ins and outs,

Starting point is 00:26:39 any type of angle you want to cover. We're going to have it covered here as we cross the streams between Locked On Patriots and Locked On Jets, getting ready for week three of the NFL season coming up this Sunday at 1 p.m. at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. So stay locked in to Locked On Patriots for Crossover Thursday tomorrow right here on the pod. But today, folks, we are absorbing the wisdom, the counsel, the reason of my good friend and Patriots Paisan, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com. And Steve, those Jets are in the New England Patriots way. As the Pats hit the road for the first time this season, the Jets are one

Starting point is 00:27:17 and one, being quarterbacked by Zach Wilson. Do not adjust your device. Yes, the Jets are being quarterbacked by Zach Wilson. In case you haven't seen the NFL the last couple of weeks, Aaron Rodgers presumably out for the season with a torn Achilles. And obviously that puts things into different perspective. The New England Patriots have had great success against Zach Wilson so far. But this is also a very deep Jets team. What do you see in your first look, your first gander at the New York Jets coming up this week?

Starting point is 00:27:51 Well, the first thing you notice is that defense. I mean, they were very, very good last year. I think they're probably even better this year. They're legit. They got worn down against Dallas last week because their offense was struggling. But that is a very stout group. And we talked about the offensive line struggles for the Patriots. It doesn't get any easier.

Starting point is 00:28:16 They go from Philly to Miami to now the Jets and Dallas. So this is a real big test for them. Once again, the jets offense. I mean, like you said, Hey, we're, we didn't step back into 2022, you know, everyone expected this game to be against Aaron Rogers. And that would have been a whole other set of variables that we would have been looking at this week. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:28:49 But, you know, unfortunately for Rodgers, and, you know, we're not Jets fans here, but you never wish ill on anyone's health. And for him to go down in just four plays, I mean, you know, I know a lot of people in that fan base were talking about the Jets being cursed, and they might have something there because that was just a horrible, horrible start to the season. You know, they went all in. They brought Rodgers in, and, you know, a lot of people were talking

Starting point is 00:29:24 deep playoff run, some even Super Bowl run. Those hopes have been kind of dashed, and now they're back with Zach Wilson. And when you look at this offense, they have talented, skilled position guys, but it's all going to come down. If Wilson can make the step of being a, even a decent NFL quarterback and now he's facing the worst of his demons because he really lost his job last year after that game in Foxborough against

Starting point is 00:30:00 the Patriots. Absolutely. Four previous meetings for Zach Wilson against the New England Patriots. 54 completions out of 106 attempts, 693 yards, two touchdowns, seven interceptions, 11 sacks in four games. I want to talk about a team that has your number. I don't want to say they own Zach Wilson, but the New England Patriots defense clearly has an ability to be able to get to him, throw him off his game, and contain him. The Jets are going to come into this game hoping to get the Brees and Dalvin show going. They want to get Brees Hall.

Starting point is 00:30:36 They want to get Dalvin Cook on track. They want to get these guys running and running the football early and effectively. If the New England Patriots can stop that and find a way to keep a cap on it, yeah, I don't think there's much mystery as to what they're going to do this week. I think that's going to be their main focus. It's can they find a way to score on this Jets defense? You're looking for an offense that needs a spark and needs to break out a little bit. It's going to be tough to do against this Jets defense, so that's the only thing, Steve. This is not the team that you're looking for a breakout performance against. These guys can shut you down in so many different ways. Yeah, that defense is very legit on the Jets side.

Starting point is 00:31:16 I mean, they're good at all three levels, but that front seven especially. That front seven is right up there among the the best uh front sevens in football i think and you know um it's going to be tough sledding for the patriots but i totally agree with you i think you know when you have bruce hall you know and cook and you know they they're going to want to take the onus off of Zach Wilson. They want to make his throws much easier to make. If he has to throw the ball on third and one or third and two, you know, well, they'll have the option of either throwing or running if they're in short yardage situations.

Starting point is 00:32:01 And then that, and what we talked, play-action passing comes in. But if they're in third and six, third and eight, you know, those type of situations where it's obviously a passing down, it's going to be tough on him. And, you know, on our podcast this morning, we've talked with Antoine Staley um good friend of ours um writes for the New York Daily News covers the Jets and he said you know obviously this week it's it's got to be establishing the run because Zach Wilson you know his biggest nightmares have come against New

Starting point is 00:32:41 England right and that has to be in the back of his mind. So they want to take a lot of those nightmares away by running the football and making their life a whole lot easier on him. And I think that's going to be key to the game from the defensive side. And Steve, what can I say? I thank you for lending all of the wisdom and counsel that you always lend here to Locked On Patriots. Truly, Familia, you are my Patriots bison. Before I let you go, my friend,

Starting point is 00:33:09 please let everyone know where they can find you and follow your great work this week heading into week three against the Jets. Yeah, I'm writing my keys to the game right now, so you can follow me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I write for PatsFans.com. And I think, you know, this is going to be another slugfest with the Jets. I think it's going to be low scoring.

Starting point is 00:33:32 And whoever can protect the football and run it will probably end up winning because I think in a game like this, a turnover could be disastrous for either team. Yeah, it really could be. And that's going to be a big-time key, folks. And we're going to talk some keys for the end of the week as well. So keep that under your hat. But don't forget, tomorrow here on Locked on Patriots,

Starting point is 00:33:54 crossover Thursday, Locked on Patriots, Locked on Jets. Always a lot of fun when my good friend John Butchco joins me here on the microphone. So stay locked in, folks. You're not going to want to miss that. But in the meantime, I thank my Patriots by Zahn. Thank you, my friend, for coming here today into Locked On, Patriots, and lending the wisdom, the counsel, and the reason the way only you can. But most of all, folks, I thank each and every one of you.

Starting point is 00:34:18 On behalf of my good friend, Steve Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate, reminding you to stay safe, 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.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Out with the Fins, In with the Jets, Mac Jones, Pats Defense and More

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