Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Playoff Ready in 2023? Jerod Mayo, Bill O’Brien, Damien Harris and More

Episode Date: January 23, 2023

The New England Patriots may be ready to hire a new offenisve coordinator in the coming days. However, how close are they to returning to contention for a deep playoff run? Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy, as the duo discuss the Pats potential playoff readiness, the progress on hiring Bill O’Brien as offensive coordinator and the potential of Damien Harris returning to the team’s running back corps in 2023.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONUltimate Football GMTo download the game just visit Ultimate-GM.com or look it up on the app stores. Our listeners get a 100% free boost to their franchise when using the promo LOCKEDON (ALL CAPS) in the game store.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Place your first FIVE DOLLAR bet to get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in Free Bets – win or lose! Visit Fanduel.com/LockedOn today to get startedFANDUEL 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)  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

the Patriots may be close to hiring a new offensive coordinator, but how close are they to contending for a division or even a conference title? Stay tuned. You're about to be locked into 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. Thank you once again for making Lockdown Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and also your first listen every day. Remember, the Lockdown Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button. Download, subscribe to follow Lockdown Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Follow me.

Let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at MDABATENFL. And while you're out there showing some love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, joining me as always on hashtag Locked On Murph Monday is the only man that Locked On will have here on this pod on Mondays. He is a columnist extraordinaire for E2GSports.com, the legendary Connor Murphy Fisto, Thomas Murphy himself. I'm going to pop in here in just one moment. But folks, remember, today's episode is presented by PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy made easy.

Pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than their PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry. First-time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with the promo code LOCKEDON. That's PrizePix, promo code LOCKEDON. Murph, it is always my honor, always my privilege to have you join me on the mic. Welcome back to the pod, Don Murph. Thank you for having me, man. I woke up and said, hey, it's Monday.

I get to go hang out with Mike for a while. Let's do this. I love it. All right. Yeah, you this. I love it. All right. Yeah, you do. You really do. And I hope you guys all out there love it too, because I'm not going anywhere. Absolutely not, folks.

Mondays are going to continue to be the most exciting day of the week here on Locked On Patriots. And we got a lot coming in this off season. But you know, Murph, it is still football season. I know it doesn't seem like it in New England. It was very odd or very weird, I should say, two out of the last three years where New England is not playing playoff football. And some exciting games on the slate over the weekend, folks.

The Final Four is indeed set in the National Football League. Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 on Saturday. Philadelphia Eagles dominating the New York Giants 38-7. Both the Chiefs and the Eagles punch their ticket. And then Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals continue to be a dominant team, beating the Buffalo Bills on their home field 27-10. They punch their ticket to the AFC Championship game. And the 49ers taking care of the

dallas cowboys 19 to 12 they will play in the nfc championship game so your final four murph the kansas city chiefs cincinnati bengals on the afc philadelphia eagles san francisco 49ers in the nfc and you know murph we saw the kansas city Chiefs hang in against the young Jacksonville team, hungry Jacksonville team, nearly took it, you know, the distance there. We saw a Buffalo team that a lot of people, myself included, on this show. I have talked a lot about the Buffalo Bills being the more complete, if not the most complete team in the NFL, top to bottom, start to finish, offense, defense, special teams. The best, most complete team in the AFC or in the NFL right now may actually reside in Cincinnati, judging by what we saw yesterday on the field from them.

But to me, my friend, it just begs the question. Taking nothing away from the Bengals or the Chiefs, I believe the NFC out of it is a little bit of a different animal right now. But all four of the teams that we saw in a different animal right now, but all four of the teams that we saw in the AFC yesterday compete, whether it be Saturday or Sunday, they all look vulnerable in some way over the weekend. So based on that, and I know you've got a strong opinion on this, and I want to give you the opportunity here to let all of our listeners know how close are the Patriots to being in the discussion with these teams?

About 640 pounds. That's it. 640 pounds. Left tackle, right tackle, possibly a guard. You know, that's it. I tweeted it out this weekend after watching these amazing football teams, you know, just try to swim through the mire and the muck. It's amazing that the only thing that this team, Patriots team, really needs is an offensive play caller

that really knows what they're doing. You know, not just a smart football guy, but an offensive guy that knows what they're doing and, and a pair of, of, uh, of starting tackles. You are locked on Patriots, your daily new England Patriots podcast. Yes, we are sorry about that folks. Anything, you know, folks hearing Murph, you know, folks, Murph's point was so indelible that it had to be. It just absolutely had to be accentuated by that. Still work out

a little kinks in the new studio, folks. I appreciate that, but Murph, no, absolutely. It really and truly does. You're 100% right. I did not mean in any way to steal your thunder on that. Please, my friend, continue. No, but it was a beautiful.

It's the only thing I sat back and I watched. It was nice to be able to sit back and not have any skin in the game. Just take a look at the overall picture of the AFC and the NFC. And really, that's all it is. Forget about, you know, go out and get more weapons. Forget about we really need a number one wide receiver. You don't. With the exception of Jamar Chase, how many number one wide receiver. I have no real need for a George Kittle on this team. I really don't. I've said a hundred times before that when I'm cutting my keys to Kansas City, George Kittle is the least of my worries.

And it just seemed to be the way that he was being covered or not covered was the reason he was so effective in that game. And otherwise, the number one receivers are all sitting at home or yelling at their quarterbacks. It's true. It is true. And you look at the teams that have advanced and with the exception of, you know, quite possibly the, you know, the Chiefs, you know, have a dynamic, they do have a dynamic talent

at quarterback. There's no question about it. Joe Burrow is playing at another level right now. You definitely love what you see from him. Philadelphia's getting great quarterback play out of Jalen Hurts. There's no question about it. You've got to love what's going on in San Francisco with Brock

Purdy, but you look at the common element that all four of these teams have. They're winning games in the trenches. They're making plays happen, like you said. And when you look at the offensive lines, the defensive lines too, folks, I want to give some love to the D-lines on these teams as well because they're really holding court

and making things interesting. But I thought the Cincinnati Bengals offensive line yesterday, particularly against the Bills. It was shockingly good. Yeah, this is a team that really has been maligned all season long you had people calling for andrew wentworth to come out of retirement join his former teammates in cincinnati andrew had a great tweet yesterday he says you guys thought that they needed me that our offensive line is holding court right now and they were and they really weren't worth his

pissed off that he didn't answer that call because he could have gotten himself another Super Bowl ring just by sitting on the bench and saying, good job, good effort. Exactly. And, you know, I mean, Andrew is truly one of my favorite guys to cover. Oh, without a doubt. He's so great. Yeah, just a great, great guy. And he really is a great guy along with it to boot, but just a lot of fun. And really, I think, you know, having a lot

of fun at the expense of the situation as well. But to me, it just, it does not take away from that. This is where you see these teams emerge. And again, San Francisco does this as well as anybody winning games in the trenches, that offensive line, that defensive line is so good. You see Trent Williams on the left tackle position that is admirable in terms of what I think the Patriots would like to aspire to with that position. Mike McGlinchey looking awful good yesterday. He's a free agent. How good would he look in Patriots blue? We already got a little bit of a glimpse of him and how he'd look in red,

but those throwback uniforms that the Patriots would be wearing, this kid is definitely going to be coveted uh in the off season patriots may have to shell out big money for him but you know what this is the position folks that the patriots need to invest in if they're going to be contending i agree with you it's nice to add complimentary pieces patriots should add complimentary pieces when it comes to the offensive skill positions but if you want them to be a contender, they have to invest in the lines. And that's exactly what I think they should do in the offseason. And it sounds like like-minded with my man Murph here. Once again, but holding court here on Locked On Patriots.

Go out, get me Orlando Brown Jr., who again looked fantastic this week. Go out and get him a glinchy uh over there on the right side it's it's this is where this is where uh where championships are won and lost in the trenches and I did I tweeted out yesterday that if you want to know the deciding factor of this Bills Bengals game it's in the trenches the offensive line was just dominant the defensive line did exactly what you it's almost like they they read all of my keys to this Bills-Bengals game. It's in the trenches. The offensive line was just dominant. The defensive line did exactly what you, it's almost like they read all of my keys to the buff, beating the Buffalo Bills this year and then turn them. It was a beautiful thing to watch. It starts there.

They got pressure all day long on, on Allen and Allen just didn't have an answer either with his arm or with his leg. And once again, can you believe a Buffalo Bills team that cannot play in weather? The words are out of my mouth. It really is. It's surprising because you look at an advantage this team should have. I mean, let's face it. If there's an area in the country that is known for its winter, you know, wonderland or winter, you know, for lack of a better term, just winter nightmare that these guys have to go through.

And I don't say that lightly. Buffalo has had some deadly weather this year. Literally. And that's not something that should be taken lightly. And it's something, though, that they haven't had to deal with the last two or three years. Right. Okay. They've really embraced climate change up there in Buffalo.

There has not been as many bad weather games during the Josh Allen era. And they've been able to succeed. And whenever that doesn't happen, this team is not set up to deal with it. And you know now why the people of Buffalo are screaming because they didn't okay a dome stadium up there, because this is a dome team. And in a lot of ways, it may end up being a dome team. That team looks like they definitely have some things to work out in the offseason. I mean, there's no question about it, folks.

And for Bills fans that do hate listening to this show, or they do listen to hear some of my compliments to the Buffalo Bills, my opinion hasn't changed on them all that much. I still consider them the top team in this division. I still consider them among the top teams in the league without any question. But they have some logistical on-field deficiencies that they have to address in this offseason. Maybe it's through personnel. Maybe it's simply through better game planning, a little bit better coaching in certain areas, and really rising to the occasion from some of their top players.

They're screaming for their head coach's head up there. They are. Yeah. Well, I think that's a conversation for another day you know maybe sean mcdermott didn't call his greatest game yesterday but to start calling for his head i think it's a little bit premature but uh you know we'll uh we'll we'll see i mean that's it you know i'm just enjoying it i'm just that is the beauty of passionate football my friend it really and truly is and speaking of that passion new england Patriots fans are passionate about who might be the next guy calling signals on the sidelines on offense next year.

Patriots look like they're close to hiring an offensive coordinator. A lot of positive stuff coming out about Bill O'Brien. Maybe some of the other guys in the mix as well. And Gerard Mayo really injecting himself, ingratiating himself into Bill Belichick's world. Murph and I are going to talk about that in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, today's episode brought to you by our friends over at PrizePix,

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deposit match up to $100 prize picks.com. Patriots fans, the legendary Connor Murphy, Fisto himself of E2G sports.com. My good friend, Thomas Murphy, dropping by the pod on hashtag a lot on Murph Monday. That embroidered chair is definitely spewing the wisdom and the counsel that we all need here on a Monday morning to get us ready for another week in Patriots fandom. And Murph, we talked a lot about other teams in action last

week over the weekend, and the Patriots, unfortunately, are not playing playoff football right now, but that does not mean that they are not making headlines. The Patriots looking to make a hire at the offensive coordinator position. You have to think with all of the coaching gigs lined up for this team, whether it be the East West Shrine Bowl, whether it be the Senior Bowl, got a lot of different members of the coaching staff going all over the place for this. You have to think that these guys want to get someone in place and they want to do it quickly. So at the time we're recording this, Monday morning, there hasn't been a hire yet, folks. But we're anticipating that really any day now.

Word out of Foxborough is that the interview last week between the Patriots and Alabama offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien went well. Sounds like they went smoothly. Everything going to plan, but we're also hearing that it may not be a slam dunk. There may be other suitors that could possibly come in. One to keep an eye on, Arizona Cardinals. They just hired Monty Ossenport as their general manager. Former Patriots head scout, really wore a lot of hats up here. Former Titans GM, very close with Bill O'Brien. So if the Pats are serious about trying to keep Bill away from other suitors, they may want to try to get this done quickly. Of course,

if Monty sweeps the pot down there and throws the head coaching job at Bill O'Brien, that may be tough for him to turn down. But there are different opportunities that these guys will seek. Bottom line, when it comes to hiring an offensive coordinator, you don't just want the big name, but you want the right name. I know we talked last week a little bit about Bill O'Brien. Why is he both the right name and the big name that the Patriots need in order to succeed? Or is he? No, he is. And it's both familiarity with the system here and familiarity with the quarterback.

It's a one-two punch. It's almost a no-brainer to bring him back here. Now, I said over a month ago when I was on One Patriot's Place with Clazzie Clare and our special guest was Evan Lazar that it is not a slam dunk, that there are a lot of jobs that are going to be open and there are a lot of people that are going to be going after Bill O'Brien. So while some people might have said so on local television, and you might, yeah, we had it first. We had it first. We were the logical ones out there. And what needs to be done right now, all of this talk, what gives me more pause is all of this talk about Gerard Mayo

being the next person in line here. Bill does not want to hire somebody that is going to be here for a year and then take off and, and, uh, find another job. Uh, we said that all the way back in, uh, as camps open last year, when the, the rumors were just floating around, why, why doesn't he go get Bill O'Brien? Why doesn't he go get Bill O'Brien? Because one good year, a good offensive coordinator will be in the hopper for every head coaching job that comes along. And yeah, there are people out there looking for head coaches. He's somebody with a ton of head coaching experience, both at the college and pro levels. And there are people going to be calling. So what Bob Kraft is going to have to do is really knock his socks off with an offer here.

You can't really go out and promise, as we talked about earlier with Mayo and other shows. Yes, you'll be the next head coach. But he's going to get a few head coaching offers. So Bob had better really, you know, dot his eyes and cross his T's before he makes this offer to Bill. Yeah, absolutely. I think you're right on the money when it comes to that. And that leads me nicely into my next question for you, my friend, is that we've been hearing a lot about the potential of Bill O'Brien maybe seeking other, you know opportunities because his ultimate goal is to be a head coach in the NFL once again and I don't think anybody

can blame him for that that's exactly what these guys get into business for well there's another guy on the staff right now in New England that is also aspiring to be a head coach in this league and that's Gerard Mayo we're hearing reports coming out of New England corroborated by again the best in the business, Mike Reese, who I completely take everything that Mike says for face value, and you can always do it too, that Gerard Mayo was intricately involved in all of these interviews that the Patriots conducted over the course of the last couple of days,

whether it be Adrian Clem, whether it be Keenan McCardell, whether it be Sean Jefferson, Bill O'Brien, Nick Cayley, Gerard was right there. And we're hearing all kinds of news that associate head coach, assistant head coach is going to be a part of this promotion that he's getting to keep him in New England. We've also heard that one of the things that Bill O'Brien would probably be ready to jump at at a moment's notice is maybe a little bit of a wink, wink, nod, nod, maybe an assurance that he might be coach in waiting when Bill Belichick decides that he's eclipsed every record that Don Shula had and he can ride off into the sunset, hop on, you know, eight rings,

hopefully nine rings by that time, folks, and just, you know, sail off and be on you know eight rings hopefully nine rings by that time folks um and just you know sail off and and be you know be well uh in retirement but if gerard mayo is the guy and it's looking like he's being groomed the world is being opened up the way bill opened up his world to josh mcdaniels a few years ago is that going to throw a any type of a you know any type of a of a roadblock into this potential deal for Bill O'Brien knowing that it's looking like Gerard Mayo is more of the guy waiting in the wings for Bill it really might um it's something that's going to have to be in the back of OB's mind um the life of a coach is one of moving around an awful lot. And when you get to O'Brien's age, you don't want to move around a lot anymore.

You really don't. You want to make your next destination your last destination. You know, he has young, not young family, but, you know, he has family that he, you know, that he doesn't want to keep uprooting and moving all over the country. It was one of the reasons Josh McDaniels stayed here and didn't go to Indianapolis a few years ago because he didn't think it was a stable enough move for his family. And I mean, you can't blame the guy for that. The people of Indianapolis did. But this is something that O'Brien has to be thinking about,

as to whether or not he's going to come here, whether or not there's a shot of him being the next head coach, or if it's already been a foregone conclusion that Mayo is the next head coach. Things change in the NFL at the drop of a dime. But this is something that he's in control of right now and that he really doesn't want to let go of. And I don't blame him. Yeah, I don't necessarily blame him either.

And look, Gerard has built up such an amazing rapport with his teammates, with the players that play for him, obviously, but also with his coaching mates, I guess is a better way to put it uh you know when you're a fellow coach i guess you can't call yourself a teammate anymore but you know what old habits die hard for great players and i'm sure gerard considers these guys as teammates he does he really does he he looks at these guys as just as he did other people, other players that he lined up next to. And that's the beauty of his coaching style. These guys all know that he's been there.

He's played the downs. He knows the trick of every trade. And they're more apt to listen to somebody who was a player as opposed to somebody who uh knows what to do and not how to do it right yeah without any question um and you know it is indeed a situation where gerard is the coach waiting in the wings i think bill is going to have definitely take a look at that but also the opportunity to get back into the nfl in a system that he knows to be able to succeed with a quarterback with which he has familiarity that might be the deciding factor so folks might be a little bit of a uh you know wrench into the plan there but i don't think it's

going to be a situation where to completely derail it uh we'll keep a sharp eye on all of the comings and goings in foxborough this week and we'll be sure to bring you all the latest. But I'll predict this. I'll predict that if Bill doesn't get a head coaching job, he's coming here. Yeah. The only thing that's going to, he's not going to, he's not going to go be an OC somewhere else. Yeah, I completely agree with that. I don't think that any of the jobs, I know there are a lot of jobs that are open, whether you look at Washington, whether you look at the L.A. Chargers. I mean, there are some intriguing jobs out there that do have the capabilities of maybe catching his eye.

But, yeah, he's going to come here. He'll be here if he wants to be an OC. Unless there is a head coaching job out there, I think this is the place for him. So we'll continue to watch, folks. And as it happens, we'll bring you the latest right here on Locked On Patriots. But we're not done just yet because Murph and I are going to unveil a new segment here on Monday called Murph's Question of the Week. And Murph, you've been getting a lot of questions about the running game.

And I know we've talked a lot about offensive lines. We've talked a little bit about the quarterback. But the running game in the New England Patriots right now is looking like it should be a top factor will it continue to be and are they going to rip back status quo that's the question for merv today when we continue right here on lockdown patriots but first folks the nfl playoffs are here and we are really excited about our new sports betting partner for lockdown because they're the number one sports book in America. That's right, folks, FanDuel. And if you're new to FanDuel, that's even better.

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Make every moment more with Fanduel, the official sportsbook partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2G sports has broken the wisdom and council meter this morning talking all things Patriots readiness for the playoffs we've talked about offensive coordinators we've talked a little Gerard Mayo we've sprinkled in pretty much everything Murph but when we look at this team ultimately the Patriots are going to have to improve on the field, not just logistically, game planning, strategy, all of that, big part of it, but there are going to be improvements needed on the field. And we saw deficiencies in just about every area last year for the Pats.

Sounds weird talking about last year when we're still playing playoff games, but I digress. It is a new era here in New England hopefully not for much longer and we look at especially on offense we look at the quarterback position we look at the tight end position we look at the receiver position offensive line all those areas seem to have more problems than not in the 2022 season but one area that looked I don't want to say overly consistent all year long because they've had their issues as well. Their productivity dropped off severely as the year went on. But one area that I think a lot of people were pleasantly surprised in was the

running game. And that is because of Ramondre Stevenson. Just a tremendous season for the second year runner out of Oklahoma. 210 carries, 1,040 yards, becomes the first player since LeGarrette Blount to rush around 1,000 yards in a season in New England. Five touchdowns, averaging five yards per carry. He was absolutely great when it came to carrying the football, but it wasn't just carrying the football, it was receiving it. I mean, you look 421 receiving yards, averaging 6.1 yards per reception, even had a receiving touchdown. So this is a dual threat back that really can get the job done.

A lot of people are wondering whether or not the Patriots prowess at running back because they have a guy like Stevenson that is clear-cut number one right now. You've got a couple of young players that are still a little green but are showing signs of being able to be nice, complimentary players in Pierre Strong and even in Kevin Harris that it's making an unrestricted free agent right now, Damian Harris, maybe a little bit expendable on this team as they head into free agency. Murph, you and I both know that bargaining from a position of strength has always been

Bill Belichick's MO. So my question for Murph today, a new segment here on Locked On Patriots, is will the Patriots decide to run this back with all of the pieces in place, including Damian Harris, knowing how well these guys complement one another, meaning he and Ramondre Stevenson? I think they should try, but I'm going to hedge that bet as to what Harris is expecting to get in free agency. If he's going to come back here on a three-year $18 million deal, yeah, sure, I would go for that. If we're talking,

you know, somebody is going to offer him four years and, and $30 million, it's probably not going to, it's probably not going to happen. It really is. And the only, the only reason that I hesitate with that is because of his injury history. He's, He just misses so much time. He gets banged up. I don't want to call him fragile because that would be a disservice to the running style and the playing style that Harris has. It's fantastic. I love his game. I have since he's been drafted, and I do hope he's back.

I think they're going to try to run it back because I'm not too sure how, um, uh, I'm not too sure there's, there's anybody out there in the draft this year where, uh, in the fourth or fifth round, Bill is going to be able to pick somebody up. Um, I know that there isn't anybody on anybody in free agency that could fill the role that Harris has at the salary slot that the Patriots are trying to work with here because there isn't a ton of cap room right now. There just isn't. $30 million, $30, $35 million. I'm not sure what Miguel has for a spot right now, but Pat's cap always hits it on the head. There's not a lot of wiggle room there. So if he can come back onto, I don't want to call it a team-friendly deal,

but a deal that makes sense to everybody, then yeah, I think they'll try to run it back because I don't think Bill wants to get caught with his pants down at this, uh, at this position, the way he has in the past. And we're recycling old, uh, uh, running backs that have been, been on the shelf for, you know, 18 months. Very well very well said um you would have to think that by looking at Damian's stat line for 2022 106 carries 462 yards three touchdowns averaging 4.4 yards per carry that's not going to really endear him and make him a darling of a lot of teams out there that are searching for running back help right so you look at that stat line and you say okay well

yeah they might be able to work out a team-friendly deal um you know damian may not have all that many entry offers out there but then you go and you look at the career numbers that damian harris has built up in his career so far uh 2009 the 2094 yards averaging 4.7 yards per carry throughout his career 20 20 touchdowns. You know, these are situations where you look now at Damien's history. You look at what he's capable of doing, the prowess that he can show on the field when he's healthy. If teams are willing to pay him based on that, then I think he's going to be priced out of

New England's pay range, like you said. There's only so much that can go around with that. Just air under $35 million that the Patriots are going to have in available space this off season. So you want to be careful about how you invest that. You've got some capital at the running back position. Do they invest that in a receiver? We're hearing word out of Foxborough that there was a lot of chatter about guys that,

you know, you game plan for and things of this nature at the receiving position I think they've got a couple of guys that can step into that role maybe you know looking at bringing Jacoby Myers back but if that's not the case then they have to go out and invest in that position as well right it's going to be interesting because one of the things that you see on this running back core right now is a whole lot of promise a whole lot of potential but not a lot of veteran presence and one of the good things about the New England Patriots over the years is their running game always had that veteran runner that you could rely on to give you not only the prowess on the field but also that wisdom on the field that comes

with being battle tested I'm not saying that Damian was tested the same way that guys like Kevin Falk and guys like James White were. They're different runners too, folks, but you need that veteran presence on there that, you know, just locker room presence, even of those guys to be able to, uh, to make things happen. So that could be the only thing that could be a fact. No, that's, that's a great point. You know, how, how Peter pays Paul here with, with opposed to, you know, the, the wide receiver

room and the running back room and where more, more money is going to be well spent right now. It just goes back to, you know, you, you look at, you look at his game logs. He only played 10 games in 2020. He only played, he played 15 games in 2022, but then again, only 11 games this season. Uh, if, if he had come back and, and put up the same numbers this year that he did in 2021, where he had 202, uh, 202 carries for, uh, close 1,000 yards and 4.6. I would say that it's a foregone conclusion that somebody's going to go out there and overspend.

I'm not sure that somebody's going to do that for a guy that's missed the time that he has. Because of the depth here, it's been able to work out. But I want to see him back. I just don't, I just don't know if it's going to happen. And if somebody else out there, isn't going to do something stupid for a guy that averages just 12 games a year. Fair point. Uh, very much a fair point.

Sorry. You know, it's, uh, it's tough because I know that Damien is a favorite of a lot of guys in that locker room. Just really such an uplifting presence. I mean, I remember him coming into the locker room last year and talking to him, you know, and giving the opportunity for him to be able to, you know, tell exactly how excited he was about the season upcoming. I'm talking about training camp posts, just to clarify. And he really was just the voice of positivity in that locker room. And it's tough to envision that without Damian Harris.

But look, this is a business, and the Patriots are going to treat it as such. They always have. They always will. And I think in a lot of ways, we're going to see exactly what this team's MO is going to be all about by the amount of energy or maybe the amount of effort they put into resigning a lot of the guys that they have internally before the league year starts on March 15th. And of course, you know, I'm not counting that little legal tampering period that we have beforehand because no one talks before that. But, you know, it's going to be an interesting offseason in New England. But it starts, folks, with the hiring of a new OC. And Murph and I have covered that. We'll continue to cover each and every blade of grass that moves in Foxborough

here on Locked On Patriots. If there's something you want to hear, questions that are on your mind, please submit all week long. You can hit me up at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. You can hit me up at mdabatenfl you can hit him up as well at teamerp207 definitely drop a line in there you can drop a question in the comment section on youtube or definitely hit us up wherever you can we'd be more than happy to incorporate that into murph's question of the week each and every monday and don't forget folks get those mock drafts ready because very shortly

we're going to be instituting Mock Draft Monday here on Lockdown Patriots, and we cannot wait for it. Our favorite time of year, Murph. Definitely love that. We want to hear your great mocks. We want to see yours. Technology is going to permit us to be able to put them up on the screen.

So you're going to be live and in living color so everybody can see what your great work is as well. You, the great listeners of Lockdown Patriots, make this show who it is or what it is, I should say. Murph, what can I say, bud? Thanks so much for dropping by the pod today. We look forward

to talking to you again next week. Before I let you go, my friend, please, what can we keep an eye on this week from the great pen, the great voice of the legendary Thomas Murph? we're gonna sit there of course i've got um uh i almost said locked on one patriots place tomorrow with clazy claire and myself we're going to be going over everything that happened this weekend all the stories that uh that are uh fit to print um derrick havens from uh from Patriots 4th and 2 is going to be stopping by tomorrow.

You're not going to want to miss that, folks. And over on the writing side, nothing's tickled my fancy this week. I've got a couple of pieces up about John Henry and his brain-dead trust from the Red Sox getting booed off the stage at Winterfest this weekend. My son Vucci was up there, and he had a blast. He had an absolute blast just soaking in the atmosphere up there.

So check those out. I'll be getting on to my Patriots do's and don'ts for the free agency season. That should be coming up in this week or the week after. Right now, I'm just enjoying football. It's nice to sit back, and while I miss having the Patriots in the playoffs, it's nice to just sit back and not, you know, just enjoy the game again. Absolutely. It really is nice to sit back and enjoy the game again.

And we wish we were enjoying our New England Patriots out there playing playoff football, but you know what folks here in New England, we're on to 2023 and we will continue to bring you the very latest here from Foxborough. But in the meantime, thank you for making lockdown Patriots daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

And also your first listen every day. Now that you've made us your first listen, please make your second listen our good friends over at Locked On NFL. All the major storylines throughout the Shield. You want to talk divisional round recaps. You want to talk conference championship previews. Those guys have you covered each and every day. So download, subscribe, follow wherever you get your podcasts.

And don't forget to download, subscribe to, and follow Locked subscribe, follow wherever you get your podcasts. And don't forget to download, subscribe to, and follow Lockdown Patriots wherever you get your podcasts. Smash that subscribe button to YouTube. On behalf of the legendary Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change that you wish to see in the world.

Have a great day, everyone, and see you tomorrow. What's the over-under?