Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Release JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pats Offensive Line, Preseason Standouts

Episode Date: August 10, 2024

Just one day after their 17-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers in their preseason opener at Gillette Stadium, the New England Patriots released receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com to discuss why Smith-Schuster’s release not only opens a roster spot, but also provides an additional opportunity for a young receiver to make the squad. The duo also provide their thoughts on the Pats’ offensive line and additional standout performances from preseason game 1. #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! LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply. 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. BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month. 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. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! 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)

The Patriots have parted ways with Juju Smith-Schuster, but there are still a lot of questions on offense to be answered before next week's preseason matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles. 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. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and hopefully 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 free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download and follow Lockdown Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure 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 of Athlon Sports. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at MDA, BAT, E NFL. While you're out there showing some love to lockdown Patriots,

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Terms and conditions apply. And Pats fans, we are less than 24 hours removed from the Patriots' 17-3 victory in their preseason opener at Gillette Stadium against the Carolina Panthers. And as much as we want to bask in the glow of the first preseason victory of the season for the New England Patriots, one veteran receiver is finding himself on the outside looking in. And unfortunately, folks, I think all of us saw this coming. Wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster and the Patriots parting ways and here to help me break it all down into our deeper

dive into the Pats victory over the Panthers, as well as his thoughts on Juju Smith-Schuster, is my good friend, the resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots, columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com and the host of another amazing Patriots podcast, Patriots 4th and 2, alongside the great Derek Havens. He is my Patriots Paisan. Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Steve, welcome back to the pod. Thank you for joining me here on what is still a Victory Friday, my friend. Oh, yes, it is. And, you know, wasn't it really nice to be watching the Patriots play football again? I mean, it's one thing to see the practices and, you know,

the training camp stuff, but seeing them back out on the field that you let in front of a home crowd and playing the Panthers last night. Granted, it's only preseason, but boy, that was really nice to see. It was great to see. And, you know, seeing the Patriots back out on the field, it's a new era, a night of firsts. Gerard Mayo's first game that he's coaching for the New England Patriots. Drake May's first appearance at quarterback.

Joe Milton's first appearance at quarterback. That was a big night for him. Had a lot of rookies out there showcasing their talents, Jalen Polk, Javon Baker. A lot of new faces here in New England, as well as some new positional groupings. And we're going to get to all that because there were some new combinations and permutations along the offensive line, Steve. Quarterbacks were played based on what the line was going to bear that night. Gerard Mayo confirming that when he spoke with the media, not only postgame, but also again on Friday morning. And there are several roster hopefuls that helped make their case a little bit better for a roster spot. So stick around, folks. We're going to talk about all that today and more.

But let's start with the news of the day. Friday afternoon, Boston Herald's Doug Kyatt being the first to report Juju Smith-Schuster, after only one full year in New England, is now going to be on the outside of the roster bubble, looking in. The Patriots choosing to part ways with Juju. This is an interesting release at this point, Steve. I don't want to say surprising or shocking, because based on our personal observances of what's been going on on the field, Juju hasn't exactly looked like his old self, not to put too fine a point on it,

and I definitely don't want to disparage him on his way out, but it seemed like an uphill battle for him to earn a roster spot on the 53-man roster. The Patriots taking on approximately $9.6 million, maybe a little north of that, in terms of dead money, and also per the terms of his contract, still owing Juju Smith-Schuster $7 million in guarantees. But the New England Patriots now have freed up a roster spot, and because of that, things could get interesting in the wide receiver room. But let's start with the release of Juju Smith-Schuster. Steve, again, what was your reaction to this being done this early in camp um and what does it mean

for the Patriots moving forward now without Juju in the lineup well one uh you know ever since last year his knee has never come around we saw that last year He was dealing with stuff all season long. And, you know, he said this year at the beginning of camp, he was 100%. But he doesn't have that burst anymore off the line. He just can't separate. And that was where he was most successful. He had that burst right off the snap. And, you know, he could get open, catch the ball, do all kinds of things. And he had that burst right off the snap, and he could get open, catch the ball, do all kinds of things, and he had that yak ability.

But he just no longer has that. The injuries have caught up with him. It's a shame because when he was healthy, he was a very, very good football player. And he was very productive. But physically, he just can't do it anymore. I'd be surprised if somebody picks him up, but by releasing him this early, if some team is interested, it gives Juju time to latch on with somebody. And we've heard this term before, a veteran, a solid. Bill Belichick has done that several times in the

past. A lot of old school coaches will do that throughout the league where you give a veteran an opportunity to hook on with another club, get some training camp practices in, maybe a preseason start or two or a preseason game or two might help you move forward. And then you can try to set your agenda for the remainder of the year. You're absolutely right. From what we've seen out of him in training camp, that burst to create separation is simply no longer there. And if you're losing that, you're losing the ability to get yards after the catch. One of the big reasons why the Patriots went with Juju over Jacoby Myers,

which I know is not a popular opinion here and still not, and it's even worse today when you look at the social media reactions but it was juju's ability to get yards after the catch which is why the new england patriots felt he'd be a better fit for what they were trying to do offensively especially under bill o'brien and even under a guy like alex van pelt who loves to employ that type of an offense i think he had a shot to do it but you you hit the nail right on the head, Steve. That problem definitely is a lingering problem. And there were also questionable drops that he had throughout training camp as well. Sometimes easier catches that a receiver of his caliber should have no problem pulling in were difficult for him to make. And it's tough seeing a guy that

you've had such a revered opinion of, and especially, and I'm speaking for myself here, I'm not necessarily speaking for anyone else, but I loved watching Juju Smith-Schuster play football in his prime because he did have that ability to be an explosive receiver. He was a fun guy to watch. And the last couple of weeks, it hasn't necessarily been all that easy for him, and it has been difficult to watch. So maybe he will get an opportunity to

latch on somewhere else but ultimately he ends his Patriots tenure having played 11 games 29 catches 260 yards one touchdown averaging only 3.2 yards after the catch that's not going to get it done and you can't think that the Patriots saw an ability to really eclipse those numbers and what he had left in the tank this spring and summer. So a tip of the cap and best of luck to Juju. He's definitely he's a great guy to cover. He really is, you know, a joy to be around. And I personally wish him nothing but the best because he really is someone that you root for. But ultimately, the Patriots just have too many young receivers on this team that need the ability to compete. And now they're one step closer. It's one less now that some of

these younger receivers will have to compete with in order to earn a spot. Yeah. And, you know, that's the other thing. I mean, the writing was on the wall from day one that he wasn't going to be up to the task. But as a veteran that you're paying all that money to, you have to get them as reps. Well, now that they release him and, you know, give him a shot to go elsewhere, now they can focus more on the younger guys. And several of them looked pretty good last night.

I'm not saying they were looking like all pros already, but they were looking pretty good. And, you know, they were making plays, and you just like to see that. You like to see the effort out there, and especially the rookies. You know, you want to see them in their first action, NFL action, against, you know, an opponent out there trying to be productive. And I thought they did that. Oh, I thought they did it as well.

And we're going to get into a couple of those later folks. So stick around. You do not want to miss what's coming up next year on Locked On Patriots. In another future segment, we're going to talk about roster hopefuls that made their case a bit better for a roster spot. And a few of those wide receivers that Steve and I are talking about I'm sure are going to pop up in that conversation but Steve you saw a lot on the field last night and before we get into I think one of the more

poignant areas of improvement that the Patriots will need to make one of the things that stood out to me in the second viewing of this game the problem with penalties that still continues to plague this team we saw a lot of undisciplined play out of the patriots last year very uncharacteristic of a bill belichick led team usually they won't beat themselves but for the last couple of years patriots have still continued to make penalties that kind of make you scratch your head we saw a few of those last night. Procedural penalties, especially, that continue to plague this team. Nine penalties overall, 61 yards. That is not a good stat line, even for a preseason game. You need to shore that up. Gerard Mayo talked about that earlier today. Is this something that you believe is going to be the focal point for the New England Patriots heading into this week of joint practices and another preseason game, because I think it needs to be priority one. Oh, absolutely. I mean, the procedural penalties that you're just shooting yourself in the foot and you're putting yourself behind the sticks immediately, you know, and I'm not making excuses for him, but some of that comes from the constant shuffling,

especially on the offensive line, you know, because they're trying to find, you know, five guys that work, and not that they're not working hard. I'm just saying work as a team, you know, and I think when you do that, some guys who, you know, are coming in, they feel that urge that they want to get off the ball and make a good impression. And sometimes they're a tad earlier, they're leaning forward. And those are things that need to be cleaned up. And, you know, they were very sloppy

in that regard, I thought, along the offensive line. There was a couple of holding calls and those are going to happen, especially when you're a team that wants to run the football and you're running between the tackles. Sometimes your guys are going to grab on a little too long. And, you know, it's something that needs to be cleaned up. You know, I thought they actually got away with another pre-snap penalty last night that didn't get called. It looked to me like the right tackle on one of the drawbacks. I'm trying to remember who was the quarterback at that time, but it seemed like the right tackle moved a tad early.

So, but those are things that can be cleaned up and they should be, you know, especially going against the Eagles this week in joint practice, which I think is probably going to be more important to the Patriots as a whole than the actual game will. Yeah. And we've seen that more and more each year because you get so many players that engage in one-on-one battles and really kind of testing each other. And you're seeing the ones go against the ones in these practices where in the game setting, you're not always seeing that. It depends on who's out there, who's getting rest, who they don't want to really overwork at this point or risk any type of injury. There's a lot of strategy

that goes into who plays in these games and not, but you will see pretty solid and pretty good matchups in these joint practices, and sometimes they can get a little chippy. Gerard Mayo told the media earlier this year that one of the reasons why he didn't want to drag it out and do two days is because that second day can really get heated. And, you know, you really want to be sure that these guys are keeping their emotions in check, especially when you're trying to field a fully healthy team for the upcoming season. So I completely agree. These things need to be shored up. A couple of the more egregious penalties last night, false starts on Chuck Sikora for Michael Petway, you know, things that need to be cleaned before this team reaches its preseason crescendo. So that way they can make the decision who makes the squad and who doesn't. These are the types of things that the coaches really need to make sure are shored up by the time that decision is to be made. So Steve, once again, always interesting and always a lot to talk about

when it comes to New England Patriots football. That has not changed, but one thing that will continue into this week is something you mentioned just a few moments ago, the offensive line and the numerous combinations and permutations out there for this team. Patriots put out a few different lineups when it came to the offensive line on Thursday night. Steve and I are going to break down who was blocking for who, which quarterback benefited from it, and which are the questions that still need to be answered along this offensive line. That and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. We are always a again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. We are always a proud part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. And here on the pod, we continue to break down the Patriots 17-3 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Gillette Stadium on Thursday night. Pats are 1-0 now in the preseason, heading into a big week. Joint practices with the Philadelphia Eagles on Tuesday and of course Thursday the second preseason tilt of the season for the Pats as they host the Eagles at 7 p.m. at Gillette Stadium and Steve in the previous segment we talked a lot about what the Patriots

need to do to shore this team up to make sure that they're ready to roll and they are clicking on all cylinders. That's a lot easier said than done when you have a new head coach, a new coaching staff, a lot of new faces, potentially a rookie quarterback starting at some point this year. After last night's performance, who knows? We may be talking about a rookie quarterback battle. We may have one of those on our hands if a lot of the pundits and the analysts and the fans out there are to be believed.

But, Steve, I digress. I still think that if penalties and cleaning up a lot of the logistics is priority one, then I think area of improvement number one still needs to be this offensive line. We watched the New England Patriots trot out at least three combinations of the line last night with various moving parts all over the place. We see all the rookie Caden Wallace take both tackle spots. Chuck Sikora for getting the original start at right tackle with Vardarian Lowe on the left. On the interior, I thought this team actually looked pretty solid. But again, I believe this area to be the Patriots'

biggest work in progress. When you looked at the offensive line last night, what stood out to you as being something the Pats could hopefully build on, and what stood out to you as this needs to be changed, and it needs to be changed quickly? Well, I really think, um, not to pile on the guy, Vardarian Lowe, I mean, we saw him last year. He struggled badly, right? And, you know, he was eventually replaced. And I watched him out there. Now, take into consideration that the Panthers this season are not going to be a very good pass-rushing team. They lost their best guy.

And they were sitting quite a few of their quote unquote starters last night. And yet, you know, Vardarian Lowe was giving up a lot of pressure. And, you know, I think left tackle is still the biggest glaring need on this team. Now, eventually, you know, we could see Caden Wallace take over that. I'm hoping that they're going to give him a legitimate shot at doing so. Because, you know, I was looking at that and I was like, if this wasn't the Panthers and in preseason, I think the quarterbacks would be running for their life coming off the blind side. So I think that's something to watch. Right tackle wasn't great, but it wasn't as bad.

I do agree with you. I think the middle, the interior, looked pretty good last night. And they're installing, you know, the AVP's new, you know, zone running system. And they ran some of those plays last night. And it was hit or miss. But that's going to happen until everyone gets on the same page. And it's going to take a while. But I really think, you know, left tackle right now to me is still a glaring need because you know I was watching

specifically that last night and I'm thinking to myself I really wanted to see more of Jacoby and Drake May and I kind of know why now that they they they didn't play more than a series each and even the opening line, even that starting offensive line that you saw last night, Steve, is a little bit suspect when it came to putting guys like Jacoby Brissett and Drake May out there. You mentioned Viderian Lowe. It has been a struggle at left tackle,

and I think it's going to continue to be. City So, he looks like he's going to be the guy that's going to replace Cole Strange at this point, and I think it's a smart move. That's exactly where he feels comfortable. He's the most ready of the guards on this team to be able to make that jump and make that leap in positional switch and play it effectively. I was a little surprised to see guys like David Andrews and Michael Wenu out there. I didn't think they were going to be in this game, but give them a couple of snaps, allow Jacoby and allow especially Drake to be able to take snaps

with these guys in front of them to make sure that they're ready and to make sure that they understand one another and that they're developing a synergy in real game time action. That's important. And I think that that was something that the Patriots did well last night in terms of making sure that that interior gets used to playing with the starters. But again, you mentioned the problems at tackle and Chuksa Koroforo were on the right side. We talked a little bit about the false start in the previous segment and penalties that need to be cleaned up. Yeah, I think the tackle positions right now are a liability and the Patriots need to figure that out. And unfortunately,

you need to figure it out quickly. The start of the regular season is fast approaching. These things need to be shored up or at least a plan needs to be put in place for the Patriots to be able to move forward. Because if you have too many moving parts, like you said, it creates difficulty. It creates a lack of continuity. It will foster penalties, but it could get your quarterback injured. And that really is where I think the biggest scare for the New England Patriots is right now. Nick Leverett, who I thought did a very good job as a backup center. This kid is forging an identity here with Jake Andrews out on IR. We asked Gerard Mayo about that on Friday morning, and he was very impressed with what Nick did.

That stack and being able to block and being able to really clear a hole for Kevin Harris to get that two-yard run, which gave the Patriots their first lead of the night at 7-0, I think really shows that this kid is a capable backup and maybe can even give you a spot start. So I think he's playing his way onto the roster. Leighton Robinson, Calvin Anderson holding down the right side of that line. There obviously works in progress, but I was a little more impressed by what I saw on the right than the left last night. We saw the tackle switch positions. We saw Calvin go over and play a little bit on the left and Caden come over and play a little bit on the right. What was your thoughts as these starters gave way to some of the reserves?

Who stood out to you as a player that helped his cause last night and made you feel a little bit better about this line? Well, you mentioned Leverett. I mean, he pancake blocked the opposing defensive lineman on the touchdown run, you know, I thought that was a really nice block. And I thought he definitely helped himself. I thought City Soul played real well. You know, we expect guys like Owen Yu and David Andrews to play well.

But, yeah, those were the guys that I think that stood out. And, you know, I like the fact that they moved Caden Wallace around, you know, left tackle, right tackle, or vice versa. You know, because it shows that they have high hopes for this guy and they're trying to find him a comfort level, you know, see where he's best at. You know, I thought Calvin Anderson was okay. You know, I think he's going to be your swing tackle this year regardless. So, you know, it wasn't all bad, you know. I don't want to sound like I'm piling on these guys, but, you know, it wasn't all bad, you know. I don't want to sound like I'm piling on these guys, but, you know,

I just saw, especially at left tackle, there's still some work to be done there. I like the interior guys. Even the backups, the interior guys did a really good job of keeping the pressure out of the quarterback's face for the most part. Very well said when it comes to the interior, even some of the reserve options, like a rookie in Layden Robinson who came in, who I thought did a pretty good job, mostly playing at the left guard position, but also playing on the right a little bit too. Antonio Mafi played a little center last night, mostly when Joe Milton was out there. We saw him get a couple of reps. He

looked pretty good. All these different combinations that the Patriots are trotting out there are done with the purpose of trying to see which player is going to find his niche, which player is going to find his comfort zone. And you want to make sure that that starting five that they're rolling out there, especially in week one against the Bengals, is going to be a unit that you can be comfortable with and that can work in a cohesive fashion. It's going to be a unit that you can be comfortable with and that can work in a cohesive fashion. It's going to be a work in progress. They're not going to be a well-oiled machine.

Even on opening day, folks, you have to expect that. But what you do expect is for them to be comfortable in their individual roles. And with someone like Wallace, with all the athleticism and the strength that he brings, whether it's on the right or whether it's on the left, Patriots are going to have an interesting decision on their hands. So going to keep an eye on the offensive line, especially over the course of the next couple of days.

Patriots practicing on Sunday, and of course, they're welcoming the Philadelphia Eagles to Gillette Stadium for joint practices on Tuesday. I think that's going to be a very interesting day for the offensive line to see how they match up with some very potent defenders on that Philadelphia Eagles defense. It may not be the defense we saw a couple of years ago from Philly, but they're still formidable, and that is still a very good defense

that can get after the quarterback. That's going to be a big test for them, and I, for one, can't wait to watch and see how they respond. Yeah. I think that's going to be a very, very big test for them. I, you know, I think that for one, they're a lot better team than the Panthers are at this stage. Right. And that defense, they, they kind of faded last year a little bit,

but they're, they're looking to rebound. And, you know, like you said, they're pretty formidable. And I think the best work that we'll see this week will be during that joint practice. Not saying that the game won't be competitive or whatever, but I think, you know, from the Patriots standpoint, they can probably get a lot more accomplished in the joint practice because the two coaches will get together like they always do. And, you know, one will say, hey, can we work on this, this period? And then the other coach will say, great, let's work on that next period.

You know, they'll be give and take. And that's where you get a lot of good work in. So, you know, in a game, you're kind of married to the situation at hand and you're trying to keep the ball moving. But, you know, I just think the offensive line has some work to do this week. And, you know, we'll see how it all plays out. Yeah, without question. And that offensive line, as they become a little bit more proficient,

you might see a little bit more from the rookie quarterbacks. Although one rookie quarterback we saw a good amount of last night, Steve, and that is Joe Milton, not only showing off that arm strength, but also showing off some very savvy field awareness, and even his wheels on a couple of occasions. Did Joe Milton do his job of helping his case for a roster spot? Well, there were a lot of other players that weren't quarterbacks that did the same last night.

All this and more when we wrap up this episode of the Locked On Patriots Podcast, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, when you're hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role. That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs has the tools

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Locked On NFL Scouting is available on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. And just like Locked On Patriots, folks, they are a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And, of course, today, here to help break down the Patriots' victory over the Carolina Panthers and talk a little Juju Smith-Schuster finding his way out of New England is our good friend, a columnist extraordinaire at Patsfans.com, as well as the co-host of Patriots 4th and 2, my Patriots Paizan, Steve Balistrieri, joins me today. And Steve, in the previous segments, we talked a lot about problematic areas potentially for the Patriots Paisan Steve Bellastrieri joins me today and Steve in the previous segments we talked

a lot about problematic areas potentially for the Patriots we've discussed Juju's release and what it means to the wide receiver core and to Juju himself we've talked about the penalties that the Patriots need to clean up in the coming weeks as they march toward the regular season I've spent an entire segment talking about that whole line and what needs to be done to help shore that up, tighten things up, and make sure that they're ready for the season opener on September 8th. But it wasn't all bad news coming out of New England. A 17-3 victory is usually good news, Steve.

And there were some top performers that really helped their case to make a 53-man roster spot. I think we'd be remiss if we didn't begin by talking about Joe Milton. Murph joined me last night here on the pod, and we talked a lot about Joe's performance. I think it's important to remember, and I do want to clarify because I feel like there was some confusion in what we had to say about Joe Milton's performance and going up against some of the Carolina backups. No, it did not make it any less impressive. I was so impressed by what I saw last night

with the athleticism, the decision-making. These are things you want to see rookie quarterbacks do. You want to see any quarterback do them, but when a rookie is doing them, it really is special. I think Joe had a great game last night, really helped his cause. It has nothing to do with the fact that he can't do it against greater competition, but you just need to see it consistently. And if they do, Patriots may have a keeper on their hands at the quarterback position. But it wasn't all about the quarterback, Steve. Receivers did a great job in earning some well-deserved kudos on their way to making a roster spot.

Had a handful of defenders that I thought had a solid game last night. I like to call you the professor my friend and I'm going to continue to do that when you look at this game last night and you look at the box scores who stood out to you as a player that really did an awful lot to make a case for the 53-man roster when those decisions are made in just a couple of weeks well I think you have to start off with David Wallace, right? I mean, this was a guy that nobody gave much of a shot to, right? About making the roster when he came on and, you know, we've been hearing about him through the practices about, you know, he's making a splash play here or there, you know, every day.

And then he comes out in the game and he has two dynamic punt returns. And you just got to love it. I mean, that first one set up the whole touchdown thing. I mean, 32 yards. And then, you know, when they were going to get pinned back deep, he had a nice 14-yard return that got him out of a deep hole. Those are the things you look for for your special teams. And granted, you know, Marcus Jones is probably going to be the guy there,

but David Wallace did not hurt his chances of making the roster, did he? I thought he looked really good. So you have to look at that and say, hey, this guy, you know, kudos. You know, he earned his pay last night. A couple of the guys on defense, Jalen Hawkins, I thought was really strong at free safety. And Ocean Jimenez, he looks very disruptive and he's a special teams guy that can get after the quarterback i think you know i think he's going to be a definite keeper and

you know two of the guys that i thought well well, another guy on defense, Jeremiah Farms, I thought was outstanding, probably the best player on the team last night. But two of the guys who probably won't even make the roster played excellent last night, and those were the two linebackers, Christian Ellis and Joe Giles Harris. I thought those guys looked really good last night. And, you know, when you're looking at this roster, they might not even make it. But, you know, you're looking at guys who aren't hurting themselves

when they're on the field. Those are the first guys to jump off the page to me. Of course, I'm more biased toward the defense. But the defense as a whole, I thought was outstanding. And, and offensively, I think Jalen Polk comes as advertised. He just looks like a veteran out there. You know, he doesn't get a ton of separation, but he has vice grips for hands and you know,

if he gets his hands on the ball, he's probably going to keep it. And he just runs great routes. He does the dirty work in the running game. Everything about him I really liked last night. Joe Milton, as you said, he was just electric when he got on the field. He was. And, you know, you talked about his quarterback smarts to me where he looked off to safety and kind of pump faked that to me was even more impressive than the throw which was a

laser it was he threw that about 35 yards on a straight line and we knew he could do that i mean that wasn't a surprise but it just looks impressive when you see it in a game. And I thought his footwork was much improved. Very good point. And I'm glad that you mentioned his footwork because young rookie quarterbacks need refinement in this area. And I think that's exactly what you saw with Joe Milton coming in. And when we talked to him after the game,

that was the first thing that he brought up and really wanted to give an awful lot of praise to the coaching staff. Alex Van Pelt, T.C. McCartney, Ben McAdoo saying, if your eyes and your feet are not in sync, they let you know about it. If your feet are going one way or if you're telegraphing your pass or you're looking the wrong way, they're going to tell you about it right off the bat. And I think it's helped Milton be able to to hone in his skills refine his footwork and really i think improve and show that he has

the football iq to be a solid quarterback in this league that looking off of the safety was a heads up move again the synergy that he showed with jaquay jackson who i also want to give a lot of credit to i think a phenomenal route that he ran and the double step, the double move. These are the types of things that can get fans excited about a team, even when there's not a whole lot to be excited about in terms of their outlook. These are the types of building blocks that can make things interesting and say, this is going to be a fun team to watch this year. As they come together, they may skin their knee a couple of times going up the hill but when they get to the top there is going to be a lot to cheer about and I think Patriots fans can hang their hat on that so I was really excited by what I saw from these guys last night

I think you said everything you need to say about the defense they continue to be the strength of this team knowing that Christian Barmore is going to be out for an extended period of time. Jeremiah Farms did an amazing job last night. I think he could earn a significant spot along that defensive front. You may see him playing in more games than you thought originally, folks. This kid can do it, and I think he's showing it. And I like the attitude last night when a few of my colleagues in the media had a chance to speak to him near his locker, and they said, you know, did you ever believe that

you would be in this position? He says, I always thought that I could play in the NFL. He says, even from an early age, and I'm getting a chance to showcase it every day. Again, we've talked about the line from Top Gun. I like that in a pilot. I like that in a defender, because it is going to be that nasty type attitude that's

going to allow him to get after the quarterback, make blocks, be an effective run defender, so I going to be that nasty type attitude that's going to allow him to get after the quarterback make blocks be an effective run defender so i love to see it the guy that i want to talk a little bit about steve before we take a leave of this subject is kayshawn booty because i continue to be impressed by what i see with him now i know his night last night was defined a little bit by ebb and flow there were some contested catches that i think he could have done a little bit better of a job making there's still a lot to learn and there's still improvement that needs to be made but when this kid is on and he's able to run his route and show off his short hands and really develop into the type of receiver i think

he can be you see what we saw last night. Three catches, 53 yards. He can make plays against pretty much any type of defensive back in this league. I think he is making a strong case, and I think it's going to be very tough for the Patriots to leave him on the cutting room floor of a very crowded receiver room in New England right now with a lot of guys with a lot of talent. Booty is making his case. I think he's really helping himself earn a spot on this team.

Yeah, that throw and catch where he was down by the end zone that set up the touchdown, I thought that was probably Zappi's best throw of the night, and I thought he made an excellent catch because that was contested, but it was there for the taking. He was able to bring it down. And those are the kind of things you look for. One of the things we're talking about wide receivers that I found very

intriguing is Tyquan Thornton got the start. And the fact that when the starters came out, he went out. And we've been putting him firmly on the bubble. And I'm starting to wonder if maybe he's not. Because when he came out, when he got the start, I was like, wow, they want to see what Taekwon can do. And I thought he had definitely gained a lot of separation on his defender. But Jacoby's pass in the rain was very well underthrown. And, you know, if it may be in dry conditions, he makes that.

And that would have been an easy touchdown, I think. But I was very intrigued when he came out with the starters and didn't return. And I was thinking to myself, you know, we've been putting him on the bubble, and maybe he's not. Yeah, I'm starting to wonder myself. And look, Taequann Thornton is consistently mentioned as one of those guys that's making plays. He's making his case each and every day and again he's doing it as a standout not just on offense and being able to stretch the field but

he's also making plays on special teams you see him an awful lot with brendan schooler in years past that's been like the anointed mark that's almost been uh you know the opposite of the scarlet letter when it comes to earning a spot under Bill Belichick in that regime. When you were spending time with Matthew Slater over on the special teams unit, it meant that you were earmarked for something pretty special. And you'd have to have a pretty meteoric fall in order for you to lose that roster spot that you had been provided. I think Taekwon continues to make his case. And again, his unique skill set, that amazing speed that he has, especially in an Alex Van Pelt offense that loves to feature receivers that can win battles in the vertical game. He's the guy to do it. He has that blazing

speed. It's still there. He's added a little bulk first quarter pass that basically missed him. You mentioned with Jacoby under throwing that a little bit. First quarter pass that basically missed him. You mentioned with Jacoby underthrowing that a little bit. I know on the TV broadcast, we heard a little bit about, oh, well, the receiver can come back for that a little bit and kind of contest that. I don't think that was necessarily the type of throw that you want to contest. If he had his target beat the way he did and Jacoby hits him in stride, I think that absolutely goes for a score because once Taekwon turns on those jets, you're not going to get him. You're not going to catch him.

He's too fast. He's too elusive. And that's where he shines. So, yeah, let me see more of that. I guess the colloquialism is injected into my veins or whatever you want to say. But, yeah, I would. I would love to see more of that. I'd love to see more of Kayshaun Booty.

And I think a lot of the guys that you saw make their case last night, you're going to see a lot more of them this coming week. Absolutely, and you know, looking at the Eagles game itself, I think, you know, where the joint practice is more controlled, and

you know, with the questions on the offensive line, I think we're going to see a ton of Jacoby and Drake May, a quarterback, where they won't, you know, necessarily get hit as much. I mean, it can still happen. You know, things happen like that. But, you know, generally speaking, you know, when they're wearing the red jersey in practice, they're kind of off limits um so i think we're going to see a lot of them and we're going to see even more of the you know uh bailey zappy and and joe milton in in the game on thursday yeah without question i think it's going to be a very quarterback centric focus

uh for this matchup especially this number two preseason matchup. And it's going to be interesting. If we don't see a whole lot of Taequann Thornton, Steve, what is that going to mean? Like you said, does that mean that he's no longer on the roster bubble? Does he no longer have anything to prove? We see a lot of him. It could indicate that maybe Thursday night, this past Thursday night against the Panthers was more of just time management. But if that's not the case, then it shows that he's showing this coaching staff that he's definitely earned a spot.

And, you know, I think for all the reasons that we've mentioned, but I'm going to be watching a lot of these guys closely because, folks, it's going to be a very good indicator as to who plays and who doesn't, as to who may be earning a spot on this roster and who still has a little bit to prove. Bottom line, Steve, we always welcome the reason, the level-headed wisdom and counsel that you provide each and every time you join us here on Locked On Patriots. Thank you for taking time out to do so today. Before I let you go, Bud, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and as you do each and every week, what you got marinating over in La Cucina Balistrieri until the next time you join us here on the Lockdown Patriots Airwaves. Yeah, thank you, as always, for inviting me.

I look forward to it every week. You can find me on Twitter at SteveB7SFG. I write for PatsFans.com. We do a podcast, Patriots 4th and 2. Derek and I just finished up a podcast before I jumped on here with you. We were

talking basically a lot of the same things. Preseason game, juju, areas that we saw that need to be improved upon. I think most people see that. Joe Milton was definitely exciting. You could feel the electricity just coming out of the stands

when he ran on the field. And boy, is he a big dude. I mean, when they showed him in the huddle, I was like, this is one big dude. I mean, we know he's physical. We know he's athletic. And he has a cannon for an arm. So I think he went a long way in locking up that number three spot, you know, for the team.

But it's still a long way to go. And we'll be looking forward to all of these things next week. Yeah, without question. Going to be a lot of fun to watch guys like Joe Milton, Drake May, Jalen Polk, Javon Baker. It's going to be a lot of fun, folks, to put this team together and see how the 2024 New England Patriots end up coming together. But until then, we'll continue to bring you the very latest

from Patriots Nation right here on the Locked On Patriots end up coming together. But until then, we'll continue to bring you the very latest from Patriots Nation right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, a proud part of the Locked On podcast network. Until then, folks, we encourage you all to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of my Patriots paisan, Steve Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate, wishing you all a great day, a great weekend, and we'll see you next time right here on Locked on Patriots.