Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Rookie Minicamp Takeaways: Jerod Mayo Remarks on Drake Maye, Harsh or Honest?

Starting point is 00:00:00 New England Patriots quarterback Drake May has been logging some late hours to learn as much as he can during rookie minicamp. Gerard Mayo? Oh yeah, he knows that Drake is just getting warmed up. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. And thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of a Lockdown podcast network

Starting point is 00:00:45 your team every day but we're also free and available on all platforms including YouTube so smash that subscribe button and download and follow Lockdown Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available I'm your host Mike DeBate I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots country. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at MDA BAT NFL. And while you're out there showing some social media, love to lock down Patriots, follow our account there as well at L O underscore Patriots and Pat's fans.

Starting point is 00:01:20 Today's episode is brought to you by fan duel. Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 with any winning $5 bet. Visit FanDuel.com to get started. And Pats fans, as Rookie Minicamp wraps up in Foxborough, as they march toward the next phase of offseason workouts, which includes mandatory minicamp in early June. But we know that Rookie Minicamp is first and foremost

Starting point is 00:01:53 on all of your minds out there in Pats Nation, and we got the questions to prove it. That's right, the Lockdown Patriots mailbag flooded, and we're definitely glad to bring back Mailbag Monday here on Lockdown On Patriots and if it's Monday that's right the man who Mondays were created for here on Locked On Patriots the only man that can

Starting point is 00:02:12 help me sort through such a robust mailbag that Newman needed two trucks to deliver it my good friend the legend himself Thomas Murphy thank you for coming to me in friendship on this Mailbag Monday mini camp edition happy to be here bud hope to help the ball club absolutely thomas murphy thank you for coming to me in friendship on this mailbag monday minicamp edition don't murph happy to be here bud hope to help the ball club absolutely gotta support the

Starting point is 00:02:30 team that's a second seinfeld reference and we're only about three minutes into the show so that's great you know what we love it and folks those of you that are listening are probably seinfeld fans you've heard murph and i drop countless numbers of Seinfeldian wisdom and counsel uh we always appreciate that but you know what Murph once again our listeners have knocked it out of the park rookie minicamp on the minds of everyone in Patriots Nation and our listeners once again delivered with great poignant questions surrounding the New England Patriots and what they learned from the rookies over the course of these last three days in Foxborough. I think we should probably kick it off. Let's go. Let's dive in. And I was there. I was watching every snap. Let's go. Absolutely. And our first question

Starting point is 00:03:16 comes from borderline Midwest, my friend, believe it or not, Youngstown, Ohio and Gary in Youngstown, Ohio. I didn't even know we had Patriots fans in Youngstown, Ohio. You know what? Don't let anyone tell you folks that Patriots nation does not have tentacles throughout the country. It's not just new England folks. It's not just the new England States. Patriots nation is all over the country, all over the world.

Starting point is 00:03:40 And we're proving it right here on Browns. Angles. No, Pat. That's right. Bottom line, I really think that Gary's question kicks it off and kicks it into full gear here, Murph, because we all know that Drake May is known for his arm talent. We all know that he's capable of making plays happen with his legs, his athleticism. These are the things that Patriots fans can't wait to see, but rookie mini camp allows you to showcase some of your talents, but not all.

Starting point is 00:04:07 You understand why Gerard Mayo may have said what he said over the weekend when it came to evaluating his new quarterback. Some people are saying this might be a little bit of a harsh criticism. Some people are saying it's just being honest. And that's what Gary wants to know. Do you find Gerard Mayo's assessment of Drake Mays minicamp workouts to be harsh or honest well in all fairness Murphy we really should examine Gerard's words first before we actually go into any type of evaluation of what he said and I'll quote this he said quote Drake has a lot to work on he has a lot to work on

Starting point is 00:04:42 yes folks he said that twice but I have no doubt that he'll put the time in so i know you guys didn't see him out here yesterday which meant on friday gerard's making these comments on saturday but he was here all night and trying to get on the same page as everyone else murph that doesn't exactly sound like a 100 ringing endorsement but i'm not sure it's quite the indictment on Drake that some people want to purport. I leave it to you. If you're answering Gary's question, do you believe that this was honest or harsh criticism of Drake May by his new head coach? It's honest criticism, honest. All right. And it's also protective. Okay. You could be out there in Chicago,

Starting point is 00:05:21 like Caleb Williams and be announced the starter, you know, before he's taken a snap there. Or you can play it the way that Gerard Mayo is playing it. And I think this is the smartest thing that he's done since he was named the head coach of the New England Patriots, you know, way back in February or whenever it was. But no, it's a tad bit protective. You know, pump the brakes, people. We all knew coming in, I mean, I for one and Mike for another and many others warned you that there were glitches in the matrix with all three of these quarterbacks that were taken, one, two, and three.

Starting point is 00:06:01 And the best course of action was, was, uh, slow and steady wins the race. So let's just take it easy. And, and, you know, no matter what we see over the next week and going into mandatory mini camp, um, whether Drake plays fantastically or not, um, I think this approach and, um, Gerard knowing that, you know, no matter how good this kid looks or how, how bad he might look, there's, there's things that need to be fixed and things that need to be worked on and going from the program that he was in down there in Carolina up to an NFL level system is, is, you know, about as apples and tangerines.

Starting point is 00:06:47 It's going to take time for this kid to be successful in this league. I think they, they've done a pretty good job in, in starting that. I also think that Gerard is looking around at this roster and seeing that it's not ready for prime time. And they don't want to put Drake into any situation where they aren't all ready. There are a lot of new moving pieces on this Patriots roster that all need to get on the same page that Drake is working hard to get on. 100% agreed. I don't think this was harsh criticism at all.

Starting point is 00:07:24 I think it was honest. And I actually think that Drake would be the first to tell you that this wasn't harsh. 100% agreed. I don't think this was harsh criticism at all. I think it was honest. And I actually think that Drake would be the first to tell you that this wasn't. Oh yeah. He said it himself. He's trying new things. He's working on the fundamentals that he believes he needs to master before he's the starting quarterback and talking to Isaac shade last week and getting a little bit of background on Drake's personality and his abilities and not only his abilities on the field, but also what's in his head, what's on his mind, what's in his heart, his personality traits, saying that he'll be the first to tell you, I don't believe I'm where I need to be yet. Start Jacoby. I still need to learn. And look, what he's learning,

Starting point is 00:08:01 folks, is not easy to learn. Don't let three-second clips on social media about release times, passes to travel down the field farther. There is no question about it. This kid has an arm. You do not have to worry about the arm strength of Drake May. You want to see him hone in his skills and his accuracy in that department, but do not worry about the strength in this kid getting it down the field. I can tell you he will not have a problem doing that. The one thing that he does continuously need to work on, and Murph, honestly, Bill Belichick said this the night he was drafted on the Pat McAfee podcast. This kid needs work on his footwork, and Alex Van Pelt is already doing that. I was very encouraged by what I saw this weekend. Moments like this, like rookie mini camp are not meant to anoint a new starter. They're not meant to give you an insight as to what this guy's going to look like on the field. What it does is it gives you an opportunity to see what they're doing wrong more so than what they're doing right. And figure out what you need to correct in terms of being able to get them where they need to be. And Alex Van Pelt is doing it brilliantly.

Starting point is 00:09:09 He's coaching now Drake May to lead the shotgun with his left foot because he wants to make sure that he maintains rhythm and protection. Two things that a rookie quarterback absolutely needs to be successful and to grow into the type of player he can be in this league. You saw him taking a lot of play-action dropbacks. Getting regular work in that area is only going to help drake in the long run and look he said this when we spoke to him after practice drake was very out front and saying i'm trying new stances i'm trying to get used to it i'm trying to work on it i'm repping it saying it over and over again really i think kind of hammered

Starting point is 00:09:41 the point home to me that it means something to this man. He knows that this is the way it needs to be in the pros. He has to evolve and he knows it. Right now he's an amoeba that needs to evolve into an NFL quarterback. It's something that when you hear somebody admit that they have shortcomings, admit that they have a problem and they need to fix it and they need to work on it,

Starting point is 00:10:12 you need to allow them the time to do it. And that's exactly what he's doing, making sure that every minute he puts in on the field and in the study room is something that's going to help him evolve into the quarterback he believes he can be and the Patriots need him to be and whether or not that's in short order or long order is really immaterial at this point if the Patriots feel they have the kid with the skill set and the fundamentals and the talent to be able to be their starting quarterback in the future and I believe they do murph i think it's going to be

Starting point is 00:10:45 a situation where you need to give him the time he needs to evolve gary excellent question to get us kicked off today here on mailbag monday very appropriate and of course it leads us quite nicely into talking about the other rookies that were on the field drake already developing a nice budding relationship with his receivers particularly jayalen Polk and Javon Baker, but he's going to have to form a relationship with those big round men up front that Murph absolutely loves to talk about. These two guys are forming an interesting pairing. Could it mean big things on the field for the new England Patriots this

Starting point is 00:11:19 season? We're going to talk about that. And so much more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, passion, drive, and patience is what brings home that winning trophy. You know what? It's also what keeps your ride or die alive our good friends over at ebay motors have everything you need to maintain your vehicle and level it up to peak performance from superchargers to roof racks to exhaust kits led headlights and so much more whether you're into speed power or style

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Starting point is 00:12:51 the Patriots rookie minicamp, which closed yesterday on Sunday, May 12th. And Murph, it's been three days of classroom learning, on-field fundamentals, really an session yeah for the patriots and really all rookies when it comes to rookie minicamp league is very specific about what you can do what you can't do um and the patriots are always going to toe the line in that regard and we're always very toe the line people around here absolutely despite of what the front offices will tell you over on park avenue in new york but i don't think anyone is going to argue that almost every eye in Patriots Nation this weekend was fixated on Drake May. Rightfully so. We all understand.

Starting point is 00:13:33 He's the shiny new toy. Everybody wants to see the quarterback. But there was a budding relationship between the two offensive linemen the Patriots selected in the NFL draft that could end up forming quite the formidable O-line tandem and maybe even sooner rather than later. Yeah folks I'm talking about Caden Wallace and Layden Robinson. Now some people have been critical of these picks thinking that maybe the Patriots reached for both. You can see Murph holding up his finger on the side. He resembles that remark, folks. But there is an undercurrent throughout the Patriots coaching staff, at the very least. I'm not going to put words in the mouths of any of the media members or the fan base right now that seem to believe that

Starting point is 00:14:17 these guys could end up forming a left side, strong side offensive line. All right. I know that's a reach, i love remember the titans just as much as you do yeah wanted to throw that line in it doesn't really apply here but it kind of does yeah so bottom line murph another one of our everydayers wants to know the same thing and our good friend any fan for life in leonard mass submits our next question and Murph it's regarding those big round men you love to talk about so I'm going to give you the floor to answer this one first in just a moment but for the benefit of those of you that are listening to this podcast not viewing it on YouTube the question reads could the Pats pair of rookie O-linemen be starting on the left side

Starting point is 00:15:02 by the end of the season? Murph, could we potentially see Caden Wallace and Layden Robinson starting a game together before the end of the year? I hope not. I really hope not. Tell us how you're feeling, Murph. Yeah. If that's the case, then it goes to Dr. Strange, Cole Strange, being injured and not being able to play. And Corifor, not working out on the left side. in the cogs that are going to make this Patriots team

Starting point is 00:15:45 something akin to a playoff caliber team. If these two rookies are in here, they were both reaches, folks. Reaching for a right, somebody who's never played left tackle and sticking them over there. I mean, I know it's rookie minicamp, Okay. And that's why we saw them both over there. Um, that's where, uh, the wolf wants these kids to play over there on the left-hand side, but God, I hope not. I hope these guys get a year of, of understudy work and they aren't forced into a situation that, that believe me, you think Drake may, isn't ready.

Starting point is 00:16:28 These guys aren't ready. It's not, this is a completely different animal. When you move from one side of this, uh, of an offensive line to the other, um, there's only one person smart enough to play in the middle. That's the center. And, um, no folks, I was not, uh, I was not a tackle. I was a center. Um, and it did somebody in the comments last week must've been a left tackle. No, I wasn't. It's, it's, it comes down to

Starting point is 00:16:54 experience, you know, not only at the NFL level, but at, at that position and at that position on that side of the line. And I think the Patriots will be in big trouble if this ends up happening. It's a valid point. No question about it. And look, you mentioned Elliott Wolfe, whose promotion, folks, we will get to in just a moment here, because again, your questions absolutely nail the news of the day here on Locked On Patriots. But Elliott said just moments after Caden Wallace was drafted that, you know, he's a

Starting point is 00:17:24 guy we felt was athletic enough to make the switch good pass protector took a huge step forward four-year starter the whole nine yards no one is questioning especially my good friend here on the opposite side of the screen the prowess or the skill set of caden wallace this kid is a talented lineman and he will be but in the nfl the issue is switching over and making that change from right to left. And that really is where the argument lies. Can these guys, and I include Leighton Robinson on that as well, because don't forget, Leighton played primarily right guard for the Texas A&M Aggies.

Starting point is 00:17:57 So it would involve a switch to the left side, and it would involve a switch to the left side for Caden as well. Now, this is where they would take in the majority of their reps over the weekend but I think you make such a great point in saying that this is rookie minicamp folks please remember this entire roster has not been assembled yet on the field right don't know what the Patriots plans are going to be just yet until you see who's getting those first team reps even those second team reps if it's Chuck Sakara for if you're seeing Calvin Anderson out there there are a lot of different combinations and permutations you could see I still believe at the outset of the season Murph Patriots are

Starting point is 00:18:36 going to go veteran here I don't think they can afford to put a rookie out there to protect even if it's not Drake Mayden Jacoby brissett you want to make sure that those guys are being well protected and you need solid tackles on both sides to seal the edges i think it has to be a veteran right off of that i i agree i i wholeheartedly agree i i hope this um this experiment works in the long run i just don't see it once Once again, we're talking about guys using a different side of their brain. You think it's hard to teach a quarterback new footwork? Try teaching an offensive lineman new footwork, okay? Because your brain is telling you to drop here and pull there.

Starting point is 00:19:19 And it's mind-numbing when everything that's happening around you is happening around you and you having to think like a lefty now, right? Just go, go. I, I, I beg you all go and try to eat dinner tonight with your left hand.

Starting point is 00:19:38 Okay. Just do that. Go try to eat dinner with your left hand and see how difficult that is. Cutting that steak and eating with the, and pulling a fork with your opposite hand. It's difficult. Now magnify that. Times that by 3,000. These are traits and tendencies that these guys have worked with probably their entire lives.

Starting point is 00:20:04 The last time these guys played on the left-hand side, they were probably playing Pop Warner. All right? And somewhere along the way in high school, nope, you're over there on the right, and they stayed there. And that's the way you think. You have to completely rewire your brain. And to ask these kids to do that early in the season is suicide

Starting point is 00:20:24 for the quarterback and for their careers. Hopefully, they will get an entire season as the understudies. Get in there, play a few downs, get the hell out before they get killed or get their quarterback killed. In the interest of playing devil's advocate which i will do for a second caden wallace did address the uh lack of left side line items on his resume over the weekend and did say that he did play a lot of left in college practices last year for penn state i'm not saying it's practical and i'm not saying it's the same thing as game reps but he did get reps there and said he played left throughout high school and that really the switch was made when he came into uh to penn state so there might be a little bit more exactly and absolutely and

Starting point is 00:21:10 fashano is a being all rookie if it wasn't for you know somebody absolutely and look you look at the same thing with blake fisher in notre dame and he had to make the switch over because joe halt he was light years better but fisher was also also somebody that Scott Peters worked with a lot during the pro day. And from what we've heard, he held Caden Wallace nearly in the same high regard. So who knows? Maybe there is something to bite onto there.

Starting point is 00:21:38 I'm willing to give this kid the benefit of the doubt, but I agree with you. If it's starting this season and the majority of this season, I think it has to be a veteran left tackle out there otherwise you're setting yourself up for difficulty at the quarterback position and i don't think you're protecting caden or even laden robinson as well as you should if you have high hopes for these kids you want to nurture them and bring them along give chucks a car for for an opportunity. Maybe throw Calvin Anderson out there if Chuck's not working and give Cole Strange the chance to block and to really play his game in this offense.

Starting point is 00:22:12 This is what he was brought here to do. Exactly what Michael said. That's what Dr. Strange did in college. He ran this system. That's why he was brought in here because Bill wanted to morph this system into something different. That's why he was brought in here, because Bill wanted to morph the system into into something different. That just did not happen. It did not take place. And all he needs to do is stay healthy. And you've got a fantastic left guard. You really do. You know, I don't want to put him in all pro and all pro category because there's so many great guys on the left hand side over there. But he is he's an above average left guard when he is healthy. And, um, I, for one of somebody

Starting point is 00:22:52 that, that never holds a ball players, uh, um, success and health in within the same ball. Absolutely. 100% agreed. And bottom line folks, that's exactly what the new england patriots are going to need from cole strange from the veterans on this roster to make sure that the rookies are rounding into form so before we start thinking about this guy's playing here that guy's playing there but see what these alignments look like in mini camp first and i don't think you can really make an educated guess until you start seeing what's happening in training camp which is in late july so still a ways away but bottom line excellent question any fan for life is always one of our great every day as we give a tip of the

Starting point is 00:23:35 cap and thank you for the great question and murph we're still not done yet a lot of people are wondering now that elliot wolf is in the executive vice president of player personnel chair and now that Gerard Mayo has hit the practice fields for the first time as a head coach is it finally time Murph to get excited for the season Murph and I are going to talk about that level of excitement for this season and so much more when we wrap up this Mailbag Monday episode, minicamp edition of the Locked On Patriots podcast. Listen up, Boston sports fans. It's winner take all time in the NBA and the NHL.

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Starting point is 00:24:37 because right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets with any winning $5 bet. That's $150 to bet on spreads, money lines, player props, and so much more. Visit Fanduel.com slash Locked On and make every playoff shot count. Fanduel, America's number one sportsbook. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on the Locked On Patriots podcast. We are your team every day, and today we are answering all of your questions. All of our great everydayers here on Locked On Patriots podcast. We are your team every day. And today we are answering all of your questions. All of our great everydayers here on locked on Patriots. It's mailbag Monday, rookie mini camp edition.

Starting point is 00:25:12 And folks, if it's the mailbag, it means it's hashtag locked on Murph Monday. We keep saying that Mondays were created for this man here on locked on Patriots. And they were, there's no one better to sift through the rather heavy mailbags that we received this week, Murph.

Starting point is 00:25:28 Absolutely. No, I don't think so. I don't think there's any debate about it, including this one on the opposite side of the screen that's talking right now. Bottom line, bud, Elliot Wolfe has a brand-new title, Executive Vice President of Player Personnel. His job duties, Murph, include overall direction of the personnel department management of the salary cap even though we all know Miguel should be doing that job

Starting point is 00:25:50 and be the primary force in control of the 53-man roster so Murph it's exciting that the Patriots now have a top executive that's going to be overseeing all of the football operations for this club but another exciting thing that happened over the weekend as well is Gerard Mayo finally getting the chance to hit the field right as a head coach conducting his own camp for the first time as a head coach it's a milestone moment knowing that this is his team now is got to be uh both humbling and it's probably daunting as well because you're doing so for an organization with six championships that wants to return to that type of success sooner rather than later but also you're doing it in the shadow of a legendary coach like Bill Belichick so

Starting point is 00:26:37 the question on everybody's mind is now that the Patriots infrastructure is firmly put in place, you have a coach, you have a GM. Now, is it finally time to put the focus where it belongs on the players on the field? Is it time to get excited about this Patriots team? Well, another one of our most valued everydayers, our good friend, Pamela in Cranston, Rhode Island. You know, I've got to throw Rhode Islanders in. Oh yeah. I'm unabashedly biased to my home state, but this is a great question. With Elliott Wolfe hired and Gerard Mayo hitting the practice field, can we finally start to get excited for the season? Don Murph, I leave it to you. Is this the opportunity we've all been looking for to move forward

Starting point is 00:27:20 and put the focus back on the players? Yeah, it has to. Go ahead. Everybody is zero and zero right now. You know, 90 percent of of Patriots Nation is thrilled over this draft. And then there's me. And no, it's just, you know. I can just picture Wolf and Mayo sitting in Wolf's office, lighting, you know, Wolf lighting cigar saying,

Starting point is 00:27:49 I love it when a plan comes together. And, you know, I've, I've only, I've only, you know, is my thing is,

Starting point is 00:27:57 you know, be careful what you wish for because now it is, it is all on the two of you. Okay. It was your off season. It was your, um, your free agents that you, that you brought in. It was your, uh, your draft that you ran. Um, you, you decided on these players, you decided to move down, not move up and, uh, and grab guys that, that I thought would have helped this team a lot more. And I am.

Starting point is 00:28:27 I'm rooting for you two. I am. So let's get happy because I hope this all works out and that for the first time in over a decade, somebody at one Patriots place had a better draft than I did. Surely something like that could never happen, folks. We all know that. But it was a foregone conclusion. We all knew that Wolf was going to be hired in some capacity to run this show. I mean, I never, I was never asked for a second interview and a lot of other

Starting point is 00:28:58 people turned down the first one because as we said a week ago, everybody knew that this is what was going to happen. They sidestepped here and moved a couple of pieces over there, came up with a nice little title for Elliot. And now it's his show. So yeah, let's get happy. Let's get behind. Let's become the Wolfpack and hope that this man actually knows a tad bit more than, you know, people gave him credit for. And these moves that he decided to make in his first offseason running the show, and he did run the show. He said all along, I'm the one making the decisions. So let's see it.

Starting point is 00:29:41 Wolfpack, I like that. Very hangover of you, Murph. I like it. You know, I mean mean Elliot is in this chair now and it's a chair that I think everybody believed he was going to get like you said um I don't want to say this was anticlimactic because it is a big moment for him and congratulations and a well-deserved promotion to Elliot Wolf on this as well but I thought the takeaway of this weekend really to me laid more with Gerard Mayo and the aha moment that he described. And folks, just to be clear, when Gerard spoke to the media on Saturday, he was very candid about a lot of different subjects. But one of the things that I think really

Starting point is 00:30:19 illuminated him and I think really kind of showed not only the excitement that he has for this job, but also the realization of the weight that's now on his shoulders is what he described as his aha moment this weekend. And that's getting out there on the field. And I'm quoting Gerard verbatim here. He says, yeah, it feels great to get on the field. The first day I was out there with the guys, that was like the aha moment. Everyone was asking me, how does it feel? It felt regular for me to be inside. Get back to that in just a second. But as soon as I came out here and was able to talk different positions, that was like the aha moment. When you're operating as a coach from indoors, from the coach's room, a lot of those skills can blend together, whether you're

Starting point is 00:31:02 a head coach or whether you're a positional coach, because you're standing up there, you're addressing a large body of players and rookies or whoever you happen to be speaking with. That's part of that contingent that's there for either mini camps or practices or workouts or whatever. But when you get out there on the field and you start to see these individual units practicing and you're making the rounds and all of a sudden you have to spend time with the special team members, you have to spend time with the offense. That's exciting for a head coach, but I also think that's a moment of realization. That weight now is all on you. Bill Belichick is not walking out there in the field, twirling the whistle any longer and kind of, you know, taking that pressure off. So in a lot of ways, I think Gerard was very excited by what he saw, but at the same time, I also think he came to that moment where saying, okay,

Starting point is 00:31:56 this is my team. Elliot Wolf put this all together. These are the guys we're going forward with. Now it's up to me to craft this team into a team that can win greater than four games last year, because whether you like it or whether you don't folks, that's going to be the standard to which Gerard Mayo is held this year. People are going to expect them to be a little better than they were last year. I don't think anyone is expecting this team to be a serious playoff contender. Definitely not among the tops in the division. This team has a lot of building to do, but I think a realistic expectation for this club is to be a little better than they were last year. And if he's not, he's going to start to hear

Starting point is 00:32:34 the chirps. And I think he realizes that. And I think he got that in that aha moment from the first moment that he stepped on the field. I agree. I agree. It is, it is a different animal. It's always easier to, to coach from the stands or from, you know, the, the one side of the ball or the other and critique what a, a head coach is doing and thinking that you can, it's a different game when, when you're under that hat, when, when you're wearing the cutoff sleeves, it's a different, it's a different animal and, uh, you know, hate to keep going back to that thing, but it really is. Um, I, uh, have many times over the course of my coaching career, um, handed, handed things over to an assistant to coach younger ballplayers. And, and they just did not know what was entailed

Starting point is 00:33:28 and all of the things that you have to balance on the field, off the field, in the locker room. And, uh, it's, I've said it before. It's always easy to be everybody's friend when you're the assistant coach, but everybody's every, every player's best friend, every parent's best friend. Um, you know, he's the guy that should be doing it. And then when you get out there and you're wearing the head coach hat, when you're wearing the big M on, on the front or, um, Pat the Patriot on the, on, on the side, it's, um, it is, it's a very different life and life. And I hope Gerard Mayo is ready for it. I think that was part of his aha moment. Yeah, absolutely.

Starting point is 00:34:09 And bottom line, folks, I mean, that aha moment is daunting, but it is very exciting. And that's where you see the competitor in Gerard Mayo come out. And I think that's the type of side you're going to see on the field this year. Gerard is very prideful, and he wants to make sure that the product that's going out there is not only competent, but he also wants to make sure that that product is fun to watch. And he wants to make sure that it's fundamentally sound. The only way to do that is to motivate your

Starting point is 00:34:35 players. And he has a unique ability to do that. Even as a player now as a head coach, he's really got to put it into fruition. And I think you're going to see that bottom line. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch this team in mandatory minicamp. It's going to be a whole lot of fun to watch this team in training camp in late July, but you've got to get there first. So everyone take one day, one step at a time, and I think this could be an interesting and maybe even a fun season for New England Patriots fans to watch. I'm excited.

Starting point is 00:35:02 Murph's excited. Tell us what you think about the Patriots' prospects this year after seeing the rookies hit the field. Are you encouraged? Are you concerned? Let us know what's on your mind because we want to know what you're thinking. And if you have any follow-up questions or deeper questions, drop them in the comments section or send us an email or tag us on Twitter because we're going to be doing this again next Monday for Mailbag Monday. And once again, I want to definitely thank Gary in Youngstown, Ohio. Any fan for life in Leicester, Mass. And Pamela in Cranston, Rhode Island for the great questions featured on this show this week.

Starting point is 00:35:36 Murph, what can I say? You always help me bring in the mailbag. But you do so much more, my friend. You absolutely knock it out of the park with your wisdom and counsel and your candor each and every week. It's why Mondays were created for Murph here and why he has his very own branded hashtag. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, interact with you, and what you got cooking in Murph's kitchen for the remainder of the

Starting point is 00:36:01 week. Oh, you can just catch me over there on Zitteritter at Team Murph 207 and and stay up to date with everything I've got going on over at diehardbostonsportsfans.com. Other than that, you know, I'm wide open this week. I got a lot of ball games this week. I got four ball games this week that I got to coach. So everything else is kind of taking a backseat, except, of course, for you guys. And right here on Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:36:25 I'm always here when Mike needs me. Absolutely, folks. And Locked On Patriots is a much better podcast for it. And we always appreciate when Murph stops by and shares the microphone with me. Appointment listening, appointment viewing, you always want to make sure that you're staying locked in. And definitely keep your sharp eye on all the great work that Murph does. His written work for DieHardBostonsportsfans.com. And anytime he puts voice to microphone, pen to paper, it's always fun and always informative.

Starting point is 00:36:52 Yet can't ask for more, my friend. And folks, we encourage you to stay locked into Locked On Patriots all week long. More expert analysis from the Patriots rookie class. And we're going to be talking to some exciting special guests. So you do not want to miss a single second of the action. Download, subscribe, follow wherever you get your podcasts and smash that subscribe button on YouTube to make sure you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's made available. On behalf of my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, the Don here on Locked

Starting point is 00:37:23 On Patriots, Thomas Murphy. I'm Mike DeBate reminding all of you to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

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