Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Say “No-No Fournette?” - Jameson Williams, Chris Olave as WR1? — 3/22/22

Episode Date: March 23, 2022

As the New England Patriots continue their work in building a roster for the upcoming season, they have their sharp eye focused on the 2022 NFL Draft. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com to discuss the Patriots pursuit of running back Leonard Fournette and the team’s interest in finding a WR1 such as Alabama’s Jameson Williams, Ohio State’s Chris Olave and others in the upcoming NFL Draft. 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-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQ Stitcher: 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!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Did the New England Patriots say no-no to Fournette, or was it the other way around? And does it mean that the New England Patriots might be looking for a big-ticket wide receiver in the upcoming 2022 NFL Draft? You know, I've got my eye on Chris Olave of Ohio State, but does that mean that's what the Patriots are going to do? Stay tuned, folks. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are 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. We'll be right back. It's not only the daily part of your New England Patriot coverage, but also your first listen every day. Remember, Lockdown Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. If you're watching us on YouTube right now, thank you very much for doing so. Smash that subscribe button and make sure you do not miss a single second of the action. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriot Maven of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me on the Bird app at MDABATENFL.

While you're out there showing some Twitter love to the Locked On family, be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And once again, Locked On Patriots is proudly brought to you today by our good friends at rockauto.com. Amazing selection, reliably low prices, all the parts your car will ever need. Visit rockauto.com today and tell them Locked On sent you. As you can see, folks, for the second time in only a couple of days, we are extremely and esteemly honored to be joined by our resident voice of reason here on Locked On Patriots.

Columnist extraordinaire for Patsfans.com, the host of not one but two amazing Patriots podcasts, Patriots 4th and 2, and of course, One Patriots Place with our good friend, the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, and the lady of Locked On who will be joining us tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots, Claire Glazzi, Claire Cooper. My Patriots Paisan is here today, Steve Balistrieri. Steve, thank you so much for joining me today. Welcome back to the Lockdown Patriots studios. Oh, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood, isn't it?

So it's always a good time to talk football. And, you know, talking Patriots is never a dull moment. So, you know, I look forward to every time we talk. Absolutely. You're right on the money. I always look forward to talking football with you. And there are a couple of stories in the news about the New England Patriots, and we're going to get to a couple of them today.

Of course, my play on words, no, no for net folks. I'm going to get to that one in just a minute. And Steve and I are going to talk about some possible big ticket wide outs i know you heard me mention oleve earlier some of you are probably like like he's not going to be there at number 21 allow me to dream a little bit here folks but bottom line the new england patriots i think are going to be in the market for a wide out but um interestingly enough steve uh just a little while ago from the time that we're recording this podcast, the Patriots releasing, or I should say the details of the contract for Trent Brown, returning now on a two-year deal to New England, worth up to $22 million,

very low salary cap hit to begin with. Bill Belichick is doing a good job of structuring some of the contracts that he's doing to not have big cap hits down's doing to not have big cap hits down the line, not have big cap hits right up front, allow him to be able to have some flexibility. Your brief thoughts, Bud, on Trent Brown's return and what your reaction is to some of the details that are coming out now with the contract. What are your thoughts on Brown returning to New Englandland well i i think it's a great move bringing back trent brown i know he's played very well while you know the two times

he's been here uh uh he loves playing for the patriots and bill belichick imagine that some people you know would would tell you otherwise but uh you, I think he's been most successful in a Patriots uniform. I think the team wanted him back. And, you know, there was a little give and take. He went out to Seattle. But, you know, I think bringing him back was a great move. And, you know, you and I talked about it just on Friday. A lot of people were very upset because they felt like, oh, you oh, the team is now we need three offensive linemen and we need this and that.

Now things are starting to fall together as they always do. Bell has a plan. I think it's a great move bringing back Trent Brown. Yeah, there are some injury concerns, but his cap hit is not going to sink the ship at least in in 2022 which that's what they needed so i think it's a win all the way around yeah i think it's a win all the way around as well and look now you have that solidified presence on the right side at the end of the line at right tackle i know some people are saying oh well they should slot isaiah win inside at guard

our good friend evan lazar made a good point about this earlier today on Twitter and said, Wynn hasn't been at guard here for four years. I understand some of the people want to move him over. A lot of the fan base thinking about that. He's going to remain as a tackle. That's how the Patriots see him. So now you look at Isaiah Wynn at least for one more year. He's going to be your left tackle.

You get Trent Brown back on the right side now all of a sudden you're looking at a way new likely playing the right guard position going back to the original position he played in michigan andrews is the center he's going to be in that uh that you know mode for quite a while and now you're looking at possibilities at the left guard position i know we talked about ryan Bates possibly being a possibility there. You know the Patriots are going to be looking there, and we're going to talk a little bit more in depth about Trent Brown and what he means to this team tomorrow here on Locked On Patriots with our lady of Locked On, Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. But Steve, I appreciate the information that you provide, and I agree with you right off the bat i think trent brown's return is definitely a good thing for the

new england patriots who will be who will these linemen be blocking for well apparently they won't be blocking for running back leonard fournette who visited the patriots on monday signed a deal with the tampa bay buccaneers to return on tuesday when you look at this deal, folks, it looks like the New England Patriots might not have had either serious interest or were not willing to go the extra mile that Tampa Bay did. Steve's going to give us his thoughts on this signing in just a moment. But first, I want to talk to you a little bit about our good friends at betonline.net because as you know, it is that time of year again, folks. College basketball's tournament is finally upon us. And if you're like me and you have a dog in the hunt this weekend,

you're going to be watching closely to all of the college basketball action. For all the latest odds, contests, player props, BetOnline.net is your number one source for all of your sports betting needs and information. BetOnline remains the best spot for all of your sports scores, your podcasts, and your news this season. remains the best spot for all of your sports scores, your podcasts, and your news this season. And it's not just basketball, folks. BetOnline is your continued source for all of your sports wagering information needs,

including live betting, your favorite Vegas casino games. Head to the website today or use your mobile device to learn more about the trends and the action. BetOnline, where the game starts. Patriots fans, once again, columnist extraordinaire from patsfans.com, my Patriots paisan, Steve Balistrieri, joins me here on the hot seat. And Steve, in the previous segment,

we talked a little bit about Trent Brown and what it means for his return to the offensive line. And one of the big things that Brown really shored up when he returned to action after missing some time on the injured reserve list was really making that run defense much better. In the end, you know, excuse me, run protection much better. That ability to stand up against strong run defense is that much better and allow and open holes for your running backs. One of the Patriots' biggest strengths, I think, on this team right now is the running back core. You've got Damian Harris at the top of it, strong runner without question.

Ramondre Stevenson came on a lot sooner than we thought. A lot of us thought he was headed for a redshirt year. He ended up playing a big role for the Pats last year. James White back in the fold. We talked a little bit about him last week and how important it is for james to be in that backfield as a third down option and a pass catching running back that's why it surprised me a little bit that the patriots were showing some interest in leonard fournette fournette right now is that type of dual threat back and look there's no question talent is there the new england

patriots love his talent. But it surprised some people that they were bringing him in. Now, ultimately, he left yesterday's workout, Monday's workout, at Gillette without a contract. And then Tuesday morning, word broke very quickly that he would, in fact, be re-signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers three years, $21 million. When you look at the terms of that deal, I don't think the Patriots wereuccaneers three years 21 million dollars when you look at the terms of that deal I don't think the Patriots were ready to go three years I don't think the Patriots were ready to go 21 million on him so the question becomes was it a situation where the Patriots

said no no to Fournette or was this a little bit more posturing on Leonard's part kind of using them as leverage to get what he wanted out of Tampa Bay? I think it might have been a little bit of both. I think the Patriots wanted to, you know, they wanted to explore that because Fournette is not only a great runner, but he's also a very, very good pass catcher, as we saw last year in Tampa. So I think they saw that and were willing to kick the tires and see what kind of money he was looking at. So I think they saw that and were willing to kick the tires and see what kind of money he was looking at. When I saw what he signed for in Tampa, I said Bill's not going to pay $21 million to a running back.

So I didn't see that happening. But I also think Fournette, by taking that trip up to New England to meet with Belichick yesterday, I think he put Tampa on notice. Hey, I can obviously sign and play with Bill Belichick. So they opened up the checkbook. So it might have been a little bit of both. I think Leonard might have played Tampa a little bit. It's like, I'll go sign with Bill. But at the same time, I think the Patriots,

I think they were serious about bringing him in if the price was right. And it would have been intriguing because at that point, now your running back room is kind of overfull. Does that mean that Damian Harris in the last year of his rookie deal would have been expendable and used him as trade bait possibly yeah I think that's an interesting point that was floated around through social media circles Phil Perry actually had brought that up I believe I don't want to miscredit that I may be miscrediting that but someone did bring up the fact that Harris might have been on the you know on the expendable sheet at that point because of the Patriots' interest in Leonard Fournette.

I'm not necessarily ready to buy into that just yet. I think that in a lot of ways, what this team was doing was its exploratory due diligence. You bring Fournette in, even with a full running back core, even with Harris, Stevenson, and White, it allows you to run two back sets. And if the Patriots are serious about eliminating the fullback position, which again, folks, we're going to discuss here tomorrow on Locked On Patriots, are the Patriots really going to get rid of the fullback? We'll get to that. But in any case, Bud, if they are serious about eliminating the fullback, like Jacob Johnson said he heard from Patriots representatives, then running two back sets along with two tight end sets makes an awful lot of sense.

And when you're running that type of offense, Leonard Fournette is definitely a guy that would intrigue you. I agree with you. It's a situation where Bill is looking at the years, he's looking at the contract, and he's saying probably no to both at that point. But this wasn't a can't lose target that the Patriots had to have that they didn't come away with. I'm seeing an awful lot of information that comes out from various sources that are, you know, getting the bill got burnt again crowd. I like to call them. Oh, they went for a free agent and patriots got burnt again and nobody wants to go play because those uh you know obviously there's uh i don't know there's there's you know brady uh discount coupons floating around out there i don't know i'm hearing that uh you know come up on my timeline as well look if the patriots had identified leonard fournette as a

must-have they would have put a full court on him. I think last year proved this team is willing to go the extra mile for a guy they feel they have to have. They did it with Judon. They did it with Jonu. They did it with Hunter. I think that there are guys that they're willing to target to get the players they want here in New England. I don't know if I'm putting Fournette on that list. I think they had serious interest if the price was right and the term limits were right on the contract, but like you said, I think it's serious interest if the price was right and the term limits were right on the contract. But like you said, I think it's just a little bit of a stretch at this point. I think if he was a must-have, I think he would have left Foxborough yesterday with at least a contract offer. We don't know for sure. I will concede that whether or not he was or wasn't

offered a contract when he left Foxborough on Monday. But whether or not he was or not, I think is really irrelevant. I think what it comes down to is they were bargaining from that position of strength, and I don't think they really had a whole lot to lose by bringing him in, or really anything that they have to worry about missing out on because he chose Tampa Bay over the New England Patriots. Absolutely. I totally agree with that. And, again, I think both sides played each other a little bit,

and they judged some interest that was out there. I think they did have serious interest. I think, you know, Bill might have bit on, like, maybe 3-15, but not 3-21. I don't see that happening. Yeah, I think that is a little bit on on the high side and uh you know maybe steve getting a clearer picture of what the patriots are looking for in free agency might lend a little bit more credence into what they might be looking for in the draft are they looking for free age are they looking for big ticket items in the draft

as opposed to free agency but one of the positions that everyone wants to watch is wide receiver folks and in just a moment steve balistrieri and i will look into our belichickian crystal ball and we'll give our thoughts on what the patriots might be looking for if they're going to go big ticket i've got my eye on a couple of guys that might look good in patriot blue but there's no guarantee and we want to know what steve thinks because after all he is our resident voice of I've got my eye on a couple of guys that might look good in Patriot blue, but there's no guarantee. And we want to know what Steve thinks, because after all, he is our resident voice of reason. And he'll probably talk me back into reality. But before we do so, folks, automotive health is really an issue that a lot of people are struggling with right now,

whether it be the price of gasoline or whether it be just keeping your car ready and fresh to start the spring and summer months wherever you may live is always a challenge well it doesn't have to be a challenge if you want to make improvements to your automobile thanks to our good friends at rockauto.com you can save time and money when using rockauto.com because instead of choosing to spend 30 50 even 100 more for the same parts and improvements from a chain store as opposed to a car dealership or wherever you get your parts rockauto.com gives you the opportunity to get those for a fraction of the cost rockauto.com is a family business serving do-it-yourselfers for over 20 years. RockAuto prices are reliably low for every customer.

You don't have to be an insider. You can be a do-it-yourselfer like me and still be able to improve your automobile for the best possible quality with the best parts. Because RockAuto.com deals in that. They have everything that you need, from brake parts to tail lamps motor oil even new carpet go and explore their easy to use website today to find the solution to all of your auto parts needs go to rockauto.com right now and see all the parts available for your car or truck make sure to write locked on in the how did you hear about us box so they know we sent you amazing selection reliably low prices all the parts that your car will ever

need. RockAuto.com Patriots fans, we're close to wrapping things up here on this Tuesday episode of Locked On Patriots here with our resident voice of reason, Steve Balistrieri. And Steve, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about Leonard Fournette and the Patriots

courting Leonard. We use the term no-no Fournette. Any Red Sox fan knows exactly what I mean by that. Steve's chuckling. He knows. He's a history student. He's a history buff just like I am. Of course, folks, for those of you that may not be familiar with that, Harry Frise was a former owner of the Boston Red Sox right around the time of 19, right around the time of 1917, 1918.

And he was the infamous owner that sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, getting the money in return to finance a musical named No, No Nanette. So No, No Nanette, No, No Fournette, you allow me a little levity here on this Tuesday but uh Steve let's get down to business let's talk business bud I think the New England Patriots are looking to this draft as an opportunity to build at some key positions for the future uh we know the laundry list of holes on this team I use the term loosely because I think it's just opportunities that the Patriots have to improve. We've heard about corner. We've heard about linebacker, that the Patriots may have some interest in offensive linemen, depth pieces to be able to come in, maybe find a starter of the

future. But the one position that all the fans seem to be focusing on is wide receiver. And wide outs right now, this is a class that has some talent there's no question about it but it's a question of whether or not the patriots want to look for talent in day two or day three or whether or not they want to go all in push the chips on the table and go day one i've made no secret of the fact that chris oleva is my draft crush from ohio state watched him in the combine his draft stocks going through the roof. I know he's probably not going to be there at number 21, but if he's there, I think the talent is so indelible that the Patriots would not have a choice but to go all in for this guy. But

that being said, I'm sure the fans that are listening to this or watching this will probably knock me back into reality you are our resident voice of reason but i value your opinion uh as much or you know more than anyone else that graces these airwaves here and if it if the patriots are going to go wide out in this draft and i think they will at least address the position are they going day one or are they definitely going to go day two day three unless that day one prospect is a 100 can't miss like someone like a crystal lady i i don't think they're going to go day one just their their track record tells us they're not they're going to go day two

of day three uh but you know to for the sake of you know our our draft crushes I know you talked about Chris Olay if they were to go on day one the guy that I would absolutely go bonkers over probably wouldn't even play this year and that's Jameson Williams from Alabama. And you talk about a guy who had 11 touchdowns of over 30 yards. You're talking about a guy that absolutely just blasts speed and talk about separation. And, you know, he tore his ACL in the SEC, or the national championship game. But, you know, it's just if if he was there at 21 i

wonder if they would or a guy like chris ole would they be tempted to to go wide receiver i mean the talent on these guys these guys are going to light it up in the nfl i i have no doubt whatsoever of this would they be tempted to you, push the chips in the table? I still kind of doubt it, but it's a fun thought to think about because, boy, this offense would look a lot different with those guys out there. Yeah, they really would. And the Patriots do place a premium on premier route runners. Olave is definitely one of them.

Williams, you've got to love his upside when it comes to that. I mean, the only thing that would be holding, I think, Jamison Williams from being potentially a top five, top 10 pick would be his injury history. Other than that, he's got the talent all the way around to do it. I would love to see him, the Alabama connection. There's no question about it. He is definitely someone that catches your eye. I've talked a lot about Olave. I'm not going to bore our listeners. If you haven't, there are a couple of episodes out there, including those on YouTube right now, where I do gush, you know, poetically about Olave and his route running capabilities. He can work vertically. He can work across the middle.

This kid can do it all, and he's got the great speed for it as well. Jehan Dotson is someone that is kind of climbing up some draft boards right now as well. Get out of Penn State. I love the fact that this kid is such a sure hands catcher and that's something that New England I think always places a premium on. Protect the football. Don't drop it. Don't turn it over. This kid has that ability to be able to do and he's a pretty good route runner as well. So I don't think the Patriots would use number 21 on Dotson and he's a pretty good route runner as well so i don't think the patriots would use number 21 on dotson if he's still available there that's a stretch as well i mean there are teams that are looking for great wide receiver talent i think he actually may be off the board before then but if he's still hanging around there these are guys that the patriots may want to take an

interest or at least a look at um if they are serious about wanting to improve their wide receiver core. At the end of the day, Bud, I do tend to agree with you. I think the Patriots are probably going to go day two, day three for wideouts. I think they have other holes on this roster, most notably a corner that they're probably going to address early on unless they decide to trade out of the first round, which will really send the fan base into uh hysterics uh if you think they're restless right now wait if bill does trade out of the first round uh they're gonna be a lot of upset people but um if they do go day two day three um you know murph and i mentioned john metchy the second an awful lot um what would you look at is it metchy that's the guy

that they would look at there or who else do you have your eye on as a potential impact player for this team if they go day two or day three yeah i mean i think metchi is is another guy he might not play this year because he got hurt in the sec championship game but you talk about another guy that has that extra gear once he gets the ball in his hands. He gets a ton of separation. I really like him as well. And if they decide to take him at 54, that wouldn't break my heart whatsoever. But you mentioned Dotson.

I think he's a really good, you know, maybe day two guy. You know, another guy out of the slot, and you and I were talking about slot receivers the last time I was here, Garrett Wilson out of Ohio State would be another guy that, you know, if they were to snag him on day two, if he's around there when they pick, boy, it wouldn't bother me that much I mean I think he's another guy that can uh definitely impact your offense yeah without any question about it and you make an interesting point about targeting guys that can play in the

slot I think all of the guys that we've mentioned have the ability to line up there as well as be that vertical deep threat that you're looking for Wilson is primarily a slot guy and that wouldn't break my heart either to use uh you know a term that you just used because the Patriots always operate when they have solid performers in that slot receiver position guys that can you know maybe line up on the outside but that's where they're most comfortable and that's where they're in their wheelhouse and not necessarily always going for that home run type of wide out that can stretch the field the vertical threat yes it is an element that the Patriots don't currently have on their roster I know it's one that a lot of the fan base is looking for and believe me I'm certainly not against adding one

of them but if the Patriots do make the move for a player that is more suited to the slot than the outside, folks, don't think the sky is falling here in Foxborough. It is still an option for the Patriots to be able to utilize that and really, I think, fit very well into their offensive scheme. Even if they move away a little bit from what they were doing under Josh McDaniels. I don't think it's going to change rapidly, or I don't think it's going to change dramatically enough for the Patriots offense to look radically different in 2022 as opposed to what it did in 2021 and previous years under Josh McDaniels. So awesome insight, Steve, as always. Always appreciate picking your brain because you are the resident voice of reason here

on Locked On Patriots. And we take your opinion to the bank and we definitely hold it in the highest regard. At least I do. I don't want to speak for anybody else, but anyone else that listens to this show, I'm pretty sure they would agree with me. Before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know where they can find you, where they can reach out to you, interact with you on social media, and where they can find the great work that lies ahead from the great pen and the great voice of Steve Balistrieri. Well, thanks again for having me, Mike. As always, I really appreciate it.

You can find me on Twitter, at SteveB7SFG. I'm also on Facebook, Instagram, Steve Balistrieri. I write for PatsFans.com. In fact, I've started publishing my draft profiles. I got a couple. I put one out yesterday, put one out today. There'll be another tomorrow. I'm going to do a mock draft, a kind of early one after the first, you know,

feeding frenzy of free agency is over. But, you know, and I was tossing around the same ideas. You know, I started to do a mock draft. I stopped because I got interrupted. So I'm going to go back to it. But I was sitting there at 21, and I was like, Jameson Williams is sitting there. Olave is sitting there in this, the way this big board played out.

But then there's, you know, a couple of cornerbacks. Hmm. Questions, questions. Absolutely. Absolutely, my friend. And you know what? It's always a lot of questions. We'll continue to help you answer those as best we can,

or at least give our insight when it comes to what the Patriots might do in next month's draft. But as always, on Tuesdays, we definitely reserve the seat here for our resident voice of reason Steve I want to thank you for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots we look forward to speaking with you again next Tuesday here on Locked On

in the meantime folks thank you once again for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage as well as your first listen every day smash the subscribe button for YouTube download subscribe to and follow Locked On Patriots on, as well as your first listen every day. Smash the subscribe button for YouTube. Download, subscribe to, and follow Locked On Patriots on platforms such as Spotify,

the Odyssey app, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you're staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. On behalf of my Patriots bison, Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com, I'm your host, Mike DeBate. Stay safe, stay

well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.