Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Stefon Diggs Potential Impact; Jack Gibbens, Garrett Bradbury Signings

Episode Date: March 21, 2025

Can the New England Patriots' potential signing of Stefon Diggs reshape their offensive strategy? With Diggs visiting Foxborough, the Patriots are eyeing a game-changing addition to their roster. This episode explores the implications of bringing in the star wide receiver, alongside the recent signings of linebacker Jack Gibbens and center Garrett Bradbury. Host Mike D'Abate and guest Thomas Murphy analyze how these moves could impact the Patriots' lineup, discussing Gibbens' potential as a starter under coach Mike Vrabel and Bradbury's role in the offensive line. The conversation also touches on the need for a left tackle in the upcoming draft. #nfl #newenglandpatriots Find 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 ne ws about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNBA for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. Monarch MoneyTake control of your finances with Monarch Money. Use code LOCKEDONNFL at monarchmoney.com for 50% off your first year. UpworkVisit Upwork.com right now and post your job for free to connect with top talent and grow your business today! FanDuelRight now, new customers can get TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS when your first FIVE DOLLAR BET WINS! Download the app or head to FANDUEL.COM to get started. Bet with FanDuel—Official Partner of the NBA. 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)

Does Stefan Diggs still have the stuff to transform the New England Patriots receiving corps? Stick around, you're about to be locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you Foxboro faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.

Hopefully your first listen each and every day. I'm your host Mike Debate. I cover your New England Patriots for the Locked On Podcast Network. So reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATE NFL. You can catch me over where the skies are blue on blue sky at MDABATE NFL dot B sky dot social. And of course, if you're looking to show some love to locked on Patriots,

social media style, please check out our account at L O underscore Patriots. And Pat's fans today's episode is brought to you by Game Time. Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Pets fans, after a little bit of a lull in the action, the equivalent of the New England Patriots hot stove is heating up once again. Patriots making moves, filling roster voids, and they're on the precipice of perhaps making one of their biggest splashes in free agency to date. That's right, wide receiver Stefan Diggs as we speak is in Foxboro taking a visit at one Patriots place, perhaps taking a physical, and the New

England Patriots are doing their due diligence to get Drake May a bona fide potential number one wide receiver. What would it mean for Diggs to sign with the Patriots? Also if the Pats fail to make this happen, what does it mean for the Patriots in their pursuit to get Drake May a weapon? We're going to discuss that here today. We're also going to talk about a couple of new arrivals here in New England. Jack Gibbons, a linebacker who has a ton of experience working

for Mike Rabel, formerly of the Tennessee Titans, a favorite of my guests today, we're going to get to that in just a moment, signs on the dotted line and is here in New England. What does the presence of Jack Gibbons mean for the middle of this defense and what does it mean potentially for Christian Ellis, who was recently signed to an offer sheet by the Las Vegas Raiders? Finally, we're going to talk about some of those big round men up front. The Patriots had a big void at center. They filled it by signing former Minnesota Viking center Garrett Bradbury.

What does Bradbury's signing mean for New England? Is this a short-term stopgap or potentially a solution for the future? All of that here today and much more and again folks There's only one man that can handle all of the information. We got him here today He is our good friend the legend himself the green king of sting my good friend Thomas Murphy of diehard Boston sports fans comm thank you for coming to me in friendship today Don Murph. Oh Man my pleasure especially with all the happenings that are going on up here at One Patriot's Place.

And I love it. As you said, there's a little lull, a little slow down. We backed off the accelerator a little bit, but only to pass people on the right. Right. Exactly. And the New England Patriots may be on their way to passing people on the right, leaving people in the right. Right. Exactly. And the New England Patriots may be on their way to passing people on the right, leaving people in the dust. And at this point, Patriots nation is

excited Murph, because as we said to open the program, 31 year old Stefan Diggs, one of the top receivers in the game when he's healthy is currently in Foxborough and reportedly is going to not only take a physical but also experience what is being described as a very intensive visit with New England. Now the chances are when our everydayers, our locked-on Patriots loyalists are viewing this podcast, Stefan Diggs may already have agreed to a deal with the Patriots. He may have left without a deal or he may have turned them down outright. So at this point Murph,

I think we're going to play the hypothetical scenario all the way around. Let's start with what Stefan Diggs signing in New England would mean for this team. Last year caught 47 passes, 496 receiving yards, three touchdowns. Now you look at Stefan Diggs usual stat sheets for the year and you're going to say, wow, that's a huge fall off. But there's a reason for that folks. As all of you know, he suffered a torn ACL in October that ended his season prematurely. From what we're hearing, Stefan is recovering at a pretty good rate and he may be ready in time to start the 2025 season, but it's not exactly confirmed yet.

So at this point, Stefan still remains on the open market and according to multiple reports this is the first visit that he's taken with an NFL team. Murph, if he's signed and he's healthy this automatically upgrades the Patriots receiver room. He is the number one option for Drake May when it comes to this position. Clearly a lot of pedigree, a ton of talent. I know there's some question marks potentially about a personal fit here in New England, but I got to be honest. I think a lot of our fans are going to be surprised. I like this move. I think this is a move the Patriots should make.

Yeah, so do I. I'm tired of hearing about a personal fit. You know, I'm tired of hearing about a personal fit. I'm tired of hearing about not maybe our kind of guy. We need talent in this room. Right now, the best remaining talent on the market is Stefan Diggs. We're digging on you or you're digging on us. That's the question. Stefan would automatically be sitting at the head of the class. Now there have been issues in the past about the Diva attitude and the Diva. So you get that with just about every number one wide receiver that's out there.

Whether they believe they're a number one or they are a number one. This man is a number one and if he's healthy he could bring a lot to this table not only in his talent level on the field but his knowledge off of it. Nobody's ever accused Stefan Diggs of being stupid, right? You know, football wise being stupid, um Nobody's ever accused Stefan Diggs of lining up in the wrong spot Missing missing your cut breaking in when you should have been breaking out believe me if that that mistake happened it usually happened with the quarterback and No, I I do I believe that this move could make the Patriots a serious contender if they hit the draft right, a serious contender for a playoff spot.

Very well said. And I'm glad that you mentioned the playoffs because we're going to talk about that in just a moment. If Diggs does not sign in New England, or if he feels this is not the right fit for him, what it could mean for the Patriots potential to try to return to respectability. So excellent drop in. We're going to come back to that in a moment. But again, more on I think why we like Diggs in this situation.

You do hear about the diva mentality. You do hear about the sideline antics that can go on. We all saw it the last couple of seasons in Buffalo with Josh Allen. The thing that got Stefan Diggs so steamed up is that he felt he wasn't getting the ball enough. That's usually what it comes down to. But in terms of personalities between the two, Josh Allen and Stefan Diggs kind of worked together like a hand in glove fit for those first couple of years

in Buffalo, these two were as close as they got and they worked well together. And I think if Stefan is looking to maybe turn the page and refresh his cache, so to speak, I think he can do it here in New England with Drake May. And I think he's going to find some of the similar skill set that he found with Josh in Buffalo. Again, folks, I'm not comparing Josh to Drake. And I know we have some Buffalo listeners here that listen and hate listen Sometimes to New England Patriots now Josh Allen is still the class of the AFC East when it comes to quarterbacks

However, you look at what digs can bring to this team and to me This is really the heart of the argument before last season six consecutive 1,000 yard seasons both for the Minnesota Vikings and the Buffalo Bills. While he was in the AFC East, he torched the New England Patriots. Two games in particular where he received over 100 yards, gave a peace sign on his way to the end zone. He knows he can perform well here and he knows that he can do well in this building in Gillette Stadium. At this point, you know, with that upgrade in talent, I mean, it's almost a

no-brainer, but again, he brings a level of experience that I think is so lacking in this, in this wide receivers room. He's never shy about voicing his opinion. The Patriots need someone like that. And let's not forget that his first year in tech in Houston last year was voted a team captain You might get to that level just by skill on the field It's also the players in the locker room that trust you to be that vocal leader that sometimes this team needs

Stefan Diggs is not gonna shy away from a microphone being put in his face to me I think this is an upgrade not only on the field But I don't think it's getting enough credit for being the upgrade in the locker room and behind the scenes that I can be Stefan Diggs is gonna be somebody that walks into that wide receiver room and commands respect and Can crack the whip when other guys that are not putting that work in? Stefan Diggs is somebody that's gonna walk into that locker room and be able to crack the whip because that's the kind of respect that he gets from other receivers around the around the league. We've heard at Nausium about guys lining up in the wrong spot, making the wrong breaks,

things that I talked about earlier. This is a man that's gonna keep these kids on point, all right. I don't care what you did in college. All right. I don't care. I don't give a damn. All right. He's almost a variable esque type individual with how he reacts to and treats his teammates. You know, I'm here putting in the work.

I'm making all the money. Why aren't you trying to do this? Okay? You want the ball as much as I do? Put the work in and get open. Absolutely, so well said. And again, folks, it comes down to the ability to command the locker room, to command the respect,

and that translates to the field. That type of respect that Stefan Diggs is going to command from his teammates is gonna be felt on the field, especially by Drake May. And when you need a big play and you need someone to help spark your offense, that's going to be the first guy he looks for. So the Diva mentality of him not getting the ball, I don't think is going to be a factor here. I think Drake is going to make it his business to get Stefan Diggs the ball and that could help to quell some of the concerns surrounding that. But it also leads me quite nicely into my final question for you today, Bud, and that is there is a chance that Stefan Diggs leaves New England without a deal or that he leaves New England looking to either continue on in his journey and his quest to find his next home

in 2025 or he leaves outright and says,, this is just not the place for me. It's not going to work out. If you're the Patriots, after investing this type of interest in a receiver like this, where do you go from there? What does this mean for the New England Patriots in their quest to find Drake Mayweather? You're really back into a draft corner. It's going to have to come from the draft. and Patriots in their quest to find Drake May a weapon. You're really backed into a draft corner. It's going to have to come from the draft. I don't see an influx of talent coming at this point in time

unless you go and you make that IUC deal that people are talking about. Those are really your two options right now. And I still don't know if, if I, you want us to play here, you know, you, you also have to deal with his injury. You have to deal with digs injury, but you have to deal, you're dealing with a bunch of, of damaged goods and hoping that, that one of them comes in here and can rekindle what they had.

I believe, um, digiggs has a better upside than Iuke, even at this point in his career, simply with what I've seen him do on the field. Granted, I haven't watched as much of Iuke as I have of Diggs because, you know, my affinity for the Purple People leaders out there, Skoll everybody. I really I love Minnesota. I love their fans. I've loved their team for decades, but you know they take a far back seat to New England. And I think Diggs is the guy to go to. He brings a maturity that I don't think Iyuk does as an elder statesman in the room. I don't think IU demands, it commands, uh, as much respect from the

younger generation as, as digs does. And like I said, I don't want to go into this draft needing a number one ride wide receiver because you're either taking that number one wide receiver at four or at eight as opposed to getting a really good number two with one of those second round picks or a marginal trade-up. I would rather be able to go into this into this draft season focusing on the offensive line. Yeah, agreed. And I think that's one of the big reasons why New England is so gung-ho on trying to bring someone like Stephane Diggs in. All you need to do is give up financial capital in order to secure his services. The Patriots have plenty of it. So I don't think they'll be outbid

by anyone. It's going to be whether or not not Stefan believes this is the right fit for him and whether or not New England after meeting him Feels this is the right fit for them if both of these sides feel this could be a good union I think you see a deal get done here But again folks, we're gonna continue to monitor that throughout the day But Murph and I wanted to provide you with the best-case scenario on either side Surprisingly enough we find ourselves on the side of wanting Stefan Diggs to be a New England Patriot. Right. Guy is a phenomenal route runner.

I have admired his abilities from the time that he was a young receiver in Minnesota. And if I can say the word, Stefan Diggs is Stefan Diggs is a New England Patriot. This season, I'm going to be a happy host here on Locked On Patriots. I'd be a lot happier than if I said he's not. Absolutely, and I know my buddy here on the opposite side of the screen feels exactly the same way, but Murph, the Patriots were not done making deals or attempting to make deals. They get a couple that have been signed on the dotted line and in just a moment Murph and I are gonna talk about another former Tennessee Titans defender coming into town and helping to shore up that linebacking core in New England.

This is a guy that Murph has been eyeing for quite some time. We're going to talk about linebacker Jack Gibbons in just a moment 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, scaling your business requires the right expertise at the right time. With Upwork, you can find specialized freelancers in marketing, development, design, and more. Experts ready to help you take your business to the next level. Upwork gives businesses flexibility by connecting them with top freelance

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Download the Game Time app, create an account, and use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. That's LOCKEDONNFL, L-O-C-K-E-B-O-N-N-F-L for $20 off your first purchase. That's Locked On NFL. L-O-C-K-E-B-O-N NFL for $20 off. Download Game Time today. Last minute tickets lowest price guaranteed. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots as we continue to break down the latest Patriots roster moves. An attempted move right now going on potentially as we speak or as you're listening to this, the Stefan Diggs visiting in Foxboro with the New

England Patriots at Gillette Stadium and joining me here today to break it down is my good friend Thomas Murphy of DieHardBostonSportsFans.com. Murph, we talked about Diggs in the previous segment. That deal is yet to be signed at the moment we're speaking. At the time, our listeners are listening or viewing this podcast. It may be a done deal, or there may still be miles to go before Stefan Diggs makes his final decision. But the Patriots have made a couple of moves to help shore up positions of need.

And Murph, one move that the Patriots did make over the past couple of days was bringing some help for the linebacking corps. And this is a gentleman that you've been eyeing for quite some time. For the past few years, you've been saying this guy would look great in a Patriots uniform. You're going to get your wish. Former Tennessee Titans linebacker Jack Gibbons is now a member of the New England Patriots. And this looks like on its surface, Murph, a depth move, an opportunity to bolster that linebacking core, but you're high on Jack Gibbons and I know you've been for quite some time and you believe this could be an impact signing for the Pats.

What does the signing of Jack Gibbons mean for this Pats defense in your estimation? Um, Jack Gibbons is an impact player. Uh, he's, he could end up being a starter on this team, you know, especially under Mike Vrabel. Gibbons is, is a read and react, uh, linebacker. Like there are a few others in, in this league. Okay. He's, he's, uh, last year he had a small sample size because he broke his

ankle or leg, whichever bone you want to pick there and had to have it surgically repaired. But before that, he was just knocking on top 10 in run stop in the league as a linebacker. That's not small potatoes. He's an excellent run star. If you just go back and watch the tape against New England last year, watching him read crack tosses and get not overextending himself, not over committing to it, just keeping his eyes right

on that running back and then hitting the A gap when the running back decides to cut back or cut back through and go up the middle. I love this sign. He's also really good in dropping into coverage. This is going to be a problem for guys that are looking for time on the field right now because this is a man that is a three down linebacker. That's an excellent point and I'm glad that you made that about him being a very adept in coverage because a lot of people were saying that the knock on Jack Gibbons right now is

that he's much better suited in an early down roll going downhill attacking than he is in coverage. And it lends quite nicely into the narrative right now that he may be a replacement for Christian Ellis who yesterday was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders to an offer sheet. Now the New England Patriots have until Monday to match this sheet or to let Ellis walk. So a lot of people are wondering whether or not

the arrival of Gibbons means a short departure for Ellis. I think it's gonna really depend on how the Patriots see Jack Gibbons and how they see Ellis because one thing I do know from speaking with those close to the team over the course of the last couple of weeks, Mike Vrabel likes Christian Ellis an awful lot. This is a great coverage linebacker that I don't think gets enough of the credit or the press that he deserves for being the type of player that he is. Gibbons in his time under Vrabel was more of a downhiller than a guy that dropped back into coverage. You look at the numbers against the run he played 316 snaps in

coverage his snap count was 290. 22 as a pass rusher so automatically you're looking at him playing under Mike Vrabel and you're saying, okay, well, this guy has much more of a presence downhill than he is in coverage. However, I think you look at the strides that he made over the course of the last few years in Tennessee, even when Vrabel had moved on from Tennessee, you're starting to see this guy be more of a coverage type players. So if the Patriots see that in him, yeah. Then I think they let Ellis walk away. If they don't, I think they may try to match this.

And I think that it would be good for the Patriots to have Christian Ellis alongside Jack Gibbons. And really, I think a very potent one, two combination in that linebackers room. But again, if they believe Gibbons can do it all, and I think you've made an excellent case for it. yeah, they may be willing. Yeah. Before he got laid up last year, he was the 13th best linebacker in coverage in the NFL last year.

Okay. I know it was a small sample size, but it keeps getting better every single year. This kid keeps working. He keeps learning. This is why I wanted him three years ago. Patriots ignored me. Now, I like LS2 and I think if they bring him back, you know, they match this offer sheet, all the better. All the better. More depth, more power. Keep building this defense. Build a bully. This dude

is a bully no matter whether he's dropping back into coverage or if he's attacking Ramon Drey when he tries to cut back. Very well said, extremely well said. And look, I think Jack Gibbons brings an exciting level of play to this linebacker's core, especially to this defense. And it fits the mold that the New England Patriots want to run here. And again, so does Christian Ellis. I think that's one of the reasons why New England chose to bring him back and to sign him as a restricted free agent.

To me, I think this gives the Pats an opportunity to see what they have on the roster, what types of spots they're going to need to keep free in order to bring in some help that they're going to need. A lot of that is all going to factor in here. And, and look what this does, this kid does against mobile quarterbacks. And he's not somebody that, that, uh somebody that bites too soon and bites too early. He gets there, he, excuse me, he gets there, he gets to the man with the ball

and drags him to the ground, and I love it. I love this signing. Oh, absolutely, without any question. And in my estimation, and I don't wanna put words in Mike's mouth here, this is just my observation, Murph, but it almost seems like he's putting everyone in that locker room on guard. Do not look at anyone on this roster as sacred cows right now.

Jelani Tavaid, Juwan Bentley have given you everything they can in a Bill Belichick style defense. And to a certain extent, that's kind of what they tried to run last year under Demarcus Cummings. They tried. They didn't do it. Yeah, they weren't as effective, exactly. But in theory, that's what they wanted to do. So you knew that Bentley and Tavaya

were going to play big roles in that defense. I'm not so sure that's gonna happen in my variable defense this year. They may not be the type of guys that Terrell Williams wants to run with. I know Juwan Bentley supposedly has slimmed down. He's now in the 230 range. Our good friend Mike Giardi over at Boston Sports Journal, tip of the cap for that information. But again, this brings up the question about whether or not guys like Ellis and guys like Spillane. He wants the smaller, quicker, you know, sideline to sideline guys and

and pairing owns up with Spillane is just brilliant. It's just brilliant. You know, you can see the evolution happening. Right, absolutely. And that evolution I think is gonna be an exciting product to watch on the field, folks. Anybody wondering what this defense is going to look like expect aggression, but I think you can expect competence and I think you can expect a high level of play. And as long as the Patriots are doing that, you know, they're doing something right. So good stuff all the way around Murr for the New England Patriots as they continue to move forward and build their new team in

2025. But just five days after the Patriots announced they were releasing long time captain David Andrews, they filled their void at center with former Minnesota Vikings first rounder Garrett Bradbury. Is Bradbury enough to fill the shoes of a legend? Murph and I are going to talk about that subject and more when we wrap up today's discussion right here on the Locked On Patriots podcast, 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 luck on Patriots breaking down the potential and done deal Patriots signings and roster moves over the course of the past week. Stefan Diggs, is he a Patriot? Is he not? At the time you're listening to this, you may already know the answer to that question. And in the first segment, my good friend Thomas Murphy, who joins me here today,

the only man that could handle this type of wisdom and counsel that we needed is here to lend all of that today. And we also talked about the addition of linebacker Jack Gibbons, who Murph has been coveting for quite some time in New England. Patriots finally have him signed on the dotted line. And I think Murph laid out an excellent case as to why it's an exciting signing for your New England Patriots but Murph five days after releasing eight-time team captain David Andrews at the center position New England Patriots signed who many believe will be his potential replacement this season and that is Garrett Bradbury who spent the first six years of his career with the Minnesota Vikings Vikings Bradbury's a first-round draft pick

He entered the NFL as the 18th overall selection in the 2019 NFL draft Started most of the time that he was in Minnesota over six thousand career snaps at Center Started all 92 of his regular season games and that also includes playoff games as well folks and experience presence up front But the question beckons The new england patriots are losing an awful lot with the absence of david andrews Not just on the field in the locker room and really throughout the roster Murph, you know big round men up front better than anyone you played the very position That garrett bradbury is going to be asked to play

this season. What are your reactions to this signing? Is this a needle mover for the New England Patriots? Garrett Bradbury is a better center than I am. He's not a better center than David Andrews was. He's not a better center than Kelly was. I would have been happier if the Patriots went out and stole some of that thunder from the Colts and brought Kelly in here. God knows they had the money. Bradbury is a serviceable starting center in the NFL. Okay. And after the release of Andrews, I don't know that the Patriots had that. I've been on record for a long time saying that, um, that Cole Strange can snap, but this, we, we know this man can snap. Yeah.

Right. We can, we know that he can get the quarterback, the ball on every single, it doesn't matter who the quarterback is. They keep changing them out there. In Minnesota, like I changed my socks. This guy's worked with a lot of different quarterbacks and they don't complain about him. My thing is he gets blown up quite a bit with bigger, stronger defensive lines. He has a little deficiency when it comes to pass pro. He's a good run blocker, not a great one, but a good one. Right now, it's another veteran on this line and they needed that. So we've got three-fifths of a starting offensive line right now when we had two fifths of it

yesterday. The guy's a starter, but don't expect him to really light it up. It just goes to what I said last week. There must be something seriously wrong with David Andrews if they're making this move and not keeping David around. Yeah, and you almost get the impression that that must have been the case. Although you hear David come on his own podcast recently and say that the news was a little bit of a shock.

He's absorbing the information, deciding to do deciding to find out what he does next. It didn't sound like a guy who kind of received a gut kick from the New England Patriots and then all of a sudden realized these guys don't want me because I simply can't suit up anymore. I can't do the job. Still a twinge in his voice that he can go out there and get the job done. So maybe this was a cautious move on the New England Patriots and maybe they were a little bit over cautious in trying to rid themselves of a player that they felt did not have more than one season left in his arsenal. But again, you're giving up an awful lot when you miss David Andrews.

We have an affinity for David. There's no question about it. But once again, if the Patriots do get younger, Bradbury comes in, does his job, all of a sudden the move doesn't look too bad. But here's why I'm concerned about this. We've seen in the past few seasons that he has struggled in pass protection. You mentioned that he is a solid run blocker. And he is.

Nobody can take that away from him. But according to Pro Football Focus, last season, no other center in the NFL registered more regular season pressures than he did. And that number is 37. That's a high number for a center to re to yield that type of pressure. When your main priority in the week, link. Yeah. He's been the weak link in, in Minnesota, Minnesota recognized that and said, we

need to go in a different direction. And there were nobody, there was no one knocking on Minnesota Minnesota would have taken a sixth round pick for him All right, and they would have taken a sixth round pick for him and nobody was offering Mm-hmm now if I'm trying to play devil's advocate and talk out of both sides of my mouth, which I happen to do pretty well I'll also point to the fact that he looked like he was getting a little bit better as the season went on and I'm not gonna make excuses for Garrett Bradbury, but let's not forget that he sandwiched in between two guards that really struggled all season long too. I mean, Ed Ingram found himself on the bench, you know, halfway through the season. So it wasn't like he was playing with top level talent or competent talent that I believe he'll have here if he's got Michael Wenu on the right side and either Colestrange or Leydon Robinson on the left.

I think he may be a little bit better suited there. And I actually thought he didn't play that badly in the Vikings wild card loss to the Rams this past year. I thought that there was a little bit to bite onto there if you're looking at some tape to watch on him and say, okay, well, this is what he's capable of. That game may give maybe a little reprieve to some Patriots fans out there. They're really, really worried about this signing. Right.

I made a big deal earlier when Ronnie Stanley chose to stay in Baltimore, talking about the guys that he was lining up next to and then making him look better. He's not Tyler Lindabomb, but he didn't have a lot of talent next to him on either side of that line and that's why the Vikings are just completely blowing it up and and going in a new direction. I'm just saying that he's not an all-pro and I think David Andrews was a better was a better gamble right now. I would love it if they had kept David Andrews and signed Bradbury. Put it that way. Yeah and I think a lot of Patriots fans would agree on that point. Look I know David has his detractors where people feel that the game has passed him

by and they needed to get younger. This was an ideal opportunity for them to be able to cut bait, but at the same time you also look at everything that you're leaving behind and some of that experience and some of that age does count for something folks. It is palpable, you will miss that in the locker room. The question is how much will the Patriots miss it, and is Garrett Bradbury enough to come in and to at least adequately play the position because you can never fill the shoes of a legend?

And this is why we keep bringing Murph back each and every week, folks. You cannot fill the shoes of a legend. But what can I say? I can't thank you enough for always being there for the handoff when I need you lending the wisdom the council will wit the grit The way only you can before I let you go today 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 over the weekend No, you got me at team earth 207 s there on the zitter

Or a team earth 207 leave the last S off for savings over where the skies are blue. I gotta start spending more time out there man it's getting warmer go sit down on the back porch on blue sky. Absolutely. Have some lemonade. And other than that I'm just doing some Red Sox stuff and my my own baseball season is starting to kick off right now. I'm forming the new and improved team Butchy. Butchy's long gone. But these kids still wanna keep coming to play baseball for me. So I've got a lot of that happening.

Absolutely, and you know what? They're a lucky team to have such a great coach. We wish you the very best, bud. Definitely a tip of the cap. But here on Lockdown Patriots will always be hashtag team Butchy from now until the day that podcasts no longer exist. And on that note, folks, I want to thank each and every one of you, all of you every dayers

especially, but all of you occasional listeners and those of you joining us here for the first time, whether you be a recent first timer or today may be the first show you've ever checked out here on Locked On Patriots. I hope you're coming back for more because the best is still yet to come. But in the meantime, on behalf of my good friend Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike Debate and I'd like to remind you all to stay safe, to stay well, and to be the change that 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.