Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: The Belichick Effect on the Coordinator Search; External Free Agent Wish List

Episode Date: January 27, 2024

The New England Patriots continue their search for both and offensive and defensive coordinator. However, will the employment status of former coach Bill Belichick have an impact on Pats business? Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the “Belichick Effect” on the Pats coaching search along with providing a portion of their external free agent wish lists. #patriots #nfl 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-new-england-patriots/id1140512627?i=1000632782469 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriotsAnd follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Jase MedicalEmpower yourself when you purchase a Jase Case, providing you with a personal supply of 5 antibiotics that treat 50+ infections. Get yours today at jasemedical.com and use code LOCKEDON to get $20 off your order.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.FanDuelRight now, NEW customers get ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED when you place a FIVE DOLLAR BET. Visit FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON to get started.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 NEXT Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots the daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. And of course, and hopefully, your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. We are also free and available on all platforms. So smash that subscribe button on YouTube and download,

follow wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Fan Nation. So please reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. While you're out there showing some love to Locked On Patriots social media style, please be sure to follow our account there as well at L-O underscore Patriots.

And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Make every moment more. Right now, new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a five dollar bet visit fanduel.com locked on to get started and pats fans it might be difficult and hard to believe but this 2024 nfl season may begin without bill belichick in a head coaching seat. I know. We're moving on. Gerard Mayo is the guy. Folks, we are talking New England Patriots business, but we'd be remiss if we did not mention that Bill Belichick not having a job this season could have a ripple effect and

probably will have a ripple effect on the New England Patriots coaching staff, their players, as well as their potential future. And here today to break it all down along with his external shopping list of free agents he'd like to see here in New England is my good friend the man who helped us kick off the week in style and he helps us close the weekend style each and every week Thomas Murphy Don Murph thank you so much for coming to me in friendship and we need this wisdom and counsel today more than ever my friend oh bud happy to be here hope to help the ball club man let's get into it absolutely when you got babe ruth on the bench folks it's not just a pinch hitter it's a guy you come in and expect to

knock it out of the park and that's what we're going to do here today hopefully when it comes to all of the business that the new england patriots must conduct. And Murph, I think beginning with Bill Belichick is actually a smart move right now because obviously there were some shockwaves that were sent through the NFL yesterday when Raheem Morris, definitely a deserving candidate to be a head coach in this league, beat out Bill Belichick for a head coaching job in Atlanta. Now, you and I have talked about this offline a couple of times. We've talked about it here on Locked On Patriots. Atlanta just never seemed like the hand-in-glove fit that a lot of people were talking about

when it came to Bill Belichick. Belichick is looking for a short-term gig, a place where he can go win, and I hate to say it, folks, eclipsed on Shula's record. I think that means something to Bill Belichick. Atlanta is looking for a coach that's going to come in and be able to build this team for the long haul. So it's not completely shocking when you view it on that plateau. However, this does still have an effect on the New England Patriots this season.

I know Bill is no longer the head puppet master over in one Patriots place, but he's still pulling a lot of the strings. And this is going to have an effect on the coaching staff. It's going to have an effect on some of the players. And it may have an effect on the future of this franchise for the next couple of years. Where do you see this leading the Patriots potentially? And what type of an impact can we expect in Foxborough?

A huge impact in Foxborough. Bill not leaving means a lot of people are available to stay, which is one of the reasons why Bill isn't leaving, folks, because he's down here interviewing and talking about all the people that he's going to bring in. And, you know, honestly, do you think Terry Fontenot is, you know, thrilled thinking of bringing in somebody that is going to completely wipe out his front office and take control of this team from personnel on down. Bill was set up to go into a situation that is already set up, that needed that defensive mind to put them over the top, that needed that Belichickian

box to think in. You know, people talk about thinking outside the box. What I believe is that around the league, and quite honestly, people, we don't know the interviews that Bill turned down. We don't know if anybody's out there and asked, no, I'm really not interested in moving out to the left coast at this point in time in my life. So let's think about it. But the effects here at home, like I said, it means a lot of people are going to be available to stay here. And one of those people now that we all thought would be going off with bill if

bill took a job was josh mcdaniels and that's kind of scary i think that you make a very interesting point murph and i'm glad you brought it up because jeff howe of the athletic earlier this week said that if bill belichick did not get the job in atlanta and it looked like josh mcdaniels was going to be out of a job for 2024 that that may vault him to the top of the list, the Patriots wish list for an offensive coordinator position. Now, there are certain issues that may complicate that. Now, let's not forget that McDaniels is at his best when he's operating that Earhart Perkins style offense. But you look at the other candidates that they're bringing into interview. You're looking at guys like Nick Caley, who I think has a hybrid of both.

This could actually be very good for Nick Caley as well, folks, because he's not only served under Sean McVay and that new type of Shanahanian, McVayan offense that the Patriots seem eager to implement. He served under Josh McDaniels as well. He served under guys that know both types. So this could actually speak very well of Nick Caley, but you look at him, you look at Zach Robinson and you look at the guys that they're bringing in all of a sudden, it makes it look like now maybe the Patriots were thinking of going in a different direction. And the other guys that they were

interviewing two years ago, again, Bill did not have the proper coaches in place to be able to implement that, nor did he have the personnel to be able to implement that nor did he have the personnel to be able to implement that and I think those are both very good points as well but there was a a push the Patriots went through to say we have to modernize this offense you heard it I heard it when the Patriots drafted Cole Strange and they brought in Mac Jones those guys were supposed to be components of this new look offense it didn't work out that way Matt Patricia and Joe Judge just did not have the ability to be able to coach it the way it needed to be coached and like you said the personnel wasn't there yet exactly and on the

field they did not have the offensive line in place they didn't have the guys that they needed to implement that so maybe this time around it might be different but josh mcdaniels is a very good offensive coach folks don't let the failures he's had in the head coaching seat deter you from the fact that this is a very talented offensive coordinator and if you're worried about his ability to mesh some of the new in with the old i think you might be selling josh mcdaniels a little short so this could definitely be good for him could be good for for Kaylee. What it means for Robinson and other potential candidates that the Patriots have out there that are really tied to that McVeigh style is yet to be seen. But I think that's a very good point. The other person or persons at this point that I think very much

impacted by this are Bill Belichick's sons, Brian and Steven. Now, all of a sudden, they may not have a job to follow their father to. They may be inclined to take Gerard Mayo and Robert Kraft up on that offer and remain in New England. And you know, Bill Belichick's going to be in their ears saying, yeah, you don't want to sit out a year. You're going to want to keep your skills sharp. So stay there. Give yourself an opportunity to build your resume and afford your own identities. This could be an opportunity for them as well yeah definitely and we've been saying that uh since the get-go that it might be smart for the the belichickian uh offspring to stick around or see what else is out there and not necessarily follow dad wherever he ended up.

I said before that Belichick is out there interviewing other candidates for his services. And as he looked around the landscape of what was out there. And quite frankly, some of the, the, the trending that that ownership is doing right now is, is all geared towards offense. It really is. And in the Atlanta, the Atlanta thing, it just wasn't a right fit. You might go out there and go down there, I should say, and, and end up surpassing shula but i don't think that uh it's a long-term thing you know the guys are looking as you said to to build on what

they have you know for the long term uh you get hired as a coach to be fired but make sure you know it the owner wants to be the one to make that decision as to when you go. They don't want to hear, I'm going to be here for three years. Hopefully we'll win a Super Bowl and then take off. You can do that with a quarterback or with a running back, you know, as the last piece. But people don't want to necessarily change coaches, change coaching staffs, change their front office every three years. That's not what anybody's looking for. And quite frankly, that's what a lot of ownership is seeing right

now in Bill Belichick and bringing him and his crew in here. I'm glad you mentioned the coach being able to dictate a lot of what's going to happen. It points directly to personnel. And that's the other leg of this as well, folks, is it does have a ripple effect on the personnel. Now, all of a sudden, the Patriots deciding to run it back for at least the next couple of weeks or in the next couple of months with Elliott Wolfe and Matt Groh, looks like it's going to be on target. Matt is known as a Belichick loyalist in a lot of Patriots media circles. He's not following Bill anywhere right now,

so he's probably going to want to stay exactly where he is until he's told otherwise and if he can pull off a pretty good draft and a pretty good free agent paul he may not be told otherwise he and elliot may have a good stranglehold on that front office and these are two bright young men folks they can definitely do the job individually together and maybe working a little more collaboratively than they have in the past couple of years might be a good thing and who knows folks the wild card in all this is it might actually work to the Patriots advantage when it comes to personnel on the field Murph you and I have talked about players that want to come and play for Bill Belichick a couple that showed up on my Mike's Magnificent Seven list yesterday that we need to retain, internal free agents,

guys like Hunter Henry and Ezekiel Elliott, who have said, I came to New England to be coached by Bill Belichick. If they're not going to follow Bill elsewhere next year, maybe they decide that, you know what, I've got roots laid down here. I think I might be better off staying in New England than going into an unknown. That could mean big things for some of these free agents that could come back. Yeah, without a doubt.

And go out there and make sure Mike Onwayu is first on your list. Absolutely. He was first on my list, folks. We know he's first on Murph's. The question is, will he be first on the Patriots list? We're about to find that out. The Patriots first on his. Yeah, probably a better question and a better

question and i'm glad that you mentioned that but because there's always two sides to every story and then somewhere in the middle there's the truth we talk about internal free agents murph all the time and guys we want to see remain in new england but it's always nice to go door dashing every now and then swipe on the app and decide which of these shiny new toys out there might look good in a Patriots uniform. You heard Murph say earlier it's all about the offense this year and rebuilding the Patriots. Well, we're going to go outside

the organization and we're going to think outside the Patriots box and identify players we might want to see wearing a Pats uni next year. All of that and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. A proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

This next segment of Locked On Patriots is brought to us by our sponsor, BetterHelp. And Locked On listeners, sometimes we all need the opportunity to get something off our chest. Whether it be big or small, certain things can really start to get to you. And it's important to let that out, especially to someone who's unbiased on your life. Today, I want to say how I really feel about something. And you all out there might even be thinking about the same thing. And that is the

emotional roller coaster of anxiety, excitement, and bittersweet feelings when it comes to the New England Patriots and Bill Belichick parting ways after 24 amazing years. Gerard Mayo is already bringing a lot of excitement and anticipation to the Patriots. And I don't want to speak for all of you out there, but for me personally, it is definitely bittersweet. I'm going to miss Bill Belichick. But like all of you out there,

I'm anxious and I'm excited to see what Gerard Mayo can bring to the table. And what's important to remember here, folks, is that sometimes life can imitate art, or in this case, sports. Sometimes we have so many feelings on a particular subject that from one moment to the next, we're not quite sure how to act or feel. Therapy can be different for everyone. And let's face it, most of us have bigger problems than our favorite sports team. It's important

to get things off your chest every once in a while. If you're thinking of starting therapy, give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online, designed to be flexible and suited to your schedule. Visit BetterHelp.com slash LockedOn to get 10% off your first month. That's

BetterHelp.com. Locked on, listeners. The NFL regular season has wrapped up, but there is still time to get in on the action with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because right now new customers get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed when you place a $5 bet. That's $150 in bonus bets, win or lose. The app is so easy to use and there are so many different ways to bet like live same game parlays. Find bets in the new explore

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on Locked On Patriots. You open the week in style and we close the week in style with a straw that stirs the drink here on Locked On Patriots. You open the week in style, and we close the week in style with a straw that stirs the drink here on Locked On Patriots. My good friend, Thomas Murphy, the wisdom in the council is second to none anytime he joins me on the mic. And Murph, like I said to open the show today, we need your wisdom and counsel more than ever, Don Murph.

So, Godfather, I go to you. I need a man who has powerful friends. I need a million dollars in cash. Actually, we need about $69 million in cash, according to our good friend, the Consigliere here on Locked On Patriots, the Pats cap himself, Miguel Benzon. But I need all those external free agents, Murph, that you carry in your pocket, like so many nickels and dimes. It's a lot of fun to talk about the players that we want to

keep in-house in new england but we all know that free agency is a glorified shopping spree in the nfl and there are players to be had out there let's start with the offensive side of the ball is there someone on this potential list of 2024 free agents that gives a glint in the don's eye when it comes to this season. T Higgins go through, go through the bank, Adam, see if he'll come. I'm not sure that that that's going to happen. I'm not, you know, man wants a, I'm not sure if he's going to get franchised it. I'm not sure if he's going to go chasing somewhere else,

looking for a title on a two-year deal. But if you can give T Higgins a five or six-year deal that is a monstrous blowout, bring him in. Please bring him in. You look at this free agent class, we sit there and we talk about weapons. I mean, after T. Higgins, I mean, what do you have? Michael Pittman, Mike Evans. Mike Evans isn't going anywhere. Mike Evans is more interested in being a Buccaneer for the rest of his life than anywhere else. Marquise Brown. Okay. This is, this might not be the, the, um, the year to go out and spend those money on those weapons that you guys, uh, are all drooling over. I'm sorry. It's just the way I feel. Like Mike said, there are, um, there are guys out there that are pieces.

But, I mean, this offense is beyond bringing in the guys that are going to compete or give you something to do on three plays a game. That's just not the way it's working right now. Without Tom Brady back there, I'm sorry. That's not the path to success. I don't want to alarm too many people, but there's not a lot of weapons out there that are going to come in here and completely change the game in a 17-game season. Very good point. I think T. Higgins would be at the top of anyone's list, and I agree with you.

He'd be at the top of mine. You did mention the franchise tag, and that's something that does concern me with Tee, because I think Cincinnati may look at this and say, look, obviously we've got Jamar Chase in-house to keep at least two in that fold for Joe Burrow coming back next year. So that concerns me with him, but obviously this is a multifaceted wide receiver that the Patriots would love to have. He can go up, he can get the jump ball. This guy can run a route. He can do anything you need him to do. And he'd look great in a Patriots uniform. I agree with you 100% that if you're not going to shoot for the fence, then it's probably not worth spending big money on the position. If the Patriots are not going to spend on receiver, is there anyone else out there, skill position player or a trench guy, that you can see the Patriots shelling out decent amount of money for

to secure his services and bring him into help immediately? All right. Kevin Dotson. All right right guard of uh you know that is well respected around the league he's he was traded from the steelers to the rams last offseason and it looked a little funny but you know while we're all talking about sean mcveigh you know he was reinventing his offense last year. He pivoted from that wide zone that we've been talking about into a heavy gap scheme. And Dotson, I think is going to end up, would end up being a nice little pick here. Another guy that I'm thinking about, another guard is Connor Williams. He's down there in Miami. He played left guard in Dallas and then switched over and he played center.

I think he's going to be able to really, he could really come in here, fill a lot of different holes, make this offensive line that much more solidified. And being able to move up and down the line is really something that's important. You know, Sheldon Rankins. And, oh, God, who am I thinking? Aaron Bruce Brewer, the Tennessee Titans.

He could also move up and down the line. He plays center and both guard positions. Whatever the Patriots end up doing this year, the offensive line is paramount. Last year was the year to go out and spend at offensive tackle. They didn't do it. I'm not seeing a lot of, quite frankly, quite, quite frankly, the top two free agents in this class at tackle are Mike on way you and, um, and, uh, Brown and Trent Brown. And I'm not bringing Trent Brown back here. This is, this is why I I'm focused on offensive tackle at the

draft because there are, there are legitimate starting caliber offensive tackles that you can get in both the first and second rounds. And one of them, maybe two of them, one of them is definitely, I think, headed for Canton at the end of his tenure. Yeah. Exactly. You all know. If you've been here before, you know the score.

You every dayers know. Yep. You every dayers know. Yeah. And this isn't just a binky thing. I've watched all the tape on this kid that I could possibly get going back to his freshman year. This kid is it. He's it. And while you can solidify the guard spots, re-sign on Weyu, this would be a formidable front line if you went out and got two offensive tackles in the first and the third, say, the third round of this draft, this upcoming draft. Not that we've got plenty of time for draft talk.

No, and great names that you mentioned in terms of the offensive line and guys that may be a little under the radar, a Connor Williams someone that I think could come in here and make a solid impact you mentioned the tackle position and I agree with you there's not a lot out there Tyron Smith is still a big name but I think you know definitely in the Twilight and Tyron seems like the type of guy that wants to be a career cowboy to me I mean he's still putting up pretty decent grades when it comes to what he's done in pass blocking, especially graded an 81.6 this year, a pro football focus, a 79 grade when it comes to true pass set blocking, and then a negative run blocking grade percentage of 11.5%. So good numbers. It looks like he could come in here and be a solid contributor, but there are injury

questions. He does miss time. And again, how much are you willing to pay for someone whose engagement is probably going to give you one, two years at the max? Invest in that position. Long-term folks, you solidify your offense for a good long time. I run into the same issue with Robert Hunt of Miami. Again, a guy that put up career numbers this year and really, I think, was a solid player at right guard. And he's played

the tackle positions before so he can be a swing how much does he want to leave miami will miami allow him to leave these are all the questions folks that need to be answered but when you got money to burn burn it exactly thank you i absolutely love it that is a perfect way perfect way to segue into what the Patriots may do on the defensive side of the ball. Murph and I have said several times that the defense is in good shape, but you know what, Murph? As Billy Rosewood once told John Taggart, you can never

have too much firepower. And that's exactly what the Patriots may do add to their arsenal on the defensive side of the ball, who from outside the organization might look nice wearing the Patriots' throwback reds next year. And of course, who from outside the organization might look nice wearing the Patriots throwback reds next year. And of course, the blue and the white ones too, folks.

Discussing that and more when this episode of the pod wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today closing out the week in style on a Friday with our good friend the Don himself Thomas Murphy and if Murph is here on a Friday you know that we're just a couple of days away from locked on Murph Monday you know what else happens on Monday Murph the mailbag gets open that's folks. Make sure to get your questions in this weekend. We had amazing questions last week, a lot to cover, and a lot of things that are on your mind. We want to know what you're thinking. Drop us a line and let us know your question.

If you're watching on YouTube, you can drop it right below this episode. Just put the hashtag Mailbag Monday to make sure that we know you're submitting that for a question. And as always, you can reach out to me on X at MDA, BAT, E NFL. You can reach out to Murph on X as well at team or 207, or you can just tag the lockdown Patriots account at L O underscore Patriots. A lot of ways to deliver the mail, but remember Murph,

when you control the mail, you control information. And that's what we're going to try to do on Monday. Control the information, folks. Murph, you are the king of providing us information here on Locked On Patriots. And you already broke the wisdom and counsel meter. We talked about the potential impact of Bill Belichick on the personnel, on the coaching staff, on the front office. We've talked about some of our free agent wishes out there, the wish list that we have

of external free agents coming in and helping the New England Patriots. But you and I both know that the Patriots are not just going to add offensive free agents. They're going to add players on defense too, complementary players that can come in and help make a strength even better when you look at the list of defensive free agents this year to be murr yep who stands out to you and why well you know i we've talked before at length about how i would bring back everybody on the defensive side of this ball why you know if if it ain't broke don't fix it if it you know and if it ain't broke don't break it it. You know, and if it ain't broke, don't break it.

Okay, how about that? But there are a couple of holes here. The Patriots ran into some depth issues this year at cornerback. We all know there's a glaring need at safety. The guy that I want brought in here is Kendall Fuller, you know, cornerback for the Washington Commanders. Fuller was really the lone bright spot in Washington this year, and he can play inside.

He can play in the slot. I mean, outside, he can play in the slot, and the guy also has some time in at safety. He's been a fantastic safety in his time here, but he was pushed into a different role. I think he's somebody that could come in here and do a bang up job. Another one, you know, LeJarrius Sneed in Kansas city, you know, he's a cornerback that could get brought in here. And, um, uh, I can't pronounce his name. The Bengals kid, Awuzie. Chudu Awuzie, did I pronounce that right?

Yeah, you know what, I really don't know how to pronounce his name either, but yeah, that's the guy. Yeah, that's definitely the guy. All right, and then you're getting into guys like Julius Blackman down there with the courts, Dory Jackson with the Giants. That's a bit down there. But I do believe that it is a position of need. That even though this defense played extremely well last year, these are two holes that need to be filled. Yeah, without question. They absolutely do need to be filled.

And I'm glad you mentioned corner, and I'm glad you mentioned you mentioned safety because obviously the Patriots secondary had its share of injuries this year. Now, some of the injured players that the Patriots expect to get back should help to solidify some of that depth. Guys like Marcus Jones are going to be back in the lineup now. Safety is an interesting position to me because if Kyle Duggar does not come back, that's putting a lot of pressure on Jabril Peppers to take that lead role. Who takes now the second in command? Do you give it to a guy like Jalen Mills and allow him to come back on a reduced deal and play the Robin to Jabril Peppers Batman? Right.

Adrian Phillips is not a free agent, but if the Patriots cut him, they'll create $2 million worth of cap space. Both the Pat's cap and myself talked about this last week. And we expect Adrian to be on the cutting room floor. It hurts me to say that because you know, the affection that I have for him personally, as well as professionally on the field, but it's good business and the Patriots will continue to do what it takes to get good business. Who do you go for? I mean, I know right now Antoine Winfield Jr. is probably the pie in the sky hope for anybody looking for a free agent safety, but I think he's going to be priced out of what the Patriots are willing to spend. They're going to allocate, I think, a lot more funds to offense than defense, and rightfully

so, unless it's their own. If you're going to shell out the type of money Antoine Winfield is going to want, why not just shell it out for Kyle Duggar? To me, I don't think that's even a question. No, I wholeheartedly agree. And then, you know, I mean, you're looking at guys like Xavier McKinney that you could bring in here on a nice deal. Like you said, Winfield is, you know, please put them underneath, you know, the Christmas tree, Dad. You know, that's the type of thing. So, yeah, as I said before, I'm

for bringing back all of these guys that are on that side of the ball. And unless you're going to really burn through some cash, you're not going to get too much of an upgrade over Kyle Duggar.. You really are. Absolutely.

Murph, I figure we'll close the week out in style here with a little fun. I mean, we talk all the time about players that the Patriots need and who'd be a good fit, but you and I both know that sometimes it's nice to go out and have a vanity purchase every now and then. Just a guy that you've always wanted to see wearing a Patriots uniform someone that you always thought would look good in the Patriots system or just someone that you wanted just because you're an admirer of the player yeah is there anybody in this free agent class right now that fits that mold for you I know we're talking defense but it's plus the format

Friday here folks I'll break the mold you can talk an offense player if you want is there a player that you'd just like to see the Pats go after just for the hell of it? Chris Strum. How am I going to top that? You can't top it. That's the best player on the market right now. Light the bonfire. Come on, Robert.

Let's start it. Let's throw a few pallets out there. Multiple constructs. few pallets out there. If Kansas City manages to win a Super Bowl this year, he might be just looking to cash in. Just take the most money. You never really know. Yeah, that's who I want. I don't blame you. I think that's who everybody wants, folks. How can I top that? I can't top that. But I will tell you about a guy that I think maybe even possibly could be had for the Patriots if they do have a need there. And right now, this is a position of strength for the New England Patriots.

And I am talking off the ball linebacker. But I've always been intrigued by what Patrick Queen could do in a Patriots uniform. I've loved this kid since college. And not that it's a situation where I think he'd be a good fit here in New England, or I think that he's someone that they need. But if the need did arise, I think a change of scenery could do Patrick very nicely. Obviously, Roquan Smith has become the alpha in that room for the Baltimore Ravens, and rightly so. He's the highest paid player at the position. But when you look at what

Queen is able to do as a pass rusher, 48 quarterback pressures, eight sacks over the past two seasons, those are both second among off the ball linebackers. So when you look at what he's capable of doing and the prowess that he can show both against the run and against the pass, where he may be playing with a little bit of an additional chip on his shoulder we did read and hear about him maybe not taking to Roquan's addition uh you know all too well all too well maybe he should have been the guy uh sometimes guys that come in that have that little extra motivation can really um rise to the occasion and I'd be really really intrigued to see what gerard mayo and that defensive brain trust in new england could possibly do with someone like a patrick yeah

he's been a teammate of matthew judans before uh this is something that i think is just intriguing to me again folks i'm not suggesting this as a fit for the patriots but if that need arose uh i think he could be someone not to uh watch, at least in my opinion. Yeah, he's a little bit, for some reason, pushed down the depth chart, shall we call it, on this year's free agents. But no, man, I just love it. I just love it. It would be fantastic. Sign them both.

Yeah. 71.3 run defense grade for uh for Patrick Queen and the grade in the box 67.9 like I said this is a vanity sign for me just because I've always liked Patrick Queen's game right from the time that he was in college but again folks if there's a need there you know I think they could be worse uh but we talking, yeah, we're talking Tremaine Edmonds type money here. You know, $72 million, $75 million for four years. CJ Mosley, you know, Roquan Smith at the outside, a hundred million bucks for five years.

Burn it, burn it, burn it all. That's it. Hey, you know what? I'm not the one that said they had cash to burn. Gerard Mayo said it and so did Robert Kraft. So you know what? If they're going to burn through cash, that's it hey you know what i'm not the one that said they had cash to burn gerard mayo said it and so did robert kraft so you know what if they're gonna burn through that's it absolutely let's hope it's not full throttle right but bottom line folks we always look forward to murph lending his wisdom and counsel here on the pod he broke the wisdom and counsel meter today once again we have to replace it over the weekend but you know what

it's all good because the wisdom and counsel he's going to bring here for mailbag Monday, it's going to be even more. Buddy, what can I say? Thank you so much for being there for the handoff. You're always there for the handoff when I need you. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can reach out to you and what we can look forward to from the great Penn, the great voice of Thomas Murphy over the weekend. Over the weekend, I'm going to be spending some time with the family.

So, yeah, that's it. You know, we got some stuff to celebrate around here, and I'm going to do that. You know, with the Red Sox, God, look at this. Look at how deep the furrow is in my brow these days, man. That's all John Henry's fault. But, you know, whatever tickles my fancy, you go ahead and follow me on X at TeamMIRF207 on the Zitter app. And, you know, if something hits me and hits me hard, believe me, I'll have an opinion about it. Absolutely, folks. And anytime

that does happen, whenever he puts pen to paper or voice to microphone, listen up, because it means Murph is ready to drop some wisdom and knowledge bombs that only he can. And he does it in a unique way, and that's why we have him here each and every week. And the other part of it is just I love talking football with the man. It's just a lot of fun to me, and I enjoy it, and I know you all do too. So, Murph, thanks again, and we'll see you back here again on Locked on Murph Monday on Mailbag Monday. Folks, be sure to get those questions in. Absolutely. In the meantime, we thank you for taking time out of your schedule each and every week

and making us a part of your daily New England Patriots coverage. On behalf of the Godfather himself, Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. Have a great weekend, and we'll see you back here again on Monday on Locked on Patriots.

Burn it all. Burn it to the ground. Burn, baby, burn.