Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Training Camp: Mac Jones, Offense Evolution, Kayshon Boutte Rising

Episode Date: August 4, 2023

As the New England Patriots prepare for the upcoming 2023 NFL season, a handful of rookies are making a strong case for earning prominent places on the team’s roster. Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2G Sports to discuss the evolution of Mac Jones within Bill O’Brien’s offense, as well as the emergence of receiver Kayshon Boutte and the standout play of defensive end Keion White.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/id1140512627Spotify: 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!Underdog FantasyThis episode is sponsored by Underdog Fantasy! Sign up HERE with the promo code LOCKEDON to get your first deposit DOUBLED up to $100.Must be 18+ (19+ in Alabama and Nebraska, 21+ in Massachusetts and Arizona) and present in a state where Underdog Fantasy operates. Terms apply. Concerned with your play? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit www dot ncpgambling.org; In Arizona call 1-800-NEXT-STEP; in New York, Call 1-877-8-HOPENY; in Tennessee, call 1-800-889-9789eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit. eBay Motors dot com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.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.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mac attacks the red zone and the rookies are rising. I'm not just talking about the defense. 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, Foxborough faithful. Welcome to the Lockdown Patriots podcast. We are a proud part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

Subscribe or follow for free on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on the bird app, on X, whatever you want to call it. You can find me at MDABATENFL, and you can also show some love to Locked On Patriots by following that account as well at LO underscore Patriots.

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I'm always honored and grateful for the support that you provide. And it may not be Monday folks, but Thursdays are always a good day to welcome in a man. I'm now going to be calling the pillar of Patriots wisdom and counsel, the legendary Thomas Murphy of E2G sports. Thank you for coming to me in friendship today, Don Murph. Oh, it's always a pleasure, Michael. Monday, Thursday, Friday, Sunday nights, you know, let's do it. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday. Murph, it's always great, and when we can kick off the show with a Godfather reference, you know we're going to be in a good show. So folks, thank you for tuning in. We hope

you agree with us here. But, Murph, with just one week remaining until they host the Houston Texans at Gillette Stadium for their first preseason matchup, hard to believe, Murph. We're already almost at preseason football. But your New England Patriots were back on the field for their eighth training camp practice on Thursday. Patriots practicing in full pads for the second consecutive day. Focus on diversifying their offensive game

planning. That really seemed to be the theme of the day. The defense wanted a rebound after a pretty good performance on Wednesday from Mack Jones and Bailey Zappi and the offense on Wednesday. The offense really getting their clear first victory, I think, of training camp. And folks, whether you want to call Murph and I objective or not, I don't think anybody who's not bound by click chasing agendas is going to say that this offense right now does not look better than it did this time last year. Oh, God.

A big reason for that, folks, is the Bill O'Brien effect on Mac Jones. Murph, let's start there. Eight practices in. What changes do you see in Mac Jones and this offense that lead you to believe that we're in for a much better product on the field in 2023? One is attitude, and two is everybody's on the same page you know and when they flip that page everybody's still on the same page nobody's looking back to see what they missed from the you know the the last uh the last paragraph or the middle paragraph of the last page you flip the page we know what we're doing we're no we know where we're supposed to be. This makes sense. Okay? This makes sense. Mack Jones is walking up under center or stepping back from under center,

knowing exactly what he's going to do. He's looking across at a defense that he knows where he wants to attack it. And it shows on, you know, at least over the past two or three days that it's working. Okay. It's not the same play over and over again. The defense does not know what's coming. All right. Like they did a year ago.

They've got a rough idea because, you know, it's the same freaking playbook that, you know, both sides have. But other than that, there's definitely three or four different options that are going to happen out of this set when last year they knew that wasn't the case. Absolutely. 100% agreed and very, very well said. the last couple of days here from the Patriots offense and watching them evolve and really seeing them come alive a little bit in ways we haven't seen even during last week's practices is Mac Jones's ability to adapt his surroundings. And you mentioned attitude, and I think that's a big part of it. He's showing confidence at the line of scrimmage, and you want to give a lot of credit to Bill O'Brien for giving him that authority, but you also want to give Mack a lot of credit for making the improvements and really increasing, I think, his fun level and also increasing his focus when he does that. And on Thursday, to me, I think he really encapsulated it very well. To me,

this was my favorite practice to watch from Mack Jones. I don't necessarily think it was his best one, but I think it was my favorite one because he spent a lot of time during open field drills, working with the receivers that are not considered first stringers. You know, he's working with DeMario Douglas. He's working with Kayshaun Boutte. He's working with Trey Nixon. And it worked. 45-yard completion, one of my favorite plays of the day. Mac put this right where Trey could find it, and Trey went up, made a nice catch. He tried to go back to the well at that point,

and then he got picked off by Kyle Duggar. A pass that was read, it was jumped well. I think Trey may have pulled up a little bit on his route, but when the focus shifted to the red zone and Mack got back in with the starting unit, I think you saw that poise, But when the focus shifted to the red zone and Mack got back in with the starting unit, I think you saw that poise, that command of the line of scrimmage. And he did it.

A pinpoint completion to Kendrick Bourne. Maybe Mack's best throw of the day. I know the 45-yard bomb was the one everybody was talking about. You want to talk aesthetically pleasing, folks. That was the one to watch. But his best throw came on a red zone completion to Kendrick Bourne of the end zone only where kendrick could get it really amazed me that kendrick was able to get his feet down both in place and this was a really really nice touchdown for the both of them but his decision making vastly improved from last season he's not settling for the check down

right exactly he's taking them and i don't think there's anything wrong with that. I don't know why taking a check down when it's available to you suddenly became a cardinal sin for a quarterback, folks. It was okay for 20 years. You're taking what made available. Exactly. But Mac is just using that short game to his advantage. And he's taking chances downfield when the opportunity presents itself.

So that, in my opinion, is why you're seeing a better Mac Jones this year. And it's clearly showing on the field. And it's, and it's with the twos and threes that this is happening a lot of the time. It's with the twos and threes. Bailey Zappi was, was got in there and he was working with the ones and, you know, and, and vice versa. It was, it was a good mix up today to get to get to see what each one of these quarterbacks does with each unit as to how they're constituted right now on the depth chart. It moved up and down the depth chart. The number two quarterback was working with the number one receivers. The number one quarterback was working with the number twos.

The number twos looked really good having the ball sent to them by one Mac Jones. Absolutely. And, you know, for all of these Zappy fans out there, I thought Bailey looked solid today. You're seeing improvement in him as well. I think that's part of the O'Brien effect. As Murph said, he did work with a lot of the first team offense. Didn't face any live pass rush with the first team offense and the first team defense against him.

That's where these things differed a little bit from where you're seeing maybe more pressure put on mac and i think that's an indication that the patriots clearly view him as a starter but zappy turned in a few highlight worthy completions himself he had a really nice pass to kayshawn boute again kayshawn showing his athleticism keeping both feet in bounds, corner of the end zone. And again, Bailey did exactly what Mack did, went back to the well again, and he was picked off by Adrian Phillips. So, you know, it's just one of those examples where you keep trying it until you know you can't do it anymore.

And I think the Patriots quarterbacks learned that this Patriots secondary is still very effective at being able to take the ball away. So excellent job by the quarterbacks on Tuesday. Really on Wednesday, better effort. But my favorite day to watch has been Thursday so far. And Murph, before we take our leave of the offense, I want to talk a little of those big round men you love to talk about so much. Let's do that. For the past two days,ody brucey has been showing

a little bit more metal in these one-on-one drills he's looking very good showing his strength really showing his ability to anchor and his durability and holding up he's been out there and he's been out there in the place of guys like cole strange and michael waynew who are still on the shelf tony omaf he's really stepped it up he's kind of unseated Bill Murray at the right guard position and really playing some very well there but Bill Murray's been playing really well kicked out too yeah exactly he has and that's a good point it's a good problem to have that's my point and that's what I wanted to ask you you see things us mere mortals don't see when it comes to the offensive line.

What's leading you to believe that this mix of players and this rotation that we're seeing is a good thing, not a bad thing? These guys are all getting reps with each other. They're all getting reps at different spots up and down the line. And the starters are not there. These guys are getting significant time out on the field while whether you or not you want to call it a contract hold in or you're you're suggesting that um that the reps are being doled out because it's true and we said it right here you know depth

is going to be so important to this offensive line because we're talking about a bunch of old men that need to play 17 games this year, at least, at least. Maybe, you know, you throw in the two games that don't count before the season starts and maybe a game or so at the end of the season. We're talking 20 games, 21 games. These guys are going to have to be able to mix and match. They're going to have to be there for the guy that's directly next to them and the guy that's down the line from them when they're pulling. They're going to have to know how quick those guys are getting down the line and when they're going to have to step forward as opposed to step back

and how far they can step back. It all starts right there in the middle. It all starts with the center and the way things move out. What did you think of the center play over the past two days, Mike? Well, I mean, anytime you've got David Andrews anchoring, directing traffic, you know it's going to be as solid as possible. And I think the center play has been paramount to a lot of the offensive improvements that you're seeing.

It's anchoring this line right now, which is being manned with a lot of guys that probably aren't going to be in the starting rotation when the season starts, assuming guys like Trent Brown and Cole Strange and Michael Wayne who come back in and come back healthy for week one of the 2023 season. But the Patriots offense has been looking pretty good so far with guys like Mafi with guys like Murray and Rusey now coming in and playing that role this is a situation where if the Patriots have to go to their bench this year I don't think they're going to be quite as scared as they were in seasons before and this

shows again ingenuity by Bill Belichick, Adrian Clem, Bill O'Brien to let everyone know that they need players stocked on the bench for this offensive line. And it's clearly showing, but to get back to your point, it doesn't work without solid play in the middle. You need David Andrews, that glue that's holding everything together. And I think he's been great so far in training camp. It is. It's been fantastic. But the competition level between this offense and defense, the way it's played out over the past two, three days has really upped my looking forward to them actually getting on the field and being able to hit somebody with authority that they want to hurt. Absolutely. And you know, that time is coming. The Patriots are anticipating the first preseason game, the only preseason game this year that's going to be held

at Gillette Stadium, folks. Yeah. Coming up a week from this Thursday, a week from today, if you're viewing this on Thursday at Gillette Stadium at 7 p.m. against the Houston Texans and one thing that I think Murphy can both agree on is that we're going to be seeing a lot of rookies balling out during this game we've talked a lot about the rookie class and how these trio of defenders at the top of the rookie class have a chance to be something special here in New England well I think some of these rookie receivers heard some of the negative press surrounding this receiving core and maybe surrounding themselves directly. They took it personally, Murph, and they're showing everyone on the field that these guys are a force to be reckoned with. I'm talking a pair of sixth rounders

might have a chance, both of them, to make this roster. Talked a little to Mario Douglas earlier in the week. Also going to talk a little to Keyshawn Boutte today because this man I'm sharing the microphone with today mentioned his name as someone that was about to step it up. And lo and behold, he's stepped it up. We're going to talk Keyshawn and his evolution in just a moment on this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Lockdown listeners, these days every new potential hire can feel like a high-stakes wager for your small business. You want to be 100% certain that you have access to the best

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Terms and conditions apply. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making LockedOnPatriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Remember, we are a proud part of the LockedOn Podcast Network, your team every day. And Murph, one of the things that Patriots fans love about our team here in New England is versatility at a number of different positions. If we're talking who's standing out here, especially in the last couple of days, we've got to talk about this pair of sixth rounders.

Demario Douglas, Keyshawn Boutte. Douglas has been a solid contributor all throughout Canada. A lot of people are believing that he's already earned his way on to the 53-man roster. But you happen to mention Kayshaun's name on Monday here on Locked On Patriots. And you mentioned that you believed he was right on the cusp of breaking out. And sure enough, lo and behold, the next day he goes out and balls out and really had a very, very good couple of days here. Thank you, sir.

When you look at Kayshaun Boutte and you look at the pedigree he had coming in and what he's shown on the field the last couple of days, Murph, what is it about his game that's now just starting to pop? And why are we seeing a different Keyshawn Boutte than we saw at open camp? I think the physicality of these padded practices has brought out a lot in him.

I think the fact that he's more confident in the playbook and then knowing where he needs to be for uh for Mac to uh to get him the ball and and quite frankly Mac trusting him and and throwing those balls absolutely you are seeing a tremendous amount of athleticism. And look, this is something we saw in him at LSU, especially his freshman year and his first half of his sophomore season. Six feet, you know, just a little over 195 pounds, about 200 I think he's weighing in at this time. Sizable frame that makes him tough to bring down after the catch. And we all knew that from his time in college.

But I think he has pro level speed already to be able to evade defenders when they're trying to come after him he can be elusive when changing direction and we're seeing that a little bit on the field now but he has the strength folks to go up and make contested catches something that i don't think he gets enough credit for and he's done that the last yeah he's done that the last couple of days. And Mac Jones is trusting him. You're seeing him take notable reps with the starting offense in 11-on-11s, had a very good completion off the Bailey's happy pass that we talked about earlier. But he's routinely getting open and he's routinely making plays happen and not waiting for the play to come to him.

This is something that I think Patriots fans are going to really like to see. I, for one, can't wait to watch what this kid can do in a game setting. I hope he's going to get some notable reps on Thursday night. Tyquan Thornton better get his ass on the field. That's all I'm saying right now. You know, because this kid is taking advantage of every opportunity that he's being given with Thornton sitting on the sidelines with the soft tissue injury. I was a big proponent of Thornton.

I liked what I saw of him coming out of college. I thought he was going to have a massive year, not a massive year, but a very good year last year. And I was looking forward to what he's going to be able to do. But once again, you can't make the club from the tub. You just can't do it. And, and this kid is going out there and, and taking the opportunities that he's given and making every one of them count. Yeah, he is. And you want to talk about in game settings and being

able to, uh, adapt in 11 on 11 drills. Yeah. Keishon Butte has looked excellent in those drills. And some of that is becausete has looked excellent in those drills. And some of that is because of the synergy he's developing with Mac Jones and Bailey Zappi as well. But I think he's been just as effective and just as impressive in one-on-one drills. Yeah. On Thursday, beats Christian Gonzalez and he beats Jonathan Jones. Right. Two top perimeter corners going against a rookie wide receiver drafted in the sixth round with some engagement questions, some questions about his health.

I'm telling you, Keishon Butte looks fluid in his movement. I don't think there's any question that this kid is healthy and ready to roll. And he looks like he's playing with a chip on his shoulder. And you could even see that when the media members had a chance to speak with him yesterday after practice wearing his lsu shoulder pads and you could still see a little bit of the purple and gold yeah um but you know i i think it really does it grounds him he says you never forget where you come from and i think he remembers the good days at lsu and the first year and a half that he played there where he was well on his way to becoming one of the best receivers in the country and then

unfortunately just like a lot of athletes you know injuries exactly and this kid doesn't this kid doesn't forget no he doesn't forget where he came from and he doesn't forget some of the things that were said about him during the first week of practices when when he wasn't popping and people were pointing it out and i think he took that kind of personally. He did. He took it personally. And Keisha addressed that yesterday. He said, look, after practice and the cameras are not on or he's out there catching balls, working on things you didn't do. He mentioned the drop that he had on Sunday that he wanted to come out and really make restitution for. He did that on Wednesday when he had the opportunity to right those wrongs, and he continued that into Thursday. These two have been very, very good days for Keishon Butte,

and his attitude seems to give you the impression that he wants to make this work here in New England, and I, for one, hope he can because this is a dynamic talent, folks, that can go up, catch the ball, be fast, be a real all tool receiver. Um, and it might just change the opinion. Uh, no, he's not, he's going up against first rounders. He's going up against top level talent and he's making it count. He's he's being seen. Um, and like I said, who does this push? This is pushing Thornton.

You know, everybody else has got to step up their game and make sure that these sixth-round picks aren't taking their spot. You know, I had both of them off. I had one of them. I had Boutte on, and I had the other kid off in my initial. But that's why we call them way too early because we haven't seen anything yet. What we're seeing out of these kids now should have a few veterans nervous. Yeah, and I really want to give Doug a look.

And Bill won't get credit for it because they were six-round picks. Right, exactly. They were six-round picks. And you know what? Yeah, and that's it. And, you know, just you have to stick with the narrative that he can't draft. It's better. It just makes a better copy.

If they really liked him, they would have taken him in the third round why that's right yep absolutely unbelievable yes it is unbelievable and before we take our leave of kashon butte i definitely want to give a tip of the cap as well that demario douglas so we did spend a good amount of time talking about here on monday he's continuing to show that he's really going to be effective at the pro level. Not just in the drills, not just in the team sessions and the team drills, but one-on-one easily got by Sean Wade and had no problems being able to shake one Marcus Jones. I'll tell you that hurt a little bit, Mark. I love Demario Douglas, but you know, Marcus Jones is someone that I called my favorite pick of last year's draft. We want to talk about speed.

This kid has got it, but DeMario Douglas has got speed as well, folks. Something special brewing in the sixth round here with New England. We talked about DeMario being a sixth-round steal. I think DeMario and Boutte can really turn some heads, and if they keep playing like they're playing, all of a sudden that wide receiver room in New England looks a whole lot better than it did yeah just a couple of days ago so good stuff wide receiver room that everybody on the planet you know with the exception of the two gentlemen here were saying needed all the help they could get and there were a few others that did give them the credit and they're just two I will say that but uh you know for the most part uh we have been very complimentary of the receivers

that the patriots have in camp in-house to date and it's starting to show on the field you're seeing a better devante parker you're seeing a much more engaged uh kendrick bourne and these guys are making plays and it really is fun to watch them especially on wednesday really kind of chirp at the defense a little bit for the the first time, they're starting to feel their swagger a little bit, and that's only a good thing. You want to keep seeing that. Of course, it's not going to sit well with the defense, and that's where we're going to finish up our conversation today, folks,

because the defense wanted to bounce back in a big way, and to a certain extent, they did. Even though the offense still had a good day, the defense reminded them that there's still a force and had the chance to be one of the better units in the league this year. Murph, one of the big reasons why, big surprise, the rookies, Christian Gonzalez, Marte Mapu, and a guy I want to pick your brain on a little bit, one Keon White, who had a monster day on Thursday.

We're going to talk to the monster master of disaster himself to break it all down and even give a little opinion maybe on a favorite subject of Murph. Yeah, we're going to talk a little bold too, but all of this and more when this episode of the Lockdown Patriots podcast continues the prop art of the Lockdown Podcast

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a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Don't forget, Patriots not practicing during the day on Friday in stadium practice. Friday evening, 6.30 at Gillette Stadium. Always one of the most fun nights of the year if you're a Patriots fan. We're going to be breaking down all the ins and outs, and we're even going to get a chance to talk to the Patriots assistant coaches. So keep it here and stay locked in to Locked On Patriots, man. We're going to be breaking down all the ins and outs, and we're even going to get a chance to talk to the Patriots assistant coaches. So keep it here and stay locked in to Locked On Patriots for the very latest. But today

we are absorbing the wisdom and counsel from the pillar of Patriots wisdom and counsel himself, my good friend Thomas Murphy of E2G Sports. And Murph, we've talked a lot of offense today. Mack Jones, Bailey Zappi sprinkled in a little bit um through the bouquets at bouté for his big day a lot of alliteration there claire like that she's excited and of course you know demario douglas turning some heads as well but the patriots defenders especially from this rookie class have stood out each and every day on the field when it comes to Patriots practices.

Chris Gonzalez, we cannot say enough good about him. He is playing like a top-level cornerback. Yeah, there were rookie moments, but I think they're far outweighed by the poise and by the command. He'll get used to the physicality. Exactly, that he's showing. And then you've got guys like Marte Mapu who are wearing a non-contact jersey, but he's still making his presence felt. I think he's going to be that versatile linebacker the Patriots love to deploy.

But one of the big surprises, pleasant surprises on the field has been the play of Keon White. A lot of Patriots fans were not happy to see this pick Murph. They wanted a wide receiver here. They figured, well, you've got your big cornerback. Now we can go out and get a top flight wide receiver year right uh they figured well you got your big cornerback now we can go out and get a top flight wide receiver yeah but the patriots drew a bead on keon white because they felt he was the best player available and really fit their system so well and he's proving both on the field keon's excellent especially on thursday and one-on-one drills really very tough to beat showing his athleticism. Then when he got

out there into team drills, he was credited with two would-be sacks. Why is Keon White such a great fit in New England's defense, and what have you been most happy or most pleasantly surprised to see from the rookie in training camp so far? The fact that he can grasp what he's given to do so quickly and so easily it almost seems effortless it's almost like he's a savant when it comes to taking coaching okay this this kid is ultimately coachable and when you find this kind of um of an athlete that is also this coachable it's a rare thing it really really is folks you don't understand you don't grow up this good and allow yourself the humility to be coached by people that you know know more than you and be able to absorb it in the way that this kid does you don't find that very often. And that's what I find so mesmerizing

about the young man just to this point, that and his versatility. You can literally put this man anywhere along the line of scrimmage. You can have his hand in the dirt. You can have him standing up. He can do it. He could play safety if he wanted to. All the speed that this man has you could put him down as a box safety and just say okay go do it yeah you know it's funny um i seem to recall shortly after keon was drafted that a couple of people in this room right now mentioned the fact that he might actually drop into coverage at time to time, maybe even during this season. And we were kind of chastised for not knowing what we were talking about, and you're seeing it regularly on the field

when the Patriots take the practice field each and every day. So it goes to show you the versatility and the adaptability, and that's something that really I think has surprised me with Keon. He's got strength. He's got tenacity when he's battling his offensive blockers he's looked great in one-on-one drills he's all over the field with the starting sideline to sideline speed is just unreal folks it's just unreal yeah and he's doing this with matthew judah on the sidelines who right has yet to take part in a padded practice and again folks mat, Matthew's been very forthcoming about why.

I have no reason to distrust him. I'm taking him at face value. He says this is about conditioning. It's not about anything else. So until I hear differently or until we're proven differently, I'm going to assume that that's a reason. Don't read anything extra into this. Matthew Judon is still the alpha in

this room when it comes to defenders and he will be when the season starts but it's great to see guys like keon white take opportunities that they're given and run with them and he's absolutely doing it strength tenacity and a football iq that is beyond his years it It is. And with Judon, folks, you just have to realize over the past few years, two years that he's been here, he has been in fifth gear from the first day of minicamp. And he has not taken his foot off of the gas. They're trying something a little bit different this year, just to ramp it up a little bit more slowly, kind of get him off the field a little bit

more early on in the season. And it's just fantastic to know that there's a guy like Keon White that can go in there and spell him or whoever. Absolutely, without question. And these guys are taking their opportunities and they're stepping forward. And Murph, one of the things that I think is always interesting about rookies or players that are considered roster bubble players is how they react to their being given the opportunity and then seeing how they play on the field. But the reaction to that, the initial reaction,

is usually pretty fun to watch as well. And over the last couple of days, I've got the opportunity to see isaiah bolden kind of blossom into a player that's really starting to get a quiet sweater out there on the field uh i know this brings a smile to your face so what better way to close the show today folks than to talk a little bold in one of murph's favorite subjects and he aligned a perimeter corner especially on thursday and he got a chance to roll with the ones he was opposite christian gonzalez and jonathan jones in the slot i happen

to really really like this setup folks this really showed isaac's athleticism and his ability yeah and his ability to play the corner position um real an impressive pass breakup over davante parker i mean you're talking one of the patriots most consistent and best receivers throughout camp so far isaiah showed no fear he went right after him went up broke up the pass and i think he's making a strong case to earn a roster spot murph when you look at someone like an isaiah bolden who is technically the patriots mr. Irrelevant although I've gone on record several times and saying that's not an adequate term that's not that that's just

yeah that's just that and to tell you the truth it really isn't for any final pick in the draft Rockbury proved that last year with the San Francisco 49ers so when you look at Isaiah Bolden what really pops about him to you on the defensive side of the ball that leads you to believe he could be an asset in this cornerback room? His competitiveness. This kid just does not want to get beat. He does not want to give up. He does not want anyone that's watching him to think that he doesn't belong. All right. What you folks don't understand is what he's going through right now at Patriots camp. He used to do at barbecues, at Bolden family barbecues every weekend.

Okay. It was guys trying to make each other look terrible and the other guy trying to not let that happen. This kid has a bite to him. He's got dog in him and he doesn't, he's not going to let up until there is absolutely no shot on this green earth that he makes this squad. He knows that he will go out and get picked up by somebody else because people are watching and he knows that he belongs here in the NFL. I said in many, many times, never count out a Bolden. Also, never give him an opportunity to make you look like you don't belong there as opposed to him. And today, my man Jack Jones did that.

And Bolden stepped in and he made it look like we're not going to miss a beat if we're going to have to. We talked last week about the fact that, you know, why is this special teams guy running with the threes and sometimes the twos at his position? This is exactly why. Yeah, folks. And just for those of you that did not get a chance to either hear or see what happened at practice on Thursday during 11-on-11 drills, Jack Jones abruptly headed for the locker room. He broke up a pass intended for Kendrick Bourne and looked like a really good play, but he had been beat a couple of times by Kendrick. Apparently, tempers started to fly, trading some verbal barbs back and forth.

I know Jabril Peppers stepped in, tried to calm him down, talking to him a little bit, but Jack headed to the locker room. Just a couple of sessions later, you let him come back out. He did not return to practice, but he did return to the field. He was on the sidelines talking very heavily with director of player personnel, Matt Gross. So a lot of what you saw on the field from Jack earlier appeared to be diffused. Jalen Mills went over to him, was talking to him for a little while. So there were some reports on Twitter that he was kicked out of practice. That was not true. It looked to me anyway. And I can't say for absolute certainty

because I didn't get any inside information from in the huddle folks, but this appeared to be Jack just getting overheated, needing some time to cool off, going off, doing what he did and then coming back. Now, what that means for his usage going forward, if that rubbed Bill Belichick or the overheated needing some time to cool off going off doing what he did and then coming back now what that means for his usage going forward if that rubbed bill belichick or the defensive coaches the wrong way if there's going to be repercussions on the field we will see them but if not and this was just much ado about nothing and just tempers kind of flaring up a little bit these things happen in training camp practice a lot of nothing to see here when it comes to Jack Jones. But again, Isaiah Bolden using that opportunity to make the most of it.

He did it. And this is all it takes for Patriots coaches to see something in a young player that leads them to believe we have to have this guy on the roster. I think they might be seeing that in Isaiah Bolden, buddy. Yeah, I do too. He's becoming a more and more valuable cog here in New England. And that's what Bill looks for. He looks for cogs that he can replace other cogs with. Guys that are going to come in and make one or two stops when he really

needs them. And Isaiah Bolden is somebody that he's turning the light on. If there was a dimmer switch there, it's getting brighter and brighter in the Foxborough room. It definitely is. And something else that continues to get brighter and brighter, the wisdom and counsel that Murph provides each and every day on here. You knew I was going to set it up. You set it up perfectly. It's like a spike in volleyball, bud.

But no, all kidding aside, I am eternally grateful to my good friend the kind of murphy fisto himself for always being there for the handoff and lending the wisdom and counsel the way only he can that's why he is the pillar of patriots wisdom and counsel i like this i'm going to continue to go with this and write it but bottom line my friend we appreciate you um folks get your questions in for mailbag monday because it is still a thing here. We're definitely looking forward to taking all of your great questions. Going to get back to more of a traditional Q and a on Monday. So make sure to send in some pointed questions that we want to feature here on lockdown Patriots. But in the meantime, bud, please let everyone know where they can check you out, your great

work and what you got cooking over the weekend and Murph's kitchen when it comes to the great coverage you provide on E2G Sports. Well, yeah, I got a couple of pieces out, you know, on the subjects that we were talking about today. The rookies, the rookies. I'm getting a little Patriot stuff in because the Red Sox have just pissed me off beyond belief. I'm just too upset.

I'm too upset to sit down and talk. I can't eat. God, man, and that's something for me. But that, no, I'll have a Red Sox piece up tomorrow morning. I already talked about what they did or didn't do at the trade deadline to show any faith in these guys that Chaim Bloom and Kennedy and John Henry wanted us all to buy into,

and they didn't buy into them. And, of course, you know, you can follow me on the Bird app at Team Earth 207 because you never know what's going to tick me off, and I'm going to have to sit down at the keyboard. Absolutely, folks. And you know what? Angry Murph tends to lead to Honest Murph, and Honest Murph is usually right on the money.

I'll take those odds any day of the weekend, twice on Sunday, but don't forget folks to get your questions in for mailbag Monday. And of course, really don't forget that we're going to be back here tomorrow, bringing you the latest coverage from Foxborough. The Patriots hit the field for in stadium practice day and the unveiling of that gigantic video board. That's what we're looking forward to, Murph. Unreal.

Everyone cannot wait to see. It's going to be great. It's going to be absolutely great. Murph and I are going to have to set up an opportunity to play Madden on that thing at least once during the season. We're going to try to make it work for you, folks. But in the meantime, please continue. Madden 96. Yes, absolutely. old school madden gotta

love it can't beat it because you know what that's that's when that's when murph and i were at we'll play hey don't knock tecmo bowl some of the greatest gameplay was on nintendo 8-bit and i stand by that the graphics were awful but the gameplay still can't be. We are the 8-bit bros. In my humble opinion. Absolutely. We are the 8-bit bros. Yeah, I got a funny feeling that may stick, Murph. You know what?

And if it does, we're okay with it. On behalf of my good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate reminding you to stay safe and stay well and be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone. We'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots. The Boldens are back. They're back.