Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Training Camp: Mike Gesicki, Mac Jones Connection; Trey Flowers Returns

Starting point is 00:00:00 Based on their usage during day 12 of training camp practices, the New England Patriots appear set to rest their presumed starters in Thursday's preseason opener against the Houston Texans. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. Stick around. You're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

Starting point is 00:00:48 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 listen to podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I am your host, Mike DeBate, and 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 X, on the

Starting point is 00:01:11 Bird app, on Twitter, whatever you want to call it, at M-D-A-B-A-T-E NFL. And while you're out there showing some social media love to the pod, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And Pats fans, thank

Starting point is 00:01:28 you so much for joining me here today. As always, a special shout out to all of you Locked On everydayers out there. Those of you who make Locked On Patriots possible, my unending appreciation to you. I'm always honored and always humbled by your support. And today here on the

Starting point is 00:01:44 pod, folks, technology was actually not the problem this time. Personal issue prevented me from recording in the Lockdown Studios. But again, there are no days off here in Foxborough. And that means all the action from an eventful day on the field. That includes the return of a fan favorite to the Foxborough Fold. And we're going to get back into that one in just a moment. But we start with the 12th training camp practice. And despite a slow start to his first New England Patriots training camp,

Starting point is 00:02:15 Mike Gusecki is making his presence felt in a big way. Now, we all knew that he possessed both the size and the speed to be effective as a receiver out of the slot. He can even play out wide, and he's proven that with a pretty decent catch during Monday's practice. But it was his athleticism that really was on full display during the Pats' 12th training camp practice on Tuesday. delivered, I believe, the undisputed play of the summer by making a one-handed touchdown grab over both Jabril Peppers and Miles Bryant in double coverage along the back line of the end zone. Gusecki showed tremendous body control, went up, grabbed the pass, secured it, and then also kept both feet in bounds. I guarantee you this is going to be a great connection for the Pats this

Starting point is 00:03:04 season. The connection that Gusecki is developing with Mack Jones, who threw the pass, by the way, folks, really something to watch. And it was the standout moment on a day in which the Patriots practiced again in full pads, and they had referees present as well as they continued to prepare for their preseason debut against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. So I know you're all wondering what were the other highlights of the day in addition to Mike Gusecki's catch, and there were a few of them, starting with the players who weren't on the field. And once again, Jonathan

Starting point is 00:03:33 Jones, Cole Strange, Bill Murray, Ty Montgomery did not practice. Now Matthew Slater has sat out the last couple of practices. He was back out there on the field today and someone else was also conspicuous by his absence and that's right i'm talking about a new addition to the patriots roster even though the signing was made official prior to the start of practice on tuesday defensive end trey flowers back in new england for his second tour of duty did not take part in practice and bill belichick was pretty coy when we asked him about this prior to the session beginning Tuesday morning he said a time frame for his return to the field could not be determined he said that Trey hadn't played in a while got injured in

Starting point is 00:04:16 September of last year so yeah we'll see that was a common thread for Bill Belichick's responses and again we'll get into that in just a moment too. Now the day actually ended with a little bit of a surprise in which the Patriots placed Trey on the physically unable to perform list. He has the ability to be activated at any time. Given Bill's comments, a lot of us are jumping to the conclusion that it might be related to the injury he suffered last year. But at the same time, we don't have confirmation of that.

Starting point is 00:04:46 So right now, looks like Trey Flowers trying to get his legs back, trying to get his health back. And once he does, I think you'll see him on the field more often than not. But we're going to come back to Trey in just a moment because there's a lot to unpack with his signing here, folks. But bottom line, the New England Patriots quarterbacks were on showcase especially knowing that they were about to make their preseason debut shortly now Mac Jones we're all assuming is going to be the starter and based on what we've seen at training camp I think that's

Starting point is 00:05:16 a safe assumption Mac completed 10 of 13 passes during team drills on Tuesday and unlike previous practices we actually saw Mac begin the day with non-competitive pass sessions. He was working a lot with Mike Gusecki. Of course, we all know about that touchdown connection, folks, but he also spent a lot of time working with Hunter Henry, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Kendrick Bourne. The bulk of Mack's reps actually came toward the end of practice, and that's where you saw him in team drill settings. And once again, I'm unhappy to report, folks, that the offensive line struggled to protect both Mack Jones and Bailey Zappi.

Starting point is 00:05:53 Shoddy protection from the offensive line, but Mack was still able to turn in some solid work in the red zone. He had the connection with Gusecki, but he also found a synergy with a few other receivers as well, including Juju and Kendrick. But based on Mack's usage, I think it seems unlikely that he's going to play against Houston on Thursday night. And this is something that I think a lot of us were expecting. If Mack is going to be your starter and you're sure of what you're getting from him, why throw him out there in the preseason debut? Makes a lot more sense for him to go against either Tennessee or Green Bay. Now, Bailey Zappi, on the other hand, he was the first man up on Tuesday, completed

Starting point is 00:06:31 four of five in team drills, and he appears to be the Patriots' choice to start against the Texans. Zappi connected on an impressive scoring strike to Tyquan Thornton, and I think both of these guys really needed that to boost their confidence. Bailey had a little bit of a tough day on Monday, rebounded nicely on Tuesday. If you're wondering about Trace McSorley, limited action, went two of two in team drills. Trace still looks like the most likely candidate to relieve Bailey Zappi of his duties when he's done on Thursday night, but don't be a bit surprised if you see Malik Cunningham taking some snaps at quarterback on Thursday as well. He took some meaningful snaps during team drills on Tuesday, completed four of five.

Starting point is 00:07:12 His athleticism, his dual threat capabilities continue to intrigue everyone in the media, all fans out there. And I think the Patriots would love to see what they really have in Malik Cunningham. So once again, if you're seeing him take some snaps at quarterback, won't be a surprise, but I will guarantee it'll be something very interesting and most likely pretty fun to watch.

Starting point is 00:07:34 So now that we've got the quarterbacks covered, what about the rest of the Patriots offense? Well, again, like I said, I think you're probably going to see Mac Jones sit on Thursday night. Mike Gusecki, Hunter Henry, Juju Smith-Schuster, Kendrick Bourne, and Ramondre Stevenson all worked a lot with Mac during the early part of practice. That's usually an indication that all of those guys are probably going to see very little action on the field. So that means guys like Taequann Thornton, rookies like Demario Douglas, Keyshawn Butte, even though they performed well,

Starting point is 00:08:05 they're going to get looks on Thursday because they received those extended looks in both team drills and one-on-one exercises. But I'd like to give a pseudo tip of the cap to Taequann Thornton, who I thought played with a little extra authority on Tuesday. It was almost as if he heard a lot of the speculation surrounding his worthiness of a roster spot.

Starting point is 00:08:25 We've even talked about it here on Locked On Patriots. I can guarantee you that Taequann Thornton heard the noise. We all know that the Patriots wide receivers are listening very closely to what's being said about them in the media. And I think Taequann is starting to take that to heart. He had a really impressive touchdown catch from Bailey Zappi's pass, but he also caught three passes in addition to that. And he also showcased his speed during one-on-one drills by beating out Christian Gonzalez. And that's not an easy task. So based on how he was used on Tuesday, I think you're going to see a good amount of Taekwon Thornton on Thursday

Starting point is 00:09:01 night. I think he's going to have something to prove. He looks like he's got the fire to be able to prove it, and whatever he feels he has to prove, I think he's going to be out to do that when he takes the field against the Texans. And once again, folks, the O-line continues to be a concern, and I know that the Patriots have been riddled with injury along the line, but at some point, you do want to see a healthy and competent unit out there. Mack Jones and Bailey Zappi were under duress on Tuesday. But if there was a silver lining to be had, it's that Trent Brown, having been sidelined for nearly all the Patriots team drills to date, he was out there a full participant in full pads,

Starting point is 00:09:39 and he was at his customary place at left tackle. Now, with Trent back in action on the left side, that meant Connor McDermott and Riley Rafe, who've been holding down the fort for Trent on the left side, now move back over into their customary right tackle position. We also saw Rookie City So get a little play. So the battle for the right side is shaping up to be a three-man race, and over the course of the next three preseason games, I would keep a very sharp eye on Connor McDermott, Riley Rafe and especially City Soap because this could get interesting folks

Starting point is 00:10:11 especially as we move into the season. I'm not saying City can unseat these guys before the season starts but definitely as the season progresses maybe even into mid-season wouldn't shock me to see this young man starting for the New England Patriots sooner rather than later. So while the offense was up and down for the better part of the day, the defense continued to win their battles, especially the front seven against that aforementioned difficult offensive line. The defensive front continues to shine. Matthew Judon, Josh Uche, Keon White, Devvin Godchow all had impressive wins during their one-on-one drills against their O-line counterparts and the Patriots pass rush

Starting point is 00:10:50 particularly impressive on Tuesday Matt Judon, Josh Uche each with a sack and then Anthony Jennings chipping in two sacks and Sam Roberts the second year pass rusher definitely doesn't want his name to be forgotten he chipped in two sacks as well. I had the front seven accounting for six sacks on the Patriots quarterbacks on Tuesday. So again, folks, this defense continues to shine and show its prowess. And it's looking quite obvious that the Patriots might be improved on offense, but they're still predicated on a strong defense. And if you're wondering about the secondary, Jack Jones

Starting point is 00:11:25 gets my game ball, contributing another pass breakup. Jack's playing like a starter, but it would not surprise me to see him get some significant minutes on Thursday night, even though the Patriots are likely to rest their starters. So keep that in mind, folks, as the Patriots inch towards 7 p.m. on Thursday night when they host the Houston Texans for the first preseason game of 2023. And as for who else we might or might not see on the field, media had the chance to meet with Bill Belichick prior to Tuesday afternoon's practice, and we asked him that very question. Now, as you can imagine, Bill was not in a very divulgatory mood, but he did give us some clues as to what we might see

Starting point is 00:12:05 on Thursday night and even beyond into the preseason. We're going to talk Bill Belichick and the Patriots preseason slate 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, our partners at eBay Motors have teamed up with Locked On Fantasy Football host Vinny Iyer to bring you some of the best fantasy picks each week, all season long. Whether you're prepping for a draft or scouting the waiver wire, every week we're going to provide you players that are guaranteed to fit on your roster.

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Starting point is 00:14:07 Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. Patriots fans, thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, and we all know that your schedules are going to be full on Thursday night. We're going to be watching Patriots preseason football, but even though we love to turn the page in New England, the more things that change, the more things stay the same. And that means you will get very little and like it when it comes to Bill Belichick revealing team strategy. And once again, the aforementioned HC of the NEP keeping his cards very close to the vest.

Starting point is 00:14:41 Even the preseason isn't safe from that Belichickian secrecy, even with the Patriots just hours away now from their preseason debut against the Houston Texans on Thursday night. Of course, the question was bound to be asked, and rightfully so, about who would start this matchup, especially at the quarterback position. And Bill's response was pretty much as you'd expect, saying, quote, yeah, I don't know. But even in his eternally stoic demeanor, which we've come to know and love, or some of you might be annoyed by, Belichick let loose a subtle hint about what we might see in the potential road ahead. And I'm quoting Bill directly here.

Starting point is 00:15:22 We're still working on it, meaning the depth chart, folks. But the players who are least experienced will get the most playing time. I can tell you that. Now, Belichick's words hint at a pretty good amount of playing time for the Patriots rookie class. And I think we're all looking forward to seeing these rookies out on the field. They've been very highly touted, and rightfully so, by the way, for their performance during training camp. But I think it's going to be really interesting and really fun to watch these guys in a game setting. That includes nine of them that were chosen on the third and final day of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Starting point is 00:15:54 A lot of these players face an uphill battle in terms of making the roster, but you got others like Christian Gonzalez, Marte Mapu, Keon White, who are pretty much stone-cold roster locks at this point. I still think they're going to get their share of snaps on Thursday night, and for those of you wondering, my opinion on Keyshawn Butte and Demario Douglas, look, they've been standouts so far. I believe they've done enough to play their way onto the roster, but let's not

Starting point is 00:16:21 forget, both of these players are rookiesies it's much different in a game than it is in practice and i stress that very heavily even a pre-season game it's a different pace it's a different level of competition and believe it or not folks players that play very well during practice can struggle in a game setting especially when the lights are on for the first time so keep that in mind the patriots need to see what all of for the first time. So keep that in mind. Patriots need to see what all of these rookies are made of. And that's why I expect a good amount, if not all, of the Patriots rookie class to see at least some time on the field on Thursday.

Starting point is 00:16:56 Now, getting back to the quarterback position, and I've already tipped my hand in terms of my opinion, seems to be the consensus opinion that Mac Jones is likely going to sit this one out on Thursday. That means Bailey Zappi is going to get the start. And don't forget, he got two regular season starts last year as a rookie, played pretty well. So well that a lot of you out there in Patriots Nation feel that he should be the starter over Mac Jones.

Starting point is 00:17:21 Well, Bailey's going to get a chance to prove his case on Thursday, but I'm more excited to watch guys like Trace McSorley. And again, I think you will see Malik Cunningham at some point. Judging by the way the Patriots have used him in the past couple of days with the full pads, with the referees here, they want to see what they have in him for a potential third quarterback. So while a lot of people have said focus on the starting quarterback battle between Mac Jones and Bailey Zappi, I think that issue has been settled. Mac is your starter. Bailey is a solid backup. But for the quarterback three role, could be a little bit of a battle brewing here between Malik Cunningham and Trace McSorley. And again, Bill

Starting point is 00:18:02 Belichick was asked about Malik Cunningham on Tuesday he says we'll see how it looks in practice maybe we'll use some in the game I don't know so take that for what it's worth folks not exactly a big time revelation for Bill but a little bit of an expansion on just the simple we'll see that could mean something but what it does mean is that the New England Patriots are going to look to give experience to players who haven't had a whole lot of it when the Pats take on the Texans on Thursday night and if you're wondering about the first team unit I really wouldn't worry if you're not seeing much or any of them out on the field on Thursday don't forget that there's a little bit of a trend

Starting point is 00:18:42 growing in the modern NFL resting your starters even completely during the preseason. And I don't think the Patriots are going to go that route, but it wouldn't surprise me to see some of these guys take the entirety of the preseason to either get healthy or to stay in condition or to keep them from getting injured. And I think that's a big part of this as well. We've seen so many seasons crumble early on from preseason injuries that could have easily been avoided. But even though a lot of you out there have come to disregard the preseason, I still say it has a purpose. It's made for teams like the Patriots. They're searching for that sense of offensive identity. They want to get Bill O'Brien's system in a game setting and get practical training on it. And this is the best way to do it. That's why at some point, I do believe you will see Mac Jones take significant snaps. Probably won't be Thursday night, but keep a sharp eye on him as the next two preseason games come up, because at some point you're going to want to see what Mac can do in a Bill O'Brien offense. And also you want to keep

Starting point is 00:19:45 skills sharp when it comes to the defense. And the Patriots defense will get an interesting test on Thursday night because Houston already announced that rookie C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick in the draft, is going to start under centers. So the New England Patriots defense is going to get a look at the future for the Houston Texans, but the Patriots are playing a bit of back to the future themselves in bringing back a two-time Super Bowl champion, and that is defensive end Trey Flowers. And even though, as we said before, he might be starting out the season on PUP, what type of impact might he have on the Patriots, both in the short term and even in the long term? We'll discuss that when we wrap up this episode of the Locked On Patriots

Starting point is 00:20:26 podcast, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining me here today on Locked On Patriots. And don't forget, tomorrow here on the pod, we're breaking down every pertinent detail of Matthew Judon's new contract restructuring with the Pats cap himself. That's right, the pharaoh of Foxborough Finance, Miguel Benzon. We might even ask Miguel his opinion on Thursday night's preseason opener. So stay locked in, especially all of you everydayers.

Starting point is 00:21:01 You are not going to want to miss this one but as i alluded to earlier the wingland patriots are bringing a bit of championship swagger back to their locker room and that means veteran defensive end trey flowers who don't forget played with the patriots from 2015 to 2018 is rejoining the team he was hosted for a workout on monday and apparently the patriots liked what they saw enough to bring him back into the Foxborough fold. So a second tour of duty for Trey Flowers, who really was a standout athlete here for the Patriots during his time.

Starting point is 00:21:35 In his four years with the Pats, including the postseason, the former Arkansas Razorback compiled 26 and a half sacks, 203 tackles, five forced fumbles, and two recoveries. And with those stats, he helped the Patriots to two Super Bowl victories, both Super Bowl 51 and 53. And for his efforts, Trey Flowers was rewarded with a handsome contract, a five-year, $90 million deal. But it was not with the Patriots, folks. It was with the Detroit Lions, the Matt Patricia-led Detroit Lions. And even in Detroit, he continued to play at a high level, but he was released in March 2022 due to injury concerns and a few cost-cutting measures.

Starting point is 00:22:18 Now, Trace signed with the Miami Dolphins in August of 2022, but he saw his season come to a premature end while being placed on injured reserve in October after suffering a foot injury in September. Now, we are speculating at this point that that foot injury might be what is landing him on the physically unable to perform list, but once again, folks, we don't have confirmation on that, but when he's healthy, I still believe that Trey Flowers is capable of being one of the better pass rushers in the league. Even though he hasn't stepped on a football field in quite some time, there is still amazing

Starting point is 00:22:54 instincts and ability to locate the ball. You never really lose that. And Trey Flowers has got it. He's also a very good run defender. I want that to be clear as well he can be a dual threat along the patriots defensive line and maybe most importantly he's a positive influence and a positive presence in the locker room and even though trey's former new england teammates from his first tour of duty here in foxborough have since left the team he does have

Starting point is 00:23:22 a very happy reunion coming up with another player that he spent some time with in college, fellow defensive end and former Razorbacks teammate Dietrich Wise Jr. And Dietrich has actually followed Trey's example to achieve prominence both on and off the field, and he continues to do so to this day. In fact, Dietrich will tell you that among the many tweets he got on draft night when the Patriots picked him up in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL draft, one of the ones that meant the most to him came from Trey Flowers, and it read very simply, congratulations, let's get to work. And again, that's Trey Flowers lending wisdom and counsel to Dietrich Wise Jr., knowing that his friend had the necessary intangibles to find similar success in Foxborough.

Starting point is 00:24:09 And Wise has continued to describe his relationship with Flowers as that of an older brother type. And that tweet really, I think, solidifies it. His older brother put him on notice by saying, it's time to get to work. Don't rest on your laurels. You're selected. You're a member of this team now. It's time to get to work. Don't rest on your laurels. You're selected. You're a member of this team now. It's time to get down to business. And that's exactly what these two guys, I believe, will do on the field for each other this year. And let's not forget that the last time these

Starting point is 00:24:35 two shared the field together here in New England, Wise was still a wide-eyed rookie. He's no longer that type of inexperienced first-year player. He's gone on to become a key component of the Patriots' front seven, and he even earned one of the team's coveted team captain spots in 2022. And that was due largely in part to the positive influence that Trey had on him. So in addition to his teammates, Flowers also continues to be held in the highest regard by Bill Belichick. Flowers always remained well-respected by Belichick and all of the Patriots' trust. And I can recall being in a press conference with Bill in 2018 and saying, Trey works extremely hard. He's one of the hardest-working guys on the team.

Starting point is 00:25:12 He's a very versatile and valuable player for us. And here's where his impact on the field can be felt. The Patriots are well-stocked at pass rusher. There's no question about it. Not only do they have Dietrich Weiss in this but matthew judon josh gucci they're all going to rise to the occasion and put in solid work but trey flowers previous success in the patriot system combined with bill's desire to find familiarity that's going to make for an intriguing potential reunion in new england and even though i think he still has enough left in the tank to earn a spot on the Patriots 53-man roster, I think the most likely destination for Trey Flowers is to serve as a practice

Starting point is 00:25:49 squad mentor, a role very similar to the one Jamie Collins played last season. And don't forget, I had the opportunity to speak with Jamie earlier this spring right here on Locked On Patriots, and he talked about how rewarding it was for him to play that mentor role. Several players and coaches have since come out and praised Jamie for the job that he did last year. Trey Flowers already has done so for Dietrich Wise. He's got the experience in this area. We know he can do the same for so many different Patriots when he's ready to return to the field, but no matter what his assignment is

Starting point is 00:26:23 going to be, I think Flowers will be with the Patriots when he's taken his assignment is going to be I think Flowers will be with the Patriots when he's taken off of Pup and I think the chances of that happening sooner rather than later are pretty good so for anyone reading the tea leaves in the wrong direction when it comes to Trey being placed on Pup I think this is more preventive than anything else and I also believe that the Patriots brought him in here for a purpose and we're going to see what that purpose is in pretty short order and in the meantime we continue to get you ready for the preseason as New England is set to host the Houston Texans for their first preseason game on Thursday at 7 p.m at Gillette Stadium but of course folks tomorrow's show is going to be a fun one as the

Starting point is 00:27:02 Pats cap himself Miguel Benzon enlightens us all on exactly what Matthew Judon's contract adjustment means for the Pats. And you know, Miguel is going to be setting the record straight on all of those cap myths out there. So folks be sure to stay locked into locked on Patriots. I am your host, Mike debate,

Starting point is 00:27:20 and I remind you to stay safe and stay well and be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day everyone and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked on Patriots.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Training Camp: Mike Gesicki, Mac Jones Connection; Trey Flowers Returns

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