Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Training Camp Primer: Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye, Matt Judon, Davon Godchaux

Episode Date: July 24, 2024

With the New England Patriots are set to begin training camp, head coach Jerod Mayo provided his version of the “State of Pats Nation.” Host Mike D’Abate welcomes Patriots Country’s Michael Brauner to discuss the Pats plans for both Jacoby Brissett and Drake Maye, the contract situations of Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux and the “Mikes” provide their training camp “Bold Prediction.” #nfl #patriots Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFm... Stitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-... And follow host Mike D’Abate on X, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans — @mdabateNFL Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! 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. eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply. GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. FanDuelFanDuel, America’s Number One Sportsbook. As playoffs wind down, the sports stop sporting like we want them to. But this summer, FanDuel is hooking up ALL CUSTOMERS with a boost or a bonus, DAILY! That’s right, there’s something for everyone, every day, all summer long! Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON and add a big win to your summer bucket list! 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)

Was the day before training camp and Gerard Mayo dropped some interesting nuggets when it comes to the quarterback battle. 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. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and also your first listen each and every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. Make sure to smash that subscribe button, download and follow wherever you get your podcasts to get the latest episode as soon as it's available. But also, we are a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel.

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Wednesday, July 24th, 11 a.m., here in New England Patriots. Offense, defense, special teams, new coaching staff, and we're going to talk about some of the most prominent Patriots today with my good friend, my colleague at Athlon Sports Patriots Country, a phenomenal writer and analyst. He is also the producer of the opening kickoff on WNSP 105.5 in Mobile, Alabama, and all of the surrounding areas. He is Michael Brawner. Michael, thank you so much for joining me today, and welcome back to Locked On Patriots. Absolutely.

Appreciate you having me back on, Mike. I always love to hop on. Absolutely. And we loved having you on, and this is a perfect time to have back on, Mike. I always love to hop on. Absolutely, and we loved having you on, and this is a perfect time to have you on because as we kick our Athlon sports coverage into gear for Patriots country and Patriots training camp, we're going to do so here on the Locked On Patriots podcast as well. So, folks, Michael will be a recurring guest throughout the cycle. I, for one, am so happy that that is going to be the case, and we look forward

to his wisdom and counsel all season long. And Mike, let's start right off with the news of the day. Gerard Mayo taking the podium on Tuesday morning, kind of giving everyone, I'd say, like a state of the Patriots union, kind of bringing everyone up to speed as to what the Patriots are going to be doing. Perfect attendance for the Patriots so far. No holdouts or no unexcused absences. We'll see what happens on the field when the Patriots actually do begin practice. But at this point, it looks like everyone's a full go. Well, that includes the quarterbacks. And it also looks like it's going to be a full and open quarterback competition

based on what Gerard Mayo had to say this morning. And I'm not going to say this took anyone by surprise, because I think if you look at Gerard's comments in context, he did say that Jacoby Brissett is going to be a likely starter. Right now, he's the most experienced quarterback. Right now, he's probably playing at the highest level. And all things being equal, it looks like he's going to be the guy to get the start on opening day but he didn't close the door to drake may winning this quarterback competition and maybe getting the starting job as early as week one mike when you

look at this from all the different angles and we've covered several of them here on lockdown patriots you and i have covered them ad nauseum for Athlon Sports. Do you believe that this is the right move, the wrong move for the Patriots, or really the only one that they should be making? Yeah, I think the only one is probably the most accurate. There's no question it's the right move. And it's not really a move. He kind of just said, Jacoby's our starter, which we've known, and Van Pelt has said that, and pretty much anyone you've asked has said that.

Jacoby's the starter. We know that. But it's not like Jacoby's going to be guaranteed to have the job. Obviously, Jacoby wants to play, but he signed with New England probably knowing they were going to draft a quarterback, and then once they did draft Drake May with a number three overall pick. I mean, it's unique because it's not a question of if Drake May is going to take over as the starting quarterback. Obviously, it's unique because it's not a question of if Drake May is going to take over

as the starting quarterback. Obviously, it's a question of when. So we know, we assume Drake May will probably play at some point this season, even injuries aside, even if Jacoby is the starter, chances are things aren't going to go well, super well, and they won't be in playoff contention towards the end of the season. So even in a, I wouldn't even say worst-case scenario, but even in a scenario where the team is out of the playoffs 11, 12, 13 weeks in, Drake Mayo will probably get a couple starts down the line. I think fans would probably, for the most part, be pretty disappointed if Mayo didn't start at some point this season.

And what he looks like and what the team looks like is an entirely different question. But yeah, Mayo certainly left things open. He said basically, listen, if May comes out here and is blowing away the competition, and he's clearly the best quarterback on the roster, he basically said, we're going to start with the player who gives us the best chance to win. I mean, he's going into year one as a new head coach. He knows that expectations wins-wise are not super high in 2024, but that doesn't mean he wants to go in and lose. Like the concept of tanking in the NFL doesn't exist. I mean, we saw with the Patriots last year,

uh, beating the Denver Broncos on New Year's Eve and Chad Ryland, Chad Ryland decided to make a field goal for the first time in his life. It seems like. So, ranking is not a thing. These guys want to win. They're all hungry. And nobody wants to win more than Gerard Mayo taking over the team he played for for a decade and then coached for for another couple years under Bill Belichick. Mayo wants to win. He's going to play the quarterback that gives him the best chance to win.

He won't throw May out there if he feels like Jacoby Brissett is still a better quarterback in week one. Now, we hope that Drake May is a better quarterback than Jacoby Brissett is still a better quarterback in week one. Now, we hope that Drake May is a better quarterback than Jacoby Brissett sooner rather than later, but how long that takes is obviously the main story going into camp. I mean, I think they're handling it the right way. I'll be interested to see what the reps distribution looks like, though. Yeah, that's going to be the telltale factor is right off the gate, you know, Jacoby's going to probably align with the number ones. And that's kind of how it's going to shake out starting with Wednesday's practice and maybe even a little bit down the line when you start to see the pads come on and you're listening to this on fully aware that those guys are not going to be subject to a lot of physical contact but it gives you a good idea as to what they can do against high level competition and my good friend thomas murphy joined me on the pod yesterday and said really you want to talk about a litmus test for these quarterbacks this is an excellent defense that they're going to be going against on the opposite side,

even the second and third level. You've got guys at the third level of this defense that could be playing second level on another team, guys that are playing second fiddle that could be starters on another team. So they're going to have themselves tested early and often. The question is, how do these players respond to that? And who's showing the most growth? There is a difference, Mike, between letting the best players play and doing what's best for the team. If the players are developing a synergy with Jacoby Brissett right off the bat,

and it's allowing some of the more veteran players, second year, third year guys, to really come into their own and really play at a higher level, it's probably best for the team to go with Jacoby in that case. You're not crushing Drake May's dreams. You're not breaking him by or ruining his confidence by putting him on the bench. You're allowing him to learn from a very competent quarterback, from a very good veteran. And look, there's a track record for the way he's performed in an alex van pelt offense the last time he did it 2022 11 games 64 of his passes were completed 2608 yards 12 touchdowns to six interceptions that's a pretty good track record running an offense that alex van pelt

feels comfortable with as well so with all things being equal at that point yeah i do believe that going with jacoby is probably the better move in that regard because it, like you said, allows these guys to move forward. If Drake comes in and blows the doors off of everything, like Gerard said, then you put him in there because you don't want to stunt the kid's growth if he's showing exponential growth right from the get-go. And he also said, don't forget about guys like Bailey Zappi and Joe Milton. A couple of my colleagues wrote stories on this earlier today. That's a budding quarterback controversy in and of itself. Who's going to win that number three job? Is it going to be the rookie with the cannon for an arm and Joe Milton, or is it going to be Zappi who's kind of overcome all of the adversity that he can possibly overcome here in New England with the

exception of this latest hurdle that's going to be interesting as well no doubt the the qb3 battle i would assume the team is almost certainly going to keep three quarterbacks which of course with tom brady they didn't always do i pretty rarely did there was no need to keep more than more than two quarterbacks on the roster i i wouldn't mind them seeing them keep three. I think they probably will. I think Pats fans and me included in that probably hope that it's Milton. And it's not that I have any ill will towards Zappi, but the potential arm talent of Milton is certainly something that's exciting. Now, in an ideal world, Milton never has to start

a game for the Patriots, barring him just showing infinitely more than he did at the college level, especially this last year at Tennessee, and kind of just never – hopefully he never has to be the guy, but unless he just completely blows everyone out of the water, which I don't anticipate happening. As for Jacoby and Drake again, obviously Jacoby has an instant leg up because of his experience with Van Pelt and also the fact that he's played in the NFL for almost a decade.

So I don't mind Jacoby being the starter. I'm of the mindset that if it's close, Drake should play. I understand that this isn't Mayo's mindset because, like I said, Mayo's mindset is to win football games. I get it. My mindset as a fan like I said, Mayo's mindset is to win football games. I get it. My mindset as a fan is I want to see the franchise quarterback, and if he's even close to being ready, throw him out there. And I hate the argument.

I think we talked about this last time, the argument of, oh, what happens if you throw a kid into the fire and you wreck his confidence because things aren't going well? Well, if a quarterback gets his confidence wrecked by being in a bad situation, chances are you weren't the guy anyway. You were probably too mentally weak to be a franchise quarterback in the NFL. I think there was a degree of that with Mac Jones, although I think he experienced success early under a great offensive coordinator

in Josh McDaniels, and then obviously things went the way they went. I think there was certainly a degree of Mac was not – he never had any adversity in Alabama. So once he had to handle adversity in the NFL, he wasn't really able to do so. And it wasn't all his fault. But anyway, as for Drake, yeah, I hope if it's close, they throw him into the fire. It also depends, I think, on what the biggest issue with the offense is. And if that biggest issue, like he can, I can deal with, you know, not a ton of talent in the pass catching department.

If the offensive line is just getting abused day after day after day, and the legitimate worry is, geez, we're going to get this guy killed out here. We can't throw him out until we are more cohesive and confident on the offensive line. Then I can understand that because you don't want your franchise quarterback to suffer a devastating injury. I mean, we saw it in the case of Joe Burrow in 2020. It's not like that ends your career if you get injured rookie year. But, of course, you want to keep the guy you just spent the number three pick on healthy. So if you feel like the offensive line is a major liability,

I don't mind if Drake May comes out and throws some interceptions in the regular season. I really don't. I'd rather have him go and learn on the fly like that. I do mind if he's taking five sacks a game and putting his body on the line and the team's not doing a good job of protecting him. I think Mayo needs to weigh what the offensive line looks like and how well they'd be able to keep whoever the quarterback. Obviously, someone's got to play quarterback,

even if the offensive line is terrible and I hate to say it this way but I'd rather throw Jacoby Brissett into that fire if the offensive line is a revolving door than I would you know the rookie quarterback that you just spent the number three pick on that's a great point and again it comes back to who is elevating his team who's taking his teammates on his back and making them play at another level. We've also heard the argument about Drake May and saying, well, maybe he's not ready to do that. And maybe he can't elevate a poor offensive line. That may be true, but he's also had to overcome a lot of adversity, very similar to that at the University of North Carolina. And he did it. He took these guys and made them play at another level. And when you have a

quarterback that's capable of doing that, whether he's a rookie, whether he's a veteran, he deserves the opportunity to play. If he's not doing that because of either inexperience or still needing a bit of tutelage in order to be able to reach his full potential, yeah, that's the point where you say Jacoby Brissett's the guy because we know that he can do it. He's done it in the past. He's played a ton of football at the pro level, and maybe that's the best option for the New England Patriots at that point. But point well taken, point duly noted, and I think it's a valid one. And you know what?

Disagreements sometimes are good. Variety is the spice of life here on Locked On Patriots, folks. And Mike mentioned the defense earlier, and I did mention that the Patriots have full attendance. Well, that means two good things. That means, one, this defense is going to get a chance to showcase what it can do fully healthy for the first time in almost a year. And it also means the two Patriots that are embroiled in contract disputes right now are present and accounted for.

That's right. We're going to talk about Matthew Judon and Devon Godchild because Gerard Mayo had something to say about the both of them early on and what it means for their potential future here in New England. We're going to talk defense, Judon, Godchild, and what it means for the future when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day.

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Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com slash LockedOnNFL. That's LinkedIn.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. It is training camp eve here on Locked on, and we are honored and thrilled to welcome my good friend and colleague at patriots country of athlon sports michael brauner here to talk some new england patriots as they get ready to take the practice fields adjacent to gillette stadium

at 11 a.m on wednesday july 24th for the first training camp practice mike it's hard to believe we are here in patriot season nfl season kicking off It's always the best time of the year for a football fan because you not only know what your team looks like, the draft is complete. You've pretty much made all your big free agent acquisitions for the most part, folks. I know some can trickle in during training camp, but you know what the team is going to look like. And you've already got glimpses, seedlings of what this team could possibly do on the field in rookie minicamp and in mandatory minicamp. Training camp, it really starts to come alive as you head into the preseason. The other thing that can also bring

out at times is players that may not be so happy in Shangri-La, as the old saying goes. They may be looking at this team right now and saying, yeah, you know what? I'm not too happy with my contract. I want a little raise. I want to bump in pay. I want some more years on that in order for me to give my very best to you. Two players right now on the Patriots defense, two very prominent players, folks, resemble that remark in Matthew Judon and in Devon Godchild. Now, everyone has had opinions on whether or not these guys should be extended.

Most Patriots fans believe that either one or both should remain in the Foxborough fold. Well, this was a common question that a lot of Patriots fans had, and to no one's surprise, it was asked on Tuesday morning when Gerard Mayle met with the media. And essentially, he did want to let everyone know, and Patriots fans can definitely feel good about this, folks. He said, quote, the relationship with both is still good, at least from my perspective. I know their teammates definitely respect them. Those are valuable pieces of this organization.

They've done a lot for us. Hopefully, we can get something done. I want them here. I think Elliott wants them here. The team wants them here, but there is a business aspect to everything. When you look at Gerard's statements and you think about what it will take to keep both Matthew or Devon or both here in New England, what do you think Gerard's statements say about a potential to get a deal done here with either one or both?

Well, I was happy to hear the way he phrased it and how they've gone about it. While this offseason, the first of Elliott Wolfe calling the shots, it was nice to see the Patriots handing out some big money deals. Because good teams pay their best football players. Bad teams let their best football players go, and good teams pay their best football players. So it was nice to see Kyle Duggar get extended. Mike Onwino get brought back.

I was happy to see that, and it's not that I didn't want these guys around by any means, but I was a little bit worried. It's like, alright, I understand the strategy, and I can appreciate it, but at the same time, I don't want them handing out big money deals to players who

maybe they should let walk just because they're Patriots players who have produced. I weigh in the middle on it because I want to keep the best players, but I also don't want them to pour too many assets. Let's face it, it was a 4

and 13 team, so yes, they have some really good players they wanted to keep. Great, but you can't keep everything the same. I mean, it's a roster that won four games last year. So with Judon and Godshaw specifically, and I hate saying this on Judon, but I don't think, barring Judon accepting a really team-friendly deal and what that number looks like, I'm not really sure. Obviously, a far cry from what he signed three years ago under Bill Belichick. I don't see how you can responsibly keep Judon in New England for the long term. If it were an extension to the existing deal, something where they manipulate the salary cap and Judon is happy and the team is happy. Okay, sure. I just, I don't really want them to hand a 31 year old coming off a season ending or bicep injury, a big money deal. I think Judon's best football is probably behind him. It's not to say that he can't still give you quality snaps. I think he can, and I think he probably has another couple good years left, but I don't think he's necessarily going to be this dominant pass rusher

that he's been at some of the peaks of his New England tenure. So I don't want them to hand Matthew Judon a big-money deal just because he's Matthew Judon and he's a fan favorite and he's produced at a high level. You pay a player for what they're going to do in the future, not what they've done in the past. That's a bitter reality in the NFL, but it's reality nonetheless. And then on Gottschalk, you gave Barmore a huge deal at the same position.

And granted, Barmore is probably five years younger and has produced at a higher level than Gottschalk. Barmore is one of the best in the league in this position. That was the right move. I think it's a bit of a luxury. Granted, they have money to spend, so it's not like it's the worst thing in the world and they're really strapping themselves. But I don't know that you can necessarily give Godchild what he wants either, just because you've already invested a lot of the position. You have a young player who you just gave $90 million to. I think it's

probably more likely that they keep Godchild for the long term than they do Judon. And I hate to say this, but I would like to see them probably try to trade Judon and acquire what draft capital you can for him. Because if you're not going to sign him, that's fine, but you're not going to compete this year, trade him to a contender. And if it's a third round pick, that might even be optimistic. But if it's third round pick, great. If it's a fourth and a sixth, it's not great, but it's something. whereas you're probably going to get nothing if you don't do something with his contract and you don't trade him so i i would i'm surprised that more rumors around judan haven't surfaced to this point last year he kind of did a quiet holdout he was there

but i think it'll probably be similar he uh Both players will hold out from some of the contact drills. But yeah, I have a hard time seeing a situation where Judon is in New England long-term at a deal that makes the team and Judon happy. Yeah, it's so interesting when you have to view these players who are idolized by fans. And I've said several times here, exactly. And I've said here on Locked On Patriots several

times, Matthew may be the face of the franchise. You know, when you take a look at the placard that's going to be put on national television when Patriots have to play, you don't put Bill Belichick up there anymore. It's been a long time since Tom Brady's up there. Drake May is probably a year away from that or at least a half a year away from that type of status. Yeah, it's nice to put Gerard Mayo maybe as the head coach, but Matthew Judon is the face of the Patriots on the field. When you think of number nine wearing the red sleeves and, you know, cheering his team on and getting his team ready and playing at a high level as one of their top defensive players, yeah, it's easy to see why the fans want him here long term. He is extremely valuable,

but you hit the nail on the head. He's going to be 32 this year in August. By the time that contract really starts to kick in as a complete new deal, he's going to be 33. So at that point, do you want to hand out a big money deal to someone of his caliber, even if you're only going to get it for maybe a couple of years? Our good friend Miguel Benzon joined me a couple of weeks ago here on Locked On Patriots, gave us a little bit of a camp cap preview, so to speak, and talked about Judon. And look, Judon's cap impact right now, $14.7 million.

He's set to earn 6.5 in base salary, but we all know that with incentives and certain contract additions and things of that nature his base salary in 2024 is going to be a little closer to 7.5 than it is 6.5 but still that's a bargain for what he brings to the table in his two previous years healthy 100 throughout the season matthew set his single season sack record and then he eclipsed it the following year and he was well on his way last year to shattering that record when he went down in week four against the Dallas Cowboys so always something to think about when it comes to him the long-term benefits of keeping him here in terms of finance and what it does to the team will it handcuff them and they will they get his best beyond 2024

or are they paying for what he's going to give you for these next two years? That's the question that the Patriots are going to have to answer when it comes to Matthew Judon. And when it comes to Godchild, I think they have some of the same concerns, maybe not as many because Godchild is a little younger. He only counts 11.8 million against the cap. I don't necessarily think Devon is dissatisfied with his entire contract because he did sign an extension a couple of years ago. But there's no guaranteed money on his deal. I think that's something that could sweeten the pot with Devon Godchild. So that could be a way for Elliott Wolfe to open up the lines of communication. Maybe he takes that. Maybe he doesn't.

These are all things that the Patriots are going to have to work out. And I will say on Judon, I neglected to mention before, in terms of the 2021 spending spree that was free agency, Judon really, I think Stephon Gilmore as well, but I think you can make the argument that Judon is the best free agent signing that Bill Belichick made in 20 years. I think, I mean, it was what, $56 million for four years, something like that. I mean, what a bargain that was looking back.

It's unfortunate that, and it's just the nature of the NFL that, you know, contract gets close to the end and the player's coming off an injury and he's aging. That's why, like, they got the great value out of him. Don't make the mistake of taking that great value and giving him a contract that you look really foolish for two years down the line. As much as I love Judai, like you said, he's the face of the franchise,

but you got the phenomenal value deal out of him. Bill Belichick, probably his best signing ever, certainly at that position. I just don't think you can give him what he wants i hope you know maybe they can come to a middle ground and adjust the number for this year and add a boy you know how i won't claim to understand how they manipulate the cap but so it works something out that he can stay in new england at a relative price for the next two seasons i think that's a realistic realistic scenario that both teams can play out

because Juno wants to finish his career in New England. He loves it in New England. He's open about how much he loves it in New England. I just don't think you can say, oh, he loves New England, and he's the face of the franchise, and he's had good years. We've got to pay him. And I'm glad to this point that they haven't done that, and I think they're going to stand firm. And I don't know if they'll look to trade him. I hope they look to keep him. And I'm glad to this point that they haven't done that. And I think they're going to stand firm. And I don't know if they'll look to trade him. I hope they look to keep him.

But just realistically, all options have to be on the table. The Patriots do have to keep all options on the table. And look, Matthew Judon may end up fetching a pretty good return. You mentioned a fourth and a sixth. You mentioned maybe a third. Maybe there's a player out there that they could include him in a deal folks pump the brakes a little bit on Brandon Ayuk I don't necessarily know if that's going to be the case here but who knows I mean a lot of analysts have purported that type of deal Matthew actually responded to one of them on social media over the weekend so anything and everything is possible. Keep a sharp eye, keep an open mind, and the New England Patriots will do so as well.

One thing I will say, and going back to our good friend Miguel once again, his calculations show the Patriots with approximately 43.3 million in available cap space. So folks, if the Patriots wanted to back up the Brinks truck and sign both of these guys to long-term deals, financially, they can do it. The question is, should they, and is it the right move?

But I thought we'd close the show today, my friend, with having a little fun, because training camp is always a lot of fun. You get a chance to see your favorite players, new faces, rookies emerge. This year, the Patriots have a lot new to keep their eye on, but it's always interesting when people in our business offer their bold prediction for training camp. We're going to delve into our bold predictions in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your

team, every day. Listen up, Locked On listeners. I know you love sports. I love sports. As a matter of fact, I love them so much that I never want them to stop. But with the playoffs now firmly behind us, we get fewer games. And the sports just aren't sporting like we want them to. But FanDuel lets me keep the sports going whenever I want.

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It is training camp eve. You might even be listening to this episode or viewing it on YouTube as you're traveling to Foxborough to watch the Patriots in their first training camp practice. Folks, Boots on the Ground coverage will continue all week long and in the next week here on Locked on Patriots. So be sure to subscribe, download, and follow wherever you're getting your podcasts to ensure you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. And if you've made us your first listen each and every day, especially all you everydayers out there, a tip of the cap and thank you for all of the support

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Free and available on all platforms, just like Locked On Patriots. Be sure to download, subscribe subscribe and follow them as well and here today to get us ready for training camp is my good friend and colleague analyst extraordinaire for athlon sports patriots country mike browner and mike we've talked a little bit about the quarterbacks we've talked a little bit about matthew judon devon godchow some of the big names for the new england patriots heading into training camp but i thought we'd close the segment in the show today by talking a little bit about maybe an under-the-radar story, or maybe it is a prominent player that we believe is going to make a huge impact throughout camp.

They're always talked about as bold predictions, and I'm not going to change the name or try to come up with something a little more colloquial or whatever. Let's stick with bold predictions. When you look at this team top to bottom, offense, defense, special teams, maybe even from the coaching staff, what would you say is your bold prediction for training camp when we're wrapping things up at the end of August and the 53-man roster is being set?

I would say that the narrative around the offense is going to highly revolve around, maybe not highly, but I think there will be a lot of buzz about two he's never going to be a great NFL wide receiver, but if he can at least be a good NFL wide receiver, which he has been, granted it's a little bit different when you're lined up opposite of Justin Jefferson versus Jalen Polk or Kendrick Warner, whoever the case may be, I think Osborne is going to show up and show that polished nature of being, this is an NFL veteran who has produced. And I think Antonio Gibson is going to provide a lot of exciting stuff in the passing game out of the backfield. Make no mistake, this is going to be a run-first team,

but obviously it's not as fun to say Ramondre Stephenson ran between the tackles really well today. So I think we'll be talking about Antonio Gibson and KJ Osborne. As for a bold prediction, I want to say that Drake May is going to come out and win the job. I just don't think I can go that far yet. Maybe I'll change the bold prediction after one day, but I think Joe Milton will be impressive.

I think he's going to win the quarterback three job. I think you don't draft a guy in the sixth round at the quarterback position to battle for the QB three position and then cut him. I think Zappi, you've seen what you have in him. I think Milton's potential will be too enticing to pass up and release him. Great point. I agree with you on Milton, by the way. That was my number two choice. My bold prediction, again, folks, not sure if you want to call this a bold prediction, but I'll do a little play on words here. Maybe a little bolden prediction. And my prediction is that Isaiah Bolden is going to be a household name for Patriots fans at the conclusion of this training camp. I loved what I saw from Isaiah last year. I really did.

There was a work ethic and a desire to prove the doubters wrong. Jonathan Jones, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, I expect that to be the triumvirate of starters. Marcus will get the nod in the nickel, and the two perimeter guys are going to be Christian and Jonathan, I believe, primarily. But I think Isaiah has an opportunity to make an impact here on this team, and I also think he has an amazing ability to make an impact here on this team. And I also think he has an amazing ability to make an impact on special teams, especially as a kick returner. I had the great opportunity to speak with a couple of scouts and a couple of people that are close to Jackson State. And they allowed me to kind of pick their brain a little bit on what Isaiah Bolden was as a returner.

And the adjectives they used to describe him were electric, dominant, captivating, someone that absolutely changed the complexity of the game when the ball was in his hands. He ran a 4.3340-yard dash when he was doing his pre-draft workout. So you know the kid is fast and averaged 36.9 yards per return and returned two kickoffs for touchdowns during his time as a tiger his senior season played 13 games as a cornerback 44 tackles two and a half tackles for the loss and one fumble recovery and one of the things that i love about this kid is that desire to prove the doubters wrong. And he did that even last year,

being the only player that was taken from an HBCU and really kind of parlayed that into wearing that as a badge of honor. Even his coach, Deion Sanders, was very upset with the league for not taking more players at that level. But he did say that the Patriots got a great one in Isaiah Bolden.

And there's Patriots pedigree there as well. Brandon is his cousin. We all know what he did in a Patriots uniform. My good friend Merv loves the guy, one of his favorite all-time New England Patriots. So there's a lot to like when it comes to Isaiah Bolden, but hearing how he's willing to go that extra mile to prove the doubters wrong, especially after missing last year, suffering a horrific concussion in the preseason against the Green Bay Packers. That was a very scary moment for him, for all of us. Thankfully, he came through it okay. He's healthy and ready to go. I think he's going to be one to watch, and he's going to be a name you're going to hear a lot of each and every day about making big plays

and being in the thick of things. I think he not only makes this roster, but I think he makes waves doing it and could play his way into a significant role in the cornerback position this season. Yeah, I really love the Isaiah Bolden pick. Obviously, I'm glad you brought up the preseason situation last year. It was really, really scary. And like you said, we know he's fast. It'll be interesting to see if – I think Jalen Rieger could end up on the roster bubble. He's kind of ace in the holes that he can kick return.

But we know there's probably seven or eight guys buying for six spots in the receiver department. What does Bolden show in the kick return department? Because it could come down to, you know, Jalen Rieger doesn't make the roster because Isaiah Bolden shows enough as a kick returner. So you've got to draft the guy who's going to be able to help you in multiple ways. I don't know how much Jalen Rieger is going to do as a wide receiver. So it'll be interesting to watch the kick return battle as well. Yeah, definitely. And again, one of the reasons why I like Isaiah

in that head-to-head battle, and this is no disrespect to Jalen, because I do believe that he gives you an awful lot and is someone that can be an electric kick returner himself. We saw it last year against the Buffalo Bills. He's capable of taking it back and taking it all the way to the house. But what is your complete resume? And I think Isaiah's is a little more complete, and I think he can help the corners maybe a little bit more than Jalen can help the receiver. And folks, that's why we call them bold predictions, because you never know what's going to happen from one minute to the next.

Mike and I will be back at the end of training camp. We will revisit this segment, and we'll talk a little bit about whether or not our bold predictions actually came true. What's your bold prediction? We'd love to hear from you. As long as you keep the comments respectful, we're always happy to interact. If you're watching this on YouTube, drop a note in the comment section below, or you can reach out to either one of us on X at MDABATENFL is yours truly.

Mike can be found on X at M Brawner WNSP. Mike, what can I say? It's an honor. It's a privilege. Thank you for joining me here today, bud. Before I let you go, please let everyone know where they can further interact with you and where else they can find you in addition to just Athlon Sports, Patriots country, for all that you do when it comes to the world of sports.

Yeah, I'm pretty active on Twitter, like you said, at mbrauner, B-R-A-U-N-E-R-W-N-S-P. That's our station down in Mobile. We talk a lot of college football, a lot of Alabama and Auburn stuff down here. But you can find other coverage at yellowhammernews.com as well if the college football stuff interests you. If you're ever cruising through the 251 in Mobile, Alabama, tune in to 105.5.

Absolutely, folks. I can tell you it is a great listen. I've had the great opportunity to be a guest on their show several times. It's always an honor and a privilege to welcome Mike to the microphone here on Locked On Patriots. Like I said, get used to it because he's going to be joining us here a lot this season, and I, for one, cannot wait,

and I know you can't wait as well. Folks, if you are traveling to Gillette as you listen to this, please do so in a safe manner. Make sure to continue to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. Don't forget to download and subscribe to Locked On Patriots for all the latest training camp coverage right here on the Locked On Podcast Network.

Until then, on behalf of Michael Brawner, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone. Enjoy camp, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow on Locked On Patriots.