Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots Training Camp Top Questions: Jacoby Brissett, Drake Maye and Roster Hopefuls

Episode Date: July 23, 2024

The New England Patriots are set to open training camp on July 24 and there are still a number of questions which need to be answered in the coming weeks — especially on offense. Host Mike D’Abate... welcomes Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy to discuss the quarterback relationship between Drake Maye and Jacoby Brissett. The duo also offer their thoughts on who might be New England’s top pass-catching target and which “dark horse” roster candidate has the best shot to make the initial 53-man roster. #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)

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Starting point is 00:00:00 New England Patriots training camp is for the full 90-man roster, but if we're being honest, a lot of us are just expecting it to be the Jacoby and Drake show. 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 of course, and hopefully your first listen each and every day.
Starting point is 00:00:41 Remember, Locked On Patriots is not only a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day, but we're also free and available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download and follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your podcasts to ensure you're getting the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate, and I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at MDABATENFL. While you're out there showing some love to Lockdown Patriots, social media style that is, please follow our account there as well at LO underscore Patriots.
Starting point is 00:01:21 And Pats fans, today's episode is brought to you by LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, and they help you do it faster. Post your job for free at linkedin.com slash locked on NFL. That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. And Pats fans, thank you for joining us here today on this Monday episode. It is Monday.
Starting point is 00:01:50 The weekend is over. And for the first time in a long while, I think a lot of us are psyched that the weekend is over because it means Patriots football is almost back on the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium. Training camp beginning Wednesday morning, 11 a.m. And of course, here on Locked On Patriots, we're going to bring you not only boots on the ground coverage, live analysis from Foxborough, but we're also going to continue to break down all the ins and outs of every storyline. And it's been a little heavy on the defensive side of the ball here the last couple of days
Starting point is 00:02:22 on Locked On Patriots. So in true Monday fashion, we delved into the mailbag and took a look at the most popular questions submitted. And folks, a ton of you had these questions. So we're going to call this the offensive top three. And of course, if it's Monday and it's the mailbag, you know we're bringing in our great friend, the only man that can help us with that mailbag the only man with the wisdom the counsel and the know-it-all to be able to do it my good friend the counter murphy fisto himself a legendary thomas murphy joining me today thank you for
Starting point is 00:02:58 coming to me in friendship and kicking off training camp week on murph happy to be here bud happy to be here hope to help the ball club. Let's go. Let's get into it. Absolutely. Anytime you're here in the hot seat, my friend, you are helping the ball club and you help bring us to new heights. New heights we didn't even know we had. So that being said, bud, let's dive right into it. And to open the show today, I may have upset some of our everydayers, but bottom line, I think that all of our listeners know very well that Patriots fans are savvy. We realize that there are a ton of storylines here coming into this training camp. Gerard Mayo, first training camp as head coach.
Starting point is 00:03:36 You got the returns of guys like Matthew Judon, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones, guys who were injured last year and didn't get a chance to show their full potential however the top storyline coming out of Foxborough at least for the first few days is going to be about the quarterbacks Murph for better or for worse we know that's the way it goes it's going to be the Drake and Jacoby show or the Jacoby and Drake show however you want to pair that duo but it's going to be all eyes on the quarterbacks. And you and I have gone over this subject several times here. Since Drake was drafted back in April with the number three overall pick and Jacoby signed here as a free agent, everyone's been wondering who's going to jockey for position. When you look at the competition right now between Jacoby Brissett, the veteran, and Drake May, the rookie,
Starting point is 00:04:24 what should fans reasonably expect to see at the outset of training camp, and how could that change as practices start to progress? Oh, that is a good question. That's a great question for many of you. Many of you asked this. And what you can expect to see is a leader and somebody hopefully willing to follow. Jacoby Brissett being the leader and, of course, Drake May willing to follow
Starting point is 00:04:50 and growing as this first camp, his first camp opens up. You guys got to remember, you know, everybody's talking about the talent of Drake May. We've all talked about it ad nauseum since before the draft. This is a kid who has not played a lot of football. He really hasn't. He has not played a lot of football. And Jacoby can offer and grow along with
Starting point is 00:05:28 this brand new coaching staff that he's got to get used to and one that Jacoby Brissett knows pretty well. I still don't think that this is a battle. I still don't think that this is a competition. I think when push comes to shove, you know, it's going to end up being Jacoby Brissett on the field week one and through week eight. You and I both know that it's really not so much about these two competing. And you've put this eloquently, my friend. It's really about what these guys are doing, how they're coming into camp. Jacoby Brissett has played a lot of football, like you said. He's a veteran in this league. As Rod Tidwell would say, he's been at the puppet show. He's seen the strings. There's not much that you're going to show him that he's not going to be able to adapt to on the field. So in terms of what Jacoby Brissett's going to bring you, you pretty much know what he's going to bring you.
Starting point is 00:06:24 He's going to bring you game management. He's going to bring you the ability to use all of his assets, whether it be his legs to extend plays, whether it be his arm, his savvy, his quarterback experience, using all of his skills to be able to elevate his teammates on the field. That's what Jacoby Brissett's going to do. And he's going to do that from the outset of training camp. And to be honest, Murph, I don't expect that to change much. I don't think Jacoby's going to do and he's going to do that from the outset of training camp and to be honest Murph I don't expect that to change much I don't think Jacoby's going to come in and change his game he knows what he is Alex Van Velt knows what he is he's coached him before what I'm looking for is what Drake May does how he comes in after a rookie mini camp and a mandatory mini camp and a handful
Starting point is 00:07:01 of OTAs and off-season workouts to see how he came in and is he ready to go. And there are going to be days like that. We're going to get inundated with data from people that we all know and respect about how good Drake may look today and how much better he's looked than Jacoby Brissett. But we're not playing at game speed. We're not seeing what, um, what defenses he's facing right now and what he's going to go up against in practice as compared to what he's going to, he would go up against in week one or in the preseason, you know, just pump
Starting point is 00:07:41 the brakes. That's all I'm saying, folks, is he's going to look good. He's a good, talented young kid. And I expect to see continued growth and a little humility because he's about to start going up against some of the finest defensive backs in the country, in the NFL. Very good point. And this defense is certainly a great litmus test for any quarterback, whether you're a veteran or whether you're a rookie. If you can get plays and you can make plays against this defense, you know you're doing something great.
Starting point is 00:08:17 And another point that I want to circle back to that you just made that I thought was brilliant was the fact that the big play is going to be there you're going to see Drake may make big throws during this training camp season he's going to wow you with his arm strength he's going to make an off-balance throw that people are going to say Patriots haven't had a quarterback that can do this in quite some time maybe he even does it a little bit better than Tom used to do during practice all right maybe i'm getting a little ahead of myself here but we are going to hear that exactly that's right we're going to hear them tout his athleticism we're going to hear them tout his arm i think the best thing for patriots fans to do right now is enjoy the big
Starting point is 00:09:01 play don't fall in love with it if there's something that you should be falling in love with, with this kid, when it comes to being a quarterback in this league, fall in love with the fundamentals, his footwork. That's what you want to see. Look at how he reads the defense across the line of scrimmage from him. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:09:19 See if he can call out, see if he can call out the hot read, you know, things, things of that nature. Those are the things that you want to look at right now from Drake May, not whether or not he threw an off balance pass that went off of somebody's helmet and, uh, ended up in the hands of, uh, of, um, oh God, man, who any, any one of his, his, his wideouts
Starting point is 00:09:42 Jalen Polk. Okay. You know, Jalen Polk made a fantastic catch today. Great. That's fantastic. Go and we'll look at it on film and everybody will cheer now because we've got a new cover
Starting point is 00:09:55 boy here on the Patriots media guide this year. Or the yearbook. What was it? The media guide or the yearbook that they put Mayo on? That or the yearbook what was it the media guide or the yearbook that they that they put uh mayo on um that was the yearbook the yearbook um and so you know there's there's your cover boy that was a smart move it was a smart move not to put drake may on this cover okay it was a smart move of mayo to take the hit and say yep it's it i'm the buck stops here
Starting point is 00:10:24 and because that's what that that's saying right there and uh but no he's gonna have his days he's gonna look great he's gonna look terrible and in the middle um jacoby's gonna look steady throughout and he's gonna end up being the starter week one and again folks it really does it comes down to repetition it comes down to familiarity and it also comes down to reliability. And these are things that Drake May will eventually grow into. But I think we're probably being a little overaggressive to say that he's there yet. What I'm most looking forward to is exactly what you laid out.
Starting point is 00:10:57 You want to see how he's going to read the opposing defense. Can he make the hot read? Is he picking up little nuances at the line of scrimmage that allows him to dictate what his team's going to do before the ball is snapped? This is what makes an NFL quarterback. It's what's going to take Drake May from being a good quarterback to a potentially great quarterback if he can master these fundamentals. Obviously, during mandatory minicamp and rookie minicamp, we saw Drake make a departure from some of the mechanics that he's used to. Alex Van Pelt making him lead the shotgun with the left foot as opposed to the right to make sure that he stays in rhythm, working with his footwork over and over again, making sure that he's reading what needs to be done and taking the check down when it's available rather than gunning the ball every single time or trying to make something happen off balance simply because he has the athleticism to do so you
Starting point is 00:11:49 can't always play with your gut and that to me is what's going to show maturity in drake may not going to be cleaned up overnight there's still going to be times out there this year including when he finally does take the reign to this team that you're going to say that's a rookie mistake but at the same time is he growing each and every time he's out there are we seeing improvement the one thing that i did enjoy or the one thing that made me feel good about this kid is we saw progression from rookie mini camp right to mandatory mini camp how much progression is he making into training camp now that to me i think is the biggest story coming out of the quarterback room this year but i agree i agree awesome stuff murph we're already off to a great start our everydayers out there have packed the mailbag with great questions and they continue to do so because
Starting point is 00:12:34 the quarterback is only as good as his target so who will emerge as either drake may or jacoby brissett's top target will Will it be a wide receiver? Will it be a running back? Will it be a tight end? Murph and I are going to delve a lot deeper into that subject 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.
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Starting point is 00:13:32 that's right, folks. There's something for everyone, every day, all summer long. So head over to FanDuel.com and start making the most out of your summer. That's Fanduel.com. Fanduel, official sports betting partner of Major League Baseball. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. Murph, we are hours away from the start of 2024 training camp. Gerard Mayo, his first training camp as head coach. Drake May, his first training camp as an NFL quarterback, as quarterback of the New England Patriots. The previous segment, we kind of tipped our hand a little bit and believe that Jacoby Brissett will get the ball on opening day, but eventually this will be Drake May's team, whether it's
Starting point is 00:14:20 earlier in the season, midway, later, maybe even next season, that's still all up for conjecture. But another big key to the Patriots' offensive growth this year is not just about the quarterback position, it's about the targets that said quarterback is going to be throwing to. Patriots haven't had a whole lot of prowess in that area the last couple of years. Some of that's been because of lack of talent at the pass-catching positions. Some of that's been because of lack of talent at the pass catching positions. Some of that has been because of poor coaching. Some of it has been because of poor quarterback play. But the Patriots are taking baby steps to make sure that they're increasing all of that.
Starting point is 00:14:56 We've talked a lot about Alex Van Pelt since he's been hired, Murph. We've talked a lot about Drake May and Jacoby Brissett. That's recent as just the previous segment, but we haven't talked a whole lot about his pass catchers. This is one of the most common questions we get, and it definitely was one of the most common questions that we've got in this off-season mailbag from the time that we opened it up post-draft. So, Don Murph, I'm going to put you on the hot seat. Do you believe that the top target of this team is going to be a receiver,
Starting point is 00:15:26 a tight end, or a running back? And if so, who's it going to be? It's a wide receiver, and it's DeMario to Pop Douglas. Pop Douglas has more talent than anybody on this field right now. I think he's the one man that can go out there, make contested catches, get separation. He's going to be there. He's going to be the guy underneath that whoever is under center.
Starting point is 00:15:52 And we all know eventually it'll be Drake May. But at the beginning, we know that's not going to happen. But he's going to be the man this year. He's going to lead this team in receptions and yards and possibly touchdowns. To me, that is a great choice. Demario Douglas is the type of player that shows progression every time he steps out on the field. And we expect that to continue this season from what we saw from him last year. He's tenacious, he's got great skills, and he's got a great desire to win. And anytime you put that all into a receiver you're
Starting point is 00:16:26 going to get a productive receiver regardless of whether he's built lower to the ground than some of his competition he's going to go out there and he's going to play hard and he's going to give you everything he has on every down so to mention to mario douglas in that slot i do not believe is a bad thing i'm going to differ opinion with you though and i will say this with no disrespect intended at all at the mario douglas who i believe will be the top receiver in this group this year but i think if you're looking at the top target go ahead i'm going to make my friend claire very happy you're going to hear some squealing from west midlands in the uk she's going to love this response. I'm going with my guy, Hunter Henry.
Starting point is 00:17:11 And the reason I go with Hunter Henry in this regard is not only is Hunter one of the more shorthanded route runners on this team, whether you're looking at a receiver or a tight end. He's a guy that can win his matchups in the intermediate part of the field. I don't know why for the last couple of years, the Patriots have not been utilizing him in that fashion. We saw it in his first year here in New England, that he can win those battles and he can be a very productive weapon in this offense. I think you'll see that come back a little bit because we know Alex Van Pelt likes to utilize the tight ends. And I think both he and Austin Hooper can compliment each other very well. But I also believe that his status as a team captain is going to be what's going to make him a popular target, not only with Jacoby Brissett, but also with Drake May when he gets the ball. This is a guy that can win his matchups, not just in the intermediate area of the field, like I just said,
Starting point is 00:18:00 but also in the red zone. And I think that's where you're going to see him emerge. Maybe he might not lead the team in yards. He may not even lead the team in receptions. But if you're looking at those tallies and touchdowns at the end of the season, yeah, I think you might see Hunter Henry at the top of that list. A couple of years ago, he led the team with nine touchdowns. I think we see the return of that team captain,
Starting point is 00:18:22 that guy that can make the catches when he needs to make them this year, whether it's Jacoby or Drake throwing him a ball. Now, I can agree wholeheartedly with you or disagree slightly. The main reason that I'm going to disagree with this is, once again, we're going to circle back to the offensive line and how much the tight ends are going to be required to stay in and block. How often is that going to happen? Is Hunter Henry going to be that option after the chip, you know, after the fact that he had to be in line and keep whoever is under center, you know, looking pretty? Because that's the point.
Starting point is 00:19:05 You got to keep your quarterback pretty. And I think that's going to take a bit. But I do agree with you when we get down into the red zone or, you know, the pink zone, starting at the 25 or the 30, and they're looking to get into the end zone, that he is going to be out in routes. He is going to be hauling in touchdowns. And I do.
Starting point is 00:19:30 I think he's going to end up with double-digit touchdowns this year. But I do want to circle back to what you said about DeMario. Because if, in fact, the tight ends are going to be otherwise indisposed when it comes to blocking, That does open up so much for receivers and it could open up stuff for backfield receivers. Do you expect the Patriots to catch more passes out of the backfield with running backs than they have in years past, especially because of Alex Van Belt's style? I do. I do. I think Antonio Gibson is going to be paramount in this offense and what he's able to do, not only with his feet, but with his hands. And I also, you know, I also believe that Stevenson,
Starting point is 00:20:11 Ramondre, he always looks fantastic, will be catching more balls out of the backfield this year. I just think that Pop is going to be, is going to pop. Yeah, and we all hope he will. And look, bottom line, DeMario is becoming a favorite, a fan favorite here in New England very quickly. And there's a lot of great reason for that, because when you see what this kid does on the field,
Starting point is 00:20:32 you really, really love it. And you want to see more. And it really is amazing to think about where he came from, where he was drafted. Just think about all the tape that we watched last year and said to ourselves, why didn't he throw the ball to pop absolutely this year this year it's going to happen absolutely so well said i think this year you have the quarterbacks that are going to make it happen and i think you got the right
Starting point is 00:20:55 play callers that are going to make it happen so folks who do you think is going to be the top target here for your new england patriots do you agree with murph that it's going to be pop douglas or do you think it's going to be another wide out? Are you agreeing with me and my good friend Claire over in West Midlands in the UK that it's going to be someone of the tight endage variety? Let us know in the comments section below. We'd love to hear what you think. As long as you keep it respectful, we always welcome any and all comments here on Locked On Patriots,
Starting point is 00:21:22 and we pride ourselves on trying to be the best interactive Patriots podcast out there for you to listen to. But Murph, we're not done yet because there was one more burning question on offense from all of our everydayers. All of our Locked On loyalists out there that keep this pod a part of their daily Patriots coverage. They're not worried about the guys that are going to make the team. They're worried about guys that might not make the team. A dark horse, so to speak. Who has a shot to make it? Might not, but at the end of the day,
Starting point is 00:21:54 shows you a little something extra to earn that spot. Murph and I are going to talk about our dark horse candidates on offense when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Locked On listeners, when you're hiring for your small business, you want to find quality professionals that are right for the role. That's why you have to check out LinkedIn Jobs. LinkedIn Jobs has the tools to help find the right professionals for
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Starting point is 00:23:06 That's linkedin.com slash locked on NFL to post your job for free. Terms and conditions apply. Pats fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. Once again, kind thanks for you making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and hopefully your first listen each and every day. Now that you've made us your first listen, I implore you all to do yourself
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Starting point is 00:24:27 burning questions throughout patriots nation and murph is here as he always is every monday to lend his wisdom counsel and reason the way only he can and you already broke the wisdom council meter my friend when it comes to your insight on the quarterbacks and the quarterback targets. However, there is one question we haven't tackled yet, and that is a potential dark horse roster candidate, a candidate that may be on the roster bubble, maybe even closer to not making the roster than actually making it. Over the course of the next few weeks, Murph, as we march toward the preseason and the start of the regular season,
Starting point is 00:25:03 is there someone on this roster, offensively now, that has the ability to take what they have and kick it into gear just enough to make a roster spot for 2024? I'm glad you said kick it into gear because there's nobody with the gears that my man is in possession of. And that man is Tyquan Thornton, the Slim Reaper. Okay. He is firmly on the other side of this bubble.
Starting point is 00:25:33 Okay. He has to come in. He has to impress and he has to stay healthy. And I think if he does stay healthy, then he will impress. He has tools in his bag that nobody else, he has clubs in his bag, I should say, that nobody else on this team has, that nobody is going to be able to do. He's going to be able to stretch the field, make those grabs,
Starting point is 00:25:56 and make opposing defenses think twice about stacking a box. They're going to have to go too high every time he's on the field if he can stay healthy. He's the man. He's the one that I'm looking at. He's my dark horse. You know, we're always honest in our opinion. Sometimes Murph and I agree. Sometimes we disagree.
Starting point is 00:26:19 We don't disagree on this one. I'm in full agreement with you on Tyquan Thornton. And I believe he does have what it takes to be the dark horse candidate now does that mean automatically we believe he's on this roster without a doubt no absolutely not that he's got on the other side of that bubble and he's got to earn absolutely right he's got to earn it he's got to go out there and take it it's one thing to have the skills to be able to do it it's another thing to go out there and to do right what i'm encouraged with with taekwon that we haven't seen the last couple of years is he's come in bulked up a little bit he's adding some muscle and that's something that i think will serve him well
Starting point is 00:26:54 especially if he takes a gamma yeah exactly and you know when you do that when you commit to something like that even it's just a little extra padding to make sure that you can withstand falling to the ground or taking that hit it's important it means a lot and it could mean the difference between him remaining on the field or being on the shelf and i think another season where he spends any extended time on ir is probably going to spell the end of his tenure here in wingland uh he's going to have to stay, but he's also going to have to stay committed to what the team wants him to do. I think he has to recognize right now that if he does make this team, he's not number one or number two on the pecking order. He's still got to earn that ability to get on there. And there may be spotty times where he sees the field. So if that's the the case where do you use him what what can you
Starting point is 00:27:45 possibly do with taekwon thornton to make him an invaluable part of this roster well you make him work with brendan schooler and you throw him over special teams and that's exactly what the patriots did in mandatory minicamp i'm really going to be watching that area of the field and where schooler is aligning and where he's doing his tutelage over the course of the next few days. And if Taekwon is glued to him at the hip, that's something to watch, folks. I do believe it's going to be on coverage teams and on tackling teams. And if that's the case and you can teach him how to do that, yeah, he's going to beat the
Starting point is 00:28:18 guys downfield each and every time, especially with the new kickoff rules. This might not be a bad time to showcase what he can do. Do you believe that Taekwon learning a little bit on the special team side of the ball may give him a little extra in terms of the competition he may be facing toward making a roster spot in September? I do. And you brought up the new kickoff rules. This is going to completely change the way that special teams are put together. You know, looking, seeing how these guys fit in with the new kickoffs and everything else that's happening right now in the league.
Starting point is 00:28:54 You know, they're going to go into this as an experiment. They're going to tweak it. They might even tweak it mid-season from what I've heard. So it never knows. And like I tell all my players, you know, the more gloves you have in your bag, the, the more time you're going to see on my diamond. Okay. If you can play two, three different positions,
Starting point is 00:29:15 that's going to give you more time on the field. And it's the same thing in football. The more you can do, the more valuable you are to your head coach and your organization. But I think in the end, it's going to be whether or not he can stay healthy and whether or not he can hang on to the ball. Yeah, absolutely. Watching Taekwon and his ability to assimilate into an Alex Van Pelt offense. We've talked about it several times, Murph. Predicated on using the run to set up deep shots down the field, using play action,
Starting point is 00:29:46 and maybe using the running backs as a jet sweep out of the backfield. This is where Tyquan Thornton can really leap off the page. If he plays his cards right and does his job the way he needs to in this Van Pelt offense, you may see a whole other gear from Tyquan. Go back to 2022. This is against the Cleveland Browns, by the way he needs to in this Van Pelt offense, you may see a whole other gear from Taequann. Go back to 2022. This is against the Cleveland Browns, by the way. Week six of that 2022 season, Taequann scored his first receiving touchdown, his first rushing touchdown in the same game. That was the first Patriots receiver since Deion Branch to score a receiving and rushing touchdown in the same game. That was a game that I would go back to and I would take a look.
Starting point is 00:30:27 Someone that can not only take the ball as a jet option out of the backfield, but also score, receiving, and get open, get the deep threat. He really is, I think, a very good fit for what Alex Van Pelt loves to do. I just hope he gets the opportunity to do it. And I also hope he takes that opportunity to do it. And I also hope he takes that opportunity to do it. It's a two-way street. A lot of this is on Taekwon. Not so much about the way he's been utilized or underutilized for the last couple of years under the former regime here in New England. It's really up to him to go out there and get it because we haven't seen enough of that from him
Starting point is 00:30:59 either. No, we haven't. And I agree with you wholeheartedly. 100 proof. 100 proof. Bottom line, folks, Murph and I may be in agreement when it comes to dark horses on this team, but who is your dark horse candidate on offense? If you believe we've made the right choice, or if you believe we've made the wrong choice, again, let us know in the comments section below. It is an interactive mailbag here on Locked On Patriots. And Murph, as Newman would say, the mail never stops. It keeps coming, folks. So keep those questions coming in because I think there's a good chance
Starting point is 00:31:30 Murph may be back before the end of the week. I'm not going to say for sure, but I think there is a good chance that he may be back before the end of the week to talk about training camp, maybe recap training camp a little bit, and maybe take some of your mailbag questions, all the things you want to know about what's going on on the practice fields adjacent to Gillette Stadium when the Patriots take the field on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday all weekend long.
Starting point is 00:31:54 It's going to be a lot of fun. Patriots football is almost back, Murph. And one of the things that we love here about bringing you the very latest in New England Patriots coverage is the wisdom and counsel of this man here on the other side of the screen. Murph, you've been with me since I took the microphone here on Lockdown Patriots five years ago, and you've been a mainstay on this podcast. You not only have been a tremendous friend, but a tremendous source of knowledge for all of our Patriots fans that make Lockdown Patriots a daily part of their New England Patriots coverage.
Starting point is 00:32:26 From the bottom of my heart, man, what can I say? Salute. Thank you so much. And we look forward to five more and five more after that. There you go. As we continue to bring you coverage here on Locked On Patriots of your New England Patriots. But before I let you go, my friend, the stage is yours. Please let everyone know where they can reach out to you, where they can interact with you, and what you got marinating in Murph's kitchen from now until the end of the week. Well, you can
Starting point is 00:32:49 always check up on me on Zitter at TeamMurph207. Not a lot in the fire. I'm getting ready for playoffs right now with the Team Butchie 16U crew. So every waking moment that I have, you know, it's summer. So I can get these guys on a ball field anytime I want. And we'll be doing that. So the keyboard has been put away for at least this week. Folks, we always appreciate my good friend when he drops by here on Locked On Patriots. But most of all, we appreciate each and every one of you taking time out of your schedules to share with us here on Locked On Patriots and make us a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage.
Starting point is 00:33:28 Boots on the ground coverage for your New England Patriots training camp coming up here starting Wednesday. So keep a sharp eye out for all the very latest when it comes to training camp right here on the Locked On Podcast Network. In the meantime, I'm Mike DeBate. And on behalf of my good friend, the Count of Murphy Pisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, I want to remind you all to stay safe and to
Starting point is 00:33:50 stay well and to 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 Patreon.

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