Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins: Mac Jones Moving Forward, Pats Defense Battles Tyreek Hill - Crossover Thursday

Starting point is 00:00:00 It is crossover Thursday here on the Locked On Network. I am Kyle Krabs of Locked On Dolphins, joined by Mike DeBate of Locked On Patriots. Sunday night football, Dolphins and Patriots with an AFC East clash. And we welcome all of you into this crossover Thursday. You can find our shows here on the Locked On Network on YouTube or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast. A shout out to Every Day, Every Every Dayer here on the Locked On Network,

Starting point is 00:00:26 who does keep it locked in with us because we don't just say it, we live it. It is your team every day. Today's episode of Locked On Crossover Thursday is brought to you by PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL and use promo code locked on NFL in all lowercase for a first deposit match up to $100. Mike, it's been a while. We, of course, did the intro, the AFC East series together with the rest of the AFC East guys.

Starting point is 00:00:55 How are you? I'm doing well. It's always fun doing the Locked On Patriots, Locked On Dolphins crossovers. These are two fan bases with a large history, with a lot of respect, but also a lot of fun-loving animosity. So definitely looking forward to this one without question, Kyle. Yeah, it's been a healthy rivalry, by all means, of course, depending on how you're declaring success.

Starting point is 00:01:22 New England certainly had the edge as of late as far as big picture success, although the scales the last couple of years had made a little bit more interesting as New England has transitioned and is looking to fortify another transition with Bill O'Brien as the offensive coordinator. You guys did the thank you for Tom Brady at halftime of the season opener against Philadelphia.

Starting point is 00:01:43 I'm curious, is one of those the big story with New England right now? Is there another big story? What's the buzz right now around the Pats? Yeah, I think right now with the Pats, it's all about returning to offensive respectability. I think that really was what everyone was waiting to see, the Bill O'Brien effect on this offense here in New England. And quite honestly, the effect has been relatively positive. It sounds a little strange coming from someone that covers a team that now is 0-1 and lost a tough game to the Philadelphia Eagles 25-20 last Sunday. But one of the things that the Patriots did well, once they got a little bit of those opening game jitters out of their

Starting point is 00:02:22 system, was essentially move the ball well and they had a little bit more command in the red zone Mac Jones has looked more comfortable in Bill O'Brien's offense there were some sputters early some sputters late and things that will need to be cleaned up in order for them to remain competitive in this game that we're covering and talking about here today but something that the Patriots definitely wanted to see was a little bit more from their run game I think they will try to utilize their run game a little bit more this week I'm sure we'll talk about that in just a moment but the re-emergence of that 12 personnel that two tight ends set that the New England Patriots wanted to always employ when they had John O'Smith and

Starting point is 00:03:00 Hunter Henry here for whatever reason that just was not the proper fit Mike Gusecki looking like a pretty good fit in New England so far but the re-emergence of Hunter Henry as a true force in this offense is something that the Patriots love to see and on the receiving end of all of this you definitely look at Kendrick Bourne leading the way with receivers that's something that I think the New England Patriots are happy to see. And all of that behind an offensive line that has shown better technique, better preparedness, and also, I think, greater toughness this year than they did last season. There are still some question marks. You've got guys banged up. Trent Brown did not practice on Wednesday.

Starting point is 00:03:38 The time we're recording this, we're not sure why he was missed from practice. So these are all things that the New England Patriots need to add up, but it all moves into a direction that shows that this offense is ready to take that next step, whether it be this week or beyond. They're definitely showing more promise than what we saw one year ago in New England. I guess just a quick follow-up there is I was surprised to see both guards scratched. And know and when you had ankle surgery in the offseason and then Cole Strange had a knee injury during training camp that was kind of on again off again was was that a surprise to the Pats uh do you think that both

Starting point is 00:04:17 of those guys ended up not dressing I believe you guys started a couple guards there are rookie guards there in their place yeah absolutely uh I think Cole Strange is showing signs of being able to move forward. Mike Ueno is definitely showing signs of being able to move forward. But these are two guys right now that you have to be very careful with. Ueno with the ankle injury, Cole Strange with the knee injury that he suffered during training camp. These are things that are concerns. And now with Trent Brown not practicing,

Starting point is 00:04:43 you're possibly looking at three starters either being banged up or not playing on Sunday which could be a disastrous situation for the New England Patriots they got solid contributions from their rookies but again uh there were early problems there were early issues Mac Jones obviously not well protected on the pick six not well protected or they should say the entire offense was not well protected on the pick six, not well protected, or I should say the entire offense was not well protected on the Ezekiel Elliott fumble early on, and then three straight three and outs. Patriots were able to settle down and get some protection after that, but that's a major concern if you have to go into this game with additional rookies or inexperienced players taking these snaps. Pats need at least one of those starters in the lineup for Sunday's game. And you mentioned wanting to get more from the running game. The big story around the Dolphins

Starting point is 00:05:31 right now is 230-something rushing yards given to the Los Angeles Chargers. And a lot of Dolphins fans have questions saying, well, wait a minute, hold on now. All we heard all off season was how great Vic Fangio is. And, uh, the dolphins rushing into a rushing defense, uh, really left a lot to be desired and might make Daniel during his Wednesday press availability, uh, kind of said he, he felt as though upon the review of the tape that he felt like there were some individuals who were pressing a little bit, trying to make plays individually of the scheme. And, uh, there And there were some learning lessons to be had there. And for Miami, against a team like New England, who historically has run the ball well, they have offensive line talent at their disposal,

Starting point is 00:06:16 and you certainly trust their ability to develop offensive linemen based on the long track record. I know Coach Skarnecchia has been gone a few years, but you think about the New England Patriots and the strengths of this roster, you would expect the discussion to include running the ball and the running backs with Ramond Ray Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott. So I think that is for Dolphins fans as they're looking at the Patriots. You're seeing what went well, offense against the Chargers, and what didn't go well was run defense and you you're kind of eager to see is the stoppable force or movable object you're going to give in week two as it pertains to New England's rushing attack underwhelmed Miami's rushing defense greatly underwhelmed and

Starting point is 00:06:57 certainly the scheme change was something that you heard a couple players including Javon Holland allude to after the game saying you know that this this is going to be a work in progress that you heard a couple of players, including Javon Holland, allude to after the game, saying this is going to be a work in progress that you stack towards and develop and get better at and have a better understanding of. But the Dolphins can't afford to have the same level of busted assignments in the front as they had against the Chargers because if they do, that's a first-class ticket to explosive runs, flipping the field, losing time of possession, risking getting worn down late in the game.

Starting point is 00:07:31 And all of those things are things that Miami would certainly like to avoid after their defense took 80 snaps on Sunday against the Chargers in week one. We're going to start talking about matchups to watch here next on this crossover Thursday. So keep it locked in with us and we will be right back. Everyone should be empowered to care for themselves and their loved ones during the unexpected. And that's why Jace Medical offers the Jace case. The Jace case provides five life-saving antibiotics for emergency use and gives you the peace of mind to know that you're not just hoping you will have access to medication in an emergency. Jace Medical makes sure you have medication on hand. Jace Medical is simple.

Starting point is 00:08:13 They handle everything from the online evaluation to licensed pharmacy medication delivery and ongoing consultation and care. Don't get caught up unprepared. Save more than $360 by getting these life-saving antibiotics with Jace Medical, plus an additional $20 off using code LOCKEDON at checkout at jacemedical.com. That is J-A-S-E medical.com, promo code LOCKEDON. Okay, Mike, your home team, I'll kick it to you you match up you're looking forward to here week two dolphins patriots well i don't know if any patriots fan would be able to answer this with any type of straight face if they didn't say that it would be how the patriots secondary or how the patriots defense in ernst is going to be able to contain tyreek Hill after a 215-yard performance against the Los Angeles Chargers last week.

Starting point is 00:09:07 Look, bottom line, this is going to be a very, very difficult move for the New England Patriots. Traditionally, what the Patriots have done well against Suetai Bailoa and, of course, against the Dolphins in general, is play single high coverage. The problem is that that is something that the New England Patriots are not going to be able to do effectively. As true as essentially been excellent against single high coverage. So in that regard, what do you do if you're the

Starting point is 00:09:36 Patriots and you want to try to take away Tyree Kill? Well, in the past, what they've done is they've had Jonathan Jones remain the prominent factor or the prominent defender against him and they've had devin mccordy come over and help him out on occasion devin mccordy is no longer in new england so that would probably leave jonathan jones being tyree kill's main shadow in the problem is is last year when they when the patriots played these guys or the patriots played the dolphins in week one last year. He'll won those battles more often than not against Jonathan Jones one-on-one. So what did the Patriots do in week 17 to try to combat that a little bit? They went more with split safeties and they often did that to try to contain Hill, albeit Teddy Bridgewater and

Starting point is 00:10:20 Thompson were the quarterbacks that they're dealing with, not Tua. But at this point, I would expect the New England Patriots to do more of the same. So if they're going to use their safeties to their advantage, I think they're going to open up the whole arsenal. I think they're going to open up guys like Kyle Duggar, Jabril Peppers. It wouldn't shock me to see Adrian Phillips get involved. He talked about winning your battles early. These are all things that the Patriots are going to have to do, but Jonathan Jones will be the primary force on him. It's going to be interesting to see if New England can contain because's the matchup I'm looking forward to more so than anything else. Jonathan Jones and using a split safety combination against Tyreek Hill, trying to see if that can slow him down. And I wish good luck to the Patriots in their efforts.

Starting point is 00:11:15 So I'm glad you went there because I look at what New England has defensively. And obviously the versatility of the safeties is through the moon, like super valuable, especially against a defense like this. My question for you is how do you anticipate new England will try to space the middle of the field if they're going to play too high coverages? Because I know like Juwan Bentley and Jelani Tavai are big bodied guys and Tua throws those alleys in zone coverage pretty effectively. Do you expect to see three safeties simultaneously and have one of those guys living as like a middle of the field to the passing strength to try and put a little bit more athleticism there? Or do you expect New England to kind of embrace, look, we're going to have our six in the

Starting point is 00:12:05 box and it's these guys and we have to be able to communicate and pass stuff off effectively with the rest of the effectively a nickel defense I think they could go either way I think you're going to see more three safety looks just by what I'm seeing from the New England Patriots and what we're hearing from what this team has been doing well in training camp in preseason and try and try to play their strengths. And they have a couple of guys that can do it. I mentioned Adrian Phillips earlier on. He is someone that can play up to the line of scrimmage and play that hybrid star position, that linebacker type of safety that really, I think, looms throughout the field. The other

Starting point is 00:12:38 wild card here, even though he's a rookie, the Patriots have shown a lot of faith in their rookies up until this point. And I'm sure we'll get to one in just a minute. But the other guy that I want to mention right now is Marte Mapu. He is someone that can play a definite linebacker. He is listed as a linebacker on the Patriots depth chart. But you take that off, and he has played a good amount of safety so far in mini camp, in training camp, really into the preseason when he got healthy enough to do it. So I think the Patriots are going to roll their dice and take their chances here with the athleticism, but it wouldn't shock me to see them drop back and say, you know what, we're going to get our six in the box. And that's something that I think that the Patriots may look to if they want,

Starting point is 00:13:18 if they're not sure about how the safeties are going to be able to cover. But my guess is, I think you'll see a lot more three safety looks this week. The other matchup when Miami has the ball that I'm looking forward to is the pass rush group of Judon and Uche and Keon White, who's flashed quite a bit, at least from what I've seen from afar with his physical potential, you know, long arms, explosive, really big twitchy body. Thought he was impressive in the preseason as far as his reactive athleticism on the edge against Austin Jackson at right tackle. And I don't think you'll see Teron Armstead this week. He was practicing on Wednesday. Mike McDaniel said

Starting point is 00:13:57 he's going to practice today. We're going to let it simmer and we're going to evaluate on Thursday what he looks like on Wednesday during practice. So Teron did practice on Wednesday, but it was in a red non-contact jersey. And I get the impression just based off how well Kendall Lamb played against the Chargers as the swing tackle that they don't feel pressure to play him. And Miami made some schematic adjustments against the Chargers. They really cut down on their play action passing. They cut it by about 50% versus what an average game in 2022 looked like. And when they did not play action pass, Tua got the ball out in about 2.3 seconds on average.

Starting point is 00:14:35 So if you're going to mitigate questions with the pass protection, really embracing the quick game and understanding with the speed of the receivers that we have, we don't have to get compressed into a box and still be able to throw the ball quickly like other teams may face challenges with. I think they're more willing to do that. So how well can Judon and Uche, who's more explosive, Josh Uche is more explosive than either of the two edge rushers that the Dolphins faced last week. So if you're getting into third and seven, third and 10, third and 12, Uche being out there, I think he's a really critical player for the Dolphins to have answers for. Yeah, absolutely. And I believe that Uche will definitely play a big role in this game because naturally,

Starting point is 00:15:18 I mean, the guys are going to be gravitated toward Matthew Judon and for good reason, but other guys to watch in that realm as well. And you mentioned keon white keon white is someone with a tenacious motor and they're going to continue to deploy him in that fashion both he and dietrich wise jr are a very good one-two combination on that edge so definitely look for that if you're the uh the miami dolphins because i think the patriots are going to try to use all of their speed and strength at that level to try to make things difficult on Tua because you saw what he's able to do against single high coverage.

Starting point is 00:15:49 Patriots would be very pedestrian to attempt that again this week, and I don't think Bill Belichick is going to attempt it. So when New England has the ball, we've kind of already talked about the offensive line and the talent that may or may not be available. I certainly think that's a massive storyline and matchup for the Dolphins defense, because quite frankly, I thought the Chargers defensive line or excuse me, the Chargers offensive line had success. You don't rush for 230 plus yards by not moving guys around. So I think there was some error with the Dolphins group, but I do think the Chargers with Corey Lindsley healthy and Ray Sean Slater healthy. And Zion Johnson is a second

Starting point is 00:16:30 year player who showed growth and Trey Pipkins didn't play in the game last year against the Dolphins either. So there was like three guys that were a hundred percent that you either didn't see or saw a shell of last year when these two teams played, they had success moving Miami up front. So who's available for New England, I think, is is a big matchup for me as far as are they guys that are either rookies and will play above their experience level, which I think they would need to in order to feel like you'd win the one on one matchups with Christian Wilkins and Zach Seeler. Or if the vets are good to go, what do they look like? So I think that for me is where I'm really going to be dialed in. It's the Dolphins, especially the interior core four of the two stack linebackers and the interior defensive linemen is where I'll really be keyed in on this matchup. Yeah, without any question, and I'm glad that you mentioned that

Starting point is 00:17:19 because if you're a Patriots fan on that level, that's what you're looking to see. You're looking to see guys like Ramondre Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott get on track. We didn't quite see enough of that against the Eagles, and the Eagles did a very good job of containing the running game and keeping the Patriots from getting that type of traction that they needed to free up a lot in their passing game. It took the Patriots a lot to get into rhythm, and if Miami can do that effectively and limit Stevenson and Ezekiel Elliott early, they're going to have probably similar success to what Philadelphia had. If you're the Patriots, you definitely want to test that front seven, because like you

Starting point is 00:17:55 said to open the show, Kyle, Vic Fangio was not happy with the effort that was put out on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. You want to see more from the linebackers and Jerome Baker and David Long. Raekwon Davis mans the middle in that three-fourth set. So you want to see a little bit more aggression in their ability to be able to contain the run. Because so much of what New England does offensively is predicated on using the run to set up play action. To allow Mac Jones to be able to hit his targets get comfort and be able to utilize his abilities to lead his receivers under the defense put it where

Starting point is 00:18:32 the receiver can get it and then get yards after the catch that's really Mac Jones's MO and where he's at his best and at his most comfortable that's going to be easier said than done if they're not getting the protection up front so I completely agree it really is going to be easier said than done if they're not getting the protection up front. So I completely agree. It really is going to be all about who is along that offensive line to provide pass protection and, most importantly, to provide run protection. Antonio Mafia and CitySew did it adequately on Sunday, but they're going to need a better effort because that Miami offense is going to be ready to put points on the board. Patriots are going to have to try to either match it or keep it close somehow. Keys to victory is coming up next year on this crossover Thursday.

Starting point is 00:19:10 Stick with us. We're going to talk about what the key is for each side and how we think this game is going to turn out. PrizePix is the largest independently owned daily fantasy sports platform in North America. The easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports, because it's not you versus me and Mike and thousands of other people and sharps and sharks and pros. Instead, it's you against the numbers you pick more or less on two to six player stat projections and watch your winnings roll in prize picks is the most fun

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Starting point is 00:19:54 You can go to prize picks.com slash locked on NFL and use code locked on NFL for first deposit match of up to $100. That is prize picks.com slash locked on NFL and use code locked on NFL for first deposit match of up to $100. That is prizepicks.com slash locked on NFL and use code locked on NFL for first deposit match of up to $100 prize picks daily fancy sports done. Right? Okay, Mike, uh, keys to victory. We've kind of alluded to a couple. I'd be curious.

Starting point is 00:20:24 You could pick one for New England. They got to do this. Is it Tyree kill? Is it win the line of scrimmage offensively? Is it something else? What do you think? Well, I mean, conventional wisdom once again would tell you Tyree killed containing him, depending on the amount of, and really, I don't think that's a shock considering the

Starting point is 00:20:43 amount of time I spent talking on that, but I would say controlling the line of scrimmage is really key. That, to me, is what the New England Patriots are going to be able to either hang their hat on or hang a loss on in this game. One of the things that the Patriots did adequately on Sunday against the Eagles, but we need to see more of it, is converting on third down and clutch situations. They had too many of those gotta have it moments that Mac Jones or the offense were not able to convert.

Starting point is 00:21:12 And if that's the case on Sunday, this Miami offense is really going to make them pay for it by bringing that unit back out on the field and keeping that defense off the field. If I'm the New England Patriots, it's winning the battles at the line, both offensively and defensively, because one thing that you want to do with a high-powered, high-octane offense like the one that the Miami Dolphins employ, it's keep them off the field as long as possible.

Starting point is 00:21:36 You do that with solid protection on the defensive line up front, but you also do it with offense as well. You need to make sure that this team is moving the ball, getting first downs and sustaining long drives. If they can do that, I think the Patriots have a puncher's chance in this one. If they don't, it's going to be a very, very long evening into the night in Foxborough. In case in point, New England between third and fourth downs was six of 19 against Philadelphia. So I think that's a great place to start.

Starting point is 00:22:05 My, my talking point is a two pronged, one of which is winning first and 10 for the dolphins defense. So it falls right in line with that line of scrimmage situation because the chargers were able to get in so many second and third and shorts that they could consistently run the football. And Jalen Phillips, Dolphins pass rusher said after the game, we didn't earn the right to consistently rush the passer on third

Starting point is 00:22:30 downs because they didn't do a good enough job in the early downs. So if New England is going to continue to not have success on third and fourth down, Miami has to win on first down. And they very rarely did it. And the other one that I would have, it's one of the low-hanging fruits of winning any football game, but the Dolphins turned the ball over twice in the red zone against the Chargers. Can't happen. We can't have a must snap that the Chargers jump on, and we can't throw up a 50-50 ball, regardless of whether J.C. Jackson extended into the back of Braxton Berrios for what could have been argued defensive pass interference or not. At the end of the day, you lost the turnover battle against the Chargers

Starting point is 00:23:08 two to nothing. You do that against Bill Belichick and typically he's going to make you pay for it. So ball security offensively and defensively winning first down, I think are the critical elements for Miami that they got to do better at than what they did last week against the Chargers. Absolutely. And I completely 100% agree with you. And like I said, these matchups always end up determining the outcome of this game. And I don't think you're going to see anything different this week. I really think this one might come down to the wire because of the Patriots energy of playing at home.

Starting point is 00:23:38 But this Miami team is coming in playing at a very high level. And I look forward to a better a defensive performance from them than we saw against the chargers that's indeed the case uh this is going to be a tough one for the pats yeah so if we were to throw a quick prediction out here to get us out of here i'll i'll go first as the road team and i'll let you drop the the microphone at the end here um i i think it's a one score game i do i know it's it's very easy and low hanging fruit to look at, uh, the wide receivers of new England and Kendrick Bourne getting 11 targets and dolphins fans looking from afar and saying, Oh, we remember that guy.

Starting point is 00:24:14 It was in Belichick's dog house last year. If he's the leading receiver, we got the guys in the secondary to cover it. The running game didn't get going. This team's going to be right to play Miami. I am very confident of that. I think they'll run the ball with success. I do think Miami with their offensive firepower, if you were to just look at top-end talent, I think if you pick the best five players on each roster, I think that's where Miami has a little bit of an edge that can potentially transcend the

Starting point is 00:24:44 coaching because it's Jimmy's and Joe's versus X's and O's. And a lot of times, if you have enough of the Jimmy's and Joe's, you can draw it off on the chalkboard, right? But the talent can kind of give you an edge. So I would go Miami 26-21 would be my final score prediction for this contest against New England. Yeah. And I think you make a lot of good points. And look, bottom line, I know I'm probably going with a little bit of maybe a little bit of Homer enthusiasm here, but the New England Patriots very seldom drop two in a row when they've shown enough promise to be able to hang with a very, very formidable opponent. They did that on Sunday against the

Starting point is 00:25:23 Philadelphia Eagles. For all of the talk of moral victories and all that and good losses and things of that nature, all that goes out the window when Bill Belichick goes into the planning room. And I think he sees the opportunity, like you said, Kyle, to run the ball effectively. And if New England Patriots can do that, they're very good at being able to keep teams on their heels. The key, again, is going to be keeping Miami's offense off the field long enough for Mac Jones and his offense to be able to make things happen. On defense, if the Patriots want to try to shut down or at least marginally disrupt this offense, I think, once again, you're going to see Jonathan Jones draw the coverage on Tyreek Hill. Christian Gonzalez, the rookie, is probably going to draw Jalen Waddell, and that's going to be, I think, an opportunity for the three safeties

Starting point is 00:26:08 to be able to try to take away the middle of the field and allow that front seven to be able to do what they need to do, and that's shore up the run and stop the Dolphins from getting on track right at the line. The Patriots can do that. I like their chances on throwback Sunday night football where the Patriots are going to be wearing Pat Patriot and those red throwbacks and the white helmets.

Starting point is 00:26:29 I think they take this one, and I think they take this one by a razor-thin margin. I like them 24-21 in New England on Sunday. Going to be a good game, so make sure you're in front of your couch, plugged in and ready to go on Sunday night football, and then after the game, check out Locked On Dolphins and and locked on Patriots for your reactions from

Starting point is 00:26:48 the post game, whether you're a Patriots fan or a dolphins fan, we appreciate you guys for checking out the show and checking out crossover Thursday. That is going to do it for us on this crossover Thursday. Make sure you hit subscribe on lockdown Patriots is Pat's fan locked on dolphins is dolphins fans and keep it locked in right here on the locked on network because it is your team every day.

Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots vs. Miami Dolphins: Mac Jones Moving Forward, Pats Defense Battles Tyreek Hill - Crossover Thursday

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