Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots vs. New York Giants; What to Watch For in Preseason Game 1

Episode Date: August 11, 2022

The New England Patriots are hosting the New York Giants in their preseason opener at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Joining host Mike D’Abate to preview the matchup is Clare ‘ClazzyClare’ Coop...er of Pats Propaganda. The duo discuss Devin Asiasi’s hand injury and its impact on his pursuit of a roster spot, the state of the Patriots offense, and what to watch for on Thursday against the Giants.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!DaveDownload the Dave app from the App store right now for an Extra Cash account and get up to 500 dollars instantly. For terms and conditions go to dave.com/legal. Instant transfer fees apply. Banking provided by Evolve. Member FDIC.Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Starting point is 00:00:00 At long last, Patriots fans, New England Patriots football returns tonight at Gillette Stadium. The New England Patriots against the New York football giants. What can you expect out of preseason opener in New England? Stay tuned. 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 and thank you once again for making Lockdown
Starting point is 00:00:55 Patriots your first list every day and also a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Lockdown Patriots is free and available on all platforms including including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download and subscribe to Locked on Patriots, wherever you get your audio podcasts.
Starting point is 00:01:13 And remember, we are a proud part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. My name is Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Let me know what's on your mind on Twitter at
Starting point is 00:01:27 M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. And while you're out there showing some love to the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots podcast at L-O underscore Patriots. Pats fans, it is game day. Your New England Patriots open the
Starting point is 00:01:43 2022 preseason tonight, August 11th, against the New York football Giants at Gillette Stadium. Pats and the Giants have a history together in terms of preseason matchups. Usually it's to close the preseason, but this year, the New England Patriots and the Giants open the preseason, and there's a lot to keep an eye on after an interesting, better way to put it uh pre-season and of course the new england patriots gonna showcase a lot of new talent and maybe a little bit of newness when it comes to their play calling and here today to help me break it all down is
Starting point is 00:02:20 truly one of our favorites on the podcast you know know her from her great work on Pat's Propaganda as a columnist extraordinaire and also the host of her very own Patriots podcast, one of the best listens in Patriots media anywhere. She is the empress of tight endage, the countess of class herself, Miss Claire, Classy Claire Cooper. Claire, thank you for joining me from across the pond today.
Starting point is 00:02:43 Happy game day. Oh, yes. Happy game day to you. Happy start of preseason. As I come to you, Mike, from the surface of the sun, it is so warm over here today. So I have to apologize immensely for my, yeah, flushed nature. It's really warm over here. I know you guys get it a lot hotter as well. But, yeah, it's pretty much the surface of the sun as i come to you now so well monday monday and tuesday at practice at gillette was enough for bill belichick and the patriots brass to move practice until later in the day to really give this team an opportunity to see what that tropical heat that heavy humidity is going
Starting point is 00:03:22 to be like down in miami in week one but it also, you know, makes for a very, very difficult time. So surface of the sun, we can definitely sympathize, Countess. And you do have my extreme sympathies. But the good news is, is that Patriots football is going to be back on the gridiron tonight at Gillette Stadium, which means that the fall weather is coming. And it means that football season is that much closer. And Claire, we've talked offline a lot about this preseason matchup coming up and what we're seeing out of Patriots training camp,
Starting point is 00:03:51 what we're seeing out of the Patriots in terms of practices, and what we can expect to see tonight against the Giants. But in true flip-the-script fashion, which has been working out pretty well for the last couple of weeks, fans seem to like it. I know we're having a great time with it i thought we'd continue that into this pre-season preview episode because i know you got a lot on your mind and i know there are things that you want to see in terms of first-hand observations from practice so i turn the baton over to you countess you have the seat today. You're going to put me on the grilling seat today once again.
Starting point is 00:04:28 And you have free reign at this point, Countess, to ask me any questions that you'd like about training camp or about what to expect when you're expecting to see the Patriots play the Giants this evening at Gillette. So the command is yours, Countess. Well, I'm glad you guys got the memo. The script has been flipped once again. So yeah, on this Thursday game day, pre-season game day. So Mike, yeah, there's many questions that obviously we're waiting to be answered with this first pre-season
Starting point is 00:04:59 game. Granted, they can't all be answered with this first pre-season game. We still have a long way to go. However, there is one topic that's kind of come up and I know it's in my wheelhouse. So I know a couple of non-tight-ended people will groan, but it is something that's been talked about considerably by everybody because it's something or it's an individual, it's a player that's been very questionable.
Starting point is 00:05:18 As we've mentioned many times, he was a healthy scratch last season. Roster pick, draft used uh they used draft capital to move up to get him this kind of thing so he's somebody that is still on the tip of everybody's tongue because you're waiting to really see what this kid has got so as he left the practice on Monday with an unknown injury I read that he dealt with a hand issue this pre-season and he was limited on Tuesday so as we record this on Thursday I'd kind of like to ask you specifically about him how is this ripple affecting into his sort of chances of making the roster even his chances of making the team as a
Starting point is 00:06:01 whole for example you know being released and coming back onto the practice squad so what are your thoughts specifically on Asiasi at the moment as we record this preseason that's a good question because up until we found out about the hand injury and up until he was limited in practice Devin was actually looking pretty good he was showing some ability maybe a little bit more ability than we've seen him show in quite some time, simply because he looked to be more comfortable in the offense. He looked to be a little bit more engaged in his route running. And I think that has been his biggest problem. It's fitting into where the Patriots needed him to be and really doing what he needed to do with his role. So he's looked better, but up until this point right now uh that injury does throw maybe a little
Starting point is 00:06:47 bit of a wrench into his plans one quick question you mentioned about he seems comfortable in the offense now there's been a lot of talk about changes in this offense this this is a new offense that kind of thing do you think any of that would have any kind of effect on that do you believe that his comfort is to do to do with that or is it just that we're now seeing an asi asi who sort of is comfortable in his own skin at the patriots knows what he's doing that kind of thing i think it's a little bit of both to be honest with you i think he's got more confidence i think he's playing with a little bit more bravado and i also think he's more comfortable now being a professional football
Starting point is 00:07:23 player you know there's a growing pains level with these guys too. And because they're so prolific in college and because the Patriots spent a third round draft pick or a first round draft pick, and they brought these guys in, you expect them to hit the field and be gold the minute they hit the football field. It doesn't always work like that. Some players develop a little bit slower. Some players develop confidence a little slower and it can hurt you even when you have a good amount of physical skills and physical talent that uh you know needs to be showcased so i think you're seeing a little bit of that with devin the other thing that i think the new offense we're going to get into this in a little bit i'm sure
Starting point is 00:07:59 but when the new offense is installed the zone run, and we'll get into that a little bit more about how that affects so many different players on the field. You run that effectively with two tight ends. You do run that with a blocking tight end. And Patriots have done that before, folks. And I will elaborate on that in just a moment. But when you have a blocking tight end that's throwing the blocks, it allows a route running natural hands catcher tight end to maybe get a little bit more free on the opposite side to be a pass catcher. And I think you've seen Devin Asiasi maybe benefit from that a little bit. So I think it's more about his internal confidence, but the switch in offense seems to have helped him a little bit. that being said, as good as he's looked in training camp up until this point,
Starting point is 00:08:50 having a hand injury or having any type of limitation is not going to help him in terms of trying to make the roster this year. Dalton Keene is nipping at his heels. He's back out there on the field after missing some practice time. And Matt Sokol is out there as well. Now, a lot of people think Sokol is just a camp body and he'll be one of the first on the chopping block. Not so fast. The Patriots always look for complementary pieces, players that can play a specific role that they need within a given offense. And with the new offense, as I just said before, that zone run is so predicated on having a strong blocking tight end. Does that mean that Keane or maybe even Sokol may have the upper hand on Devin Asiasi? There's a possibility. So when you look at time away from the field, it's always going to be a factor in terms of how the Patriots evaluate you and your place on the roster. Asiasi, Keene,
Starting point is 00:09:38 and Sokol, I think are going to see a great amount of time tonight in Foxborough. and i also think that you're going to see the patriots try to work things out now if asi asi is limited and he can't go or he has any type of injury that prevents him from getting and making field at all then you're looking at a situation maybe where it says a little bit more about what the patriots might do with him as opposed to what they might not. So I'm looking forward to it. I also would like to see Jonu Smith get some time tonight. I know the starters, according to Mike Reese, the starters are not going to play extensive time tonight, maybe even at all. But I do look for Jonu to maybe play a few sets. And I think the reason why the Patriots want to do that, get him back into the flow. He's looked great. You want to
Starting point is 00:10:23 keep that going. So I would look for that. But that back into the flow. He's looked great. You want to keep that going. So I would look for that, but it's going to be telltale tonight. To answer your question with Devin Asiasi is how much time does he see on the field? If he's not limited, but he's not seeing much time, that could be a telltale sign. Keep a sharp eye on that, folks. So excellent question, Countess. Always to kick us off with the right topic. Always need to kick off the situation with the right topic because you always bring us to the level that we need to be brought to. And you're going to do that again, folks, in just a moment when the Countess of Clas herself continues to keep me on the hot seat.
Starting point is 00:10:57 And we continue to talk New England Patriots football the way only we can right here on Locked on Patriots. But first, folks, Claire, summer is here. It's dog days of summer. You know exactly what I'm talking about right now. It's hot in the UK. It's hot in Foxborough, all over the place. But when the warm weather is here, you just can't help it. You want to get out. You want to explore.
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Starting point is 00:12:13 Do it today. Go to Bilt.com and enter the promo code LOCK15 for 15% off your next order. That's LOCK15 at Bilt.com. Patriots fans, we are flipping the script here on this game day preview. Pat's Giants edition of the Locked On Patriots podcast. And in the interviewer chair today is our good friend, the Clountess of Clas herself, the Empress of Tight Endage. She is the principal of positivity,
Starting point is 00:12:44 and she's spreading the positivity in that chair the illustrious claire clazy claire cooper of pets propaganda and a clear perspective the patriots podcast joins me today and claire you had some questions on tight endage the last segment and i definitely did my best to answer your question on debonacci and give you my thoughts on maybe what to expect from tight endage tonight when the Patriots take the field but overall the biggest question with this team right now seems to be the offense you hear so many different perspectives there are some beat writers that'll tell you the offense is looking good don't buy into the hype everything's
Starting point is 00:13:23 going to be fine and then there are some that will tell you that the sky is falling dogs and cats living together mass hysteria all different kinds of doom and gloom coming from foxborough that this is the absolute worst team that we'll ever see in the history of uh you know the franchise you know people that have been covering for 30 40 years are saying that this is an absolute disaster. I always believe that virtue lies in the middle, but I actually think that virtue may lie on the side of the Patriots a little bit more right now. Last half full, maybe, but that's just my opinion. But you had some questions. We've talked several times about the offense and about what this means for the New England Patriots.
Starting point is 00:14:03 So do you have any questions for me, Countess, regarding the Patriots offense? Well, it's funny you should say that, Michael, because something that I think is really on everybody's lips at the moment that may not have been dealt with significantly at this point, but what is it that do you think that you saw that you witnessed with your sharp eye that made the offense look so much better on Tuesday than what they'd seen previously yeah I think it's a very simple uh the Patriots looked like they had more push from the offensive line they looked a little bit more aggressive they moved more fluid and when you have those two things especially when you want to incorporate a zone run offense that's key i mean for all of the for all of the pressure that's being put on mac jones's shoulders right now and his comfort level and he doesn't look comfortable and he's
Starting point is 00:14:55 holding on to the ball for too long things of that nature most of that can be cured in a zone run offense when you get solid blocking from the offensive line they're springing the running backs to be able to spring free and get decent yardage or significant yardage that all comes into play and that all helps to make the quarterback not only feel more comfortable but also complete his throws see the field a little bit better that's all that that you see so when you talk about the difference from monday which was complete disaster to tuesday which was life springing back into motion here a little bit that was the biggest thing it was the movement and the push of the offensive line
Starting point is 00:15:34 quick question in regards to changes it because i heard or read sorry that um could just was in at right guard yeah i forgot that i went around does that correspond with any of the changes any of the improvements or did that actually happen before they improved just remind me no i mean it looked like it did have an improvement there's no question about it look justin her own has had a very good camp i'm not going to sit up here and tell you oh hello her own was the problem and they took him out and it looked so much better everything's good everything's clicking harone had a pretty bad day on monday and i think justin would be the first to tell you and admit it himself um i don't think we're saying anything off bounds here uh he looked like he struggled hanging with the starters uh he wasn't keeping pace with them and he also was having a lot of
Starting point is 00:16:23 difficulty matching up with the defender one-on-one. And when you have those problems, especially in a zone run offense, you're going to struggle. And that's exactly what happened to Justin. Yannicka just comes in on Tuesday. He moves a little bit better laterally. He's a little bit better of a horizontal mover than Justin is. Started to show that flash of talent that we thought he was going to show back in 2019 when he came to the Patriots as a pick out of West Virginia.
Starting point is 00:16:50 A lot of people were saying this kid has the makings of a strong pro lineman. Now, there was injury concerns coming out of college, so a lot of people didn't expect him to see the field right away. It took him a lot longer than people expected him to, but we saw little bits and pieces last year of what this kid can do i'm looking at him tonight believe me and i'm going to look at him and i'm going to look at her own and see how these types of complementary pieces are utilizing their skill sets to make this patriots offense go so kajust i thought did a very good job he was you know very
Starting point is 00:17:22 much uh involved in some of the pushes, strong pushes that you saw up front. As a matter of fact, he combined with Michael Wayne, who on a really good, you know, combination block, which allowed Ramondre Stevenson to spring free for a pretty significant run. We haven't seen a whole lot of those in camp. So that to me has spelled a lot. It really is about the movement on the offensive line but you know bottom line a lot of this as well claire is just the patriots getting used to running this system it's not a brand new foreign concept um i think that's a common misconception among a lot of fans and maybe even some media that this is something we've never seen from new england before they've run
Starting point is 00:18:03 that they've run this system before they just haven't run it all that much. And even when they did, you know, run the zone reads, they didn't run the bootleg off of it. And the bootleg is probably the biggest. That's to me the biggest change here. And that's where the comfort level is going to start to go through. You're seeing that from offenses like San Francisco and Los Angeles. You hear that Shanahan McVay type offense.
Starting point is 00:18:25 They're the ones that are running the zone read and they're running the bootleg off of that. That's not something the Patriots have done regularly and they're still getting used to doing it. As someone that's been to camp, you could probably answer this question quite well. It's something that I brought up when I was on One Patriots Place
Starting point is 00:18:42 and we actually was able to talk to Mark Schofield, something that I sort of thought of in regards to the kind of the offense, you know, as you said, the sky's falling in, the offense isn't sort of performing as well. Is it less to do with the offense isn't performing as well, more so to do with the defense is performing way better than most of us expected from what we saw initially at the beginning of camp that kind of thing and what we saw drafting that kind of thing not really
Starting point is 00:19:11 knowing what the linebackers are doing so would you how do you feel about that sort of point that I made about is it more the defense is looking so much better than anticipated that it's kind of overshadowing making the offense look that little bit worse than anticipated that it's kind of overshadowing making the offense look that little bit worse than we really think now I'm not saying that the offense hasn't got its issues because I know that's been reported but it's just like that comparison situation I just really love to get your thoughts on how you think about that it's funny that you brought that up because another great Patriots mind alongside yours brought the same point up earlier this week and that's Dante Skarniecki the former offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots
Starting point is 00:19:49 talked to Karen Garigian of Boston Herald somebody who you and I know very well and he told Karen that in order to succeed in offense you need to gauge the level of competition from your defense that you're getting and for everyone that seems to think that Matt Patricia has just been you know an also ran and I'm probably putting this very mildly you should see some of the things he's called on social media but for everybody that thinks that Matt is simply just a passenger when it comes to the Patriots offense and defense he coordinated a pretty good defensive game he knows his his defensive strategies and he knows what he's talking about. So Scar showed a tremendous amount of respect for the Matt Patricia type defense that we've
Starting point is 00:20:32 seen in the past from the New England Patriots. When you're looking at the offense now that he's trying to attack and develop the weaknesses on this defense, it's much different because the Patriots are more athletic up front. They're getting better push from their edge rushers. They're getting more speed from their linebackers, and they're also getting versatile defensive backs that can come up and play as close to the line of scrimmage as possible and still be able to provide solid coverage in the backfield. So excellent point. I think you're right on the money, and I do believe that the Patriots' defense and their prowess has definitely bought into this it doesn't mean
Starting point is 00:21:05 that the offense like you said doesn't have its issues it does they need to work through those it's not like oh the Patriots offense just looks bad because they're running up against a great defense and they're just going to run roughshod over everybody else no they've got problems they've got problems to solve but they have the personnel to solve it my best guess and my best advice to everyone out there is trust in the process this is not the finished product and there's still time to correct it right excellent question countess i like that and the fact that you are on the same wavelength with someone like a dante skarnakia well let's just say claire it definitely it speaks volumes about how uh how in tune you are uh with the speaks volumes about how in tune you are with the Patriots
Starting point is 00:21:47 and how in tune you are with the New England Patriots opportunities that they're providing out there on the field. But, Claire, bottom line, we are only hours away from the first preseason game. And it's not just all about the offense. It's not just all about tight endage. It's the complete package. And in just a moment, I'm going to ask you to put me on the grilling seat and ask me a little bit more about what to expect from the Patriots and Giants tonight in Foxborough. But first, folks, obviously, NFL games are ready to get back into full swing here. But there's still a ton of sports out there that allows you to not only enjoy your sports watching action,
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Starting point is 00:22:56 use your mobile device to learn more about the trends and the action that online where the game starts patriots fans we are about to wrap things up here on this game day preview slash flipping the script Thursday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast. As always, I am honored, I am humbled by the presence of the illustrious Claire Classey, Claire Cooper from Pat's Propaganda and a Claire perspective of Patriots podcast.
Starting point is 00:23:23 Flipping the script a little here and putting me on the hot seat for the last couple of weeks. And I've enjoyed this thoroughly. This is always a lot of fun. And Claire brings the insight and asks the point and questions that all of you out there in Patriots Nation are burning to find out. But we're all here today because it's game day and the New England Patriots take on the New York football giants
Starting point is 00:23:42 tonight at 7 p.m. at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts. Claire, I know there's a lot on your mind and a lot that you're going to be looking for. So is there any insight that I can provide to you that can help enhance your watching experience tonight as you view the New England Patriots from across the pond at a very late hour by the way folks um but uh how can i help help me help you oh really we had to go there did we really have to go i was gonna say you're on the hot seat yeah you kind of did i don't know you've been on the hot seat surface of the sun over here hot seat over here i think we're both on the hot seat today but anyway enough about the weather as you mentioned tonight Thursday first Patriots game okay it's only pre-season but we've seen the guys in the uniform we've seen those helmets we've seen those
Starting point is 00:24:36 numbers finally so what are you looking for tonight against the Giants Michael and as an offshoot of that I just thought I'd just divulge what I'm interested in. And this comes of no surprise to anybody. Daniel Bellinger and Austin Allen, the two tight ends that the Giants took. So whilst I'll be very busy being very interested in what the Patriots have got going on on the field, I will also have to divide a little bit of my interest
Starting point is 00:25:06 over to the tight endage on the Giants to see what is going on with those draft picks that I was very interested in. But yeah, Mike, tell us, what is it that you're looking for against the Giants tonight? Yeah, a lot of tight endage overload, isn't it, Countess? I know the Empress is going to be pleased like you can't imagine watching all this tight endage, folks. no all kidding aside i mean obviously uh you know the reports are out there
Starting point is 00:25:29 that we're not going to see the starters all that much probably if he takes a snap i'd be surprised i think this is going to be the brian horrier and bailey bailey zappy show and i think bailey is going to get the lion's share of the snaps tonight so i'm going to be looking at bailey i'm going to be looking to see if he can handle the load, how he responds to some of the action that he's going to see. Practice and a game setting are two different animals. He's looked good in practice the last few days, really rebounding for a little bit of a rough start,
Starting point is 00:25:58 but he's looked good. He's got great zip on his ball, zip from Zappy. Got to love that. That's, you know, alliteration. I wonder when there'd be some alliteration in all fairness. I was like waiting. It was coming. It was coming.
Starting point is 00:26:10 I was saving it. I was preserving it. But no, all kidding aside, I mean, Zappi has looked good. He's looked, you know, like he's got the command. And that could be telltale as well in terms of how the Patriots want to approach their quarterback situation. Do they carry two? Is Brian Hoyer going to be more of a mentor behind the scenes? Do they try to slip him between waivers, put him on the practice squad,
Starting point is 00:26:30 so that way he's there to mentor Mac during the day, during the week? There's a lot of different moving parts that can happen. I still think they carry three quarterbacks. I don't think the Patriots go in just carrying two because I don't think Bailey is quite there yet. But he's going to show some things tonight, too. The guy I'm really looking forward to seeing on offense is the rookie I cannot wait to see Taequann Thornton in a game setting uh the Patriots fans have been clamoring so long for a wide receiver that has the straight line speed to take the top off a defense they found the guy that
Starting point is 00:27:01 can do it not only that but I think he could end up being a fan favorite here in New England in short order. That's how much this kid is showing an adaptability to a pro level offense, more so than I thought he had the capabilities of doing. Taekwon's really been a pleasant surprise for me. I can't wait to watch him. You know, the route running and the contested catches are going to be his Achilles heel, at least
Starting point is 00:27:25 at the beginning. Can he go up and show that he can be prolific or at least be competent at both of those? If he does, definitely got something to watch out because this kid's got electric speed and he's showing an ability to adapt to the playbook, again, a lot quicker than I thought he had the chance to. On the defensive side of the ball, the guy that i'm going to be watching very closely is another rookie uh and that is marcus jones uh i have loved watching marcus in training camp i've loved seeing what he can do some people are going to say maybe he's not going to see too much time
Starting point is 00:27:57 tonight because a lot of people think he's already found his way into the starting rotation but i think you're going to see a little more of him on defense tonight than maybe people had had thought um there were some questions about his health early on but there's no question about it this kid's healthy he's hasn't been limited hasn't been disappointing in his action on the field marcus has been you know great just a great athlete breakaway speed that we've seen and he's shown great athleticism on pass defense great and open field trying to make tackles or at least make stops I know it's training camp but he's still in position to be able to make these plays if he can show some prowess in the slot that's going to put pressure on guys like Miles Bryant it's going to put pressure on people like uh Jawan Williams uh
Starting point is 00:28:40 Sean Wade these guys are really going to have to step up their game in order to try to make the roster and try to crack a spot because right now Marcus is definitely going to be in that thick. So I look for him to get good looks in the slot tonight, especially with Jonathan Jones probably taking it easy on him, getting him back into game shape and watching that shoulder. But at the same time, I'm also going to be watching for him in the return game as well, because I think he is your kick returner of the future. Great to hear. Thank you very much, Michael. Absolutely.
Starting point is 00:29:12 And folks, the one thing that we really want to hammer home here when it comes to preseason action is you're not going to see miracles on the offense. You're not going to see a shutdown defense. You're going to see practice put into place and bill belichick stressed this earlier this week when he talked to us in the media process over results that's what the patriots are grading on right now if the process is there and the opportunities are there execution is going to come but it's going to be about whether or not they have the personnel and they have the
Starting point is 00:29:45 savvy, basically, but for lack of a better term, with the players that they have to run the type of offense and the defense that they need. That's what you should be watching for tonight rather than results or eye-popping plays. There are going to be some exciting ones, but keep in mind that the Patriots are focused on the big picture. And I guess that's what I'm looking forward to tonight. What say you, Countess? Scale of one to ten,'s what I'm looking forward to tonight what say you countess how much scale of one to ten how much are you looking forward to tonight's game oh yeah totally up there with kind of like the seven and eight happy to have football back but like you said the thing is I'm really looking forward to seeing it I'm really looking forward
Starting point is 00:30:20 to seeing kind of what the team's putting out on the field that kind of thing but as you mentioned also very wary that what we're going to see tonight isn't the final package it isn't what we're going to go into the regular season with if if they don't come out very you know looking very good it doesn't necessarily matter it's early days I'm excited to have football back I'm interested to see how they're working, how they're clicking, how they're developing. But I'm also, as I said, very wary that it's still actually technically early days. And there may be a long to go, a lot to go. And that's okay, because there is still time until we get to the regular season. So yeah. Absolutely. And again, thank you for the amazing insight,
Starting point is 00:31:06 the great questions in flipping the script here. We promise folks, we will be flipping the script back very shortly here on locked on Patriots because Claire provides the insight like only she can. And if you want a little more Claire perspective on your football, see what I did there. Count us. If you want that,
Starting point is 00:31:22 definitely be sure to check out all of the great written work that Claire puts out on patspropaganda.com. The best recaps in the business come from the pen of Claire Cooper. I do not say that with any hesitation. I say that honestly. She absolutely is the best at what she does. And, folks, please do yourself a favor. Check out her great work and the great writers that they have over at pat's propaganda and if you're not listening to a clear perspective of patriots podcast you are missing out on one of the most entertaining and informative podcasts out there anywhere in patriots media her great
Starting point is 00:31:54 show out this week with good friend of the program nick fitzy stevens is tremendous check it out claire and nick absolutely have a great time on the microphone. You can hear it and you can feel it and you will be entertained and informed. What better way to end a podcast? So Countess, my hat is tipped to you. Thank you very much for all of your insight, your wisdom, your counsel. Always honored, always humbled by your presence. But folks, thank you most of all for taking time out of your schedule to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage and also your first listen
Starting point is 00:32:25 every day. And if you've listened to us now you want to get the scoop on all of the national items that are plaguing the National Football League or booing the National Football League, check it out on Our Good Friends at Locked On NFL. So download, subscribe to, follow Locked On NFL, including YouTube.
Starting point is 00:32:42 Smash that subscribe button. On behalf of the Countess of Clasas herself, Miss Claire Klaas and Claire Cooper, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change you wish to see in the world. Enjoy preseason game one from Gillette Stadium. That's Giants.
Starting point is 00:32:57 Have a great day and a great evening, everyone.

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