Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots vs. Tennessee Titans Crossover: Will Drake Maye and Will Levis Play in Week 9?

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tennessee Titans host the New England Patriots, and the question is, should these teams want to win? All of that and more on a Crossover Thursday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. You are locked on NFL Crossover, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your team every day. Welcome to another Crossover Thursday. It's Locked On Titans. It's Locked On Patriots. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, for Locked On Titans. Here with the host, Mike DeBate from Locked On Patriots.

Starting point is 00:00:40 Today's Crossover Thursday is brought to you by PrizePix. Download the app. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL to win $50 instantly when you play $5 on today's show. We're going to look at whether the Patriots will have Drake Maybach after leaving the game early last week. Will Will Levis be back on the field for the Titans? And should either of these teams want to win this game? Before we get into it, thanks for making Locked On Titans and Locked On Patriots your first listen each and every day. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed for year

Starting point is 00:01:08 round content on your favorite team. Mike, we'll dive straight in here looking at the New England Patriots. Do you think Drake May will be back out on the field and what exactly happened with Drake May for some of my listeners that maybe aren't paying close attention to the Patriots at this time of the year? Oh, absolutely. Great questions both, Tyler. And first of all, we'll start off with how Drake May ended up in concussion protocol. First half of the game against the Jets last week, Drake was going in, making the slide, gut hit, a helmet-to-helmet hit. Not a dirty hit, but a helmet-to-helmet hit that actually was not flagged for a penalty.

Starting point is 00:01:42 Drake came out of the game, initially goes into concussion protocol, and then he did not return for the remainder of the game. Jacoby Brissett, original starting quarterback for the Patriots earlier this season, comes in, leads the Patriots to victory, a 25-22 victory over the New York Jets. So now the question becomes, do the Patriots try to rush Drake May back into the lineup? I know the Patriots had found a strong rhythm with Drake under center and taking snaps at the quarterback position. They want to continue to cultivate that.

Starting point is 00:02:14 Drake is the starter here. Jacoby is not going back and being anointed as the starter for the rest of the season. But the question about it is, can he progress far enough into the concussion protocol and make enough progress to get the start? He's in the protocol right now. He is a limited participant in practice. Saw very little of him on the field on Wednesday's practice. So it'll be really interesting to see how he's listed when the reports come out Thursday

Starting point is 00:02:40 into Friday. That's going to be telltale. But right now, from the way Gerard Mayo described Drake's progress earlier today, I would say he's probably in phase three right now, which is football-specific exercise, cardiovascular exercises, sports-specific activities are part of this phase. Drake can also do some strength training all under supervision. So he's not going to actively practice. But if he gets progressed into phase

Starting point is 00:03:05 four or phase five, yeah, there's a shot he may be able to play this weekend. So again, I think it's going to be very telltale Thursday and Friday are going to be huge indicators on what the Patriots have in plan for Drake May. Well, I think it would be much more interesting to see Drake May play in this game than Jacoby Brissett, even if I think that Drake May gives the Patriots a better chance to beat the Titans just because a little bit more mobility, stronger arm. I guess my question is whether Drake May plays or not, Mike, obviously it's hard for you to know exactly or anybody to know with concussions and the sensitive nature of concussions. It's hard really to know, but what's been your assessment of what you've seen from Drake May so far?

Starting point is 00:03:43 So far, I think Drake May has given himself a wisdom beyond his years, and that has really helped him assimilate into the pro game, maybe quicker than a lot of Patriots fans and Patriots media thought he would. Look, obviously, when you wait a long time to get your rookie quarterback out on the field, it says something about his preparation. It also says something about the nature and the strength of the team as well uh you want to make sure to put him in the optimal position for him to be able to make plays and for him to be able to help your team win obviously in the first few weeks the patriots wanted to still work with drake on his mechanics have his footwork match his eyes make sure that when he's taking the ball out of shotgun he's leading with his left foot as

Starting point is 00:04:25 opposed to his right which he did have a lot of success with at North Carolina but when you're playing a pro style offense Tyler you know as well as anyone you need to make sure to protect yourself and that's what Drake May needed to do under the supervision of Alex Van Pelt and quarterbacks coach TC McCartney I'm seeing a of that. I'm seeing Drake not force the long ball or force the big play and take the check down when he needs to. Now, that's not to say he won't roll out and make things happen. He can go off script and it does help the Patriots mask what has been a porous offensive line for much of the season. So Drake obviously gives you the better chance to win from top to bottom because it takes the blueprint away from beating

Starting point is 00:05:05 the Patriots which is stack the box blitz a little bit play man coverage those single high safety looks if Jacoby Brissett's under center or taking snaps you want to force him to hold the ball and make the Patriots pass catchers beat you with Jacoby Brissett in the lineup that hasn't happened save for the final drive the game winning drive last week against the Jets it did work but at the same time Drake May gives you a much better chance to win if that's your regular blueprint so yeah to me I think there is definitely an urgency to get Drake May back out there the question is with the Patriots being at two and six you want to make sure that when he does step out on the field he he's fully ready. It really is, I think, more about his health at this point than anything else,

Starting point is 00:05:47 Tyler. And there might be, you know, one thing to consider. The Titans do have a pretty formidable front. The Titans aren't a great football team, but one of the best things they got going for him is that front. I'm sure we'll talk about that here in a little bit. And they got going pretty well against the best O-line in the NFL last week. That may be something to take into consideration. Speaking of defense, you know, obviously the Patriots are a 2-6 team. It hasn't been a great season, but the defense has had moments. What have you seen from the Patriots' defense that makes them, you know, a formidable group? This secondary right now, I think, has stepped up to the challenge

Starting point is 00:06:20 and played despite the absence of several key players. Kyle Duggar has been injured when he has been in the lineup. He hasn't been the same type of player. Obviously Jabril Pepper is one of their top safeties off the field issues. He's out until further notice. So when you look at the guys that have had to step up in his absence, guys like an undrafted rookie in Del Pettis coming up and playing big, someone like a Jalen Hawkins and Marte Mapu, who is technically

Starting point is 00:06:46 a linebacker who's playing more safety, but he plays up towards the line of scrimmage. So he's being that star type player, that role that Adrian Phillips played so well for the Patriots for a few years under Bill Belichick. Marte is coming in now and he's not only playing that role, but he's also playing a double for what Kyle Duggar gives you. So that secondary has been very good in terms of being able to limit scores in the red zone but it all starts with christian gonzalez who has been a phenomenal lockdown corner really shutting down your

Starting point is 00:07:15 opposing team's top wide receiver he did it against davante adams last sunday he's been doing it consistently yeah there have been moments and lapses in coverage and difficulties that he's had. But I think a lot of people need to remember this for all intents and purposes is still his rookie season. He went down very early last year with a torn labrum and did not see much action. So, right. for the Patriots because their front seven has been a little on the porous side. They've yielded the run more than they have in years past. They're lacking that explosive pass rusher in Matthew Judon and tried to replicate that with Keon White, but without someone like a Christian Barmore up front to take on the double team, Tyler, defenses are zeroing, offenses are zeroing in on him, and it's very difficult for him to find his rhythm and get after and get home on a consistent basis. So Patriots defense clearly has a good scheme in mind. I think it's been more about personnel and being able to execute what they want, but they still have a good game plan. And if they can execute it and get contributions from the next man up, this is still a defense that needs to be reckoned with.

Starting point is 00:08:24 Yeah, and it's a winnable game for the Patriots at the end of the day. You know, I think the Titans set up well here in terms of they run the ball well, so against the Patriots that may help, but then again, Christian Gonzalez, an excellent corner against Calvin Ridley. The Titans really only explosive threat out wide. That makes things interesting. We'll talk more about that in the keys to victory, and you mentioned the scheme is good, but maybe the talent isn't

Starting point is 00:08:45 there. That's another thing that we'll talk about at the end of the show. But we got to talk Titans as much as it pains me to do it. All jokes aside, we'll get into the Titans side of things right now. It's Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to you by Five

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Starting point is 00:10:26 All right, Mike. We are going to continue today's crossover Thursday, locked on Titans, locked on Patriots. Talked about the Patriots side of things. Now we move to the Titans. Mike, I know that you're an NFL guy just like me, so you're paying attention to everything, but I'm sure you have some Tennessee Titans questions to try to dig in for your listeners.

Starting point is 00:10:43 Absolutely. And you know what, Tyler, where else would we begin the quarterback position? It's the highest profile position out there on the field and Patriots fans are curious about Will Levis, just like Titans fans are curious about Drake May. Now we know Will has missed some time with a shoulder injury recently. Some questions coming into this matchup regarding his status.

Starting point is 00:11:02 Mason Rudolph has not exactly performed a whole lot better than Will Levis. Sorry, Titans fans. I'm not judging. It's just a fact. And, you know, Levis right now, a passer rating of 70.7, Rudolph's 69.9. So not much to choose from there in terms of whether or not the Titans have a preference, but you know the Titans better than anyone. For the benefit of my listeners, if these quarterbacks find a rhythm, the Titans definitely have a talented bevy of pass catchers at their disposal. Who should the Titans be rooting for in this matchup, and what can you tell us about Will Levis and his status for this game?

Starting point is 00:11:38 Well, I think that any Titans fan should be rooting for Will Levis to play in this game. I think this conversation has obviously been a big topic in the NFL this week with the Anthony Richardson news and him getting benched by the Indianapolis Colts, which I think is a mistake. And it's the same philosophy that I have here for the Titans. You're not going anywhere with Mason Rudolph. He is a little bit better than Will Levis right now.

Starting point is 00:12:02 I would say he's a little bit better of a football player. But he should be considering the experience. He is a little bit better than Will Levis right now. I would say he's a little bit better of a football player, but he should be considering the experience. But he's not a good enough improvement to not care more about the upside of Will Levis. And a lot of Titans fans are pessimistic, and they say, we already know that Will Levis sucks, and there's no need to figure out what he can do.

Starting point is 00:12:22 But I think that's just a little bit short-sighted, and I think they still need to give Will Levis this second half of the season, see if he can do, but I think that's just a little bit short-sighted. I think they still need to give Will Levis this second half of the season, see if he can make any improvements, because at the end of the day, what's Mason Rudolph going to give you? He's not going to get you to the playoffs. He's not going to turn this year around. This isn't a situation where you have a first-round talent like Ryan Tannehill sitting on the bench, and you can go to him and spark some resurgence for your team. That's not happening here. So to me, Titans fans should be hoping that Will Levis can get back on the field, stay healthy, and when you look at AC sprains in quarterbacks over recent years,

Starting point is 00:12:52 it's usually a two-week injury. And maybe the Titans brought Will Levis back a little too soon when he played against the Indianapolis Colts, and then he had to sit out against Buffalo and sit out against the Lions. But we saw Kyler Murray play miss zero games with an AC sprain. There have been other quarterbacks. I think Jared golf recently had an AC sprain and he missed two weeks and then came back in. So about two weeks is the timeframe that you would typically expect for this. Levis had a bi-week then played and then

Starting point is 00:13:20 had two more weeks. He's back at practice. They want to see how he feels after multiple days of practice in a row because he's felt good after one practice, but what about two? And how's he feeling then? So it is still up in the air, kind of like the Drake May thing, but I think you should want Will Levis to play in this game and play the rest of the season if you're the Titans, at minimum, because he's going to take you to a high draft pick, which may be what the Titans need to restock the coverage here.

Starting point is 00:13:45 But as for how he's played, Mike, it's kind of crazy. I'd say the same with Mason Rudolph. They've been okay, but the turnovers have killed the Titans. Like, you'll have good drives. You'll have good performances, especially with Mason Rudolph in the last few weeks. We've seen the Titans go and hang with the Lions in the first 20 minutes of the game and all,

Starting point is 00:14:04 but then the turnovers hit. A bad interception, a bad fumble, a bad decision. And the Titans are just shooting themselves in the foot so much. I really don't think that the Titans are as bad of a team as their record says, as 2-6. I think they're more of a 3-4, 3-5 football team. They should have a couple more wins than what they have at, as I should say, 1-6. My brain is already going there thinking this team should have more wins than they do.

Starting point is 00:14:29 But at the end of the day, if you make turnovers, you're going to kill your good defense, putting them in bad spots. The Lions had a historic game with all of their scoring drives being like 30 yards or less. They did not have to do anything. And the Titans defense, which is pretty good good was in a terrible spot all game so levis has played okay when he's not turning over the ball but the reality is those turnovers overshadow all of it yeah i think that's a good point and look there's so much overlap in terms of you know quarterback play being sufficient at times but really self-inflicted wounds uh turnovers, penalties,

Starting point is 00:15:08 really hurting both of these teams and preventing them from really living up to their potential. So Patriots fans I think are definitely like-minded when it comes to Titans fans right now, we can feel the pain because we're going through it at the same time and great information on Levis, obviously New England, their past game, their past defense right now is going to be a situation where, regardless of who starts, I think you're going to see heavy doses of Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones in the slot, Jonathan Jones on the opposite side of the perimeter, and then again, a committee of saf hurting the Pats because the Patriots have not defended the run as well as they did one year ago. The Titans just racked up 158 yards on the ground. Tony Pollard, 494 yards on the season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry.

Starting point is 00:15:57 We all know what he can do. He's found the end zone three times on the ground. And Tajay Spears is someone that is an excellent change of pace back in my opinion if these two guys can get on track obviously i know spears missed the game last week with a with a hamstring injury we'll look and see what his status is going to be but if these two guys can get on track that could be a problem and my listeners know i love movie quotes i love to quote vincent laguardia gambini of my cousin Vinny. I call him my spirit animal. So it's been argued by me, the defense Tyler, that the Titans can find success by running the ball effectively in this circumstance. Does the defense's case hold water? Yes, I do. I do think

Starting point is 00:16:38 the defense's case holds water just to have some fun there. Your impression, obviously much better than mine, but you look at the Titans right now, they're middle of the road in rushing yards per game, about 119, which is 17th, but Brian Callahan did go away from the run when they got beat down by the Packers in week four. They could have kept running the ball there, but Brian Callahan, who's a pass-first guy,

Starting point is 00:16:58 they got down and he went to what he wants to do well, so I think that kind of skews the numbers. They only had 33 rushing yards in that game against the Green Bay Packers. But basically every other week they've had success. And I think you should look at the Titans as more of a top 10 running game with the offensive line being young and starting to coalesce. And one thing that I've noticed on the tape is the Titans at the beginning of the season were trying to mix in gap runs with pullers and down blocks

Starting point is 00:17:22 and zone runs, which is what Titans fans should be used to seeing from the Derrick Henry days. Well, over the last few weeks, the Titans have really started to lean towards their zone run games. Their offensive linemen have been much more successful. Some of those gap runs have taken a long time to develop, and it's caused the Titans to have some negative plays. I think with that, the Titans will have to run the ball heavy, no matter who plays quarterback.

Starting point is 00:17:46 And with the Patriots being a team that has had some struggles there and that being something that the Titans do actually do well, I would expect that to be a big thing. And on the other side of things, for the defense, like I kind of hinted at before, I don't mean to say this in a hateful way, but Titans fans, this may be crazy to hear, but the Patriots offensive line actually might be worse

Starting point is 00:18:08 than the Titans offensive line, which is crazy for Titans fans to hear, but it might be the truth. And I would expect the Titans defensive line of Jeffrey Simmons and Devondre Sweat, Arden Key, who had a fantastic game against the Detroit Lions, Harold Landry, who's a good player,

Starting point is 00:18:22 even Sebastian Joseph Day, who's been a very good, solid veteran role player for the Titans. I think on the defensive side of the ball, the Titans can really cause havoc with that defensive line against that offensive line. So that's what I would be looking for there. And especially when the Titans are banged up in the secondary at cornerback, but the Patriots don't really have the game-breaking offensive weapon that maybe some other teams have had. So I think that gives the Titans a really big advantage on that side of the ball. It absolutely does.

Starting point is 00:18:50 And you mentioned how potent that Titans pass defense is. You know the Patriots are going to look to come out and try to establish the run. Look, the Patriots have not ran the ball all that effectively in the last few games. But Alex Van Pelt's offense is still predicated on a strong running game using the outside zone, which is what Ramondre Stevenson does so well. It allows Antonio Gibson to be your third down weapon and a pass catcher coming out of the backfield. But that's where it is.

Starting point is 00:19:15 That opens up play action. That's where they can take deep shots down the field, especially if Drake May is the quarterback. But you don't want to take too many of those shots when you've got LeGarrius Sneed, Jarvis Brownlee, Roger McCreary at the cornerback position, really kind of patrolling things and keeping and locking things down.

Starting point is 00:19:32 Amani Hooker, Quandre Diggs, they've been stingy at the safety position. So this is not a secondary that you want to test too much. If you're the New England Patriots, you want to take a look at things and say, okay, well, maybe it is better to run the football. But that is a that is a front that can be stingy and can be difficult to do that against. You mentioned Simmons and Joseph Day and Devondre Sweat.

Starting point is 00:19:55 And these guys have the ability to keep that Patriots running game at bay. So, yeah, I think it could be the Titans path to success. If they can control the Patriots' running game, you might be able to stifle this offense and keep it from moving forward from the progress that we saw last week against the New York Jets. And if I'm the Patriots, I could still go to play action. Maybe I'm not looking to attack deep and outside, but over the middle, Kenneth Murray, Jack Gibbons at linebacker,

Starting point is 00:20:22 those are guys that are vulnerable in pass coverage. So if you get the run game going and then you hit that play action, maybe you don't attack deep, but you send that guy deep to back those safeties off. And then you hit over the middle of the field and take advantage of the linebackers. But we'll get into some keys to victory for this game. And the question should either team actually want to win this game because

Starting point is 00:20:41 the coverage are pretty bare from a talent perspective. We'll hit on that now. Before we do, I do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. Get ready to tackle the NFL action in the second half of the season with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook, because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win. That's betting $5 and getting $150 in bonus bets if you win.

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Starting point is 00:23:31 in under 30 minutes every day. Now get your NFL news in under 30 minutes with Locked On NFL. You got me in the morning, the madman, taking you through all the biggest stories in the NFL, and then you got the barber himself, the OG, Tony Wiggins, doing the afternoon show. Make sure that you get your entire day covered with your favorite team's news, your NFL news. It's Locked on NFL, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team, every day.

Starting point is 00:23:55 But, Mike, I'm going to ask you this question before we go through our keys to victory here. Should Patriots fans want to win this game? Gerard Mayo had a quote, the Patriots coach had a quote saying, the Titans are in a similar situation. It's us, you know, good scheme. I think he said, you know, good players, good scheme, but can't just get things going. I'm not so sure about the good players part.

Starting point is 00:24:19 I think the good scheme, he could be on to something there. But the scheme needs better players for these teams to improve do you think that the Patriots should be is it better for the Patriots long term to win this game and Drake may experience winning and you know have positive vibes or do you think it might be better for the Patriots to to lose and get themselves a top pick so that they can get a talented player to help make this scheme better? That's the million-dollar question right now. I mean, do you sell out now to get wins, to get experience, to get these players used to being able to take it to teams

Starting point is 00:24:52 and get a win like they did last week against the Jets? Down, have to come back. You need to utilize all of your players on the field in order to be able to get the job done. Key stops on defense and strong showings on offense. To me, I think that's the modus operandi that the Patriots should be operating under this week, Tyler. Look, bottom line, you don't get the opportunity to win games that often.

Starting point is 00:25:16 And this game is just as winnable for the Titans as it is for the Patriots. So I don't mean to make it seem like you go for the jugular when you can. They have just as many opportunities to beat the patriots as the as the patriots have to beat the titans but look at the rest of the schedule along the way and they're not going to be that many winnable opportunities for the patriots they got the bills coming up twice they got the chargers on the schedule the patriots are going to have to be very good to be able to take it and beat these teams they're going to need to be very good to beat the titans this weekend but i think in the grand scheme of things you pile up wins as much as you possibly can it's good for a team psyche it's good for their morale moving

Starting point is 00:25:55 forward a couple of weeks ago the big question around this team was whether or not their own coach was calling them out and calling them soft they Patriots responded on Sunday against the Jets by playing tough on both sides of the ball. I would say continue to play tough. Try to go for the win. That pick will be there. You're not dealing with a team that's going to play itself into playoff contention or play itself into a mid-round pick. They're still going to be in the top 10 range.

Starting point is 00:26:20 And based on their needs of what they need, yeah, to me, that's where you go. So if you do play yourself out of the first round pick, you're not playing yourself out of contention for the next few years. I think if you're the Patriots, you go for the win while you can. I feel the same for the Titans. I know that the Titans need a high pick, but they have to play the Texans twice that like they have to play the chargers. They play Minnesota next week. Like the Titans aren't going to get so good that they hurt their draft stock. But after losing to Buffalo by a million and losing to Detroit by a billion, they need this for the locker room.

Starting point is 00:26:54 And I don't think that one win against the Patriots is going to put the Titans in a position where they can't get the type of player that fans are hoping to get. So I think the Titans do need to – like you're saying, this is a winnable game for the Titans. I don't think that the Patriots are some pushover or the Titans are hoping to get. So I think the Titans do need to, like you're saying, this is a winnable game for the Titans. I don't think that the Patriots are some pushover or the Titans are going to win, but they're going to have to play well to win the game. But this is at least a winnable game for the Titans.

Starting point is 00:27:14 And I think for the Brian Callahan experience, the Titans really need to win this game. And to do that, my keys to victory are run the football, stop the run for the Patriots, and don't turn over the ball. I know that that's super cliche, super simple, but the Titans have not been able to do some of these easy things consistently. So run the football, stop the run, create turnovers. That's the end of the story. And if the Titans do that at home against a Patriots team that's at least in a similar price range talent wise I think the Titans can win the game yeah I agree with you I think this is going to sound

Starting point is 00:27:49 very cookie cutter very cliched but very similar and I think very poignant for the New England Patriots if you're going to do that yes you have to effectively run the football from Andre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson need to be a huge part of how you run your offense. And that's going to allow either Jacoby Brissett to be able to manage the game, or it's going to allow Drake May to be able to maybe take some chances, like you said, downfield, but definitely utilize the middle part of that Titans defense in the middle part of the field in order to be able to make things happen and advance the ball in order for the Patriots to win.

Starting point is 00:28:22 They have to sell out to stop the run. The Pats last week had improvement from guys like Christian Ellis and Raekwon McMillan, who came up and helped this team get tackles and stop the run when they needed it. It was a one-man show for Devon Godshaw the last couple of weeks. It was nice to see him get some help. If that happens, it allows the secondary to set up and be able to defend against guys like Calvin Ridley and Tyler Boyd. So that's a big key for the New England Patriots, selling out, stopping the run, getting that Titans running game in check, and then you can go to work. And if you're the Patriots, you have to stop with the mindless penalties. You have to stop turning the ball over.

Starting point is 00:29:00 They've really been better about being more disciplined. You need to see that growth continue. And again, if you're going to grow as a team, the only way to do that is to go for the jugular and go for the victory when you can. So my keys to victory are exactly the same as yours. I think it's going to be about which personnel grouping is talented enough to be able to take it to the other. I think there's equally as good of a chance on either side of the ball of that happening. I think this could be a sneaky good game to watch, a sneaky fun game to watch for football fans. It's not

Starting point is 00:29:32 going to get the national attention that I think it deserves, but these two teams, I think, can play each other very well, and I, for one, am looking forward to it. I know you are as well. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, at the end of the day, I love football, so I'm ready for another game. I got to give a shout out to my guy Cody Rourke from Locked On Broncos he calls

Starting point is 00:29:48 them SWI self inflicted or SIW self inflicted wounds I think it's a classic thing and we you know cliche football stuff but it's the case for these teams whichever team doesn't lose the game by beating themselves is probably the team that wins but that's gonna do it

Starting point is 00:30:04 for this crossover Thursday. Locked on Titans, locked on Patriots. Make sure that you guys get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day here on the Locked On Podcast Network. For me, Tyler Rowland, and my esteemed colleague, Mike DeBate, make sure that you guys tune in for our Friday preview episodes. But everybody, stay safe out there.

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