Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - New England Patriots: Will Bill Belichick Be Back? Pioli, McDaniels Too? Mike Vrabel Now Available

Starting point is 00:00:00 Like sands through the hourglass, so are the latest New England Patriots and Bill Belichick rumors. Stick around, you're about to be locked in to the Locked On Patriots podcast. You are Locked On Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful. Thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part

Starting point is 00:00:42 of your New England Patriots coverage. Don't forget that Locked On Patriots is available on all platforms, including YouTube. So smash that subscribe button, download, follow, wherever you get your podcasts to ensure that you get the latest episode as soon as it's available. I'm your host, Mike DeBate.

Starting point is 00:00:58 I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country Sports Illustrated. So reach out to me and let me know what's on your mind on X at M-D-A-B-A-T-E-N-F-L. While you're out there showing social media love to Lockdown Patriots, please follow our account on X as well at L-O underscore Patriots. And of course, folks, today's episode brought to you by PrizePix, the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to prizepicks.com slash locked on NFL and use the code all lowercase locked on NFL for a first deposit match up to $100. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked on Patriots. And for those of you watching on YouTube and for the benefit of those of you listening in podcast form,

Starting point is 00:01:44 Steve Balistrieri of patsfans.com is indeed my guest today. Steve's going to pop back in here in just a moment. But first, at the time that I welcomed Steve in to talk some Patriots and Bill Belichick today, former Patriots linebacker Mike Vrabel was still coach of the Tennessee Titans. Shortly after we wrapped our conversation, Mike was indeed fired by the tennessee titans in a surprising move that sent shockwaves throughout the nfl universe now this is significant for the new england patriots several outlets out there have reported that vrabel is heavily linked to the patriots job and with good reason there's a history here mike was a beloved player when he played here a patriots hall of famer and don't forget that the Boston Globe in November said that Mike Vrabel was quote-unquote Robert Kraft's home run hire to

Starting point is 00:02:30 succeed Bill Belichick as of right now folks Bill Belichick and the Patriots have yet to part ways there is still a very good chance that the hoodie remains in Foxborough and Steve and I are going to talk a little bit about who might join him a couple of very familiar faces might be hanging with the hoodie once again when March rolls around but if in fact this is the end of the road for Bill Belichick Frabel is probably the name that makes the most sense and he's got a very good coaching resume he was a 2021 NFL coach of the year and he helped guide the Titans to three straight playoff appearances from 2019 to 2021 I've been vocal right from the start that I believe that retaining Bill Belichick is in the Patriots' best interest.

Starting point is 00:03:08 I still feel that way. But folks, I would definitely keep a sharp eye on this and fear not because we'll be talking a lot more in depth about a potential Mike Vrabel hire. So be sure to stay locked into Locked On Patriots. And of course, stay locked in for the very latest. And with that, I welcome in my good friend, Steve Balistrieri. Without further ado, I bring you back to today's episode of A Lot on Patriots. And folks, today is day two of Belichick Watch in Foxborough.

Starting point is 00:03:38 Is he coming back? Is he not coming back? Those be the questions right now in New England Patriots lore. And joining me here today to help sift through all of the rumors, because we need his reason, especially more now than ever, my good friend, columnist extraordinaire, patsfans.com, also the host of another amazing Patriots podcast, Patriots 4th and 2, alongside Derek Avins. He is my Patriots paisan. He is our Patriots professor, my good friend, Steve Balistrieri joins me today. Steve, happy new year. Welcome back to the pod. Happy new year to you too, my friend. Yeah. Like we always say, there's never a dull moment in

Starting point is 00:04:17 Foxborough and now is when, you know, things are going to heat up, right? Absolutely. They are heating up. And, you know, Steve, we're both big fans of the Godfather. I don't think anybody questions that. They've heard us quote it before. Right now, Steve, somewhere in an office in one Patriots place, there are things being negotiated, folks, that will answer all your questions and solve all your problems. That's all I can tell you right now. Honestly, bud, I think that's all anybody can tell you right now because the rumors continue to swirl surrounding the future of coach Bill

Starting point is 00:04:50 Belichick bringing back another potential ex-Patriots head coach and maybe even a former executive to boot. Yeah, that's right, folks. According to a Monday evening report, Steve, former Patriots general manager Scott Pioli reportedly been communicating with the crafts with both Robert and Jonathan. And according to this report, and I quote, and this comes from Ben Volan of the Boston Globe, would be open to returning to the Patriots with or without Bill Belichick. Now, I know that's going to get you two songs stuck in a lot of your head. I happen to love it, So I'm all for it. But regardless, Steve,

Starting point is 00:05:27 this is interesting because this comes on the heels of the crafts and Belichick reportedly having a Monday meeting to discuss the future. How of the athletic, definitely a reliable source. Someone we've quoted here several times on locked on Patriots said that the meeting was to discuss Belichick's future. And also, interestingly enough, a little tidbit that came from that was that the Patriots may be open to bringing back Josh McDaniels in some sort of role on the coaching staff.

Starting point is 00:05:58 Now, Josh was up here on Sunday to watch Matthew Slater's final game. Reportedly, that visit was not connected to his openness to coming back. But my question to you, my friend, is are the Patriots indeed trying to get the band back together in 2024? Well, if you take that report at face value, that's absolutely what may happen. And that could, you know, also come to fruition. We've heard those names being bandied about. And again, if they decide that they want to keep Bill the coach around and they bring in a GM like Scott Pioli, it's someone Bill has worked with closely in the past.

Starting point is 00:06:50 It's someone he likes and trusts. So that would make complete sense if they're going to keep Bill around. Now, as you mentioned earlier, they may decide to bring back Pioli regardless. Because as we all know, he's someone the Crafts trust. And that plays a big, you know, big role or a big factor, I should say, in how they move forward. Because I think Pioli would have to be heavily involved in getting a coach on board that they can both agree on, whether that be Gerard Mayo, Mike Frable, or somebody else. And we'll get into that, I'm sure. But bringing back McDaniels. if they want to bring back Josh as the offensive coordinator,

Starting point is 00:07:46 and, you know, Bill O'Brien can move on, because he could probably still get a head coaching gig, at least in the college ranks. I'd be all on board with that. But I think that if they want to mix O'Brien and McDaniels together, I think that is fraught with potential disaster. Because if you have, say, O'Brien as the offensive coordinator and Josh McDaniels as, you know, the upstairs guy that, you know, offensive senior assistant,

Starting point is 00:08:29 they could be giving a young quarterback, which we believe the Patriots are going to, you know, move in that direction. If they bring in another young quarterback, wouldn't that be giving conflicting signals? If one coach in your ear is telling you to do this and the other one is telling you to do that? So I'd be really leery about too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak.

Starting point is 00:08:55 But, you know, if they want to bring back McDaniels, that was the last time actually that the offense had any semblance of being a good one. You know, a couple of years ago. Last year, we had the Matt Patricia experiment that went awry. This year with O'Brien. And I'm not putting all this on Bill, you know, because they had so many injuries and whatnot. But, I mean, the offense was terrible this year. So I'd be all on board with bringing Pioli back, especially if they're going to keep

Starting point is 00:09:33 Bill. I think this is a good move, regardless of whether Bill is back here next year or not. And I think for some of the reasons that you've said, this is someone that has built a lot of trust with Gratz. And look, there's no reason why they shouldn't trust him. Pioli, for as long as he's been in the NFL, has been revered as one of the top executives in the NFL, folks. I mean, he's won Pro Football Writers of America Executive of the Year three times, 2003, 2007, and 2010 with the kansas city chiefs he won it twice with the patriots once with the

Starting point is 00:10:07 chiefs architect or one of the principal architects of three super bowl titles here in new england came in in 2000 as the assistant director of player personnel within three years folks he earned the title of vice president of football operations and no one has held that title since he's left so this is this to me does show that the patriots are at least serious about bringing in someone that continues to be dialed in with the league i've heard some criticism that he hasn't held a position since 2019 he's been a regular contributor with nfl network scott pioli is as dialed into the league as anyone trust me he's very much on board with being able to evaluate Pioli is as dialed into the league as anyone. Trust me, he's very much on board with being able to evaluate NFL talent as well as collegiate talent, something that I

Starting point is 00:10:50 think he deserves a lot of credit for as well. I think this could be a good move, and I think that New England right now looking to him shows that they're looking for some sort of sound cohesion, and maybe if Belichick even is on the way out at this point, Steve, they for some sort of sound cohesion and maybe if Belichick even is on the way out at this point Steve they need some sort of continuity from the days where things work very smoothly around here your guess is as good as mine Steve but uh right now I think it's interesting that the Patriots are sort of looking to go back to the future and this Belichickian time warp that we're stuck in right now until a decision decision is made, folks, a lot of these rumors are going to continue to swirl. Absolutely.

Starting point is 00:11:27 And, you know, it behooves them to make a decision quickly, I think. You know, you and I were talking offline about it. And, you know, I really think that if they're going to move on from Bill, it should be no later than Wednesday. Yeah. Yeah. We're recording this on Tuesday. Absolutely. So I think it would have to be today or tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:11:54 I think if you're going to move on from Bill, you know, you have to let other coaches that are looking for head coaching gigs and, you know, know that it's going to be there. And I really believe, you know, you need to, if you're going to let them go, you need to start lining up guys to bring in to interview. Well, question. So well said, Steve. And look, I think that's an understated part of all this. And I've seen some people, our good mutual friend, Mark Capello of 98.5 The Sports Hub.

Starting point is 00:12:26 I want to give a tip of the cap to him because he's one of the guys I've seen mention this several times. You're not just talking whether Bill Belichick is leaving and the uncertainty surrounding his future. There are so many people in this organization that face uncertain futures, whether Bill is staying or whether he's going, that need to get their affairs in order. They need time to be able to either move on or settle in. So believe me, folks, there are a lot of reasons why these decisions need to be made quickly. I do agree. The longer this goes out, the more likely it is that Bill is staying

Starting point is 00:12:57 because obviously there's not a transition that's going to be needed to be planned for. But, you know, we're continuing to be on Belichick Watch, folks. Like I said yesterday here on Locked On Patriots, at the time you're viewing this, Bill Belichick's fate may have already been decided. But there's still a lot, a ton of wisdom and counsel to come from my good friend. And you definitely want his reason. He is the Patriots professor for a reason.

Starting point is 00:13:21 Steve Balistrieri going to come back with me in just a moment where we discuss the benefits of Belichick. Yeah, that's right, folks. A lot of people are wondering why the Patriots are going back in time to try to solve a problem. Well, there are a lot of reasons for it that go beyond just those six silver trophies that adorn the

Starting point is 00:13:39 trophy case in one Patriots place at Gillette Stadium. Steve and I are going to discuss those benefits and more when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues, a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Patriots fans, the NFL regular season is wrapping up, but there is still time to get in on the action with FanDuel, America's number one sportsbook. And right now, new customers can get $150 in bonus bets guaranteed. That's when you place a $5 bet.

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Starting point is 00:14:38 So visit FanDuel.com slash locked on and make your first bet a layup. FanDuel, official partner of the NFL. Patriots fans, thank you once again for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots, spending part of your daily Patriots coverage here on the pod. I'm joined by my good friend, a columnist extraordinaire of Patsfans.com, Steve Balistrieri. And Steve, in the previous

Starting point is 00:15:05 segment we talked a little bit about the patriots trying to get the band back together and josh mcdaniels may be coming in in an advisory coaching role and scott pioli may be coming back to handle some of the gpm duties bill belichick indicated on monday when we talked to him that he's for whatever collectively he and the crafts decide is best for the football team. Now, some people are semantically playing word games there and saying, oh, well, he didn't completely say he was going to do this. If you look at the context, folks, he actually did. He was asked the question, does that mean relinquishing some of the GM duties? And Bill said, look, I'm for whatever is going to help the football team. So technically he answered that question. I see a lot of people saying he didn't answer the question. He did.

Starting point is 00:15:50 You get the point, Steve. Basically at this point, Bill Belichick looks like he's committed to try to stay here. I don't think he sounds like a guy that wants to go elsewhere. That leads me to an interesting question about the future of this team and why it may be beneficial to keep Bill Belichick in the fold. Because all we're hearing right now from the national and the local narrative is that the Patriots need to move on. There's no benefit from staying in the past. There's no benefit from staying with Bill. I think there's a converse argument to that. And I definitely wanted to get your your wisdom your counsel and your reason on the subject is there a benefit to retaining bill belichick and some of the the connections he has to the glory days of the past oh i i absolutely believe you know that look if you asked me

Starting point is 00:16:40 would would you like to retain bill the coach absolutely and does he need help at the front office making personnel decisions absolutely okay but bill still game plans with the best of them um you know and his in-game decisions for the most part still remain top notch. And even some of the questionable calls he makes, sometimes it comes down to just execution and the players weren't executing it. But I don't think anyone can make the argument that his team quit on him. I mean, you watch this season and the players played hard for 17 games, you know, and when the season was basically you could see it in the cards that around the mid midseason point that, you know, it was any hope of getting into the playoff picture was basically a pipe dream. So they could have easily mailed it in after that.

Starting point is 00:17:50 They did not. And, you know, with the exception of a couple of blowout games, you know, all of their other games were very, very close. And, you know, you flip around some of those one-sc one score games you're looking at a completely different scenario so i think there there's great value in keeping bill the coach around i do think he needs help and with personnel decisions in the draft um you know he needs somebody that can stand up and say we don don't need that guy. We need to go in this direction. You know, I think that's a big thing moving forward. But you look at how he coaches players up, game plans, still the best. That's such a great point, Steve. And I think it's a

Starting point is 00:18:43 point that a lot of people are missing. I quoted Matt Chatham here yesterday on Locked On Patriots saying that if you looked at a pool of potential candidates that are out there right now, and Bill Belichick is not your head coach at the present, he's out there on the open market, along with the guys we're hearing that are connected to either rumors or that are available right now for jobs. Bill Belichick is the name you're going to gravitate towards, not only by reputation, but because of his skill set and what he brings to the table and the knowledge that he's going to bring to that coach's room. That alone is worth top consideration.

Starting point is 00:19:16 Patriots already have a leg up on the competition there. They've got that guy in the room already. So now the question becomes, do you build around it? I'll play devil's advocate for a moment because I know there were a lot of people that listened to this podcast that are Patriots fans that believe that it's time for a change. You need to move on. The game has passed Bill by there, not only pointing to the problems he's had as GM, they're also pointing to coaching decisions saying he's not aggressive enough on offense. There are these arguments out there. Folks, I think every argument and every opinion has the

Starting point is 00:19:49 ability to be argued. I am never going to fault anyone for feeling a certain way about their team and about wanting to see their team succeed. And there are valid arguments to all of the points that I just mentioned. I think what people need to remember, though, is that having some of these links to the past, like Scott Fioli and Josh McDaniels, rumored to be attached to a potential Bill Belichick reunion, is not the Patriots front office trying to recapture the glory days. There are a lot of reasons why these guys will be brought in independent of their past resumes. If you take what they've done on the table in the past here in New England and shelve that,

Starting point is 00:20:29 there are a lot of great reasons why currently in the recent past, in the last few years, that these guys should be brought in. I'll start with Pioli. Pioli hasn't been in an NFL front office since 2019. He's also been a regular contributor to NFL Network. He's dialed in not only to the collegiate pipeline, but also in the NFL pipeline, both from a front office perspective and a player's perspective. So he's bringing you an awful lot of knowledge there. And that's someone that can come in and really, I think, identify the right personnel to move this

Starting point is 00:20:55 team into their next phase of success. I'll say about McDaniels, we all know that it was a disaster in Las Vegas. I'd be very surprised to see Josh get a head coaching nod anywhere else in the NFL other than New England again. I don't think it's happening. That failure, I think, sealed his fate. Fiasco with the Indianapolis Colts and the way that his tenure in Denver ended, I don't think another franchise would take a shot at him. But he's still got a shot to be something here in new england trent brown gave a recent interview to dakota randall and nesson and folks definitely check this out it's a great piece by dakota um and trent has some interesting things to say about the organization now right now it doesn't appear they're on the best of terms so take it for what

Starting point is 00:21:39 you will but one thing that i think trent nailed right on the money was his evaluation of Mac Jones he said I don't think you can place all of Mac's failures directly on Mac Jones he was not given the proper offensive line up front they didn't give the proper protection I agree with that but I think the other part of it is that he didn't have the proper coaching proper nurturing that a young quarterback needs. He mentioned that Mac's best season was his rookie season. He looked to be a quarterback that was on his way to having a pretty decent career here in the NFL. And he did that under the tutelage of Josh McDaniel.

Starting point is 00:22:17 So when you look at this now, all of a sudden it becomes, okay, well, he's always going to come in with a lot of knowledge recently about having connections into all different aspects of the nfl not just a single team's front office and mcdaniel's coming in with the ability to coach up a quarterback the way we really haven't seen since josh's departure all of a sudden it's looking like having bill belichick back on board to get these two guys back in is not necessarily the back-to-the-future type move that you're going to hear it portrayed as. There are reasons currently why this makes a lot of sense. Yes, it does.

Starting point is 00:22:54 And, you know, again, I mean, if they want to bring back McDaniels as the offensive coordinator and let Bill O'Brien go, I can understand that from the aspect that, you know, McDaniels took a rookie in Mac Jones. And if you watch the tape of him, especially I want to go back to the Dallas game where, you know, in his rookie year, he doesn't look like the same guy anymore. And, you know, I, I often wondered would his career have taken a vastly different path if McDaniels was still here? And I think the answer would be yes. So if they want to go back to McDaniels in that aspect, I, you know, I, I wouldn't have an issue with it, especially if Bill is going to remain the head coach.

Starting point is 00:23:54 Now, if they're going in a totally different direction and they're going to bring in a new head coach, then I think that it should be blown up. You know what I mean? I do think changes need to come on the staff regardless. You know, some changes have to be made, but I don't think it needs a complete blow up if Bill is going to remain. Now, if they decide to change, then I'm all in favor of cleaning house and starting fresh. There's arguments to all these points, folks.

Starting point is 00:24:27 And ultimately, this is what Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft and whoever else is in that room right now in Foxborough, potentially, Steve, as we speak. These are the things they're trying to iron out. What is the best move for the New England Patriots, for Bill Belichick, for Robert Kraft? Hopefully, they all have the fan base in mind as well moving forward as to what's going to return this once-proud franchise to some of the glory days that they've had in the past. Steve, it's not an easy task. It's definitely not going to be an easy task. But we're also about to play devil's advocate in a moment, folks, because we're going to wrap up today's episode by talking about the potential

Starting point is 00:25:06 coaching options. If Bill Belichick is not back, have some of the latest coaching moves throughout the league changed who might be a front runner here in new England, or is that front runner already on the staff? Steve and I will answer that question and much more when this episode of the lockdown Patriots podcast wraps up right here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day.

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Starting point is 00:27:13 Locked On listeners, thank you so much for joining us here today on Locked On Patriots. Steve, we've talked a lot about Bill Belichan. Whether or not this is going to move forward is still a matter of conjecture. At the time we're recording this, a decision has yet to be made. At the time you're listening to this,

Starting point is 00:27:29 a decision may have been made. So Steve, in that vein, let's play devil's advocate for just a moment. Let's say that decision does not involve Bill Belichick. Let's say that does not involve Josh McDaniels. Let's say it doesn't involve Scott Pioli. There is a new regime coming in. Maybe a familiar face, maybe not. But that being said, if you are the New England Patriots and Robert Kraft and Jonathan Kraft, and you've made the decision to move on, who's the guy you want sitting in the head coaching chair when it's time to begin officially the 2024 NFL season in March?

Starting point is 00:28:10 That's a great question because again, I'm of the opinion, as I stated just a few moments ago, that, you know, if Bill remains, then, you know, you have a scenario where some of the staff will remain with him. I think if they let Bill go and they bring in Gerard Mayo, who they've kind of tapped for that role, it's, you know, it's still going to be pretty much, I think, the same. Mayo may change things. I don't think it would be drastic. And as I said, I think if they bring in an outside guy, I just prefer them to just blow it up, okay,

Starting point is 00:29:00 and bring in a whole fresh face, a whole different outlook on things and go from there. I know Mike Vrabel has been mentioned where he may be on the outs in Tennessee. You know, we mentioned Mayo. Two other names that I really like for different reasons. One would be Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator out of, you know, the Cowboys. And, you know, Quinn learned from his experiences in Atlanta where he said, you know, he just tried to do too much. And, you know, he's going to get a head coaching gig soon. He would bring that hard-nosed defensive mindset to the table. But I think he would also, again, learning from his mistakes, kind of, you know, hire an offensive guru and just give this guy the latitude that he needs.

Starting point is 00:30:02 The other name, and again, if they do decide to part with Bill, that I would really like, and this would be my top choice, Ben Johnson, the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions. I really like him. I love what he's done with Detroit. You look at that football team, and, you know, when Jared Goff got there, it was considered basically a total loss for Detroit in that trade. And now, you know, you're looking at that trade,

Starting point is 00:30:36 and that has been a really good trade for the Lions. Yeah, it truly has. And, you know, Ben has done an amazing job restructuring and really revitalizing that Detroit offense, really bringing them to levels that I don't think Detroit's offense has seen since brings a fresh perspective on defense. I would refer to that as a refreshing continuation. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a different direction because the Patriots were definitely much more defensive prowess, defensive strong this year than they were offensively. My only caveat to that is that you already have one of the best defensive minds in football history already on your staff do you really want to jettison one guy one defensive mind coach for another that could be something that i think could

Starting point is 00:31:31 cause some conflict within the crafts i think if they're going to make the move it might be to an offensive uh coach unless that coach is either gerard mayo who's already on staff who i think would be the logical and probably the best choice to succeed Bill Belichick at this point, or Mike Vrabel, who definitely is out there now waiting in the wings, so to speak, if you believe these reports that are out there that say that Vrabel is very much interested in returning to New England if Belichick is ousted. That could be the crafts leverage right now, because we know that that image of Mike Vrabel sitting in the crafts box right after he was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame is being shared quite often now on national media. It made it look like this was the summit that brought Mike Vrabel out of

Starting point is 00:32:18 Tennessee and into New England. Folks, I don't necessarily think it quite works that way. I think there's a lot more nuance to that but again images are worth a thousand words and that one right now is getting a lot of words written about it and a lot of words spoken about it bottom line folks what are your thoughts on what the patriots should do who would you like to see come in and coach this new england patriots team next year is it gerard mayo or mike vrabel and bring back a little of the glory days from the Patriots defense is Bill still your man or do you want to go in a different direction like

Starting point is 00:32:50 Steve said maybe bring in a Ben Johnson or a Dan Quinn or maybe a name we haven't mentioned here drop us a line in the comment section below we would love to hear your thoughts but what can I say my friend thank you so much for bringing a level-headed approach, a reasonable approach, and I think an opinion that a lot of people should really give a second and third listen to because once again, your analysis is always spot on. And that's one of the great reasons why I love bringing you on in addition to being a great friend. And I just love talking football with you.

Starting point is 00:33:21 So thank you so much for joining me today, Steve. Before I let you go, let everyone know where they can find you what type of great work we can expect coming from the great pen the great voice of steve balistrieri within the week yeah i mean this week i mean you know as we talked offline no one wants to hear you know a final recap of the Jets game. It's all on it. Everything's going to center around Bill because we're not even sure of, and they have quite a few free agents coming up. We won't know how they're going to proceed with that

Starting point is 00:34:03 until they have the head coach and the GM in place. Right. Right. So everything centers around Bill Belichick right now. And that's what we're looking at. And we're just waiting for the Patriots to make a decision. I think, as I said earlier, if they're going to move on from Bill, it needs to be done sooner rather than later. There was no way I thought they would let him go on Black Monday, as everyone calls the Monday after the final regular season game. But I think you have to start looking at that. If you're going to let him go, do not dawdle with this.

Starting point is 00:34:42 There's no benefit to dragging this out. If you're going to make the go do not dawdle with this there's no benefit to dragging this out you know if you're going to make the decision make it that's what leaders do absolutely you know and and you know craft kind of skated on the brady thing he he made bill give him the bad news. So this is the one time where Belichick said straight out yesterday, you know, he's open to anything collectively that they decide. So now the ball's firmly in Robert Kraft's lap, and he's going to have to make the call. One other name that we didn't mention, be kind of a wild card and talk about making full circle,

Starting point is 00:35:28 Brian Flores. They decided to let Bill go. Very good point. And a name that I don't think is being brought up enough around here, folks. Flo was very well liked during his time here in New England. Glowing things said about him by Bill Belichick, by Robert Kraft,

Starting point is 00:35:44 by all of the players that played for him. By all accounts, the situation in Miami just was a bad situation with bad relationship with owners. And, you know, that's a conversation for another day, in my opinion. I happen to think Brian Flores was unceremoniously pushed out of his job there. But bottom line, this is a guy that knows how to coach and I think would be a good fit here in New England as well. So a lot of different options, folks. That's another name to add. That's why we always bring him on. He always drops in a dynamite drop in for all of us here. And those pearls of wisdom, counsel and reason are sorely needed. And we're going to continue those each and every week here on Locked On Patriots throughout the offseason.

Starting point is 00:36:26 And once again, I thank all of you for spending time with us here today on Locked On Patriots. No matter when the news breaks, folks, we will be here bringing you the very latest from Foxborough. But in the meantime, I do want to thank you for joining us, and I encourage you to stay safe and to stay well and to be the change you wish to see in the world. On behalf of my good friend Steve Balistrieri, I'm Mike DeBate. Have a great day, everyone. And we'll see you back here again tomorrow on What on Patriots.

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