Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - No Naps: Will New England Patriots Keep Focus vs New York Jets?

Starting point is 00:00:00 It's week 17. The Patriots looking to add another win in a dream season. The Jets looking for some bright spot at the end of a nightmare season. It's a locked on crossover. Locked on Jets, locked on Patriots to get you ready for week 17. You are locked on NFL crossover. Part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team.

Starting point is 00:00:30 day. Welcome, Jets fans and Patriots fans. I'm John Butchco, the host of Lockdown Jets, alongside Nick Cattels, the host of Lockdown Patriots. We're here to get you ready for week 17 AFC East matchup between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots Sunday at MetLife Stadium. Crossover Thursday is presented by prize picks. Download the prize picks app today and use code Lockdown NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Well, Nick, Merry Christmas. Yeah. An interesting matchup between two teams that have had very different types of seasons. Patriots having an excellent campaign under first year coach Mike Brable. Jets having a nightmare season under first year coach Aaron Glenn. You know, looking at this game, Patriots are coming off what I think is an important win over the Baltimore Raven. So, you know, you're the expert. I'll tell you what I see looking at this from afar. I felt like that win Sunday night was important for the Patriots because of what happened the week before against Buffalo and you know when you're on a role in the NFL particularly with the team that's kind of come together for the first time you know

Starting point is 00:01:38 that's a very good stretch the question is always how you respond when you hit a rough patch and you know a couple weeks ago against the Buffalo Bills it was a big game Patriots jumped out to a big lead and Buffalo came back in one and I was interested to see how the Patriots would respond and the answer I think was that they responded well so that's how I see it from afar but you know you're you're there, you know, covering this team every day, you know, talk about how things are going in New England after that win. Yeah, John, you were interested in it. I was interested in it. I think a lot of Patriots fans were interested to see how they would respond. You know, the 30 minutes in the second half against Buffalo was the worst 30 minutes of football they played

Starting point is 00:02:15 all season. And I don't even know if it's necessarily close. And that includes Drake May, who I thought had his worst half of football of the season against the bills in the second half and it's pretty interesting because you get through the first two and a half quarters or so against the Ravens and I think there were still questions right like Drake may up until that point had not played great against the Ravens and the team the defense was getting gashed in the run game again and so you're kind of looking at this and going man if if this continues to play out the next quarter and a half the way it's played out the first two and a half quarters there are going to be some serious questions about the Patriots given what happened against Buffalo

Starting point is 00:02:51 in that second half. But the fourth quarter really changed everything. The defense came up with the stop. The defense came up with the turnover. And I thought Drake May played his best quarter of football as an NFL quarterback in that fourth quarter. He was almost perfect, John. So I think the biggest question now heading into this weekend against the Jets is, yeah, you won that game against the Ravens, but there were a ton of injuries. Nine guys, nine guys went to the medical tent during that game on Sunday night. Seven guys did not finish the game. And we're talking about some crucial skill players.

Starting point is 00:03:28 Trayvion Henderson, concussion protocol. K. Sean Booty, concussion protocol. Jared Wilson, you're starting left guard. Concussion protocol. Pop Douglas hurt his hamstring. Of course, Will Campbell is already out and on the IR. Even Morgan Moses, old friend for you, Morgan Moses. As you know, he plays through everything.

Starting point is 00:03:47 He got banged up. He came back, but he was not the same player in the second half. Their sixth offensive lineman, their third tackle, Theramunford, he got hurt in the game. He came back, but he's dinged up. Karees Tonga, Interior Defensive Lyman, one of their best interior defensive lineman. He got hurt. He's out for a week or two at least. Milton Williams, his window has opened up from the IR.

Starting point is 00:04:10 He's going to be back on the field this week, practice-wise, not sure if he's going to play Sunday. And then Robert Spillane has missed the last two games. and, you know, he's out of the boot, reportedly, which is great, but he might not play. So it literally is. I know it might sound like low-hanging fruit, John, but the biggest story for me with the Patriots in this specific game this weekend is who's going to play and how much are those guys going to end up playing? Nick, I'm trying to think of a non-sarcastic way to put this, but you're playing the right

Starting point is 00:04:43 team if you're dealing with injuries right now because this Jets team has just been horrible all the last three weeks. And I think what's frustrating from a Jets perspective is after the 0-N-7 start, it felt like they were making some progress. They won three of their next five games. And two games they lost. One of them was a game, Jets fans and Patriots fans saw. It was the Thursday night game in Foxborough.

Starting point is 00:05:05 Look, the Patriots are much better than the Jets. We were not expecting that to be that close of a game. But Jets at least showed some fight in that game. Right, right. You know, when you're a team that's lacking talent, the way the Jets are, you know most weeks you're going to be outmanned, but the question is whether or not, you know, you at least put up a good fight. You make the other team earn it. And, you know, the Jets made some mistakes that night, but I don't think they embarrassed themselves. No.

Starting point is 00:05:31 Yeah, the other loss was to Baltimore. It's kind of a similar situation. Jets made a lot of big mistakes. Jets were their own worst enemy in that game in a lot of ways, but they did not embarrass themselves in Baltimore. The last three weeks have been really, really ugly. You know, blowout loss to the Dolphins at home, a blowout loss to the Jaguars on the road. And a game against the Saints where, I mean, they were in it for a while, but they ended up losing by 23 and Saints entered that game four at 10. Yeah. You're just seeing a team backsliding.

Starting point is 00:06:00 And part of its injuries, look, the Jets are really banged up, particularly in the secondary. I mean, Nick, they're going to be starting, they're probably going to be starting two corners this week who were guys who got snaps in the second half of preseason games in August. And this is not like, it's not like this was a great roster to begin with. Right. But it's been troubling to watch the way this team has been performing because you just don't see the fight that you were seeing in November. So, you know, I don't know what we're going to see from the Jets in this game,

Starting point is 00:06:32 but if it's anything resembling the last three weeks, well, I'm not convinced it matters who plays for the Patriots. Because this Jets team, it's not just that they're not talented, is that they haven't looked like a good, they haven't looked like a real NFL team the last couple of weeks. Yeah, I get that. I get that thought process for sure. And of course,

Starting point is 00:06:49 Mike Vrable is trying to keep his guys on the path here. And he keeps pounding the point of we want to win the division. We want to win the division. We want to win the division. We coughed up the division the second half against the bills when we had a big lead because we took our foot off the gas. So he's going to continue to try to push and prod these guys to be ready, no matter who they're playing the next couple weeks.

Starting point is 00:07:09 Because, of course, they not only play the Jets this weekend, but then they follow that up with the Miami Dolphins in Foxborough in week 18. So he's trying to keep them focused, trying to keep them honed in. I watched three quarters. I didn't get through the entire game of the All-22, but I did watch three quarters of the Jets Saints game last weekend. And I would overall agree with your assessment, John.

Starting point is 00:07:33 I thought, you know, offensively, it's a very safe plan. Brady Cook looks like somebody to me that's uncomfortable trying to even find any kind of somewhat tight window, let alone tight window. So he doesn't like pulling the trigger to me unless it's super safe, which you understand. He's what the third string quarterback, so you get that. So I look at defensively, and I'm sure we'll get into it with the marquee matchups, but that secondary is in a world of hurt. And I just, I saw guys, I think if Tyler Shuck was, was better through the first three quarters, there were big plays to be made. And I thought that game could have been even worse for the Jets.

Starting point is 00:08:15 So, you know, we'll see. You never know what the NFL. Crazy things have happened this year, especially. I mean, look at the Patriots. They're freaking 12 and 3, John. If you told me they'd be 12 and 3, I would have had you checked. But, yeah, I think that the Jets are in a tough spot, which might be the best for them in the big picture, honestly with all these picks they got after trading sauce gardener and quinn and williams i mean i think

Starting point is 00:08:38 it's it's almost i don't want to say go out there and tank because i never think that's good for a football team or a head coach but losing these last couple games probably not the worst result for jets fans yeah and you know i think on some level it's academic because this team's just not good enough and for me it's not just about wins and losses it's about how you get there you know The Jets were losing these games and, you know, you saw some young players starting to look good. You could live with it because you know that it's, for me, like the last couple of weeks have been disturbing because I feel like in some levels it's gone beyond talent. I mean, look, when you're starting these guys in the secondary, when you're starting Qantas diggers or Jordan Clark at that corner, there are going to be big plays made against you. That's just how it is.

Starting point is 00:09:22 But what's been frustrating to me is that last couple weeks and particularly two weeks ago against Jacksonville, it was just like the Jets didn't look like a team that could execute basic cover. And that's, you know, for first year coaching staff, you're hoping starting to show, is going to start to show competence. This time of year, if you're going backwards as a defense and you don't have answers for basic concepts, you know, that's troubling. So, like, I mean, the scores matter, of course, but, you know, the losses the Jets were having during that five-week stretch where they, you know, they lost to the Patriots but did not embarrass themselves. They lost the Ramis did not embarrass themselves. You know, it's one thing to lose because you don't have enough talent. It's one thing when you make the other team earn it. The Jets have not made their opponents earn it the last couple of weeks, and that's what's troubling to make.

Starting point is 00:10:02 Yeah, look, John, quick, because I know we've got the second segment coming up here, but this might feel like it was eons ago. But just last year, the Patriots had a similar kind of vibe. I mean, after the by week, their by week was week 14 like it was this year. And the biggest question at that point was, can Gerard Mayo prove that he can get this team prepared at a higher level? And can they play better football as you get towards the tail end of the season? And they came out of the buy. they did not play well against Arizona. They got humiliated by the Chargers at home.

Starting point is 00:10:32 That was pretty much the death knell. And I don't even count the Buffalo win in week 18 because, come on, Joe Milton was out there. Buffalo was literally trying to lose that game. And so were the Patriots. Two teams trying to lose. That was a fun one to watch. So, you know, I agree with you.

Starting point is 00:10:47 At the end of the year, that final month, that final five games, you want to see signs of life. You want to see signs of improvement. And it just hasn't been there for the Jets. All right. ahead here on our crossover Thursday edition of locked on jets and locked on Patriots we'll talk about the key matchups who will shape this game can the Patriots avoid an upset we'll talk about the players who need to step up continuing here on

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Starting point is 00:12:01 after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code Locked On NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Price picks, it's good to be right. It is crossover Thursday here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. I'm John Butchgo, the host of Lockdown Jets alongside Nick Cattels, the host of Lockdown Patriots to get you ready for Week 17 action, the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. Nick and I would like to take some time to thank you for making Locked On Jets and Locked On Patriots your first listen every day.

Starting point is 00:12:31 I would like to give a big shout out to you Everydayers. And we also like you to take a look at the Everydayer Club. It provides access to an ad-free audio feed for Lockedon Jets and Lockedon Patriots compatible with Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and every other major podcast app. And it gives you an invite to our members-only Locked On Everydayer Club Discord server. So go to locked on NYJets.supercast.com or locked on patriots. Dot supercast.com or tap the link in the show notes to learn more. Well, Nick, I think heading into this game, overwhelming sentiment is that the Patriots are likely to win this game. But as we've talked about in the first segments, you know, any given Sunday, weird things happen every week in the NFL.

Starting point is 00:13:12 Right. Let's talk matchups. You know, if the Patriots are going to avoid an upset, you know, what's a matchup that you keep your eye on that you think they need to win? broken record John I'm going to be a broken record here for some people because it's it's one of the main points I've continued to hit over the last month or so and that's slowing down the opposing running back which is kind of bananas because the first nine weeks of this season the Patriots were the best run defense in football Milton Williams goes down their their run defense has declined precipitously Robert Spillane has also been heard as I mentioned earlier he's their best by far linebacker especially against the run so you start with the front seven and And to me, watching the Jets, you've got to stop Breece Hall. I thought there were a few runs from Breece Hall last week on an individual effort. I liked what I saw. He made some guys miss.

Starting point is 00:14:00 He made a couple of cutbacks. I didn't think that the Jets, especially in the first half, blocked it up well, so to speak, in the run game. So I think you've got to contain Breece Hall because to me, the Jets offense right now is Breece Hall or bust. You don't have Garrett Wilson. He's out with the injury. He's, you know, one of my favorite receivers in the league.

Starting point is 00:14:19 Brady Cook, I think, is a very limited quarterback, as I mentioned a few moments ago. A.D. Mitchell didn't show me anything on film against the Saints. Again, I watched the first three quarters. I don't know if he did anything in the fourth quarter. But what's interesting to me, you know, you go back to that Thursday night, John. You know, A.D. Mitchell actually gave Christian Gonzalez some trouble, which was, to me, stunning. And Christian Gonzalez is coming off one of his worst games I've seen as a patriot against the Ravens. I thought he was not good, especially in the first half. And he lacked urgency and effort.

Starting point is 00:14:53 So if you try to clog up Breeze Hall and you force Brady Cook to beat you consistently, I think you win this football game. You know, Nick, it's funny. I remember our crossover Thursday show before that Thursday night game in New England, we picked the exact same matchups. And I have news for you. We did not pick the exact same matchups this one. But that was a perfect segue to my first matchup,

Starting point is 00:15:16 which is A.D. Mitchell versus Christian. in Gonzalez. And the reason I'm picking it is for a lot of the reasons you mentioned, you know, this Jets offense cannot just be Reese Hall. And as you've discussed, and as I've discussed on Locked-on Jets, every dayers of Locked-on Jets know this, Brady Cook is a limited quarterback. And if we get into the type of game where Cook has to engineer 10 play drives and is trying to trade touchdowns with Drake May, this is going to be a blowout loss

Starting point is 00:15:48 for the Jets. Really, the Jets' only chance in this game that I see is to produce big plays. And Brees Hall is the big play guy on offense, but I think we can presume Mike Rable and, you know, the Patriots coaching staff is going to do everything in their power to try and take him away. That first game, A.D. Mitchell had opportunities to make big plays. He had two big drops. Yep.

Starting point is 00:16:12 And it's been inconsistent. I mean, look, there's a reason the Colts were willing to throw him in as part of the Soss Gardner trade. We did see flashes a couple of weeks ago from Mitchell when the Jets beat the Atlanta Falcons. He did have eight catches for 102 yards and a touchdown in that game. So the classic guy who has ability, he flashes it. The question is whether he can do it consistently. And the other thing, Nick, is that when you're watching these games from a jet standpoint right now,

Starting point is 00:16:38 you're almost like looking at it the way you watch a preseason game. Because at the end of the day, I don't think the result really matters all that much. Of course, it matters when you talk about draft positioning. But when I watch a preseason game, I'm always focused on how these players are performing and how it will impact the Jets going forward. And at this point of the year, week 17, there's only two games left. This is a lost season for the Jets. AD Mitchell is a guy who could be in the mix for the Jets next year as a wide receiver.

Starting point is 00:17:06 Now, he's not going to be the number one guy the way he is in this game. But the question is, will it be the number three guy? And if he shows that he can handle, like, potentially being the number one, number three receiver. That's one less thing the Jets need to get this off season. Now, look, they're going to need to upgrade the wide receiver room, no doubt, because all they have right now is Garrett Wilson. And if A.D. Mitchell shows he can be a number three guy. They'll still need a number two guy. But I think this is an interesting matchup and an important game, an important game for A.D. Mitchell. Yeah, it's interesting. You know,

Starting point is 00:17:36 heading into the draft, I was a big A.D. Mitchell guy. I watched him at Texas. The talent is there. I think he's a very talented guy. But we all know there were also red flags. and he was somebody from a talent standpoint at his best could have been a first round pick. And many people thought he would go on the first round. And he fell and he fell because of those red flags. And so I think, you know, this is a crucial part of the schedule for him. And he's got to prove himself. And if he can go out there and he can again give Christian Gonzalez a tough time,

Starting point is 00:18:09 then I think that certainly helps his case for 2026. Now, speaking of wide receivers cornerbacks, man oh man i know you described the situation a little bit earlier in this episode but i was almost feeling bad for the jet's corners watching that saints game um quantes stiggers was i'll try to put this nicely brutal against the saints and you know i'm talking about bad coverage i'm talking about bad eyes kind of getting stuck looking into the backfield at one point on a play action that burnt him uh saw a couple missed tackles so Kishan booty again concussion protocol will he be out there

Starting point is 00:18:48 Pop Douglas hamstring not sure if he'll be out there but you know Stefan Diggs Mac Hollins and Kyle Williams you know those guys uh they should be capable of of eating during this this game on Sunday against this secondary against Quantes Stiggers and you know I'm a Notre Dame fan it's it's tough to say but I did not think Jordan Clark was very good against the saints either so and again I know they're not the starting corners and stuff. I understand the situation for the Jets,

Starting point is 00:19:16 but the Patriots looking at this, John, Drake May should be licking his chops, and they should be able to take advantage of those corners consistently on Sunday. Yeah, I'll tell you, Nick, there is a very good reason Quantas Stiggers is on this roster right now, and it has nothing to do with his ability to play corner. He is a standout special teamer. He's been a phenomenal contributor on that unit,

Starting point is 00:19:38 which has been the best special teams unit in the NFL. And if you go back to Cutdown Day, one of the things that I said was if you watch Stiggers and preseason, he does not look like an NFL caliber corner right now. Yeah, he had a rough preseason as a corner. The reason he made the team was he was an excellent special teamer, and I think that's something the Jets coaching staff valued because it came down to him in Jerich Bernard Converse,

Starting point is 00:20:01 who was a late round pick a couple of years ago for the final corner spot. Converse was ahead of Stiggers and coverage by a mile. Stiggers, though, provided value on special teams. You know, he's actually got an amazing life story. I mean, you can check it out. You know, he actually quit football because he was so devastated over his father's passing. His mother signed him up for like this minor indoor professional league. He caught the attention of somebody who had connections to the CFL.

Starting point is 00:20:28 He ended up going to the CFL and out of the CFL he got drafted because he had never entered the draft before. So the rare player who was drafted out of a professional league. So really a remarkable story. And a guy who, you know, overcome adversity and carted out a role for Jets on specialties. at this point of his career at least he's a liability in coverage um real quick i'll give you my second matchup germane johnson versus old friend morgan moses who has had two jet stints consummate professional you said it right nick i i know exactly what you were saying earlier when you said morgan moses battles through everything i mean he was battling through painful

Starting point is 00:21:02 injuries last year in a lost season that in december for the jets a guy no jets fans have the utmost respect for germane johnson's having a difficult season he was coming back from the the Achilles injury, and I think he has not looked like the same player. Because of the issues the Jets have in the secondary, they got to generate some pressure on Drake May. Otherwise, May is going to carve them up. So this has to be a big game for Jermaine Johnson that Jets want to stay in it. I'm glad you mentioned that because I had Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson against the

Starting point is 00:21:31 offensive tackles as my third key. So there we are on the same page, John. Great minds think alike, Nick. All right. Well, now you've heard the storylines around the Jets and the Patriots. You've heard the big matchups. Let's talk about what the Jets need to do if they want to pull an upset, what the Patriots need to do if they want to avoid an upset.

Starting point is 00:21:48 Keys to Victory ahead here on our crossover Thursday edition of Lockdown Jets and Lockdown Patriots. It's crossover Thursday here on the Lockdown Podcast Network, Week 17, an old AFC East rivalry, New York Jets, New England Patriots, and they're kind of back in their natural positions in the world. Jets at the bottom of the league, Patriots dominating. Jets fans, you hate to hear it, Patriots fans, you love to hear it. Nick, let's talk keys to victory for the Patriots. And, I mean, I could be sarcastic and say, like, you know,

Starting point is 00:22:22 don't, you know, set your alarm clock at the right time, you know, be careful driving to the stadium. But what are your keys to victory for the Patriots? All right, I'll run through my three. The first one is, again, it's kind of cliche and it might be easy, but it's the absolute truth is keep your foot on the gas. Keep your foot on the gas, no letdowns. Mike Vrable loves, you know, the idea of like, we don't want to take any naps.

Starting point is 00:22:46 And the Patriots, they took a nap in the second half against the Bills. They were a little bit sleepy against the Ravens in the first, as I said, two and a half quarters or so. Come out of the gates ready to play. Energy, urgency, physicality. The Jets to me are a team. They know that they're pretty much dead and buried. If you come out and you punch them in the face, I'm not sure if they'll even respond. So no letdowns, keep your foot on that gas, play clean.

Starting point is 00:23:12 play good football, and you should win. The second key to me is it's really a first step towards a two-step process. I mentioned earlier about Briseau. You've got to defend the run. Defend the run, defend the run, force the Jets to be one-dimensional on offense. And then for you, for the Patriots, run the football. And that's going to be an interesting situation because Trayvion Henderson in the concussion

Starting point is 00:23:36 protocol, we're recording this before practice on Wednesday due to the holiday. Merry Christmas, everybody, even Jets fans. hands. You know, Trayvion Henderson, he's in concussion protocol. And so he's probably not going to play, I would guess. And so the Patriots really have only one back. De Ernest Johnson was their third back last weekend. He played one snap. Ramandre Stevenson played 84% of the offensive snaps and played pretty much 99.5% after the Trayvion Henderson injury. So they're going to have to establish the run game. They want to establish the run game. They want to stay committed to it and be consistent with it as they get ready for January.

Starting point is 00:24:13 And my final point is, again, this might be kind of low-hanging fruit, but take care of the ball, right? Take care of the football, tighten up special teams. You mentioned it, John, the Jets, really good and special teams. Don't give the Jets anything easy. Don't hand them the football for a 30-yard touchdown drive. Don't give up big kickoff returns. We saw that in the Bills game where, you know, two big kickoff returns equal two touchdowns

Starting point is 00:24:39 for the Bills. They turned the ball over twice last week. So take care of the football, tighten up special teams, make sure the Jets get nothing easy. Nick, my keys to victory for the Jets are very similar to what you said. Like, I think if we're being honest, the number one key to victory for the Jets has nothing to do with the Jets. They need the Patriots to come out and sleepwalk through this game. They need the Patriots to, you know, kind of not take them seriously. And, you know, I've covered a lot of bad Jets teams, Nick,

Starting point is 00:25:10 through the years. And one thing I've noticed is that sometimes in these late season games, the opponent is kind of looking past the Jets. They're kind of looking to the playoffs. And that's where you get into trouble. It's actually like one of the running jokes in the Jets fan bases. The Jets always pull off some random win

Starting point is 00:25:25 to destroy their draft position in December. And frequently what happens is they get a team that just kind of looks past them. And that's what happened back in 2020. That was the most famous example when they lost out on Trevor Lawrence. They won a game that nobody was expecting them to win over a Rams team that ended up making the playoffs. And the Rams pretty much sleepwalked through the first three and a half quarters of the game.

Starting point is 00:25:47 Jets took a three score lead. Then the Rams actually started playing and almost came back. It took a touchdown saving tackle by a punter for the Jets to win that game. So, but anyway, I think the bottom line here is, you know, I made the joke earlier about, you know, make sure you set your alarm clock at the right time. But the, for the Jets have any chance in this game, the Patriots have to come out and look lethargic and just be disinterested in this game. And that has nothing to do with the Jets,

Starting point is 00:26:10 but I think if we're just being realistic about where these teams are right now, that's a critical component of the Jets winning. My number two key is the Jets are going to have to figure out a way to make splash plays. And I'm going to be very broad there. It could be on offense. It could be maybe they get their first interception of the year in this game.

Starting point is 00:26:29 But if this is a game of 8 to 10 play drives, New England's going to win by 20 or 30 points. You know, the Jets just don't have the offense to sustain long drive. arrives. You know, what can be an equalizer in a game where there's a big talent mismatch is a big play here or there. Two of the three Jets wins this season have come as a direct result of big special teams play. A game against the Cleveland Browns back in November, saw the Jets return both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown. And, you know, maybe it's Breece Hall making big plays. Maybe it's A.D. Mitchell stepping up and, you know, you know, adding a splash

Starting point is 00:27:03 player too. Maybe it's the defense, maybe it's special teams. But Jets are going to need, maybe maybe just steal a possession with a fake kick or something like that, but the Jets are going to need some splash plays in this game. And my third game, this is kind of a theme where it's just going to take something monumental. Somebody or maybe multiple players need to just have the game of their life. You know, we see it every week in the NFL. Some backup comes in and forces multiple turnovers. Some receiver who's down on the depth chart catches two touchdown passes.

Starting point is 00:27:31 And you know it's not sustainable, but the NFL everyone's got some talent. Anybody who's playing in the NFL is capable of playing a big game. game. They're not all capable of sustaining that, but I really do believe that, you know, when you're talking about players in the NFL, even practice squatters, you get, you don't get to the NFL unless you're a really good player, you know, unless you're, anybody on, even on a practice squad is one of the best, it's been one of the best players on the field his entire life up in the NFL. So I think the difference between a good team and the bad team in the NFL isn't that great. That's why you see upsets, maybe not as drastic as this would take. But, you know,

Starting point is 00:28:05 somebody, somebody on heralded, you know, is it John Mechie? Is it, you know, is it, Quintess Stiggers, maybe delivering a big game at Corner? I don't know, but that's, it's going to take, it's going to take, like, somebody we're not expecting to go out there and just like, have like a player of the week type performance for the Jets to win. Yeah. I mean, I think you're right. When you look at, a lot of times we look at these players and I think it's also the fantasy football factor, John, where, you know, oh, well, that guy's not a great player but all these guys have talent and some of them might have talent in niche aspects of the game so to speak but they've all as you just mentioned they've been on a football field before

Starting point is 00:28:45 and been one of the best players on that field at some point in their life high school college the NFL CFL so I don't overlook anybody I agree with you that there's a little difference between the middle like I don't know let's say 15 to 20 teams I always think every year the top five teams are pretty much the cream of the crop and then you'll have five teams that are just god awful but the you know the middle 15 to 20 those teams uh they're they're very very slim margins and you know quarterback play is such a huge thing and i think that's why like the patriots are not where they're at this year if drake may did not take this leap as quickly as he did there's just no way there's no way on god's green earth that would

Starting point is 00:29:28 happen so um you probably do need a somebody to pop or a couple guys to pop on sunday Nick, before we go, I just want to get a sense of how the Patriots fan-based views this season. You know, is it, do you think this is a season, a successful season, no matter what happens, or do you think that the view is because of the past success in New England, this team has to go on a playoff run to really make people feel, make people feel like this was a hugely successful season? You know, somebody tweeted at me the other day and said that the Bills and the Ravens games kind of changed their perspective.

Starting point is 00:30:02 and now they think, like, hey, if they can win one game, it'd be a huge step forward. And I could see that. I think it actually will come down to the matchups, John. Like, I think fans look at the Houston Texans, for example, as a team that's, like, dangerous because they're defense. And if you lost to the Texans, it'd be like, well, you know, what happened and who was playing, yada, yada. But a lot of these other teams, I mean, I think with this field, the Patriots, if they're the one seat or the two seat, if you lose in the, you know, if you're the two seat and you lose in the, you know, if you're the two seat and you lose in the first. first round, even if it's against the Texans, if they're seventh, then I think that would be a tough pill to swallow. I think at this point, what they've done this year and the way Drake

Starting point is 00:30:40 May has played, you've got to win at least one playoff game. And if you fall short of that, I do think fans would be frustrated. Now, once you get beyond that, what are the matchups, what your health like, and anything can happen. And of course, you know, this will be Drake May's first shot in the postseason. And you never know how a guy is going to react his first time around. So I still think there are questions about this team. Their red zone defense is terrible. The red zone offense has been better since the buy. You look at the run defense. Can they get that strained out with Milton Williams coming back? Their four-man pass rush has had major questions since a hot start. And so there are legitimate questions about this

Starting point is 00:31:17 football team, but I still think given your, you know, 13 and 3 at this point, and you've got Drake May, who's in the MVP talk, you should win at least one in the postseason. Thank you, Nick, for joining us today. And thank you. All of you every day or is everyone who's taking the time to listen to us. I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas. And thank you for supporting our shows every year, Locked on Jets and Locked on Patriots. Getting ready for Week 17 action, you know,

Starting point is 00:31:44 will it be a surprise, will it be what we're expecting. We'll keep an eye on what happens on the field Sunday. You can always tune into Lockdown Jets and Locked on Patriots for analysis on these two AFC East rivals. For my good friend Nick Cattels, I'm John Butchco, wishing you have Merry Christmas. Hope you have a wonderful holiday. And we'll be back next time. Talk more Jets. Talk more Patriots.

Starting point is 00:32:01 Thank you.

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