Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Not Ready to Hang Up the Hoodie? Patriots Draft Shows Belichick Invested in Team’s Future — 5/4/2021

Episode Date: May 4, 2021

The New England Patriots aggressive approach to free agency, as well as the ‘eye toward the future’ strategy which they employed in the 2021 NFL Draft, demonstrates that the Pats hope to be competitive in both the the short-and-long term. It also may indicate that head coach Bill Belichick may invested that future, perhaps longer than expected. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Steve Balestrieri of PatsFans.com. The pair discuss Belichick’s approach to New England’s future, the retirement of Ernie Adams, and the fifth-year contract options of OT Isaiah Wynn and RB Sony Michel.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus.Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you.NugenixText now, and they’ll include a bottle of Nugenix Thermo, their most powerful fat incinerator ever with key ingredients to help you get back in shape, absolutely free! Text DRAFT to 2-3-1-2-3-1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. You are now locked into the Locked On Patriots podcast. It is Tuesday, and may the 4th be with you all here on your daily home for news notes and analysis infused with the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. And don't forget, after listening to today's Locked On Patriots podcast,

check out the wisdom and counsel of NFL analyst Brian Peacock and former NFL scout Matt Williamson, who just happened to host Locked On's Peacock and Williamson every Monday through Friday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. Brian and Matt give you the national perspective all around the NFL, covering the latest news and insight on every team, every draft pick, and every move around the NFL, covering the latest news and insight on every team, every draft pick, and every move around the NFL.

Get your picks, previews, and much more every weekday with the Peacock and Williamson Podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Greetings and salutations, Patriots Nation. Happy Star Wars Day, and thank you very much for joining me here on today's pod. My name is Mike DeBate, your host of the Locked On Patriots Podcast, which, of course, is a proud part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. And folks, because it's your team every day, that means your questions, comments, and feedback are always welcomed, very much appreciated.

So share that feedback, send it to the internet by reaching out to me and following me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC. And while you're out there doing some Tuesday traveling through the Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. Pats fans, again, the 2021 NFL draft is starting to shrink in our rearview mirror. Yesterday here on the pod, my man Murph and I went pick by pick through the Patriots selections in the 2021 NFL Draft. Overall, not a pretty bad haul for the Pats this weekend. Murph gave the Patriots draft slate a solid B.

I gave it a solid B+. And I know all of you out there in the fan base are hoping for the best possible production and health for all eight new Patriots. And while the Patriots roster continues to take shape, which, by the way folks, as of the time I'm recording this podcast, still no undrafted rookie free agents signed by the Pats. A little on the unusual side for Bill Belichick and company, but as I said yesterday here on the pod, it might just be a product of the unusual nature of last season in college football and also what the Patriots were able to do in terms of scouting. Of course, there's always the outside chance that it could be the calm before the storm.

Your guess right now is good as mine. But the Patriots are making moves out there with an eye toward the future. And yesterday, the Patriots made some news on a couple of fifth-round options for two former Georgia Bulldogs who were selected in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Left tackle Isaiah Wynn and running back Sonny Michel. Wynn had his option exercised. Isaiah remains on the books with the Patriots in the 2021 season for a cap number of $3.64 million. In 2022, that fifth-year option will count $10.413 million against New England's salary cap. And even though Isaiah's had his injury histories

throughout his first three years in the NFL, he's as solid of a left tackle when healthy as you can find in the NFL. Patriots obviously see a lot of potential in Isaiah Wynn. It would appear that they're pretty comfortable with his medical report, otherwise I doubt they'd be picking up this option. And for Isaiah, it's good news that he'll be in a Patriots uniform for at least the next two seasons. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for his former Georgia teammate and current Patriots

teammate, running back Sonny Michel. Anyone who's listened to Locked On Patriots knows that I've always been very high on Sonny, and I remain high on him till this day. I think Sonny is a talented running back. I think he showed flashes at the tail end of last year of what he can do with the ball in his hands when healthy and in the right environment, and I still expect that he'll have a productive 2021 season. But when you take under account that Damian Harris is now the starter in New England,

you sprinkle in the drafting of Ramondre Stevenson over the weekend, and all of a sudden, Sonny Michel's future in New England is not looking as bright as it once did. As a result, the Patriots reportedly declined the option. That fifth year would have meant a fully guaranteed $4.52 million salary for Sonny in 2022, meaning that he'll play the final year of his rookie contract in 2021 and then hit the free agent market. It's still very possible that the Patriots and Sony could work out a new deal, especially if James White is done after his one-year contract expires at the end of the year.

If, in fact, the Patriots have already made the decision that they're likely to move on from Sony Michelle, then they've set themselves up for future success, not only with Harris as the feature back, but also Stevenson as the second or third option. So, the Patriots begin their first week post-draft very similar to the way they spent draft weekend, with an eye toward the future.

But how much of that future includes head coach Bill Belichick? I know it sounds crazy, and I'm not starting rumors at all here, folks. If anything, I think this weekend's draft is an indication that Bill plans to be here maybe a little longer than most people expect. After all, the amount of risk versus reward type players that Belichick drafted over the weekend doesn't suggest that he's ready to hang up his hoodie anytime soon. But maybe I'm being unreasonable. Well, lucky for all of us here on Locked On Patriots, my guest today is none other than our resident voice of reason. My good friend Steve Balistrieri of Patsfans.com joins us for his regular Tuesday appearance

as we discuss the 50-year contract options for both Sonny Michel and Isaiah Wynn. We'll also get Steve's thoughts on Day 2 and Day 3 of the NFL Draft and who he believes has the potential to be the most impactful Patriot. We'll prognosticate a little bit on whether or not Bill Belichick's aggressive free agent approach and the eye toward the future strategy of his 2021 NFL draft indicates that he's not willing to give up his head coaching seat anytime soon. Last but certainly not least, Steve and I will wax poetically for just a little bit on the legacy of Patriots football research director Ernie Adams, who announced his retirement yesterday. And we all know that over the

weekend, Bill Belichick announced that this 2021 NFL draft would in fact be Ernie's last with the team. Yesterday, the man who has been Bill Belichick's de facto right hand for the past 21 seasons here in New England announced that he was calling it a career, and what a career it's been. And it all started here in New England, back in 1975, under then-head coach Chuck Fairbanks. Ernie would go on to join his former prep school buddy Bill Belichick in New York, in Cleveland, and of course back here in New England. Ernie leaves an indelible legacy behind here in New England, and Steve and I will provide our thoughts on what Ernie's retirement means for the Patriots both this year and in the long term. An action-packed agenda, Pats fans, so sit tight, settle in, as our resident voice of reason,

my good friend Steve Balistrieri joins me on the hot seat when this Tuesday episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, Locked On listeners, when you want to get the latest news, odds, and info for all of your sporting needs, whether that be Major League Baseball, the NFL, NBA, NHL, all of your UFC, MMA action, and so much more, there is only one place that has you covered and one place we trust. BetOnline.ag, which is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all of your sports action. Before the start of your next favorite sporting event, head over to BetOnline.ag on your laptop or your mobile device and check out all the great sporting news, sign-up bonuses, and contest information. Track all of your action at BetOnline.

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That you can find in Patriots media anywhere You know his great work from Patsfans.com As well as being the co-host of two amazing podcasts Patriots 4th and amazing podcasts, Patriots Fourth and Two, and One Patriots Place. He is my patriotic paisan, and despite what he will tell you, he's worthy of all the praise he gets, and then some. Steve Balistrieri joins me today.

Welcome back to Locked On, my friend. Hey, welcome back. It's a nice ring to it. It seems like we just did this a couple of days ago. Probably because we did. No complaints on this end. No complaints all the way around. This is definitely a favorite way to spend my week.

And we're back to our normal schedule on Tuesday. And I thank Steve for taking time out of his busy schedule to join me on Friday a great episode talking about Mac Jones and now here we are bud with the NFL draft of 2021 now officially in the books our good buddy Murph joined me here yesterday to break down the Pat selections pick by pick and we discussed Mac on Friday you and I did and Murph and I talked about day two and day three mostly yesterday, and some may think that this Pat's draft strategy, when you look at all the picks that they made, all eight selections, might be a bit of a window into the mind of Bill Belichick and his future as the Patriots head coach. Folks, we'll get to that in a minute, but first, Steve, the big news

out of Foxborough yesterday was the announcement of the retirement of Patriots football research director Ernie Adams. The writing was already on the wall for this. Bill had announced on Saturday this would be Ernie's final draft with the Pats. Adams now makes it official, though, with a statement yesterday that was circulated throughout social media on his behalf. Walks away after four decades in football. Steve, Ernie's always been kind of an enigmatic figure uh at times he's even been a little bit of a punch line we've had some fun you know talking about whether ernie actually existed things of this nature uh we get the whole pink stripes mystery surrounding him so there's always been uh an aura of mystery behind him. But even though he's kind of the man behind the curtain, Bill Belichick has never shied away from praising him on so many occasions, calling him a brilliant football mind.

And really, he's been involved in so much with the Patriots operations, whether it be the draft, free agency, football scouting, strategy, whatever that happens to be. Ernie Adams was always intricately involved Steve when you think of your last impressions of Ernie Adams what are they and how big of a loss is this for the Patriots well I think you know going to your second question first that I think it's a big loss because he's been here so long. He's intimately familiar with what, you know, Belichick is looking for in building his teams. And I think it's somebody that Bill just absolutely trusts. But, you know, when you go back,

you asked what your final impressions were. You know, when we talked about this yesterday, that we were going to talk about Ernie Adams, I always think about, you know, other than on television, I've never heard him talk. So because, you know, you see him at practice, but you never really hear him say anything. He was always sitting like back there by Bill Belichick. And, you know, he'd just sit there with his hand on his chin, watching everything transpire.

And then one day after practice, you and I were down there, we were waiting for the players to come over, and Ernie was walking by, and I actually said something to him, and he didn't answer. He just smiled, and he gave one of those hand salutes like, yep, how you doing? And I was like, I wonder if he actually has a voice. Well, you know what, whether or not the public has heard it and whether or not there are anybody that can attest to it, Ernie definitely had a voice in the war room. There's no question about it. Whether again, whether it be giving, you know bill uh wisdom and counsel as we like to say here on the

pod um with regard to football operations things he saw on the field uh definitely when it came to roster building the draft he was intricately involved i think a lot of people forget that he started his you know essentially his career in football right here in New England in 1975. He was a member of the Chuck Fairbanks staff in New England, had a variety of tasks, on-field responsibilities, administrative duties, statistical evaluations, film coordination. You name it, this guy had his hand in it, kind of that jack-of-all-trades role that he held throughout his career. And of course, you know, a former prep school teammate of Bill Belichick, these two guys really formed a big time bond here in New England for the last 21 years. And he will be missed because that type of voice is not something that's easily replicated. We went through this a couple of years ago with Dante Skarnecchia's retirement. And, you know, whether, you know, Carmen Brasillo and Cole Popovich would be able to come in and keep the ship afloat. I think they've done an admirable job in that. But you

still miss the voice of a guy like Dante Skarnecchia, who's had so much experience in this system. Congratulations to Ernie on a phenomenal career. Wish him nothing but the best and enjoy retirement. He's definitely earned it. And to switch gears for a little bit, Bud, because there is still present-day news of the Patriots we will see on the field. Some personnel news for the Pats making the media rounds yesterday. Fullback Jakob Johnson, first off, granted the roster exemption this year as part of the International Pathway Program. Good news for the Patriots. That opens up another roster spot allows them to retain Yacob's services and I thought Yacob did a great job playing in the fullback role last year in the

shadow of someone like James Devlin who was a legend at that position and really kind of stepping in to the role that a lot of people thought Danny Vitale was going to fill and he ended up opting out due to COVID but that wasn't the only roster news. Some news on the fifth-year contract options. We talked about this here before on Locked On. Isaiah Wynn has his option picked up by the Patriots. He will remain under contract for the fifth year. Running back Sonny Michel did not have his option picked up.

And this is something you and I did discuss. We even predicted it last month here on locked on Patriots Steve when you look at especially the 50-year contract options were you surprised by either of these moves and which of them do you believe will have the biggest impact on the Pat season not just this year but even beyond well I wasn't surprised by either one. I think we all thought that the Patriots were going to let Michelle walk after, you know, this season. And, you know, with the drafting of Stevenson in the fourth round there, that kind of, you know, removed all doubt from that. You know, in regards to Isaiah Wynn, he's had injury issues of his own. He's been kind of snake bit a little bit. But he's played – he's also played very well. Michelle has played well when he's been on the field.

So, you know, with both of those guys, I think the difference was with both tackles coming up for a contract next year, you know, we're kind of expecting Trent Brown to play himself out of New England again and get himself a big money contract because he's still young. And I think they wanted some stability there, and they like Isaiah Wynn. So I wasn't shocked that they picked up his option. Now he's fully guaranteed this year and next year, and that takes some of that uncertainty out of the equation.

You know, when we're looking at the draft next year, now you know they already have their quarterback of the future. They have their left tackle signed up for at least two more seasons. Now they can go into next year and decide whether or not they're going to keep Trent Brown or draft a tackle. Yeah, absolutely. And I think that's extremely well said. As much as I've been a Sony Michelle apologist throughout my time hosting Locked On Patriots, and really since the kid was drafted, I had my eye on him as a possibility for the Patriots

to draft when they actually did draft him. And it's tough to say that they've completely either lost faith or are ready to just completely cut ties with him because I still think there is a glimmer of hope that he can be a solid running back in this system or maybe in another system. But when you look at the fact that Damian Harris seems to be entrenched as the starter, and I don't think anybody's arguing that point, the drafting of Ramondre Stevenson all of a sudden puts a little bit new light on what their future plans are for Sony. And when you take under account how much they value Damian and now drafting Stevenson, there really wasn't a whole lot of incentive to add that fifth-year option. That would have been a fully guaranteed $4.52 million contract. As a result, he now plays on the final year of his rookie pact, and maybe Sony plays himself into a contract extension here. It's still not impossible, but the declining of his option, folks, does not necessarily mean

that Sony is completely done. Is it more likely than not? Yes, absolutely. But it's not a given. And if Sony does play well this year, who knows? Maybe there will be something to be worked out or maybe he goes elsewhere and continues his career, you know, in another team's uniform. With regard to when I know a lot of people look at the upside, they look at what he can do on the field and they say a solid offensive tackle. And you mentioned that, you know, they definitely want depth and youth and solid play on the field, but three seasons, three trips to the injured reserve list. And there's a concern there. You know, a lot of people would look at it and say, well,

he's got injury concerns. When you look at the injuries that he suffered, though, they're really not long-term chronic injuries. The Achilles tendon, you know, obviously that was a problem in his rookie season that, you know, that sidelined him for the first year. Turf toe in week two of 2019. And then last season, the knee injury in late November and went on injured reserve for a little bit. These are more of the accidental type injuries rather than something chronic or something that he needs to worry about. If the Patriots are picking up this option, that tells me that they're confident in his medical report, that there's nothing there that's really making them squeamish about having a guy like Isaiah Wynn in their uniform.

So again, it might not be the case, but I think they definitely have a solid talent in Isaiah. And when he's on the field, I think he's as solid as anybody in that role in the NFL. Steve, we always enjoy having you here for wisdom and counsel, bringing us back to a level-headed place. Again, Murph joined us yesterday, riled up the fan base a little bit,

but we bring you here to kind of calm everybody down, and we love that about you. But in just a moment, my friend, we are going to examine the 2021 draft hall of the New England Patriots, and we're going to try to read the tea leaves a little bit here, folks. What might this draft hall mean for the future of Bill Belichick in New England? And what did I mean by that exactly? Find out when the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. Locked On listeners, when it comes to repairing or maintaining your vehicle, why would you spend 30%, 50%, even 100% more for the exact same auto parts at a chain store or a new car dealership?

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RockAuto.com. Patriots fan Steve Balistrieri joins me here today on the pod. And Steve, I discussed yesterday the Pats draft performance is getting pretty good reviews across the board uh from most analysts uh and i think they did a very good job uh they picked up some talented players they filled some needs not all of their needs were filled but they mostly got good value for the players that they selected um friday bud we talked a lot about mac jones uh but when you look at the patriots picks from day two and day three, who would you say were your favorite selections out of those, and which of those seven players has a chance to be the biggest impact player for the Patriots this season? Well, I think, you know, when I'm looking at my favorite selection, I'm going to go with Stevenson.

Just from the fact that somebody had sent me a DM on Twitter, and I apologize to whoever that is because I forgot who sent it. It was early in the process, and they asked me if I had watched him in one of Oklahoma's last games where he had a really big game. And I said – I discounted him because I was like, Bill doesn't draft big running backs like that. He likes to draft the smaller pass-catching type guys. So, you know, I kind of discounted him. And, you know, that conversation came right back to me when they called his name and I started laughing because, lo and behold,

now they have this big running back. You know, that being said, I really like the picks of Mack Jones and Barmore. And, like I said, Stevenson goes against the grain a little bit. But I think in the long haul, the guy that will have the biggest impact will be Jones. I just can't see one way or the other he's going to have a huge impact because they drafted him to be the quarterback of the future, and they're going to have to let it play out and see if he's going to be that guy.

Yeah, without any question. I mean, Steve, this is a quarterback league. It always has been. It really, in a lot of ways, always will be. So to think that any player that's drafted will have a greater impact than the potential future quarterback of this team, the future franchise quarterback of this team will have a greater impact is probably a little disingenuous, but I agree with you. I love the pick from Barmore.

Murph and I were in full agreement on that yesterday. He had some strong feelings about Ronnie Perkins, but he did clarify, folks, for anyone that didn't catch yesterday's episode, definitely encourage you to go back and take a listen. It wasn't so much that Murph had a problem with the talent that Ronnie brings to the table it was more or less that he felt he felt that the pick could have been put to better use for the Pats maybe getting some offensive line depth or maybe some help at corner which the Patriots did not address and have yet to address in the undrafted free agent pool as well so lead you to believe that maybe they're ready to roll this season with Gilmore and Jackson give it everything they've got in the backfield unless they have their eyes somewhere else, which is definitely a possibility. But I agree with you. I definitely think that, you know, there's there's definitely a lot for for the Patriots to like in this draft. And those are some of my favorites as well. And I'm really warming to Trey Nixon. The more I look at him, the more I'm able to see the speed uh the ability to beat guys downfield I think he needs to get a little more physical

said that yesterday but I'm starting to warm to this pick a little bit more so folks for everyone who thinks that the Patriots did not get a wide out uh they may have gotten someone that's not going to be a number one wide receiver but someone that can give you yardage and may end up raising an eyebrow or two. Lastly, Bud, if there seems to be a common theme for the Patriots draft this year, it's risk with the potential for high reward. I really think that's a good way to describe what the Patriots did across all three days. And it can be said about a lot of their picks, maybe even to a degree, all of them. We mentioned Christian Barmore, Ronnie Perkins, Ramondre Stevenson, even Mack himself. They have more future potential than maybe present impact. Cam McGrone was selected by the team and Bill's

own admission right after said that he may not even be ready to play until 2022. So, Steve, there's a lot of speculation around that. And there's also a lot of speculation given to how long Bill Belichick wants to remain coach of this team. We hear it all the time. Some have speculated that he's in a win-now mode with a very short timeline for success, especially after the free agent spending spree he went on. We haven't seen Bill do that in his entire tenure here in New England. Maybe the 07 offseason heading into that year could be the only one that's relative to what we saw this year. But there's a lot of future potential in his draft. That doesn't really seem to me like a guy that's ready to hang up the hoodie anytime soon so

Steve when you look at the draft class and you look at what Bill did in free agency do you believe that there's any indication here with the moves we've seen in this offseason that Bill is taking that long-term approach that he wants to hang around here for a while or do you think that he is still in that short window and maybe took the draft approach with saying let's see what there is down the line but these players can help us win now as well is he going to stick around for longer than most people think or is this a situation where he's ready to win now because he doesn't have that long left as a head coach of this team that's the 64 000 question right there, my friend.

But, you know, honestly, you know, I know in the past he said he didn't want to be coaching past 70 years old. But I think he still loves it. And I think the fact that his two sons are with him, you know, it's not often that somebody can go to work and spend time with their kids. And I think there's something to be said for that. And, you know, I think he loves the fact that he's working with both of his sons. And, you know, the fact that he's grooming them for bigger and better things.

You know, I wouldn't be surprised if he stuck around for a couple more years, at least. You know, it just seems to me like we're not seeing any indication that, you know, he's ready to hang it up. You know, he was going to the pro days this year and, you know, he still looks like he's enjoying himself and what he does and you know that that family aspect I think plays a big part in this yeah I think it does as well and I really understand uh you know where a lot of people are coming from with the speculation but I think you hit the nail right on the head Bill seems to be having fun coming to work every day getting a chance to be with his family and more even deeper than that i think it's just it's combining his two loves his

love of football with his love of his family and uh anyone that had the chance over the weekend to check out the kentucky derby i know it was draft time and bill was definitely ensconced within that. But prior to the running of the Derby, NBC aired a interview with not only horse trainer Bob Baffert, whose horse was successful in the Kentucky Derby, Medina Spirit ended up winning at a 12 to 1 long shot, which was a surprise for a lot of people. But Baffert is considered one of the best, if not the best trainers in all of horse racing. And Bill Belichick arguably is one of the best, if not the best trainers in all of horse racing. And Bill Belichick arguably is one of the best, if not the best head coach in professional football. And Mike Tirico asked him, you know, he says,

you really like to go to work. He's like, you've had all the success. And you could see Bill Belichick's face just light up saying, I love it. I love coming to work. I really enjoy it. I enjoy being out on the field. I love watching our players. And you could tell by the

way he was talking that this is a guy that just loves what he does. And I think as long as he can and as long as he wants to, he'll be around. And I think he took that approach this year with the draft, especially with some of these young players that could pay dividends down the line. I think he'd like to see what some of these kids can do so if there's good news or you know silver linings with patriots fans about bill belichick's future here take a look at the draft this indicates to me that this is a guy that's not ready to hang it up in the immediate future now does how long does he have jerry's still out on that one that's anybody's guess only bill knows that for sure uh but i don't think it's going to be after this season that's just my opinion but

then again bud i could be wrong, but it sounds like we're in agreement. And if I'm in agreement with you, I'm definitely taking that one to the bank. I'm feeling confident in that, but Steve, what can I say,

but thank you so much for taking the time out today to join me here on lockdown Patriots. Uh, before I let you go, my friend, please let everyone know, now that we're in that post-draft lull of the NFL season, what we can expect from the great Penn and the great voice of Steve

Bellastrieri in the coming days and weeks. Well, now that, you know, the draft is finally over and, you know, the amazing thing was, and you mentioned it earlier, that they haven't signed one undrafted free agent. So it looks like that 17-year run is definitely going to come to a halt this year. But now we're going to look at all the pieces that they've signed in the offseason and try to figure out how they're all going to fit. And I know Bill is already well into that,

and they'll have to see how it all plays out on the field. But now we'll start looking at, you know, some of our writing as, okay, how do we see how these pieces are all going to fit together? And, you know, we'll have a better idea of what the offense and defense and special teams are going to look like this year. Without question, and we look forward to it all again, folks. If this man puts pen to paper or voice to microphone and he's attached to it, I have the utmost in confidence, and I will tell you,

definitely check it out because you'll be a smarter football fan as a result of it. I always am, and it'll definitely enrich your capabilities to enjoy the game of football. Buddy, thanks again until next week. Stay safe and stay well. And we look forward to talking ball with you again here on Locked On Patriots each and every Tuesday. Always a pleasure, my friend. Always a pleasure.

And I'm here anytime you need me. Absolutely. And likewise, my friend. Thanks. Have a great week and thank you for your great draft coverage this season. And just like that, Patriots fans, we are nearly halfway through your work week. And although Locked On Patriots has you covered for all the news notes and analysis you need on your favorite team in Foxborough, get all the sports news you need in under 20 minutes with the Locked On Today podcast. Host Peter Bukowski updates you on the latest news in every major sport with the help of

our local experts. I often have the privilege of joining Peter on Locked On Today, and I can tell you he provides one of the best listens in the business. Follow the Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action right here on Locked On Today podcast on the Odyssey app or wherever you get your podcasts. And to ensure that you do not miss a single second of the action right here on Locked On Patriots, follow the pod on platforms such as the Odyssey app, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, wherever you get your podcasts. Just make sure that you are staying locked in to Locked On Patriots.

Once again, my name is Mike DeBate. I thank my good friend Steve Balistrieri for his time, his insight, and his appearance on today's pod. But most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for continuing to make Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, always be the change you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.