Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Offseason Review: Evaluating the New England Patriots 2022 Offseason — 5/9/22

Episode Date: May 10, 2022

As the New England Patriots prepare for the start of rookie minicamp on Friday, May 13, it is the perfect time to take stock in the Pats’ performance to date. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ���Muprh’ Murphy, as the duo rate and evaluate the Patriots coaching staff changes, their free agent/trade additions and their undrafted free agent signings for 2022.Find and follow Locked On Patriots on your favorite podcast platforms:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/locked-on-patriots-daily-podcast-on-the-new-england/id1140512627 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1c5ZxFmwg3WbfxAU3tR5Ve?si=k196wH-yRqifUcQQz8SjIQStitcher: https://www.stitcher.com/show/locked-on-patriots And follow host Mike D’Abate on Twitter, where he’ll be sharing the latest news about the New England Patriots and talking with fans.On Twitter: @mdabateNFLSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!Rock AutoAmazing selection. Reliably low prices. All the parts your car will ever need. Visit RockAuto.com and tell them Locked On sent you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can Parker be the savior of the Patriots offseason or will Strange in the draft stain the Patriots performance thus far? Grading the 2022 New England Patriots offseason today here on Locked on Patriots. I'm Mike DeBate and you're about to be locked in to the Locked on Patriots podcast. You are Locked on Patriots, your daily New England Patriots podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hello to all of you, Foxborough faithful, and thank you once again for making Locked On Patriots a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage

and, of course, your first listen every day. Remember, Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms, including YouTube, so download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots is free and available on all platforms including YouTube. So download, subscribe to, and follow the Locked On Patriots podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Smash that subscribe button on YouTube so you don't miss a single second of the action.

I am Mike DeBate. I am your host of the Locked On Patriots podcast. I also cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Reach out to me. Interact with me. Let me know what's on your mind on the Bird app at MDABATENFL.

While you're out there showing some weak love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Lockdown Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. And of course, today's episode is proudly brought to you by our friends over at BetOnline. BetOnline has you covered this season with more props, more odds, and more lines than ever before. BetOnline, where the game starts. Speaking of starting, we are commencing yet another weekend because it's Monday here on Lockdown Patriots. Who else would grace our presence and bring some class to the microphone than my good friend, a columnist extraordinaire for E2GSports.com. Whether it be football, whether it be baseball, that might be a tough subject to bring up right now. So we'll stick to football today here on Locked On Patriots.

He is the Count of Murphy Fisto himself, my benefactor in this this business the only guest on this show with his very own branded hashtag the legendary thomas murphy joins me here today thank you for coming to me in friendship thank you for joining me don murph oh always my pleasure michael always my before we get started man i just gotta say one more time about the locked on On theme song. I am bumping up. That is the best bass line that is not in any way affiliated with Barney Miller. It's good. On the planet, man. Oh, my God.

I love it. I just love that bass line. All right. Let's get into it. It is. Legendary bass line. Very reminiscent of, I don't know. I shouldn't really say that.

I was going to say very Billie Jean reminiscent. You know, you got that boom, boom. Oh, all right. Yeah. Really. I mean, you got that background. You know, a little bit more guitar in there, but yeah, our production team over at Locked On does a phenomenal job with these. Really, we are very, very blessed to do business with so many great colleagues

that we have here at the network. I want to give all the credit to them. All I did was pick out my favorite, and they were able to run the ball with it. Speaking of running the ball, my friend, it is a new week. Two weeks in a row now we haven't been able to muse the great mock drafts that were sent in by so many of our great listeners that are still supportive of the channel, and we appreciate that so much. We mused the actual draft last week murph we actually provided our grades on the patriots performance in the draft but the draft is only yeah i don't i know i know a lot of people are still a little bit squeamish on this and i understand that um but the draft is only a

portion of the offseason and i know it's the biggest portion of the offseason it's the event that everybody looks forward to it's an entire weekend the nfl has made a gigantic spectacle out of it i'm not saying that derisively folks they really have it really is an amazing thing to go to the nfl draft they're really probably second to only the super bowl for drafts for events excuse me that are held throughout the. The draft really is an amazing thing to cover. It's an amazing thing to be at. But the New England Patriots have made other moves this offseason. And I thought it might be a good idea, since we're still in the mode of grading things. Murph and I are like frustrated teachers after the last day of school. You still feel that desire to grade things, but you don't exactly have the papers or the

final exams to grade. So you know what? We'll pull out a couple of old papers and that is the Patriots off-season performance up until this point. But we do have some new material to grade as well. So get to that in just a moment. Murph, lost in all of the mire of what teams do in the off-season, whether it be adding free agents, whether it be losing key free agents, whether it be the draft, whether it be undrafted free agents, which we'll get to in a little bit as well. I think one of the more forgotten aspects of the offseason is coaching changes. Teams are always going to take the spotlight that have had a big head coaching change. Obviously, Miami was a big one this season. Really unexpected, kind of came out of nowhere.

The Raiders. That's a Freudian slip that a lot of people make. We got LA, we got Oakland. I mean, you can pretty much throw that all in there. Obviously, Las Vegas is the one that really stands out to us here in New England because their new head coach is former offensive coordinator here in New England for a number of years and that's Josh McDaniels obviously that's the big shoe to drop in the Patriots coaching changes but Bo Hardigree followed him over to Las Vegas so did Carmen Brasillo on the offensive line um Mick Lombardi went over he's going to be his new OC um can't

discount the fact that Dave Ziegler is now over in Las Vegas as well. So, you know, New England West kind of, you know, is being compiled there by Josh McDaniels. Patriots elevated Matt Groat, a director of player personnel. Elliot Wolfe taking on a bigger role in terms of scouting. Matt Patricia, Joe Judge coming back into the fold. A lot going on with the coaching situation, Murph. When you look at the Patriots coaching staff and the changes that they've gone through, what's the first thing that runs through your mind?

Is this problematic or do you see potential? Wow. I see it as problematic. I see a lot of guys that are spending a lot of time and are in positions that they don't have a ton of experience in. But then again, on the flip side, I'm seeing head coaches come back that might have learned quite a bit in their stints away from here in those positions. So, you know, it's really difficult to judge on the surface, you know, you know, what, what Joe judge was doing down there in New York, you know, what, what Matt Patricia learned while he was out there in Detroit, things, things of that nature. You really

don't, you don't get to see the growth until you see the growth. So I'm going to hold back on panning these moves the way so many other people have. A lot of talk is brought in about how Mac Jones is going to be teaching whoever is play calling over there the playbook here. Well, nobody had any problem with him doing that while he was at Alabama for somebody that everybody was screaming to come back here in O'Brien. Yeah. Interesting enough, Mike Reese in his Sunday column yesterday revealed that Bill was in Foxborough last week for some of the offseason workouts that are going on right now. Obviously, it's a big week for the Patriots. Rookie minicamp beginning on the 13th of the offseason workouts that are going on right now. Obviously, it's a big week for the Patriots. Rookie minicamp beginning on the 13th of the month this coming Friday. Friday the 13th.

Hopefully, it's not a bad omen, folks. But the Bats rookies are going to get a chance to come to town. We're going to be talking about some of the rookies that we didn't get to last week. Obviously, we talked about the draft, but some undrafted rookie free agent grading going on with Murph and I. Stay tuned for that, folks. That's coming up in just a little bit. But I agree with you when it comes to the coaching staff. Look, you can't lose someone with the prowess, with the experience,

and with the battle test of Josh McDaniels and not expect there to be some growing pains in this offense, especially when you're not bringing in a seasoned veteran like a Billy O'Brien to come in and to take the reins and to run the ship, so to speak. But I think a lot of people are being very overly squeamish about Matt Patricia and about Joe Judge. I'm not saying that they're not coming without their faults. And I'm not saying that, oh, it's fine. Just trust in the system. You know, I know I sound like an in-bill-we-trust guy an awful lot, but I assure you folks, I'm not. I'll definitely give credit where credit is due or take credit away where it deserves to be Joe Judge and Matt

Patricia have coached on the offensive side of the ball this is not a situation where they've never done it before at any level and Bill is just saying I like these guys I'm going to give them a crumb and let them see what they can do with it Matt Patricia has started off as an offensive line coach so if he's going to be working with the old line you know that there is some ability to be and let them see what they can do with it. Matt Patricia has started off as an offensive line coach. So if he's going to be working with the O-line, you know that there is some ability to be able to do that. And sometimes, you know, we talk about keep your friends close and your enemies close. Sometimes who better to coach an offensive line than a defensive coach

that is designed to try to penetrate that and look for some cracks in the foundation. So maybe this will end up working out. I'm not saying it's a hand-in-glove fit. I don't necessarily know if it's a complete long-term solution, but for this year, it looks like that's what the Patriots are going to do. And Joe Judge working with the quarterbacks, again, when you have your hand in special teams, you do it all.

And Joe Judge is capable of being there. This is a reason that so many special teams coaches become very good head coaches. I think that's why he got the Giants job. I mean, to be honest with you, that's really where his prowess was. And I remember talking to Patricia Trena, who covers the Giants for Sports Illustrated. Also my colleague here on Locked On, she does a Locked On Giants podcast, when Joe was hired. And that was our consensus, is that it was the special teams prowess that he brings to the table that really got the Giants to notice him, look at him and say, okay, you know, he's a special teams coach under Bill Belichick, who places more of a premium on special teams excellence than Bill? There's no one out there that does. And regardless of what you think about back channel communications or whatever goes on between, you know, Bill and those franchises and whatnot, they have to make the move that they feel is in the best interest

of the football team. That's what they did. We'll see what Joe can do out there. The thing that makes me feel a little bit better about this Murph and correct me if I'm wrong, is that Brian Hoyer is still on this roster. Brian is your de facto quarterback coach no one knows this offense with the exception of maybe Josh McDaniels and Tom Brady better than Brian Hoyer and obviously McDaniels is gone Brady's not walking back through that door I feel like Rick Pitino but um in any case that's not happening so what's the next best thing that you have and that's brian on this team to be able to mentor mac whether he remains as a backup quarterback or whether he does transition into a full-time coach's role which i'm told is not completely off the table

stay tuned folks but that to me solidifies that mac should still be in good hands because that's the big question here is is mac being done a disservice by not having a bona fide offensive coordinator? I think they could have better served him, but I don't think this is catastrophic. No, I agree. Having a voice like Hoyer standing next to him, even if he's holding a clipboard and sitting down with him in between each series, is going to be immensely important as compared to what he could be going through. That being said, Nick Cayley is somebody that has coached tight ends for a very long time, coached fullbacks and running backs for a very long time, and I think is going to end up being the play caller here

and end up working really well with Mac as he progresses and goes along. But it can't be overstated how important it is to have a voice like that in the room every single Monday and every single day helping Mac Jones grow and mature as a quarterback. And I expect to see a big leap this year. Guys, don't forget, you know, Josh McDaniels was not above criticism over the years here. He's a fantastic offensive coordinator, but it's not like every Sunday you guys have walked around and said, you know, damn, what are we ever going to do if we lose Josh McDaniels? We've lost Josh McDaniels here before, and they'll get through it. They'll figure out a way to get through it.

And bottom line here is on the other side of the ball, on the defensive side of the ball, Bill has guys that he trusts and knows, and he's going to have a huge hand in what goes on on the offense. Bill himself is going to have a huge hand in what goes on on the offensive side of the ball this season. Absolutely. So well said. If I ever need help, who's a better consigliere than my father, right?

If you ever need help, who is a better consigliere than Bill Belichick, who's seen it all, done it all, really. I mean, as long as you have that guy stoking the sidelines for anybody that wants to criticize the man uh you cannot criticize what that guy can do on the field no question about it when it comes to coaching his team so murph bottom line patriots coaching changes what does don murph provide as the grade for the patriots coaches heading into 2022 right here as we speak because there's still time to change but right now how would you say they've done I I give them a Lawrence Simpson day grade of incomplete that's no great point all courses all courses well let's let's hope

they don't follow D-Day's example when we have whereabouts unknown by the end of the season and they're driving off in the car with the cutoff roof. That could be a disaster. We want them to be Senator and Mrs. John Blutarski riding off into the sunset. Hey, who knows? You know what? That's a Buccaneers reference, too. There you go.

All kidding aside, folks. I agree with you on on the patriots coaches i think it's unfair uh to grade right now in terms of where they are so yeah i'm giving them an incomplete as well um you know we'll we'll see we'll see what happens we'll determine the grade point average you know stop stop looking for the splash moves we don't do that around here it just doesn't happen around here it It truly doesn't. And you know, for better or for worse, it seems to have worked out pretty well for the Patriots in the long run. So you know what? Maybe these things will end up working out for the Patriots

in the long run. So Murph already, we've already gotten down to business. Great of the Patriots coaching staff, but don't worry folks. We have only scratched the surface when it comes to- Ivan Fierce is not retired absolutely that hasn't that's a big K as well he has not yet but it's looking likely like he will but yeah that's that being said he's still a member of the coaching staff as of right now and we'll see what happens yeah I think that is a move that's going to be made after camp I think that's an astute observation but at this point folks we will continue to grade the Patriots offseason, including the new additions, the new veterans to the team. What is the signature move for the Pats so far?

And are they done yet? Murph and I will discuss that in just a moment. But first, Murph, over the weekend, I think the world of professional sports told us that everything and anything is possible in professional sports. An 80-1 shot in the Kentucky Derby, Rich Strike, really finding the promised land, just absolutely phenomenal. Just really, I'm speechless when it comes to that. An 80-to-1 shot wins the Kentucky Derby and shocks the world.

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and the action that online where the game starts patriots fans are the legendary thomas murphy columnist extraordinaire from e2GSports.com, covering the Patriots, the Sox, anything and everything sports related. This man has his hand in it, and he's always right, folks. That's why we love having him here on hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday. And Murph, we opened the segment and the show today by talking about the Patriots coaching staff. We gave them an incomplete grade at this point because really coaching staffs cannot be graded until you start to see the production on

the field. It's way too unfair to take previous prowess and apply it because these guys are going to be wearing new hats this year. There's no question about it. But one thing we like to do in our business is apply grades to acquisitions whether it be free agents whether it be trades whether it be the draft like we did last week let's start with the free agents and let's start with the trade acquisitions because the Patriots didn't really I don't want to say set the world ablaze when it came to their acquisitions this offseason but they've made some significant moves they've also suffered some significant losses. Obviously, J.C. Jackson was one of them without question. He was definitely a tough loss for the Patriots.

Teddy Karras, Shaq Mason traded away. But the Patriots have added some new players. We're going to stick to the new guys today because the ones that are re-signed, we've talked about these players so often, whether it be from Nick Fultz to Matthew Slater, Devin McCourty, James White. We know what they can do, and we know that bringing them back was a good move for the most part with all of these guys.

But the new guys definitely throw some wrinkles into the plan, maybe in a good way, maybe in a not-so-good way. We'll see. Ty Montgomery coming over uh former jet former saint coming in he's running back wide receiver kind of like that jack of all trades that uh you know that swiss army knife that the patriots love to employ on the offensive side of the ball terence mitchell who we got an opportunity to meet last week uh with the media cornerback coming over from the houston texans spent time with d, also spent time with Cleveland, Mack Wilson coming over in a trade. We got a chance to meet him

a week before as well. That could be a big move coming over from the Cleveland Browns, Jabril Peppers. I know you love that move since it was made a former giant coming over. I love this move. Uh, Devante Parker coming over in a big trade from the Miami Dolphins. And of course, the Butler did it again, coming back over into the hole. Malcolm Butler returns to the New England Patriots. Murph, when you look at these moves as a whole, individually, what jumps out on the page for you? If you're looking at this tally sheet, what's going to raise the eyebrow? What's going to jump out at you as saying, this could be one that moves the needle or is it multiple moves? Yeah, it's multiple moves.

But Jabril Peppers is my number one. You said it earlier. I love this acquisition that the Patriots made this year. His versatility is off the charts. You know, it might say safety next to his name, but this is a man that, you know, is can, can slide down and play the slot. He can, he can move around. There's so many different things that Peppers is going to be able to do here.

And now that he's set loose from the confines of Northern Jersey, I really expect him to show out this season. I really do. I love this move. Of course, Devontae Parker comes over. He is now the number one option on this team. He comes over, and I think he's going to relish this role the way he did a couple of years ago down there in Miami. The only caveat to that is him staying on the field. He's long been

somebody that has had nagging injuries that don't allow him to play at the level that we all know that he can play at. He's somebody that really needs to feel perfect to play that style of game that he has. I don't want to hang that he's fragile. It's just something that seems to be an issue with him as to his performance on the field, as to how good he feels and and working into a wide receiver group that that's now getting pretty deep um you you can call these guys all number twos or a bunch of threes and and twos put together but um i think mac is going to work really well with him yeah i really liked the liked the acquisition of Parker right off the bat.

And I've said that several times here. I've sung those phrases numerous times. But the thing that I really like about Parker's acquisition is, yes, there is a great deal of prowess on the field. I know he's got his injury concerns. And I know when he's not healthy, things can go off the rails. But when he is healthy, as the late, great Herb Brooks would say, well, in the movie Miracle, have you seen him when his game is on?

You know, really, I think that's the type of guy you're getting with Devontae Parker. But he is a name that opposing coaches, opposing defenses are going to have to account for whenever he's on the field. So automatically, that's going to draw the attention of the defense. And I don't think the patriots really had a guy like that last season uh i love jacoby myers great you know great hands short hands one of their more reliable receivers hunter henry was definitely a guy that the patriots tried to focus on and it took him out of the game plan a little bit toward the end of the

year and you saw his production day off right now with another guy that they have to zero in on, it's just one more weapon that Mack is going to free up. It's really going to open everything up. What they were able to do in the draft at the line position and at running back is going to do nothing but help this receiving core. And you're going to be pleasantly surprised Patriots nation. You really are. Um, I will take a smart, deep group over star studded any day of the week. Yeah, absolutely. And that's exactly what you're getting with the New England Patriots. And I, again, I really think

that this is going to be a good move for them. Um, I like the addition of Mack Wilson at linebacker as well. Uh, I think the speed of Mack Wilson at linebacker as well. I think the speed that he can play, the different type of dimension he can bring to this team might be good. I think a change of scenery is exactly what might spark him a little bit. Mack is definitely excited about playing with New England. We had a chance to meet with him a couple of weeks ago, members of the media via zoom conference and you know he spoke about you know the the coming here and playing against the patriots in his rookie season and really you know absorbing everything that they had to offer and the way they do business and coming in here it really reminded him an awful lot of alabama and his time

under nick savin and he said i think that is going to be a good transition move for him because it's going to help him get acclimated a lot quicker than maybe he would have if he were going to a completely new system. So while we were all, while we were all screaming on draft night, where's my, um, off the ball inside linebacker, most of us out here forgot about this young man. And I think like Mike just said, this change of scenery, this change of coaching style and philosophy is going to work to his advantage and to all of yours. Absolutely. And I really think it will. And that's something that I know Patriots fans are a little squeamish at the linebacker position right now.

But I think there's a lot of young talent stockpiled here that we haven't really seen yet. Ronnie Perkins, a guy that we talked about a lot last year, coming up from the outside and really making that transition from the end to the end. Cam McGrone is just, oh my God. That's the guy I'm really looking forward to seeing as well. Wait, honestly, folks, for those of you that aren't film junkies, this was the steel of last year's draft, even though the fact that he sat the entire year, this was a steal. I literally did cartwheels. My six foot 11, 300 and 700, 3,700 pounds. So did cartwheels through, through my living room when this name was called. Isaiah hole, who does the, uh, the locked on, uh, Wolverines podcast here on the network

texted me a couple of years ago when the Patriots picked up Michael Wainu in the sixth round and said, you guys really got a big-time steal there. Mike is going to come in. He's going to really anchor that offensive line. This kid can really – he can play. While we were looking at Ruiz. And we were looking at Cesar Ruiz, who I think will end up still being a great, good, solid lineman. I mean, we were looking at that, butiz, who I think will end up still being a great, you know, good, solid lineman.

I mean, you know, we were looking at that, but he's like, you guys, you know, getting him in the sixth round, that's a huge, you know, accomplishment, and that's a big-time steal. Texted me again last year when they got Cameron Grone, and he said he may not be ready this year, but once he's ready, watch out. He's going to put the rest of that league on notice and make them pay for passing him over. And you know, the Patriots

have a pretty good track record of guys from Michigan that might be playing with a little bit of a chip on their shoulder. They get passed over a little bit. We're going to quote the godfather here. It's going to be Fredo. I wish I was a brother. I would step over. I can handle things. I'm smart. I'm smart I'm dumb like everybody says you're nothing to me now Fredo you're not a brother

all right we could really go off the rails today yeah three hours if we keep exactly uh but no all kidding aside I really think that uh this to me, is why the Patriots choose to stand back at linebacker. And who knows? I mean, you know, there's the argument out there that it's going to backfire on them. It may. You don't know. Nobody knows that for sure. But I think there's a good amount of talent there that the Patriots need.

If there is still a position of need on this team, I still say it's corner. And I mean, I know that they went after. I know they got Jack Jones. I know they got Jack Jones. I know they got Marcus Jones. It's a lot to put on the shoulders of those types of rookies to be able to carry the load as a solid number one or number two. I think Malcolm can hold up. I,

I was very impressed by what Jalen Mills did last year, but that being said, I still think they're one player away on that depth chart being a solid unit. I think the Patriots will be active. It'll be interesting to see if any guys are cut loose or how they approach this next wave of free agency, I guess if you can call it a wave of free agency. But to me, those are the—

Terrence Mitchell is not the answer. Yeah. I mean, I think Terrence is a solid player and I think he played his role well, but I think he's situational. And I think that right now is where he's going to stay. I think that's where, you know, the best fit for him is. So, you know, folks, it's going to be interesting. You all have your own thoughts on the Patriots new guy acquisitions. Don Murph, what is your assessment of the Patriots new guy acquisitions so far? What do you grade this team? I grade it as a solid B again, not flashy, as you said, not a bonfire going on here,

you know, just a nice little backyard fire that you can cook your meats on and, uh, and, and hopefully keep some of these, uh, um, opposing quarterbacks in check. I believe between the draft and what Bill was able to do in free agency. And don't forget, folks, like Mike said, free agency is not over yet. There's still going to be cuts out there. See if guys can be brought in here. I'm going to give this a B minus. Yeah, I'm going to give it a solid B. I like the acquisition of Parker and I like the acquisition of Wilson that much. I think Ty Montgomery can be an under the radar type contributor, especially on third down.

The new guys like either a Pierre Strong or someone of that nature is going to have, you know, maybe a little growing pains coming through this year. Exactly. I think Montgomery can give them at least a little bit of a stop gap there as well. I love love the Peppers' acquisition, so I'm going to give them a solid B, and we'll see what the Patriots can do from there. I even like the fact of bringing back Butler to mentor some of these younger guys to teach them. Another coach on the field, he may not have the speed that he once had, might not have the prowess that he once had,

but he's going to make up for it with knowledge and anticipation. Absolutely. And that's true. With Butler, you're bringing back someone that has such a great amount of knowledge of this system. And I believe Mike Giardi said on your show, on One Patriot's Place, that they don't need the Malcolm Butler of the Pro Bowl years.

If they get 2020 Malcolm Butler that he played with the Tennessee Titans, they're going to be doing just fine. He had a very good season, very good in zone. If the Patriots decide to play more zone this year, that's a good fit. So, you know, we'll see. We'll see what happens with the Patriots in that department. But ultimately, I think they've done a decent job in adding the players they've needed to and filling the holes they've needed to.

Well, Murph, we graded the draft last week, but we didn't quite get to the undrafted rookie agents. I flew it solo over the weekend and gave my assessment, but what's Murph's assessment and do we agree on some of these? We're going to find that out, folks, in just a moment, but it is now time for Team Butchie's favorite segment on the show. Murph, summer is coming, and judging by the weather forecast, it's favorite segment on the show. Merck, summer is coming. And judging by the weather forecast, it's coming this weekend, folks.

We expect temperatures in the 80s here in the Northeast. And it's 40 outside right now. So that shows to show you anything is possible in New England. And with summer, you're going to need some food on the go. And Bilt Bars are the perfect snack to take with you on a family vacation, on a family outing to practice anywhere built bar is the option and you definitely want to keep these all at all times folks throw them in your bags in your kids backpacks make sure that everyone has a bar so that you are fueled for your summer adventures the best part about built bar

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thomas murphy of e2g sports.com covering the pats and socks all things new england sports and murph we've talked about the coaching staff but we've talked about the new guys but we haven't exactly talked about one aspect of the draft that really is one of the Patriots' favorite aspects of the draft. That's adding undrafted rookie free agents. This team has an 18-year active streak of adding an undrafted rookie free agent to their active roster. Last season, it was Quinn Nordine who was selected to the team's initial 53-man roster. The Patriots drafted 10, but they've added eight undrafted rookie free agents since that period. A lot of interesting names on this list, a lot of

intriguing names, not a lot of huge names. I think Patriots fans were a little surprised and maybe a little disheartened not to see Slade Bolin among this list, but the guys that the Patriots have brought in, I think, can really be interesting signings. Right. And I think there is one that has maybe an inside track on making this roster. I said that yesterday on Locked On Patriots or over the weekend, if you haven't had a chance to go back and take a look at that or listen to it, folks. But I'm going to give you... Got me through the red socks game yesterday oh man yeah the time times are not good yeah yeah you know what we're trying to focus on the bruins

and the celtics and we're still trying to focus on sorting through the patriots but don murph i'm going to give you the command they've heard me growing on and on about these guys. When you look at the list of undrafted rookie free agents, who stands out to you? Who is the eye-opener or who are the eye-openers? Because it doesn't have to be just one in this group. D'Erik King, without a doubt, D'Erik King. We have talked for more than a decade about West, well, the, you know, almost two decades about the West Welkers, about, about the Julian Edelman's, um, meet, meet the next incarnation people. Uh, this, this man is set to move from quarterback to wide receiver. He's a fantastic athlete with a fantastic mind. He's somebody that has been under center, looked across that field, and deciphered defenses.

And I think this move is going to be the one that we point to in this year's undrafted free agents. I believe he's going to make the team. There isn't going to be a redshirt season for him. He's going to come in as the undrafted free agent to make it 19 in a row. That's an excellent choice. And I really, for the life of me, cannot think of an argument to oppose it right now. Too bad. Well, he was not my choice of the undrafted to make this roster yesterday. And that is something that I'll get to in just a moment, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm right and you're wrong that just means a difference of opinion there but

I think you're on to something with the Eric King uh simply because this is a guy that the Patriots had they drew a beat on him they brought him in for workouts uh reportedly he really stood out uh to Joe Judge and that's something that really is telling to me and if judge is going to have his hand in the offense he's coached wide receivers before um i know there's differing opinions on how the job he did when he did that but he's done the job before so he does know how to scout these players and especially as a special teams coach he knows the value of versatility so that to me right there says something if you're standing out to Joe Judge, that's probably a good thing in terms of your hope or your aspirations to make a roster.

The skill set, really, I think, you know, he can align in the backfield. Obviously, he's going to be used as a wide receiver, but he's a guy that can give you some trickery as well. He's a guy that can drop back and then throw the ball and he can do it effectively uh we saw Jacoby Myers have success so we even saw Kevin Bourne throw a touchdown pass last year so Patriots are not above that I think they're going to use that a little bit in their arsenal again even with Josh McDaniel's not there I love Derek King I think this kid has got a lot on the ball and I think he's got a great chance at being able to crack this roster the guy that I selected was the defensive tackle out of Alabama because you know the Patriots have to

they have to bring an Obama guy it's just I think it's uh I think it's canon law in Foxborough to be honest with you and that's LeBron Wright look obviously there's no guarantees when it comes to the Patriots and they do have a lot of players at the linebacker position in the front seven, but in terms of versatile defensive tackles with great size, right. Guys like this don't just come along, you know, without any type of, um, they don't just, you know, they don't just fall out of the sky folks. The best way for me to put it fumbled that a little there i apologize but um let's hope if he falls out of the sky it's not on you put it back yeah exactly you definitely don't want that um there have been some you know off-field issues

and i'm sure that that probably contributed to his falling and plummeting through the draft into undrafted rookie free agency but when you play five full seasons under nick savin right mac wilson said this best a couple of weeks ago you're coming in with the answers to the test you're coming in with the cheat sheet you've read the cliff notes and you've also read the book so because you're coming in and maybe you're learning a little bit more about the nuances you've already got a big background uh coming in and probably a leg up on the competition. So six sacks, 13 and a half tackles, not bad with the pass rush, but this kid's specialty is stuffing the run.

And I think the more run stuffing bodies that you can stockpile here in New England, the better. So maybe I picked him to make the 53-man roster because I simply don't believe that he's going to last through the waiver wire. I don't think the teams are going to pass on him because I think he is going to have a good camp. And he's going to be one of those guys that is talked about throughout the media. You know, we have our camp darlings that really kind of make the last year was, you know, Quinn Nordine. And then really, I think, and Christian Wilkerson were the guys that stood out um it's been a little bit since we've had a defensive

player uh that's really stood out and that and I think LeBron Ray has a chance to do it I agree he does have a good chance to do it and one of the reasons I picked King was because I knew you were going to go in this in this situation I don't just say that I listen to these shows, people. I actually do. And I suggest you do. Murph did his homework. Yeah, I do my homework once in a while. You know, I show up and I got to get that D up to a C on my own grades. And I'll do my homework and I'll hand it in on time. No, I can actually see this happening quite easily.

This dude is so patriots. It's unbelievable what he does in the middle, one of the big, big problems last year was being able to stuff that run and to keep people from, from, you know, keep Bill from having to, to bring more people down in the box, which, which opened up so much in, in the passing game and, and how we got beat deep late in the season. This is a kid that is able to do that. Now, I'm not comparing him to Patriots tackles from the past. I'm not going to do that to any great extent because, you know, we've just had such fantastic play at that position over the years. But, no, he's going to be able to, this is somebody that could come in here,

be part of the rotation, and especially on early downs, do some damage. Yeah, absolutely. And you know, there's no codicil written into the Patriots, you know, will of testament here that they can't have two undrafted rookie free agents crack the 53-man roster. It's never, Bill Belichick will do what he believes is best for the football team.

Now, is that always going to align with what the fan base and media wants him to do? Usually it doesn't, but Bill's track record's pretty good until he falls flat on his face, which despite of what you're reading, folks, he has not done. Yeah, I think it's going to be interesting to see what happens. And the Patriots have a good amount of players stockpiled at this position. They just re-signed Carl Davis a couple of weeks ago as well. And that was a move that I didn't think was coming, especially after he was a healthy scratch for the Bills playoff game. I really did not believe that Carl was, you know, at this point, I looked at him and probably said, okay, well, he's played his last down in New England, but the market probably wasn't there. I think the

Patriots see an opportunity for him to come in, be a good camp body, and if he does make the 53, man, I'm not going to be shocked because he did it last year. He had a great camp. Bill thinks this guy can do what, you know, a Devin Devin Godchild can do, you know, and, and save some cat, believe me, he's going to make the move and, and it could, you're right. It could be too. Yeah, absolutely. So, you know what, New England, uh, it's going to be interesting. Um, overall Murph, uh, before we, I let you go today, my friend, what are your, what is your assessment of, uh, this class from start to finish? Uh, How do you think the Patriots did when it comes to bringing in undrafted rookies? Another solid B.

They didn't, like you said, they didn't bring in the names that didn't go in the draft, with the exception of King. I think he was a name that didn't go in the draft that could have gotten, somebody should have taken a late flyer on. But it's a solid B. These are Patriot-style guys, guys that are going to come in here and either help in a myriad of ways or just one. If Bill sees somebody that he's going to be able to plug in

and play for two or three downs during a game and help this team win two ballgames that they wouldn't have won, he's going to do it. This is a solid B class for the Patriots. There are a lot of teams out there that got graded higher on their free, on drafted free agents, but none that I think could come in and help their teams in the way that bill pulled guys in off the street for himself yeah absolutely i could

not agree more and look bottom line i think in some grades that you see post-draft grades and obviously undrafted rookie free agent grades you fall in love with the name you look at the big names names that maybe were um you know scouted or graded higher on the big boards that didn't go and teams pick them up and they go oh yeah they got that guy oh yeah they got a good class but it's about bringing in the right players and i think that's what bill belichick and the new england patriots have done here uh some under the radar guys liam shanahan from lsu yeah our borough mass oh my god um you know started it you know played alongside uh chasen hines i think that Some under the radar guys, Liam Shanahan from LSU. Yeah. Marlboro, Mass. Oh, my God. You know, started it, you know, played alongside Jason Hines. I think that could be a good connection there.

The Patriots chose to bring in guys there. Cody Tippett out of the University of Rhode Island. Not an undrafted rookie free agent signing, but an invitee to rookie minicamp. I wrote about him a couple of weeks ago as well. And, you know, obviously when your dad is Andre Tippett, it does come with big shoes to fill. But that name, there's just something about seeing an England Patriots jersey with the name Tippett on the back. Tippett on the back.

I just like. I just like. It brings me back to my very, very early, early childhood of remembering Andre's final days in a Patriots uniform. And Jake Julian, the Canadian punter, he spent five seasons punting for the Eagles and average 43.4 yards per punt for his career. Somebody to push Jake Bailey, somebody that would fit in here nicely. I was just shocked that he was right-handed, right-footed. Absolutely. I mean, you know, it's, you know, Bill Belichick against the grain there, but you know,

not that average 43.4 yards per punt across his career doing that in Eastern Michigan and coming from Canada, you know, you want to talk about being able to punt into those, those difficult Buffalo wins. I'll be nice. Difficult Buffalo wins. You know that I think it's uh yeah that could give him a heads up so i'm looking forward to a lot of competitive battles in uh in training camp this year you got the undrafted rookies you've got the draftees you've got the new guys the incumbents uh the captains that really it's going to be a lot of fun this year in training camp

because there's so many uncertain holds on this team that need to be filled. And I think for the first time in a long while, a lot of these spots are up for grabs. And I think it's going to be there for the guy that can show Bill Belichick and the coaching staff enough to be able to earn their trust. And that's not an easy thing to do. Murph, you have earned our trust here on Locked On Patriots. As a matter of fact, we place all of our trust in you.

You are the Don of Locked On Patriots here on Mondays, each and every Monday. I thank you so much for joining me today, lending your wisdom and counsel as only you can. Folks, please do yourself a favor when it comes to New England sports, especially the most accurate and the most honest coverage that you'll get on the Boston Red Sox who are struggling a little bit right now. Definitely follow this man at E2GSports.com. All of his great work. You can follow him on the Bird app at Team Earth 207.

You can see it right there on the corner of your screen. But all kidding aside, whenever he puts pen to paper, whenever he puts voice to microphone on one Patriots place alongside good friends, Consigliere's here on Locked On Patriots, Steve Balistrieri and Claire Classey, Claire Cooper. The man just does it all, and he's able to do it with a style that only he can, but an accuracy and also an insight that only he can provide. So once again, Don Murph, thank you very much for joining me today.

Always honored and humbled by your presence. Oh, it's always fantastic to be here, Michael. And until that door is locked, I'll be in every Monday. And even if it is, I might kick it down. That's how much fun I have doing this show. That door is never locked. There are two things in this world that you can definitely be assured of when it comes to Locked On Patriots. The Toto poster remains up in honor of my good friend Mark Schofield.

And that door is always open on Patriots. The Toto poster remains up in honor of my good friend, Mark Schofield. And that door is always open on Mondays. And that embroidered chair is definitely yours, my friend with the embroidered hashtag locked on Murph. So folks, we are only scratching the surface for new England Patriots coverage this week. So please continue to stay locked into locked on Patriots, download,

subscribe to follow locked on Patriots on all of their favorite platforms. We're free and available on them all. And once again, I sincerely and humbly thank you for making Locked On Patriots not only a daily part of your New England Patriots coverage, but also hopefully your first listen every day. Until tomorrow, Foxborough faithful, and on

behalf of the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, the legendary Thomas Murphy, I'm Mike DeBate. Stay safe. Stay well. Be the change that you wish to see in the world. Have a great day, everyone.