Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Over (Achiever) / Under (Achiever): New England Patriots 2022 Training Camp

Episode Date: July 26, 2022

With the start of 2022 training camp just hours away, the New England Patriots are making final preparations for the practices on the field. Joining host Mike D’Abate is Thomas ‘Murph’ Murphy of E2GSports.com. The duo discuss which Patriot, who is starting camp on the PUP list, has the best chance of coming off before the end of camp. The also provide their thoughts on who might underachieve, as well as who might overachieve during camp practices.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!DaveDownload the Dave app from the App store right now for an Extra Cash account and get up to 500 dollars instantly. For terms and conditions go to dave.com/legal. Instant transfer fees apply. Banking provided by Evolve. Member FDIC.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! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

underachievers, overachievers, and pup-less probables. All that and more today as we march toward training camp, beginning in less than 48 hours for your New England Patriots. I'm Mike DeBate. 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 also your first listen every day. Don't forget, Locked On Patriots, free and available on all platforms. Download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots, free and available on all platforms. Download, subscribe to follow Locked On Patriots wherever you get your audio podcasts, and smash that subscribe button on our YouTube channel. Your daily home for your six-time Super Bowl champions,

the New England Patriots. And of course, I am your host, Mike DeBate. I cover your New England Patriots for Patriots Country of Sports Illustrated. Feel free to reach out to me on Twitter at MDABATENFL. While you're out there showing some love to that Twitterverse, please be sure to follow the Locked On Patriots account as well at LO underscore Patriots. As you can see, Foxborough faithful. It is hashtag Locked On Murph Monday.

And legendary Thomas Murphy going to join me up in here in just a moment. But of course, today's episode is brought to you by bet online, bet online has you covered this season with more props, more odds, and more lines than ever before that online where the game starts. Patriots fans, as the late great gorilla monsoon would say,

the time for the talk has just about ended. Your New England Patriots conducting their first training session on July 27th, this coming Wednesday. Of course, all players required to report by Tuesday, July 26th. Players meeting with the media, Bill Belichick will meet with the media on Tuesday. We'll have you covered right here on Locked On Patriots for all the comings and goings in Foxborough.

This week, team confirmed that practices will be open to the public. This week, 9.30 a.m. is the start time with gates opening for the fans at 8 a.m. So check Patriots.com. Stay up to date on the latest practice information for your New England Patriots if you're headed up to the Foxborough area. And if you are, definitely stop by and say hello. I would love to definitely interact with you guys. But joining me today here on the pod to help answer some of the most burning

Patriots training camp questions is one of our very favorites here on the podcast. He is the only guest that we have past, present, future with his very own branded hashtag. That's right, folks. It is hashtag LockedOnMurphMonday, and that means the legendary Connor Murphy Fisto himself. Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com is here. Thank you for coming to me in friendship today, Don Murph.

Oh, my pleasure, man. My pleasure. First things first, got to give a shout-out to our good friend Evan Lazar. Absolutely. Who has announced that he is joining Patriots.com to become one of their writers. And I don't want to say the new face, but, you know, Evan will be out there and in everybody's grill and letting you know what's happening.

Congrats, Evan, on your new gig. Absolutely. Could not have gone to a finer writer, finer human being. Evan is a great friend of the program here on Locked On Patriots. Definitely have been a fan of the work that he's done for CLNS Media for a number of years. You know, whether you go back to his time with The Herald or his time with Pat's Pulpit. I mean, Evan has basically seen it all and done it all on the Patriots beat. And he continues to do great things. Patriots.com

has got a good one. He's got a great home. They're a great group of guys over there. Whether you're talking about Paul, you're talking about Fred, or you're talking about Mike Dussault, who's been on the show here as well. Just excellent people working there. They've got another good one. Patriots.com

once again, a great, great addition. Knocked it out of the park. So congratulations to Evan as well. And to Patriots.com for making a great choice. Absolutely. Absolutely. No question about it. And then definitely, you know, a mutually beneficial situation.

And, you know, we're all about mutual beneficial situations when it comes to the New England Patriots. Quit pro quo, Murph. What's going to be beneficial for the Patriots? What's going to be beneficial for the players on the team? And last week, we found out that the Patriots will start some of their roster, a handful of players, on the physically unable to perform list.

The pup list is what everyone calls it. James White, Jonathan Jones, David Andrews, Raekwon McMillan, Jabril Peppers. on the physically unable to perform list the pup list is what everyone calls it james white jonathan jones david andrews rayquan mcmillan jabril peppers all of these guys have had their injury situations over the course of the off season so nobody on this list is a shock um none of them came as a shock to me i was a little surprised about guys like maybe you know mcmillan or peppers i was really hoping that we'd get to see them right out of the gate but the Patriots are taking a temperant approach and I for one can't blame them I think they're smart to do that a couple of days ago here on the pod I prognosticated that James White might be the guy that ends up starting the season on the up list simply because of the nature of the or ir exactly um the nature of the hip

subluxation is something that is very difficult to get over there's no question about it that's a tough rehab and we know that james is serious about getting back out on the field but also the patriots have to err on the side of caution and james does as well but we know that not all of these players are going to start the season on an injured reserve or a pup situation these guys are going to eventually need to see the field and a couple of these players at least a couple of them should come off the pup list prior to the beginning of the season my question to you today my friend is when you look at this roster and you look at the guys that are on PUP right now, beginning training camp,

who has the best chance to come off of this list before the season gets going? Well, I'm not a doctor, and I don't even play one on podcasts or streaming services. But I really believe that the man who needs to come off as soon as possible is Peppers. I think he will get off. Being a veteran and coming in to learn this defense and everything that's going on, it's paramount that he gets on the field as quickly as possible. So I can't say who, you know, who definitely will be off first, but I think Peppers or even McMillan are two guys that need to get off pup and get on the field.

So they're not just sitting there in meeting rooms, going over game film. You need to be there. You need to get acquainted with your teammates, especially with how this defense is going to evolve this year. Yeah, absolutely. And I think you're definitely on to something in terms of Peppers. I, for one, cannot wait to see him really take the field in a Patriots uniform and really be able to do some things. You get a very limited sample in OTA and in minicamp. There's not a lot that you can tell from what these guys are able to do some things. You get a very limited sample in OTA and in minicamp. There's not a lot that you can tell from what these guys are able to do.

You get flashes of it. I mean, it's definitely, it's not useless time out there, folks. Nobody's saying that. But at the same time, there's also an opportunity, I think, for both of these players or some of these players, I should say, to get in there and to make their mark in a Patriots uniform. You really don't need to question at this point what David Andrews brings to the table, what James White brings to the table, even Jonathan Jones to a degree.

I mean, he's earned his stripes here in New England for being able to be one of the best slot corners, I think still one of the best slot corners in the game. And the Patriots are going to need that presence in the cornerback position without any question. We're going to talk about cornerbacks a little bit later in the week here as training camp kicks off. One of the burning questions on everybody's mind is who's going to take that second spot? Who's going to be the cornerback rotation? If he's healthy, Jonathan Jones is going to play a big role in the slot this year, I think. I see your point on Peppers, and I definitely don't disagree with it.

My choice was McMillan. And the reason why I say McMillan would be able to come off is because I saw him in OTA. We saw him in minicamp. He was getting a lot of reps with the starting unit. And this to me was an encouraging situation because if you look at one of the Patriots biggest defensive struggles in 2021 2021 it was a lack of speed in executing their coverage assignments right this is something that I think McMillan can be a hand in glove fit he was expected to compete for that spot last year and really

in training camp you saw him applying pressure you saw him getting to the quarterback he was providing great coverage in his assignments he looked good he was well on his way I think to earning a roster spot ACL tear comes obviously tragically ends his season before he's able to get back out there on this on the field but his impressive play in ota and minicamp that year really i think gave him a little bit of a leg up on the competition to see him kind of jump right back into what that role was last year to me i think that was very very telling so we'll see if mcmillan is able to come off i think if he does it's definitely a great thing for the new england patriots um you know uh and a great thing for their um opportunities uh you know and getting

where they need to be but ultimately uh these guys coming off of the pup list is just one more sign it's just one more uh you know cog in the wheel for the Patriots to build their roster and be able to move forward within the season. Murph, it's always fun talking about guys that have the potential, have a great opportunity to do something special on the field. We're not quite done with that talk yet, folks, but we're also going to talk about a player that may not be able to live up to the hype.

Murph and I may have differing opinions on who that player might be. We're going to talk camp underachievers in just a moment when this episode of the Locked On Patriots podcast continues. But first, if you're looking to enrich your sports fandom a little bit this offseason, heading into the 2022 regular season for the NFL, folks, there's still plenty of sports to be able to do it right this very minute. And if you're going to do that, definitely take advantage of the great offers that our good friends at BetOnline.net offer every single day. They are your number one source for all of your sports betting needs and sports information. Find all the latest developments, league reviews, and news at BetOnline, your continued

source for all of your sports wagering information, including live betting, esports, and scores. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest way to check on all of your favorite sports and events, including MMA, boxing, and golf. Head to the website today or use your mobile device to learn more about the trends and the action. Bet online where the game starts. Patriots fans, it is always an honor, always my privilege to be joined by the great, the legendary Connor Murphy, Fisto himself, Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com.

And Murph, in the previous segment, we talked a little bit about some of the players that might come off of the pup list early, give the Patriots a little bit of a boost in terms of their roster prowess. But every year, we have our share of overachievers, our share of underachievers, those that exceed our expectations, and those players that can't quite live up to the hype. And this season, the Patriots have some new faces we're looking forward to seeing. Devontae Parker, obviously, at the wide receiver position. Jabril Peppers, we talked about him in the previous segment. When healthy, everybody's going to be focusing on him.

Mack Wilson, a new linebacker coming in. What does this mean for the linebacking core for the Pats? You can't forget the rookies. Cole Strange, Tyquan Thornton, Pierre Strong. A lot of exciting rookies there. And then the veterans get thrown into the mix as well. Can't forget the vets on this team. But not every player is going to have a great camp, Murph.

Some won't. And ultimately, it may cost them the spot on the team. There is a list of usual suspects that can fit the bill of those that may not live up to the challenge or may not make the grade but i don't know if my list would coincide with yours that's really one of the great things about lists like this is you know what mer variety is the spice of life when you look at this roster is there anybody that you look at that might underachieve heading into training camp and during training camp yeah are you all sitting down I am sitting down you're sitting down but everybody else said

Mac Jones okay we have put so many expectations on a second year quarterback it is unreal um i i really think that that the the i don't want to say pump the brakes but let's take our foot off the accelerator here as to what met we expect out of mac jones in this camp he's going up against a very deep and versatile uh defensive backfield he's he's going up against young rookies that are going to be out there trying to prove themselves on the defensive line, and he's got a new offensive line in front of him. Let's just take our foot off the accelerator as to what we expect out of Mac Jones in what is just his second camp, people.

He had a fantastic rookie season, one that was much better than I expected coming out of Alabama. But this is a smart kid. But so much has been made about how good his rookie season was and how he is expected to perform here in his second year. If things don't go to plan, if he hasn't, he has a lot of new wide receivers and toys to play with. If things don't go perfectly, people are going to say that he's underachieved. And I don't have a problem with it. I really don't. You know, I think that's a very, what's the word I'm looking for, Murph?

A very courageous, I guess is the best way for me to put it, choice to be an underachiever. Look, bottom line, I think you've made an excellent point just what's just what people are expecting yeah to put those types of expect yeah to put those types of expectations on a player is unfair especially someone like mac jones who is a rookie quarterback had a good year in his first year a very solid rookie year and everybody's looking to build on that you hear all about the offseason hype he's worked with with Tom House he's doing much better things in terms of throwing the football he's coming in he's in better shape he's stronger he's quicker you're hearing all of that and you're expecting him to come in and be Tom 2.0 and I think that's a lot of people um you know that may cause him to fall

short of expectation in a lot of people's minds. Everybody's thinking Tom Brady year five here, okay? Yeah. That's not going to happen. Even in Mac's year five, it's not going to be Tom Brady, okay? So just stop, people. Yeah. Just stop. This is not the second coming.

Let Mac Jones grow and mature as Mac Jones and go out and hopefully win a playoff game or two at the end of this season, which I expect this team to do. But if it's not perfect coming out of the gate, look at this roster. Look at all of the new faces. Look at all of the new weapons that he's going to have to, you know, get on the same page with. That takes time.

It's not something that happens with offseason throwing when you're being covered by air. Yeah, that's true. It really is, and that's something that I think, you know, and even those in our profession have to understand a little bit more when you cover a team because all of a sudden, you know, you start to see these dazzling throws. We saw a couple in minicamp that looked excellent, and look, I can't say that nothing can be taken from these throws because there were a few times where I saw Mack throw into coverage actually hitting Trey Nixon on a couple of strides

balls that he would have checked down last year even in practice even in training camp that he wouldn't have been as aggressive in pursuing Mack was aggressive in pursuing those this time around so there is going to be some change there is going to be a little bit of growth there. And I think it's going to be a positive, but in terms of the expectations of him being the second coming and really, I think taking this team on his back and saying, okay, this is exactly what I'm going to do now. Those expectations need to be, I think, tempered just a little bit. So very interesting choice. I'm glad that you made that. I was a little more conservative in my pick. I didn't quite go the, you know, the full value, but I respect it, my friend. I really and truly do. And I think you're onto something. I went with the Michigan product, you know, going off of

Tom Brady. I think there is a chance that Josh Uche may fall short of some expectations. And look, I really hope I'm wrong on this because I love Josh. I really, and I'm very confident in his ability to be able to be a very strong contributor to this linebacking core, especially with guys like Van Noy and Collins now not in the lineup. Gives him a few more reps. It gives him the opportunity to get in there. But I think in so many ways, the Patriots linebackers are going to have a huge target on their back.

They're going to be very closely watched. Everyone wants that need for speed, injecting the speed into the linebacker position. And look, for a guy that had a very good season in 2020, an excellent rookie season, it wasn't really that case in 2021. And I know he had the injury that kept him out for a little while. The ankle injury, you know, that kept him out in mid-November that was difficult for him to come back from and Josh just simply wasn't the same player if he's healthy and he's ready to contribute I look for good things from Josh Uche without any question but that speed that athleticism that system savvy he's going to have to have that throughout training camp and I think it's a little much

to expect him to come in and be the savior of this linebacking core, especially if guys who haven't seen the field or younger players like a Cam McGrone or an Anthony Jennings struggle out of the block. It's going to be up to Josh Uche to carry that load to help keep Matt Judon and Juwan Bentley in check. That may be difficult for him to do. So for that reason, I don't think he's going to have a poor camp, but I think he may fall short of some people's expectations.

Right. I got you. I got you. And we aren't totally on the same page, but no, I can agree with everything that you just said. Absolutely. And you know what? Variety is the spice of life, my friend. So I do appreciate that. And I always appreciate your wisdom, your counsel, and your insight. But folks, we're not quite done with Murph's wisdom and counsel just yet.

Because to close out the show here in just a moment, we're going to talk about who Murph believes might exceed your expectations. And I'll give you my thoughts on the subject as well, as this Patriots Training Camp Primer episode continues in just a moment. But first, folks, level with me me we've all been in a situation at some point in our lives when we were a little light on cash if you could only afford to put a few gallons of gas in your tank or maybe you've got another save the date and you're just wondering how you're going to be able to afford another wedding gift that's where dave can help dave is

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Banking provided by Evolve member FDIC. That's Dave. Future you will thank you. Patriots fans, we are ready to wrap things up here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. This Monday episode, hashtag Locked On Murph Monday with my good friend, columnist extraordinaire Thomas Murphy of E2GSports.com. And Murph, we talked a lot about players that may underachieve, may not live up to expectation in 2022.

But, you know, the two of us, we love to end on a high note. So we're going to flip the script now and we're going to talk about a player that might be flying under the radar in your estimation that might end up exceeding your expectations in training camp. Could be on offense, could be on defense. We're not going to limit the fellow checking and prognosticating skills of my good friend here. Murph, take us home. Who is going to overachieve in camp this year and raise a few eyebrows doing it?

Okay, everybody's expecting me to say Jack Jones right now. I've been on the Jack Jones bandwagon, but it's going to be hard to overachieve as to, you know, how I feel about it. The guy that I think is going to overachieve in this, in this rookie game is because nobody sees him coming. And that's Sam Roberts. All right. Sam, Sam was, is in his rookie game is because nobody sees him coming, and that's Sam Roberts. All right.

Sam is in his rookie year. He's out of northwest Missouri State. This kid has the talent to come in here and make a little noise, become part of the rotation, and I think you're going to hear his name an awful lot. He was the Cliff Harris Award winner, which honors the nation's small college uh defensive player of the year uh he was first team uh all-american or d d2 cca you know his second team ap all-american performer you know this this kid led a very dominant um

bearcats defense this year uh he had 18 tackles for a loss, six and a half sacks in just 13 games. You're going to hear this kid's name a lot. And I'm looking forward to seeing him on the field. You know, I think you've got a very good chance of that happening. And look, I'm glad that you mentioned Sam Roberts because defensive line is a position that I don't think is getting as much press as it should. Everybody's worried about the linebackers. Everybody's worried about the cornerbacks and the defensive backs on offense.

Everybody's worried about the pass catchers, mostly the wide receivers. But the defensive line, I think, is where this team really could stand out or really could struggle because one of the biggest problems they had last year was stopping the run and because of that they had some difficulty setting the edge with which caused some of that but ultimately interior defensive linemen really i think are going to be key in this team's defensive prowess in setting the tone for the rest of those skill position groups that are going to need to get in there and make plays. Sam is intriguing because he's a late round pick. Not a lot of people are talking about him.

I completely agree with you. And I think he could come in and I think he could have a very good opportunity to really be someone special. He's on the rotational part of this defense. And he fits. He sits there at, I think, 6'5 and 295. He's got speed. He's very intriguing. I was happy when this pick was made.

I love the film that I saw. And like you said, it's one of the guys that's flying under the radar. And I think that he's a perfect candidate for our overachiever. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think that you have a perfect candidate for our overachiever. Absolutely. Absolutely. And I think that you have a good opportunity to be right on that. And we'll save this tape and we'll definitely come back to it, folks, when we have the opportunity to do so.

You're probably not going to want to save this portion of it because I'm going to give you mine. I'm going to go out on a limb here, Murph. Not a lot of people are going to expect this. And I know some people are probably going to crush me in the comments for this but I'll say it anyway um I think Henry Anderson has a chance to come in and surprise oh all right I believe I believe that there is a player lurking somewhere below what we saw last year that struggled with injury and

didn't get a chance to really flash his talent and what he can do but your guy Steve balistrieri our resident voice of reason here on lockdown Patriots was very very much a proponent of this move you were very much in favor of this move again last year and when I look at Henry Anderson on paper and what especially what he did with the Jets and I look at the film on him and I've been watching film on him a little bit lately to try to get myself back ingratiated and what he can do. He's capable of playing all over the defensive front. We've seen him align at the nine technique. He can line at the edge. He can be in the zero play in the nose. He's, you know, Patriots have had struggles in defending

mobile quarterbacks. And I think Anderson is the perfect guy to move around the line help create some favorable matchups he's by definition he's a run stuffer that's what the patriots brought him in here for in 2020 the last year that he was with the jets posted the third highest run stuff rate among players with at least 500 snaps his presence was absolutely you know counted on uh to be to help that jets uh you know line he definitely did was counted on to do it with the patriots here in 2021 uh but he can also perform against the pass people forget that he was a very good pass rusher for the jets in 2019 excuse me 2018 a couple of years before he was one of their uh you know their better pass defenders um you know there was a good amount of opportunity for him to be able to pressure the quarterback get after he

had seven sacks 16 quarterback hits in 2018 so this is a kid that can play all over the line so many people are just counting him as an also ran oh he's i've got him on the cutting room floor i didn't even bother to look at his name i I think Henry has a chance to come in and do something good. So I'm hitching my star right now. I'm hitching my wagon to the Henry Anderson star about being an overachiever. I think this has the opportunity to be under the radar. And virtually no one is talking about him. And I think that's a mistake.

Maybe not a mistake to Henry because I think it's giving him motivation. But I think it's a mistake to other people to forget that this guy's on the roster. Patriots spent pretty good money bringing him in. There's a reason for it. I think he shows it this year. Yeah, Bill saw something. Steve and I and you all loved this signing last year, and it's shocking that we both went with the same position group

for an overachiever here. A lot of people have forgotten about Mr. Anderson, and I keep calling him that because it's Mr. Anderson. I just freaking love it. You got to love it. So yeah, yeah, let's peel back the curtain of the matrix, and hopefully you're right. Absolutely, and we hope we're right as well, Murph.

And you know what? The Patriots hope we're right as well, because if these start coming to fruition, with the exception of our underachievers, we want those guys to overachieve. But if we're right on these two, and the Patriots do have a couple of good budding defensive linemen here that can really help them, one with a veteran presence and one with a little bit of rookie swagger, the Pats defensive line may be pretty good for the next couple of years, and hopefully that will indeed be the case. But folks, it's always, always an honor when our good friend, the Count of Murphy, Fisto himself, joins us here on the Patriots pod. But it's always, always a blast getting your wisdom and counsel here. Folks, if you are not following my good friend Thomas Murphy, please do so at TeamMurph207. All the great content that he puts out for E2GSports.com. Point, click, learn enrichment material.

Not only the Patriots, but also covering the Red Sox and all things Boston sports. Check out everything their great writers, all of their great writers do at E2GSports.com. And of course, you can catch Murph each and every week here on Locked on Patriots. But most importantly, on his very own podcast, co-hosted with two great friends of the program, Steve Balistrieri and Claire Classey. Claire Cooper. It's one Patriots place. Catch it wherever you get your podcasts.

But until next time, always honored, always humbled by your presence, Don Murph. Thank you so much for joining me. Always a pleasure, buddy. I'll be back here every Monday until they lock the door. Absolutely. And that day is not coming anytime soon, folks. We will not be locking the door on Murph. Never have, never will.

Until next time, Foxborough faithful, stay safe, stay well, be the change you wish to see in the world. Now that you've made Locked On Patriots your first listen, make your second listen, our good friends at Locked On NFL, free and available wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Mike DeBate.

Have a great day, everyone. Cool, Pat.